Ben and Nathan focus on shifting the power dynamic in law school admissions. From controlling scholarship negotiations to spotting misleading admissions practices, they offer practical advice for staying in control and making informed decisions. Sometimes, that means rejecting law schools that aren’t making the cut when it comes to scholarship offers.

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0:35 – How Often Do Students Reject Schools - If you’re not turning down offers, you didn’t apply to enough schools. Applying broadly puts applicants in the driver’s seat and creates leverage for better offers. Nathan and Ben explain how schools are under pressure to fill their class and how savvy students can use that to negotiate their scholarship offers. They also caution against binding early decision programs, 3+3 tracks, and anything else that limits a student's ability to apply broadly.

14:23 – Is the Scholarship Estimator Broken - Two students express concern over their scholarship prospects. The updated 2024 ABA reports in the estimator appear less optimistic than earlier estimates. Nathan and Ben explain how changes to reporting standards might allow law schools to deflate reported scholarship numbers and obscure actual financial outcomes. They emphasize the importance of focusing on getting the best score possible on the LSAT, applying broadly, and not panicking.

33:22 – Eliminating Wrong Answers as a Strategy - There are two ways to get a question right: identifying the correct answer or eliminating the wrong ones. While the latter can work, it’s not the most efficient method. Ben and Nathan caution students against eliminating an answer choice because they don’t understand it. The preferred strategy is understanding why the right answer is correct, which often saves time and improves accuracy.

36:53 – Personal Statement Gong Show - Nathan and Ben continue their “gong show” series, reading listener-submitted personal statements. The guys read until they find something that derails the statement and then immediately stop. The current record stands at five lines. This week, James submits his essay in an attempt to beat the record.

44:27 – What’s the Deal with Southwestern Law School - Southwestern still uses conditional scholarships that Nathan and Ben classify as “scammerships.” Nearly 50% of students had their scholarships eliminated while in school. While the top students may thrive, the majority face poor employment outcomes and low bar passage rates. They advise listeners not to attend Southwestern at full or even half price. Anyone facing a scholarship cut should be prepared to drop out. They also discuss Southwestern’s part-time, online, and accelerated JD programs. These options might be more convenient, but they usually cost just as much as the regular three-year JD.

1:03:09 – Word of the Week - Many economists argue that tariffs create market distortions that can harm domestic consumers over time.

On Episode 500 of Thinking LSAT, Ben and Nathan tackle the most pervasive myths surrounding the LSAT, law school, and the legal profession. The core of the Demon philosophy shows up again and again in their myth-busting: read for comprehension, solve each problem, and don’t pay for law school.

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3:46 - Myth 1: Most Students Pay Full Price to Attend Law School Only about 1 in 5 actually pay full price. Law schools use clever marketing tactics to make full-price tuition seem more common than it is. Ben and Nathan emphasize that this is the number one myth that the Demon dispels.

12:31 - Myth 2: You Should Only Take the LSAT Once The advice not to retake the LSAT is outdated. U.S. News no longer factors in multiple LSAT scores, and law schools only care about the highest score. You should plan on using all five of your attempts.

26:09 - Myth 3: Learn the Basics Before Attempting Questions The Demon doesn’t force theory first because it’s dull and counterproductive. By diving into questions first, you build the skills that actually matter—understanding and solving. With the Demon, you get written explanations for every question, thousands of video explanations, and a vast lesson library.

35:23 - Myth 4: You Need a Strategy to Manage Timing Many LSAT companies’ advice focuses on unnecessary timing strategies. The guys remind listeners to ignore the clock and instead take one question at a time and solve it. Trying to “manage time” while understanding the test is a losing game. The LSAT rewards careful, critical thinking, not gimmicks.

50:27 - Myth 5: Read the Question Before the Passage Ben and Nate explain that the fundamental skill on the LSAT is understanding what you’re reading. Any distraction from that only makes things more complicated. By focusing on comprehension first, tough questions become more straightforward. The goal is to turn level fives into level ones by fully understanding the passage before worrying about the question.

57:58 - Myth 6: You Need to Learn Formal Logic You don’t need to learn formal logic to succeed on the LSAT. Everyday language and basic common sense are enough. The LSAT tests argument understanding, not rule memorization.

1:00:34 - Myth 7: Law is a Lucrative Career Many students assume that a career in law guarantees big paychecks, but the reality is more complicated. Ben and Nathan share an ABA report highlighting an average salary of approximately $170,000, but many lawyers make closer to $70,000. The salary distribution is bimodal, meaning a few big salaries drag up the average. In fact, lawyers report some of the lowest satisfaction levels with the value of their graduate degrees.

