Beating the Khan Plateau (Ep. 260)
LSAC finally announced that the October LSAT will indeed be an LSAT-Flex, which should come as no surprise to Thinking LSAT listeners. But as more LSAT-Flex tests are scheduled, the rumor mill is going into overdrive. The guys talk about the latest news from LSAC and address rumors about the LSAT-Flex (is every LSAT-Flex different to mitigate cheating?!). Plus, the guys hear some success stories from LSAT Demon users, they offer some mind-expanding advice about logic games, and they review a listener’s personal statement.
As always, if you like the show and you want to get more from the Thinking LSAT community, check out the links below. You can connect with other folks studying for the LSAT, and get more useful resources from Nathan and Ben.
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Important Dates
8.29.2020 – Get ready, y’all. It’s the week of the August LSAT-Flex!
9.30.2020 – Don’t get cold feet! It’s the deadline to sign up for the November LSAT.
10.3.2020 – The October LSAT-Flex testing week
3:58 – LSAT-Flex Roulette?!
New listener and first-time correspondent Hannah writes in to confirm some rumors she’s been hearing. According to some speculators out there, the LSAT-Flex actually changes every two hours during administrations. So across a given LSAT-Flex testing period, that would imply that test-takers are not taking the same test. Hannah wants to know if there is some truth to this rumor, and if so, she wants to know how it might affect scoring. After all, it doesn’t seem fair that test takers are scored the same if they are taking different tests…right? The guys have no way to substantiate the rumor, but they do some speculating of their own. The main takeaways? Even if the test changes, there’s nothing you can do about it! And if you’re prepared for the test, you’ll be able to tackle whatever questions come your way. The guys go on to discuss how folks seem to be downright slaying the LSAT-Flex and what that says about law schools and the LSAT.
24:54 – Slow at LG
Kate’s been working in the Demon and it’s helped move her score into the 170s (hell yeah! Go, Kate!). But even though she’s seeing a range in the high 160s to 179, she still feels like she goes too slowly on games and wants to know how to improve. Ben and Nathan agree that the best way to improve at games is to do the same game in multiple ways—with worlds, without worlds, worlds built around different variables. By doing this, you’ll develop an improvisational style of doing the games that may cause you to spend a lot of time setting up the game at the beginning, but will help you slice thru answers like a hot knife thru “I can’t believe it’s not butter!”
38:43 – “The Khan Plateau”
Elan spent the early months of his LSAT study with Khan Academy. With a diagnostic of 159, Elan has his sights set on the 170s, and rightfully so! But after four months of studying with Khan, he plateaued after six points of improvement. Elan writes in to thank the guys for the Demon. After just one month with the Demon, he hit a 169 and is feeling confident about taking the test this fall. Way to go, Elan! Good luck on the October test.
44:52 – Personal Statement Review
B, or Bron, writes in to ask Nathan and Ben to tear his personal statement to shreds. After listening, Bron has picked up on a few things from the show, like the fact that Nathan loves and recommends the show What We Do In The Shadows. But by the looks of their personal statement, Bron has some more listening to do. Bron breaks nearly every rule in the Thinking LSAT personal statement rulebook—and it’s not for the betterment of their essay. The guys suggest a total re-write and provide reasons why throughout.