Students often ask if working backwards in Logical Reasoning might be the way to go. After all, the reasoning goes, the hardest questions are typically towards the end of the section. So, if you tackle them early on, you will have more time to get them right without rushing. As you progress through the section, you will have less and less time left, but the questions will (presumably) get easier, so you have a higher chance of getting them … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 86: The June 2021 LSAT-Flex Review – We Make History, Again
Jon and Dave bid farewell to the last-ever LSAT-Flex with a bittersweet sendoff: the short format will be sorely missed, but celebrations also abound, as they correctly predicted the exact LSAT given to the majority of June test takers! Join them as they discuss all of the test forms used—domestic and international—concluding with an analysis of each section’s difficulty and a scale calculation for every unique combination. … [Read more...]
Official Scoring Scale for the New LSAT
When LSAC added sections from the May 2020 LSAT-Flex administration to their Prep Plus package, it allowed us to see exactly how they score a Flex test. Although the Flex version of the test is no longer with us, this data is still relevant to the new LSAT. Let’s take a look at LSAC’s official scoring scale for the May 2020 Flex test:*** There is no raw score that will produce this scaled score for this form. Note: This scoring scale is … [Read more...]
Law School Predictors: Can You Trust Them?
This blog is brought to you by a special guest, Ana the Analyst. As we gear up for the 2021-2022 law school admissions cycle, there has been a new wave of posts asking, “what are my admission chances?” A number of websites and methods exist to bring aspiring applications tiny margins of hope. However, like all things on the internet, these websites need to be taken with a grain of salt. Two Student-Based Admission Chances SitesThere are two … [Read more...]
Controlling Test Day Anxiety, NASA Style
A number of years ago I listened to the National Public Radio (NPR) podcast Fresh Air. They had a fascinating interview with a Canadian astronaut, Col. Chris Hadfield, who was promoting the release of his book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth. Col. Hadfield is an interesting guy. From his Facebook description, he was "the first Canadian to walk in space and the first Canadian to command the international space station." Col. Hadfield's … [Read more...]
Law School Job Placement: Top States and Portability
This blog is brought to you by a special guest, Ana the Analyst. The ABA job reports show an important facet of outcomes: job locations. The location information can have a big effect if you have a preferred city where you want to work. In these cases, than recruiting networks of many schools matter more than their arbitrary ranking. For instance, it doesn’t necessarily make sense to go to #25 Alabama if the only place you’ve ever wanted to live … [Read more...]
How Does the Law School Application Process Work?
Unlike applying to college, which is a pretty straightforward process (at least in retrospect), applying to law school can feel a little labyrinthine. Transcripts, Law School Reports, letters of recommendation, the Credential Assembly service, addenda...after a while, it can all start getting jumbled up.Right around this time of year, I start getting so many "I'm confused. Help!" emails that I find myself there was a quick and easy guide to … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 85: Causal Reasoning Part II – Causality and Question Types
Wrapping up their comprehensive coverage of LSAT causality, Dave and Jon move from conceptual discussions of causation to an application-focused look at how causal reasoning is treated in the test’s various LR question types. Specifically, you’ll hear them address what to look for and how to best respond to causality in every context—from Weaken to Strengthen to Flaw and more—before touching on advanced cause and effect constructions, ensuring … [Read more...]
Should You Cancel a Potentially Lower LSAT Score?
There's a common situation that pops up for test-takers after taking their second or third LSAT. After the exam, feelings of doubt creep in. "Should I cancel my score? It might be lower than a previous attempt! That would look bad on my application! What should I do?" It's a question that pops up a lot on our LSAT Forum and it's definitely worth addressing. Both Dave Killoran and Jon Denning have weighed in the debate countless times, so here's a … [Read more...]
The Diversity Rankings That Almost Were
This blog is brought to you by a special guest, Ana the Analyst. As you may have heard, USNews originally intended to release new “diversity rankings” with the 2022 Law School Rankings. The diversity rankings were to be stand-alone rankings that analyzed a school’s demographic break-out and rated schools on how diverse they were. However, due to several controversies (discussed on The PowerScore LSAT PodCast), these rankings were delayed until a … [Read more...]
Top 50 Schools for Public Interest Jobs
This blog is brought to you by a special guest, Ana the Analyst. There can be a tendency, on the internet, to focus on a school’s BigLaw + Federal Clerkship numbers (discussed in the first post of this series here). However, many students tend to self-select into public interest jobs. ABA employment reports breakout public interest and government jobs into two different categories. Since many jobs in the public interest are government jobs … [Read more...]
Top 50 Schools for BigLaw & Federal Clerkships
This blog is brought to you by a special guest, Ana the Analyst. Law school employment reports are out! We’ll be digging into some of the more fun details in a series of posts, but I wanted to start with everyone’s favorite topic: Big Law & Federal Clerkship amounts. What Are ABA Employment Reports? Each year since 2010, the American Bar Association has asked law schools to publish employment reports. These reports provide detailed … [Read more...]
Should I Take the LSAT “Cold?”
All too often we hear about students that took the LSAT “cold,” meaning without studying. It’s not uncommon for some students to believe they don’t have to study, especially if they’ve proven they can test well. Another common reason students do this is to get a feel for a “real” LSAT without preparing. In both cases, the LSAT often delivers a harsh reality. You need to study for this exam to really do well. Of course, there are exceptions, … [Read more...]
Podcast Episode 84: Causal Reasoning Part I – The Nature of Basic LSAT Causality
After several months of LSAT-Flex reviews and admissions cycle analysis, Jon and Dave are getting back to basics with a conceptual overview of causal reasoning. In this episode they examine precisely how LSAT causality operates, the central assumption that makes it so vulnerable, common points of confusion including correlations and conditionality, and the key distinctions between causation in premises and conclusions. If you’re looking for a … [Read more...]