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

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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

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

Study with our Free Plan⁠

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Watch Episode 568 on YouTube

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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

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

Study with our Free Plan⁠

⁠Download our iOS app⁠

Watch Episode 567 on YouTube

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

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

Study with our Free Plan⁠

⁠Download our iOS app⁠

Watch Episode 566 on YouTube

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

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

Study with our Free Plan⁠

⁠Download our iOS app⁠

Watch Episode 565 on YouTube

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

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

Study with our Free Plan⁠

⁠Download our iOS app⁠

Watch Episode 564 on YouTube

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

Milbank raised salaries for their associates with many law firms expected to follow. Ben and Nathan discuss the type of students who are the most likely to land in big law and the potential downsides of working in such firms.

Also in this episode:

- Whether you should review answers you get right

- AI outperforms law professors in a Stanford study on tutoring

- Tips from students who crushed the LSAT

Bloomberg Law Article

Reuters Article

Study with our Free Plan⁠

⁠Download our iOS app⁠

Watch Episode 563 on YouTube

Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments

Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Big Law Associate Raise

12:27 Reviewing Correct Answers

18:15 Ready for Timed Sections?

30:26 AI Beat Law Professors In Stanford Study

38:37 Test D Question — Michelson and Morley

52:17 Tips from Departing Demons

58:42 Hope for a Splitter

1:07:40 Word of the week — garrulous

Jazmine writes in asking if she should accept the offers that are waiting on her June LSAT score. Ben and Nathan advise her to sit out this admissions cycle, maximize her LSAT score, and pursue better scholarship opportunities next cycle.

Also in this episode:

- How much letters of recommendation matter

- The right approach to the argumentative writing sample

- A Reddit post about performing worse on drilling than on sections

Study with our Free Plan⁠

⁠Download our iOS app⁠

Watch Episode 562 on YouTube

Check out all of our “What’s the Deal With” segments

Get caught up with our ⁠Word of the Week⁠⁠ library

0:00 Enroll Now or Reapply Next Cycle?

12:10 How Much Do LORs Really Matter?

21:09 Good at Untimed Sections but Bad at Drilling

31:36 Test D Question — Vinyl Art

43:12 How to Approach the Argumentative Writing

55:01 Demon Respondent Update

1:00:06 Word of the week — tutelage