1:12:06 - Myth 8: You Should Highlight Reading Comprehension and Diagram Logical Reasoning Highlighting and diagramming might seem helpful, but they often become a substitute for actual understanding. Worse, errors in diagramming can throw off comprehension entirely. Focus on understanding the passage, not marking it up.

1:15:30 - Myth 9: You Should “Blind Review” After a Practice Test Blind reviewing every question isn’t the most effective method. Instead, identify the ones you missed and retry those. But just because you got it right the second time doesn’t mean you’re done—dig deeper to understand why you missed it in the first place

1:18:11 - Myth 10: Drill a Specific Question Type Recognizing question types is a crucial skill on the LSAT, one that is hindered by focusing on only one question type. Instead, rely on the Demon’s choice when drilling. Demon’s choice emphasizes the best approach: reading carefully, thinking critically, and solving the problem at hand.

1:21:44 - Myth 11: You Should Study as Many Hours as You Have Available More hours don’t mean better results. Studying 8 hours a day isn’t the answer—high-quality studying is. One focused hour can be far more effective than grinding away all day with diminishing returns.

Back by popular demand, Ben and Nathan kick off the return of Thinking LSAT’s personal statement review segment with a listener's personal statement that had strong subject material. But the statement quickly strays into the weeds, and Ben and Nathan “ring the gong.”

Then Ben and Nathan emphasize the importance of securing a full scholarship to minimize risk during employment contraction. They also reassure a listener that reapplying with a higher LSAT score won’t hurt her chances. Later, they offer advice on effective LSAT review strategies and discuss the value of LSAT skills beyond the test. Ben and Nathan caution against Seton Hall’s 3+3 program and programs like it.

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0:27 - The Risk of Law School Debt - Bobby shares a blog post highlighting the risks of taking on law school debt. Ben and Nathan discuss how law schools have evolved from para-professional training programs into elite “finishing schools” detached from the realities of legal practice. This shift has contributed to skyrocketing student debt. As economists warn of a potential recession, history suggests that the legal job market may suffer just as it did during the 2008 financial crisis. The guys reference a piece by Karen Sloan that paints a grim picture of recent law school graduate employment, potentially signaling tougher times ahead. Their advice? Avoid the risk—attend law school only if you secure a full-tuition scholarship.

28:52 - Reapplying Next Cycle - Alice originally applied to law schools with an LSAT score below the medians of her top choices. Following Demon’s advice, she retook the LSAT to improve her score before reapplying. Now, she worries that reapplying to schools that previously accepted her might hurt her chances of securing a scholarship. Nathan and Ben reassure her that law schools will treat her new application independently and that reapplying won’t be held against her. They commend her decision to wait a year to maximize her scholarship opportunities.

33:31 - How Do I Review? - Alanna feels like she’s spinning her wheels and isn’t sure how to review effectively. The guys remind her that most mistakes stem from simple misreading. True learning happens when concepts “click” because you’ve uncovered the logic you previously overlooked. They encourage her to focus on understanding the reasoning behind the correct answers rather than just memorizing explanations.

45:31 - Use Scholarships to Motivate Your Study - A student making solid progress on the LSAT expresses a loss in motivation. Ben and Nathan remind her that LSAT prep builds essential skills for a legal career—if she isn’t enjoying the process, she should seriously consider whether law is the right path. They also warn that while a 155 might be enough for admission, it’s unlikely to secure a scholarship. They suggest using the goal of a full-ride scholarship as motivation to keep improving her score.

51:04 - LSAT Skills Are Transferable - Departing Demon, James reflects on the invaluable skills he gained from studying for the LSAT.

52:43 - Personal Statement Segment - Ben and Nathan review Jeremiah’s personal statement. While his topic is compelling, they note that the statement quickly shifts away from the “personal” aspect, getting lost in the story's context.

1:04:43 - What’s the Deal With Seton Hall? - A student asks about Seton Hall’s 3+3 program, but Ben and Nathan caution against it, arguing that such programs lock students into paying full tuition before they can explore other law school options. They also criticize Seton Hall’s continued use of predatory conditional scholarships. However, they acknowledge that Seton Hall’s part-time program is a smart choice for students who want to work while attending law school.

1:52:34 - Word of the Week - “In that construct, the strong performance of the few can obfuscate the mediocrity of the many.”