Episode Archives

Jonea Gordon left her job as a lawyer and quadrupled her salary. She’s now a data privacy expert who has worked with some of the biggest tech companies in the world on issues like artificial intelligence and augmented reality.

Many applicants face a dilemma at this point in the admissions cycle: Do they settle for a mediocre LSAT score and uninspiring scholarship offers? Or do they retake the LSAT and reapply next year?

Happy New Year! Nathan and Ben kick off 2024 with New Year’s resolutions for LSAT students.

Ben and Nathan address a listener’s concerns about his stagnant test scores, providing guidance for improvement.

Nathan and Ben discuss why law schools justifiably use yield-protecting strategies in admissions.

Ben and Nathan bid adieu to Golden Gate University School of Law, which will end its JD program in May.

Ben and Nathan discuss the feasibility of working while attending law school.

Lawyers are gladiators of the English language. Words are their weapons. So if you’re entering the arena of legal practice, you’d better hone your vocabulary.

Nathan and Ben share insights on strategically planning your official LSAT attempts in anticipation of the Logic Games going away.

The best-prepared test takers don’t hide from their fears—they plan for them.

First-generation college students face significant disadvantages in law school.

Logic Games will soon be on their way out, and many LSAT students are now grappling with the decision of whether to study them.

The era of LSAT logic games is coming to a close.

Law schools thirsty for applicants may tell you that people rarely improve their LSAT score by more than a few points. This week, Ben and Nathan unpack the motivation behind this pernicious myth.

The guys prompt over-committed listeners to reconsider their priorities and to make time for the LSAT.

Ben and Nathan examine a tactic that an admissions offices may use to gauge an applicants’ interest in their law schools.

Judge Douglas R. M. Nazarian joins Ben and Nathan to share his journey to the bench and to pull back the curtain on the work of an appellate court judge.

Kate Bridal and Josey Hoff, hosts of The Legal Burnouts podcast, join Ben and Nathan to discuss why burnout is such a common problem for legal professionals.

Loan Repayment Assistance Programs (LRAPs) are often touted as silver bullets of student loan debt relief for low-earning public interest lawyers. But LRAPs are riddled with conditions that may leave some students with far bigger student loan bills than expected.

Ben and Nathan are joined by Aliza Shatzman, founder of the Legal Accountability Project.

With the deadline to register for the October LSAT only days away, Nathan and Ben share some advice to students who are on the fence about registering.

Ross Guberman joins Ben and Nathan to discuss law school, legal writing, and the evolving role of AI in the legal profession.

Sydney Montgomery returns to Thinking LSAT to share her insights into what the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action means for applicants of color.

Ben and Nathan are joined by lawyer, writer, and content creator Cece Xie.

LSAT Demon teacher Chris Murphy joins Nathan to help listeners maximize their potential in RC.

The guys warn listeners of the perils of LR diagrams and demonstrate a commonsense alternative.

LSAC’s Kyle McEntee rejoins the pod to share info about LSAC’s resources for law school applicants.

Ben and Nathan give a crash course on how to approach "except" questions on the LSAT.

Understanding the difference between necessary and sufficient is necessary—but not sufficient—for success on the LSAT.

Ben and Nathan respond to Ask Button questions from students who struggled to distinguish conclusions from premises.

LSAT Demon teacher Matt DuMont takes a break from bar prep to join Ben and Nathan for a deep dive into his law school experience.

Nathan and Ben are joined by Angela Vorpahl to discuss what new law students should (and shouldn’t) do to build the skills they’ll need throughout law school.

On this week’s pod, Ben and Nathan encourage a time-conscious student to slow down and focus on understanding what they read, not how quickly they read it.

LSAT Demon teacher and Logic Games guru Matt DuMont joins Ben to share some LG wisdom.

Ben is joined by TLP producer Erik to discuss the new rankings and how they might affect prospective law students.

LSAT Demon’s social media lead, Ashley joins Nathan and Ben to share frequently asked questions from internet strangers on our social media.

On this week’s episode, Ben and Nathan break down a challenging Reasoning question from PrepTest 65 by linking abstract terms in the answer choices to specifics from the passage.

From the “holy grail” of Logical Reasoning to roasting their own personal statements, Ben and Nathan celebrate 400 episodes by revisiting some of the podcast’s greatest hits.

