The Type of Shit You’re Getting Yourself Into (Ep. 111)

Prep test 82 is hot off the presses, and Nathan is champing at the bit to discuss. In his view? It’s a little different… just like every LSAT is a little different. The guys answer a bevy of listener emails, but not before shout outs to recent donors. If you’re jealous of the success stories, don’t forget to check out Nathan’s free online LSAT class and Ben’s free online LSAT class.

05:22 – Email 1—We’re kicking off the show today with a doozy. Fiesta, who took Nathan’s LSAT class back in July, scored a 180 on the September LSAT. And with a 3.94 GPA, she’s wondering about her candidacy for the top 3 law schools given that her stratospheric GPA is from the not-so-prestigious UC San Diego. Wow. Major congrats, Fiesta! The guys discuss how elite scorers can approach applying to top schools, and also give you, our dear listeners, a sense of the competition they’re up against heading into the legal profession.

17:09 – Email 2—More praise is coming our way from Grant (thanks, G!). After gleaning copious pearls of wisdom from the show, Grant went into test day feeling calm and confident. By applying some of the simplest advice from the show, he achieved a 171 on the recent LSAT (nice work, G!). Tune in to hear what helped him out the most on test day.

22:06 – Email 3—Loyal Listener is a bit frustrated. They scored a 167 back in June and then spent months of time and effort studying for the September test, only to achieve the exact same score. Since their practice tests are falling in the low 170s, it makes the 167 that much more bitter! LL wants to know, should they retake and risk a third 167 score? Or is it better to just apply now? The guys weigh in and speculate why LL’s studying may not translate to a higher score, before giving them the green light on taking again in December. When in doubt, dear listeners, it’s almost always a good idea to re-take.

36:21 – Email 4—Wicked was one of those folks who wrote in a few months ago asking about whether they should re-take to eke out a few more points after their June score of 170. Well, re-take she did. Wicked—using pearls of wisdom from Thinking LSAT—crushed out a 179 on the September LSAT. That is a life-changing 170-179 jump! Wicked shares what her test day experience was like, and now that her numbers are solid (3.81 GPA, too), the guys start talking application strategy.

48:10 – Email 5—Anonymous previously scored a 164, then upgraded to a 170 on June’s LSAT. Hoping that the third time would be the charm, Anonymous took the September LSAT only to score 170 again. While they made improvements in LG and LR, they had a dip in performance on RC due to a vision impairment. Anon, who had been scoring in the mid-170s on their practice tests, wants to know if they should mention this medical issue in an addendum. Ben and Nathan both agree: probably not. However, you should retake the test, consider applying for accommodations, and aim for a higher score.

55:42 – Email 6—Want to hear yet another fun success story about re-taking the LSAT? OK. Here goes. Because of the elimination of the three-times-in-two-years rule, Calvin was able to take the LSAT a fourth time this September. Why did he take the test a fourth time, dear listeners? Because he felt like he could do better. And guess what. He was handsomely rewarded with a 173—beating his previous high score of 167 by a whopping 6 points. Nathan and Ben discuss just how game-changing the new score is. Plus, Calvin turns the table on the guys, and gives them some recommendations for a change.

59:09 – Email 7—Anon writes in with another story that puts big smiles on our faces. After being told that their dream score was simply out of reach (by an instructor with a company that will not be named), Anon went on to shatter that ceiling by 4 points. Nice job, Anon! Thanks for the great news, and for listening.

59:54 – Email 8—The punches keep coming! “177” also had a great test day in September, moving the needle from their previous high score of 169 to, well, 177. Holy cow. Congrats! Ben and Nathan talk about how most test takers have an extra 5-6 points in them, and how the upside of variance is a case for taking the test multiple times.

01:02:55 – Email 9—Anonymous kinda bombed the June LSAT trying to anticipate which section was experimental. Here’s a pro tip. Don’t do that. With practice tests in the mid 160s, it’s clear they should re-take to improve their June score of 153. But Anon has another question. With a felony conviction on record, do they even stand a chance of getting into law school? Nathan and Ben make some recommendations on how Anon should move forward.

01:08:59 – Email 10—T Michelle has a low GPA of 3.02, and a high LSAT score of 170—she’s what some folks might call a “splitter.” And she’s wondering how that might affect her chances of getting scholarship money—the ABA 509 reports aren’t always clear on awards for splitters. There’s just one problem: Her score isn’t real just yet. Nevertheless, the guys weigh in, and answer T Michelle’s other questions: yes, your soft skills are great, but they won’t mean much without a great LSAT score. Yes, there’s some value to your existing prep materials, but there’s also some great free content out there from Nate and Ben that might be even more helpful.

01:17:57 – Email 11—Bangkok was unpleasantly surprised by test anxiety when they took the September LSAT. The anxiety caused B to dramatically underperform on the test, and they immediately cancelled their score. They had hoped to apply to a top school early in the cycle based on their high practice scores and 4.0 GPA, but now they’re wondering what the best course of action is going into the December test. The guys offer up their advice.