Podcast
Thinking LSAT
Ben Olson and Nathan Fox started the Thinking LSAT Podcast to become better LSAT teachers and have some fun. Please 1) subscribe, 2) rate and review, and 3) send us questions: help@thinkinglsat.com. Don't pay for law school!
Learn more at lsatdemon.com
- Episodes
- 590
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 1 hr 29 min
- On air since
- 2014
- Latest episode
- 1 day ago
Episodes
590 episodes, newest first
-
1 hr 4 min
The New LSAT (Ep. 583)
Show notes
The LSAT is changing in 2027. In this episode, Josh and Nathan break down the changes and how they will affect students.
Also in this episode:
⬜ How should students with accommodations change their study schedules?
⬜ How to use your Logical Reasoning skills in Reading Comprehension
0:26 - Introduction
0:52 - Explaining the 2027 LSAT changes
11:33 - Tips from departing Demons
18:32 - Update from a listener taking a gap year
22:54 - LR strategy for the final third of the section
31:50 - Shoutouts and announcements
34:59 - Study schedule for students with accommodations
41:49 - How to treat RC more like LR
49:44 - Studying for the LSAT on a budget
57:11 - Word of the Week—Obeisance
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1 hr 51 min
2027 Applications Are Booming (Ep. 582)
Season 1, Episode 582
Show notes
Law school application cycles are only getting more competitive. Set yourself apart by doing it the right way. Get your best LSAT, then apply early and broadly in the next cycle. Also in this episode: ⬜ How to get from the low 170s to the high 170s⬜ Should slow LSAT progress discourage you from changing careers?
Watch this episode on YouTube!
Start studying at lsatdemon.com
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1 hr 41 min
Moneyball in Provo (Ep. 581)
Season 1, Episode 581
Show notes
In the game of rankings and medians, BYU makes their play with an admissions pathway where not only is an LSAT not required, taking the test can lead to your admission being rescinded.
Also in this episode:
⬜ Can an addendum erase bad pre-med grades?
⬜ What should your admissions strategy be when geographically limited in your choice of law school?
0:00 Applying When Locked Local
19:05 No LSAT Required (or Permitted)
35:00 Tips From Departing Demons
46:04 Test D Question — Trading Cards
59:03 Assumption Confusion
1:09:20 When to Hang It Up?
1:18:21 Please Excuse My Pre-Med
1:32:13 Word of the Week — minatory
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1 hr 33 min
What Students Get Wrong About RC (Ep. 580)
Season 1, Episode 580
Show notes
A Demon student posts on Reddit about skipping the third passage on Reading Comprehension. Ben and Nathan advise doing the passages in order. As the student’s LSAT ability improves, their reading and answering speed will improve with it.
Also in this episode:
⬜ A Demon student shares their September LSAT score.
⬜ Cardozo Law accidentally sends an acceptance to every applicant.
⬜ Another contestant takes the stage on the Personal Statement Gong Show!
0:00 September Score Release
8:35 Cardozo Law Mistaken Acceptance
11:29 Test D Question — Community center
43:50 Suspicious Pre-Law Advice
1:01:02 Skipping the Third RC Passage
1:06:10 Holding Applications
1:13:49 Personal Statement Gong Show
1:24:00 Word of the Week — Solecism
1:31:20 Email of the Week
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1 hr 42 min
Your Ten Point Window (Ep. 579)
Season 1, Episode 579
Show notes
A listener asks about how to prepare on the day of her LSAT administration. She worries about underperforming her practice test scores. Ben and Nathan advise the listener to treat it like another practice test.
Also in this episode:
⬜ Diving into a study from AccessLex comparing bar passage rates and law school grades.
⬜ Why a student has not seen a score change in five months.
⬜ A four-step approach from a listener on finding the correct answer.
0:00 Bar Passage Rate Study
14:59 Missing 50/50 Questions
34:07 No Score Change in 5 Months
50:11 Test D Question — Handmade pasta
1:07:26 Advice for Test Day
1:17:34 Demon Hot Take
1:24:57 Steps to the Correct Answer
1:33:26 Word of the Week — Otiose
1:40:20 Email of the Week
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1 hr 31 min
Two-Year JD at Harvard? (Ep. 578)
Season 1, Episode 578
Show notes
Donors at Harvard Law are pushing the school to adopt a two-year JD program. Ben and Nathan agree.
Also in this episode:
⬜ Can you build a law school without the ABA? The University of Austin is about to try
⬜ Should you apply to law school now or bet on a stronger application next year?