Ben and Nathan extol the benefits of meditation as a way to reclaim control over your attention.

Nathan and Ben react to a leaked training slide that recently went viral for showing how big-law associates are expected to devote their lives to their jobs.

The guys react to the announcement that LSAC will resume administering the LSAT at in-person test centers for the 2023–2024 testing cycle.

Today on the show, Ben and Nathan discuss how to study most effectively for a skills-based test like the LSAT. Hint: spend less time taking notes and more time engaging with the material.

Today on the show, Ben and Nathan explain why it’s a mistake to register for the LSAT prematurely. They share the correct order of operations for deciding when to take the LSAT and apply to law school.

Today on the pod, Ben and Nathan offer listeners advice on topics ranging from finding study motivation to overcoming a low UGPA using the LSAT as your not-so-secret weapon.

Ben and Nathan discuss the why and the who behind the inequitable pricing and double down on their advice to listeners: Don’t pay for law school.

Slowing down is not an end in itself, nor is it sufficient for LSAT mastery.

Ben and Nathan assess whether attending a regional school may prevent you from finding work in a more competitive market.

Nathan and Ben read the story of an applicant who improved his LSAT and received a full-ride scholarship offer from a school that had rejected him last year.

Nathan and Ben react to the big news: the ABA’s House of Delegates has voted to keep the standardized test requirement for law school admissions.

New LSAT students often don’t know how to begin studying. On this week’s pod, Ben and Nathan demystify the process: start with one LSAT question.

Nathan and Ben speculate on how AI chatbots will affect the legal industry.

Ben and Nathan examine the current application data and advise would-be late applicants to wait until next year.

A wall stands between you and law school. Would you rather swing at it with a hammer or a wrecking ball?

US News & World Report is changing the way it ranks law schools.

Ben and Nathan advise listeners to approach the LSAT in a way that makes it impossible to settle for less than your best.

Scholarship data from ABA 509 reports show that most students don’t pay anything close to sticker price. Are law schools due for a tuition reset?

How long should you struggle with the LSAT before calling it quits? The guys discuss why people who are meant to be lawyers will always tough it out—and why it’s okay if you’re not one of those people.

Ben and Nathan counsel listeners whose misconceptions about law school admissions have distracted them from what’s truly important.

Ben and Nathan review a law school’s streamlined application process that doesn’t require a personal statement or letters of recommendation.

Ben interviews Angela Vorpahl, a consultant who guides law students through their 1L year.

Ben and Nathan discuss LSAT score ranges and why your confidence in your ability shouldn’t rise and fall with your practice test scores.

Ben and Nathan celebrate Demon students’ successes on the October LSAT—and encourage more students to retake the test.

Ben and Nathan discuss LSAC’s upcoming Analytical Reasoning Field Study and assure listeners that the Logic Games aren’t changing anytime soon.

Nathan and Ben discuss how the LSAT differs from other tests of IQ and why it’s possible to make huge improvements to your LSAT score despite its correlation with IQ.

Ben and Nathan take a glimpse behind the curtain at a law school’s approach to scholarship negotiations.

Today on the show, Ben and Nathan discuss why law schools care only about your highest LSAT score—and why that means there’s only upside to retaking the test.

Nathan and Ben are joined by special guest Megan Smiley, who coaches lawyers seeking to leave legal practice.

Ben and Nathan are joined by special guest Alison Monahan, cofounder of Law School Toolbox.

Admissions officers may say that you have to pay for law school. Nathan and Ben disagree.

Savvy listeners who applied early this cycle continue to receive scholarship offers.

Today on the pod, Ben and Nathan celebrate two LSAT Demon students who increased their scores by a whopping thirty-one points.

Most law schools have begun accepting applications for fall 2023 admission. Nathan and Ben predict when the first scholarship offers of the cycle will come in.

Listeners can now indulge in an episode of Thinking LSAT every day for a year. Nathan and Ben reflect on some of the hiccups and highlights of their podcasting partnership.

Ben and Nathan address a myth that rising LSAT scores will make future application cycles more competitive.

LSAC just made Score Preview available to all test takers. Ben and Nathan discuss the change and why it’s inconsequential.

