Thinking LSAT

Big law firms are extending offers to first-year law students before Christmas, pushing the recruiting timeline earlier than ever. Ben and Nathan break down what's driving the frenzy, whether it echoes the pre-2008 hiring bubble, and what it means for applicants counting on those $235K Big Law salaries.

Also in this episode:
- LSAC postpones removing dual-enrollment credits from applicants’ UGPAs
- Advice from Demon students who crushed the LSAT
- Early decision scholarships from Wake Forest Law and Emory Law

Study with our Free Plan⁠
⁠Download our iOS app⁠
Watch Episode 574 on YouTube
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Update on LSAC GPA Policy
14:28 Test D Question — Broken car
23:54 Always Choosing Next Best Answer
34:00 Law Firm Hiring Frenzy
45:59 Tips from Departing Demons
49:39 Early Decision Scholarship from Wake Forest Law
57:49 Early Decision Email from Emory Law
1:09:12 Word of the Week — imprecations
1:12:08 Email of the week

Law schools are releasing LSAT and GPA medians for their incoming first-year classes, and the number of schools with a 170+ median has risen sharply since 2016. Ben and Nathan break down why this is happening, and why it means schools are handing out generous scholarships to applicants with high medians. Their advice: use this to your advantage.

Also in this episode:
- Should you apply early with a below-target LSAT score, or wait until the next cycle?
- Switching to Demon after grinding through 1,800+ questions on another platform
- How often should you take full-length practice tests if you're still early in your prep

Study with our Free Plan⁠
⁠Download our iOS app⁠
Watch Episode 573 on YouTube
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Apply early or wait until the next cycle?
7:48 LSAT & GPA Medians of First-Year Classes
24:58 Thoughts from a Departed Demon
29:21 Demon is now on Android
31:50 Test D Question — Supergroups
39:35 Switching to the Demon After 1,800 Questions
51:45 How Often to Take Full PTs
58:52 Codeswitching LR and RC
1:03:16 Word of the week — calumniator
1:05:50 Email of the week

LSAC has released its annual LSAT percentile table, showing how  score distributions have changed over the past three testing cycles. Ben and Nathan explain that while more test takers are earning higher scores, small changes in percentiles matter far less than the score improvement students can make. 

Also in this episode:
- The difference between necessary vs. sufficient questions
- Why applying early without your best score will hurt your application
- A tip from a student in the LSAT Demon Discord 

​You’re Never Early with a Bad Score, Thinking LSAT (Ep. 521)
Study with our Free Plan⁠
⁠Download our iOS app⁠
Watch Episode 572 on YouTube

Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Test D Question — Agamemnon's pride
10:31 Necessary vs. Sufficient Assumption
24:05 LSAT Percentile Changes
30:16 Applying Early or with the Best LSAT Score
38:24 Pearls v. Turds
51:07 Tips from Departing Demons
59:34 Attending a Regional Law School
1:12:39 Word of the week — casuistry
1:18:38 Email of the week

LSAC has changed how it calculates an applicant's undergraduate GPA: college courses taken during high school will no longer count toward the UGPA. Ben and Nathan discuss how this could benefit many applicants and how students can get their UGPA updated.

Also in this episode:
- A viewer who is applying to law school for the third time
- Washington cancelling their bar exam after technical difficulties
- The next contestant on the Personal Statement Gong Show

Study with our Free Plan⁠
⁠Download our iOS app⁠
Watch Episode 571 on YouTube
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 LSAC UGPA Change
4:14 Avoiding Strike Three on Law Applications
11:24 Washington Cancelled Bar Exam
18:32 Test D Question — Linguistic anthropologist 
32:58 Exit Survey on Demon Explanations
38:55 Ask Button Secret Feature
42:18 Personal Statement Gong Show
59:32 Word of the week — logomachy

A listener asks whether drilling one question type until they've "mastered" it beats mixed practice. Ben and Nathan explain why focusing on  a single type creates a false sense of progress. They argue that mixed practice better prepares students for the unpredictability of the real LSAT.

Also in this episode:
- A law school asks waitlisted applicants to take a “situational judgment” test
- Which test a student with only two attempts left should register for
- How to reapply after being dismissed from law school

Study with our Free Plan⁠
⁠Download our iOS app⁠
Watch Episode 570 on YouTube
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Drilling Method
8:47 Tips on Predicting
22:11 Waitlist Games
41:13 Test D Question — Planet Y
58:50 When to Register
1:04:32 UC Law SF Alumni Email
1:09:12 Reapplying After Law School Dismissal
1:23:14 Word of the week — intransigent