How You Study Matters More (Ep. 347)
Effective LSAT study requires more than just a time commitment. This week, Ben and Nathan emphasize that how you study for the LSAT matters more: More than the length of time you spend studying. More than the number of questions you cover. And more than any distracting analysis of whether the LSAT has gotten harder over the years (it hasn’t). The guys also answer listener questions about skipping answer choices to save time on the LSAT, making sense of law school scholarship variations, and more. Plus, they announce a Demon discount for university pre-law societies and roast a marketing email from a law school.
Attention, day-1 listeners: The guys are interviewing Derek Brainard, the national director of financial education at AccessLex, tomorrow (April 26). Submit any questions you have about financing law school to help@thinkinglsat.com today.
As always, if you like the show and 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.
4.27.2022 — June LSAT registration deadline
4.29.2022 — April LSAT begins
5.18.2022 — April LSAT scores released
6.10.2022 — June LSAT begins
6:38 - Test 73, Section 4, Question 9
The author begins by relaying someone else’s opinion: Some guy named Fraenger believes that Bosch was part of the Brethren of the Free Spirit. But, the author asserts, there is no evidence to support Fraenger’s belief. Meanwhile, there is evidence that supports Bosch’s affiliation with a different religious group. The author jumps to the conclusion that Fraenger’s belief is probably wrong.
What’s wrong with the author’s logic? As Nathan points out, absence of evidence isn’t evidence of absence! Fraenger may not have provided evidence to back up his belief—but that doesn’t automatically mean that Fraenger is “unlikely to be correct.” He could be right for the wrong reasons.
How does the “no evidence” statement figure into the argument? Don’t overcomplicate Role questions. Ask yourself: Is it a premise, a conclusion, or something else? Try this question here, and then listen to Ben and Nathan’s explanation.
31:29 - Eliminating Wrong Answers
An anonymous Demon student asks for feedback on his time-saving strategy for Logical Reasoning. He typically stops reading answer choices when he thinks he has found the correct answer. Although he “usually gets most questions right,” this strategy sometimes leads to sloppy mistakes. The guys dig into the economics of trading time for accuracy and explain why it’s worth spending the time needed to understand each question and get it right. Remember: 80% of the answer choices are wrong. You should expect most of them to be wrong—but you still need to read them to make sure!
41:47 - Has RC Gotten Harder?
An anonymous Demon student heard a rumor that Reading Comprehension sections become more difficult after PrepTest 55. Will using earlier tests “throw off” her studying? Ben and Nathan debunk this rumor. The LSAT has changed very little over the years. Progress comes from practice. Focus on understanding the questions on the test in front of you. Don’t allow rumors and speculations to distract you.
47:02 - Pre-Law Society Offer
Student Blake, who organizes events for his school’s pre-law society, inquires about a special discount offered by LSAT Demon. If your undergraduate pre-law society posts LSAT Demon’s affiliate link on their webpage, all society members will be eligible for 25% off the first month of any Demon subscription. Click here to learn more.
48:17 - How You Study Matters More
“I don’t have time” is an excuse that the Demon team hears on a weekly basis. Contrastingly, a Demon student who tested positive for COVID-19 this week kept studying anyway as it was “not that bad yet.” Nathan and Ben emphasize the importance of making time for your LSAT prep. If you can’t carve out at least one distraction-free hour per day, then now might not be the right time for you to be studying. Focused, consistent practice is more important than the sheer length of time you spend studying. If you want to succeed in your LSAT prep, make it a daily priority.
57:20 - Scholarship Estimator and Law School Rankings
Listener Sheldon has been playing around with the LSAT Demon Scholarship Estimator and noticed that some higher-ranked schools appear more likely to give him a full-ride scholarship than do some lower-ranked schools. Are some law schools simply more stingy, or is there something more going on here? The guys discuss several factors that may be at play. First and foremost is the location of the school. The University of Iowa, for example, is ranked 28—yet they might need to offer large scholarships to entice students to move to their state. On the other hand, not every school “plays the game” and tries to climb the rankings by luring competitive applicants with scholarships that are funded by other students’ tuition. Nathan argues that perhaps merit-based scholarships shouldn’t even exist. A more just system would entail schools charging everyone fair tuition and giving out only need-based aid.
1:10:36 - Law School Advertisements
Listener Sam shares an email he received from Widener University Commonwealth Law School. The email doesn’t promote the school or its specific programs. Instead, it aims to “debunk” a rumor that there are too many lawyers. The logic is comically flawed. Sam paraphrases the email as if it were a logical reasoning passage. Ben and Nathan then debunk Widener’s rumor debunking.