The guys unveil LSAT Demon’s new Law School Rankings page, which charts U.S. News and Above the Law rankings over the years. Spoiler: Rankings are basically worthless for deciding where to go to law school.

On this week’s episode, Ben and Nathan rebrand their “100% rule” as the “2x rule” for law school rankings. The guys also discuss how to study like someone scoring in the 170s, advise a struggling student not to let the LSAT dominate their life, and write a GPA addendum.

Law school can leave you with a lifetime of debt if you aren’t careful. On today’s episode, Nathan and Ben discuss a cautionary tale of a recent law school graduate who is $347,000 in student debt and can’t find a job.

The guys give another listener tips on how to ease test-day anxiety. They discuss the benefits of taking a gap year—or several—before law school. Plus, they talk about part-time lawyering and the ups and downs of entrepreneurship.

June LSAT scores have been released, and lots of Demon students are riding high. Today on the show, Ben and Nathan share a bucketload of inspiring LSAT success stories submitted by listeners. They also discuss LSAT prep timelines and answer some law school admission questions.

Admissions season is almost here, and listener questions are rolling in. The guys cover topics from LSAT tips to how to apply to law school.

On this week’s episode, the guys welcome questions from new listeners and provide a full explanation of the Demon’s approach to the LSAT.

Nathan and Ben discuss the lawsuit that prompted redevelopment of the LSAT’s Analytical Reasoning section and reminisce about the old days of paper testing.

Today on the show, Ben and Nathan advise listeners who don’t love school to think carefully about whether lawyering is the right path for them.

On today’s episode, Ben and Nathan explain why focusing on individual questions is the key to progress. Plus, Demon teachers and rising 3L’s Matt and Rebecca discuss how the LSAT prepares you for law school.

As hybrid-online law programs make their way into the eye of the ABA, Ben and Nathan toy with the idea of creating their own law school. But first, the guys take another dive into the listener mailbag and answer questions about application addenda.

Today on the show, Nathan and Ben offer advice to an international student who describes his lack of proficiency in English as a barrier to achieving his desired LSAT score. In keeping with the international theme, the guys answer another listener’s questions about law school scholarships for international applicants.

The ABA has recently announced a recommendation to allow “test optional” policies for law school admission. Ben and Nathan share their thoughts and explain why the LSAT isn’t going anywhere.

The LSAT is arguably the best predictor of your success in law school. It’s no wonder that law schools weigh the LSAT heavily in the admissions process. But just how much weight is an applicant’s LSAT score given relative to their UGPA? Nathan and Ben analyze the index formulas used by law schools and share a surprising realization.

Today on the show, Ben and Nathan are joined by financial advisor Derek Brainard to help educate students on the realities of law school debt and loan forgiveness programs. But before that, the guys roast a Pearls vs. Turds submission regarding the correlation-to-causation flaw. They also tackle another Logical Reasoning question from PrepTest 73 and denounce a law school “scammership.”

The guys answer listener questions about whether it’s ever worth skipping answer choices to save time on the LSAT, how scholarship offers vary with law school rankings, and more. Plus, they announce a Demon discount for university pre-law societies and roast a marketing email from a law school.

If you want to go to law school for free, you have to start getting greedy with your LSAT. Tune in to hear tips on Logical Reasoning, scholarship negotiation, and more!

If you want to improve at LSAT Reading Comprehension, remember what your job is: Read the sentences, not the passage.

On today's episode, Ben and Nathan interview Judy the YouTube Lawyer, and talk through different areas of law you might want to practice.

Finding a job after law school doesn’t have to be stressful. Learn to get a leg up with today's guest, Rachel Gezerseh.

What does LSAC’s recent acquisition mean for the future of Law School Transparency? Tune in this week for an eye-opening interview with LST founder Kyle McEntee.

It might not solve all life’s problems, but a high LSAT score is the closest thing to a panacea for law school application troubles.

It takes a “special type of crazy” to really enjoy doing the work of a lawyer. Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into before deciding to embark on a three-year quest for a JD.

If you’re an undergraduate student earning anything less than straight A’s, you don’t need to be thinking about the LSAT yet. Now is your opportunity to maximize your GPA.

Ben and Nathan take another dive into the listener mailbag and answer questions about law school admissions.