Tales from the LSAT-Flex (Ep. 247)
This month, students across the US sat for the first-ever LSAT-Flex. And you didn’t need a crystal ball to predict that there would be some hiccups in the rollout. The guys hear some LSAT-Flex horror stories and share how LSAT responded to criticism of the LSAT-Flex. Nathan and Ben also offer up some advice about Rule Substitution questions in the Logic Games and talk about how you can get those RC passages to stick so you don’t need to constantly reread them when you’re working through the questions. Plus, the guys try to help an LSAT tutor who’s getting fed up with “lazy” students.
As always, if you like the show and you 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.
Personal Statement Review Package
Instagram (upcoming events)
Important Dates
5.28.2020 – It’s the registration deadline for the July LSAT
6.05.2020 – May LSAT-Flex scores are released (tentative)
6.14-15. 2020 – The likely dates for the June LSAT-Flex
6.30.2020 – School’s out for summer! The June LSAT-Flex scores are released
7.13.2020 – Current date set for the July LSAT
5:47 – May LSAT Flex Horror Show
Marty Byrde is taking some time away from laundering drug money in the deep south to consider a change in professions. He wants to become a lawyer, and he’s on the waitlist for the school of his dreams! And so it was with high hopes that Marty sat for the recent LSAT Flex. But unfortunately, the shortened stay-at-home test wasn’t a riverboat cruise. It was more like a canoe ride up shit’s (or is it just “shit”?) creek without a paddle. After a grueling web-cam tour of his testing room, Marty was denied the use of scratch (or is it “scrap”?) paper for the LG section. Marty tried to argue his case, but the Proctor U test administrator wasn’t hearing a f*cking bit of it. Instead? She yelled at Marty to shape up or ship out. So what did Marty do? He broke down in tears. And what did the proctor do? She admonished him further. She told him he was being too loud and he better keep his sobs down to a quiet whimper, or f*cking else. It was kind of a hilarious, cry-until-you-laugh absurd experience. While Marty’s dreams for fall 2020 may be dashed, he’ll be able to take the test again—for free, y’all—in June, courtesy of LSAC. Nathan and Ben share some other LSAT-Flex horror stories and read through LSAC’s official response to complaints.
20:25 – International LSAT-Flex Snafu
Nate had a rather disappointing experience with the LSAT-Flex as well. He’s in Tokyo and planned to take the test there in March and then in June when the March test was cancelled. He received an invite to sign up for a ProctorU account for the June LSAT-Flex, but Nate was bummed to find out that after getting all set up, he was unable to register for the test. He sent an angrygram out to LSAC who responded with an “our bad” email. It turns out an international LSAT-Flex may be in the works, but for now, LSAC botched the invite to Nate, and he’s twiddling his thumbs, waiting to smash out a 170+ the first chance he gets.
24:42 – Rule Substitution
Have you ever felt like you were tearing through an LG section like you were housing some Mickey D’s Chicken McNuggets slathered in Sweet N’ Sour sauce? Having a goddamn ball? When all of a sudden you chomp down on that stomach-churning piece of gristle—and that piece of gristle is a “rule substitution” question? Well that’s what happens to Erin every time she comes across a rule substitution question. She’s starting to see higher accuracy and have more fun with the games, but when it comes to rule substitution questions, they’re a time suck and she still rarely gets them right. She asks the guys wtf to do. Nathan and Ben agree that the pro tip is to just skip rule substitution questions if you are a novice to intermediate at the games. There’s way more value in just going to the next game and scoring another 5 points or more, instead of wracking your brain on the rule substitution. The guys go on to talk about this question type and how to approach it.
36:16 – Lazy Students (A Tutor’s Tale)
Darius has recently taken up LSAT tutoring. But he’s getting a bit discouraged. Try as he might to give his students a tried and true prep regimen, they don’t always follow thru with their studies. He asks the guys how to deal with these lazy LSAT preppers. Ben and Nathan give Darius some food for thought, and suggest that he lead with questions rather than jumping to conclusions like “these twerps are lazy!”
45:50 – Retaining Information In RC
Eden has trouble getting those dang RC passages to stick. And she’s wondering what she can do to help her absorb and remember more of the passage. Does it help to take notes? Highlight? Underline key thoughts? Nope! Nope on all counts, Eden. Nathan and Ben describe their approach to RC, which includes engaging with the paragraph like crazy, translating sentences into your own words, and connecting the thoughts in the writing to your own prior knowledge.