⬜ What makes SMU Law tick? Ben and Nathan break down the numbers, jobs, and Dallas market
0:00 “Have You Applied to Other Schools”
6:40 Two-Year JD at Harvard
10:58 University of Austin Law School
21:40 Too Slow on RC
40:19 Test D Question — Company emails
55:48 Tips from Departing Demons
1:05:07 Opportunity Cost of Gap Year
1:16:52 What’s the Deal with… SMU
1:25:37 Word of the Week — stultifying
1:28:26 Email of the Wee
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1 hr 2 min
Firms Now Recruit Before 1L Grades (Ep. 577)
Season 1, Episode 577
Show notes
A listener currently in school who can only study once or twice a week asks whether infrequent studying is worse than not studying at all. Ben and Nathan explain that intermittent studying can still be beneficial, as long as it doesn’t come at the expense of your grades. For students still in school, GPA comes first.
Also in this episode:
- Aaminah joins the show to talk about Crushing 1L
- Harvard Law moves up its big law recruiting timeline
- Does law school prestige matter for a public interest job
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library
0:00 Crushing 1L with the Demon
8:42 Layoffs at George Washington Law
14:45 Harvard Law School Moves Recruiting Timeline
25:02 Test D Question — Bar Prep
35:36 The One Question Study Plan
40:34 Public Interest Career Goals
49:03 Skills & Interests Resume Section
53:47 Word of the Week — deleterious
59:46 Email of the Week
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1 hr 49 min
Law Schools Are Quietly Going Broke (Ep. 576)
Season 1, Episode 576
Show notes
A new law review article estimates the financial condition of every ABA-accredited law school. Ben and Nathan discuss how the financial model of law schools has shifted with the rise of U.S. News rankings, and how that financial burden increasingly falls on the least credentialed students.
Also in this episode:
- Whether you can take the LSAT too many times
- How to study for the LSAT the week of your exam
- If you should retake your argumentative essay
Is Your Law School Going Broke? (Paul Campos)
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library
0:00 Is Your Law School Going Broke?
33:47 Ten Point Score Jump in One Month
43:12 Too Many LSAT Attempts
47:21 Test D Question — Cats’ meow
1:01:13 Studying the Week of your Exam
1:07:54 Retaking the Argumentative Essay
1:12:50 Personal Statement Gong Show
1:40:28 Word of the Week — obstreperous
1:43:49 Email of the Week
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1 hr 31 min
Apply Broadly for Big Bucks (Ep. 575)
Season 1, Episode 575
Show notes
A listener writes in hopes to land the best possible scholarship for a law school in New York City. Ben and Nathan's advice: cast a wide net, apply to every school in the city, and lead with your best LSAT score.
Also in this episode:
- August LSAT score release day celebrations from the Demon Discord
- A student whose score hold finally got released
- What's the Deal with... University of Georgia
Paul Campos’s Article: Is Your Law School Going Broke: A Field Guide for Interested Parties
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library
0:00 August LSAT Score Release
15:30 Receiving a Disappointing Score
23:16 Test D Question — Cake Baking
32:05 Cheating Allegations Exonerated
41:57 Tips from Departing Demons
49:10 Don’t Pay for Law School
58:13 How to Bring Up RC Accuracy
1:07:40 What's the Deal with... University of Georgia
1:25:15 Word of the Week — pernicious
1:28:22 Email of the Week
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1 hr 15 min
Big Law Feeding Frenzy (Ep. 574)
Season 1, Episode 574
Show notes
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
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
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1 hr 7 min
The 170 Median Race (Ep. 573)
Season 1, Episode 573
Show notes
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
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
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1 hr 22 min
175 Is the New 173 (Ep. 572)
Season 1, Episode 572
Show notes
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)
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
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1 hr 7 min
This GPA Change Could Help You (Ep. 571)
Season 1, Episode 571
Show notes
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
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
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1 hr 29 min
Don't Drill Yourself Into a Corner (Ep. 570)
Season 1, Episode 570
Show notes
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
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
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1 hr 32 min
Why Law Firms Can't Stop Hiring (Ep. 569)
Season 1, Episode 569
Show notes
Dan Currell returns to unpack a decade of major shifts in legal education and hiring. Nathan and Dan discuss employment outcomes for recent law graduates and the unusually frothy market in law firm hiring.
Also in this episode:
- What's fueling the surge in law school application
- The mounting pressure students face once enrolled
- Grade inflation at the undergraduate level
Employment Outcomes Since 2016
Hiring by Firm Size Since 2016
Law School Applications by Year
Mean UGPA for First-Year Class
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library
0:00 Introduction
5:21 Enthusiasm or Fear: What's Driving Applicants?
16:26 Employment Outcomes for Recent Law Graduates
25:53 The Frothy Market in Law Firm Hiring
34:24 The Super-Star Effect
42:25 Removal of Logic Games
49:09 The Rise in Law School Applications
59:06 Pressure on Students
1:04:30 Take-Home LSAT Change
1:12:55 Grade Inflation
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1 hr 24 min
Did RC Secretly Get Harder? (Ep. 568)
Season 1, Episode 568
Show notes
The Demon team discovered that LSAC removed a Reading Comprehension feature in its updated interface. The test will no longer highlight referenced text in the passage. Ben and Nathan talk about this change and what it means for students.
Also in this episode:
- Chicago Law Releases Update on AI Strategy
- Whether to pursue a master’s degree before law school
- The next Personal Statement Gong Show contestant
University of Chicago Law Policy
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library
0:00 No More Blue Highlighting on RC
14:12 On the Parallel Reasoning Ledge
25:58 Chicago Law Banning Phones and Laptops
36:19 Tips from Departing Demons
40:12 Test D Question — Athleisure
48:17 Pursuing Master’s Before Law School
55:24 Personal Statement Gong Show
1:19:48 Word of the week — recalcitrant
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1 hr 33 min
The Diagramming Debate (Ep. 567)
Season 1, Episode 567
Show notes
A student pushes back on the Demon's advice against diagramming on the LSAT. Nathan and Ben respond with why their intuitive approach helps students answer questions faster and more accurately.
Also in this episode:
- A viewer follows up on their score hold
- A judge's advice on sharing personal struggles in a personal statement
- Whether being a KJD hurts your application
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library
0:00 Prematurely Registered for the LSAT
17:10 Accusation of Cheating
41:08 Pearls v. Turds
44:40 Confused with LSAT Demon
49:57 Test D Question — Evil Oil Barons
1:04:13 Sharing Struggles in Personal Statement
1:16:16 KJD Tax
1:25:29 Word of the week — auspicious
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1 hr 28 min
Don't Choke On Test Day (Ep. 566)
Season 1, Episode 566
Show notes
A viewer writes with disappointment about an underperformance on their last two LSAT administrations. Ben and Nathan remind her that scores naturally fluctuate, and that if you've been scoring high, the answer is almost always to be registered for the next test.
Also in this episode:
- A viewer who underperformed on their June LSAT administration
- An update from a former Demon student after their first year of law school
- How a splitter can boost their law school application
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library
0:00 June Score Release
8:30 Underperforming on the LSAT
17:16 SCOTUS Writing Jargon
19:50 Wake Forest Law Deferral for Increased Scholarship
45:47 Test D Question — State senate election
55:20 Demon Alum 1L Update
1:06:10 How to Boost Application
1:21:25 Word of the week — proprioception
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1 hr 15 min
Above The Law Ranks for Big Law (Ep. 565)
Season 1, Episode 565
Show notes
The 2026 “Above the Law” law school rankings just dropped. Unlike US News, Above the Law only ranks 50 schools and weighs employment outcomes almost exclusively. The result? Some schools rank much higher than expected while others fall despite their prestige.
Also in this episode:
- Advice on pass/fail courses from an academic advisor
- The Department of Education lowers loan rates for borrowers
- What to do in your last five minutes on RC
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library
0:00 Above the Law Rankings
16:17 Pass/Fail Advice from Academic Advisor
20:35 Department of Education Lowers Student Loan Rates
33:31 Test D Question — Vocabulary
48:30 LSAT Retake Advice from Dean Z
1:02:53 Last 5 Minutes of Reading Comprehension
1:09:39 Word of the week — abrogate
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1 hr 31 min
Welcome to the Waitlist Games (Ep. 564)
Show notes
Law schools have started to give out acceptances off of their waitlist. Ben and Nathan give advice to a viewer who received a spot off the waitlist from a higher ranked school with no scholarship offer.
Also in this episode:
- How to consistently study while working full-time
- A viewer email asks whether they should register for the August LSAT
- The next contestant on the Personal Statement Gong Show
Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments
Get caught up with our Word of the Week library
0:00 Studying and Working Full-TIme
7:37 Decision Advice on Waitlist
27:01 #thirstylawschools
37:33 Should I Take the August LSAT?
51:59 Test D Question — Smartphone ban
1:03:25 LSAT Study Timeline
1:11:16 Personal Statement Gong Show
1:24:50 Word of the week — contumacious
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