LSAT Ninja

Just when you wondered why in the world someone would pay $400 for a pretty phone that breaks easily and gets terrible reception…

The dating website OkCupid recently released the results of a shocking new study. It turns out that people who own iPhones have had more sexual partners than people who own other smart phones.

As expected, this groundbreaking scientific breakthrough has convinced many to conclude that an inferior cell phone is the root of their sexual misfortunes. Yahoo summed it up best, when they claimed, “I guess this accessory really helps your game.”

I have developed a bad habit. You see, about a year ago, I began making predictions about upcoming LSAT administrations. It turns out that LSAT students are highly interested in the topic. And it has gone rather well so far. I predicted that the curve for the September test last year was going to be rather forgiving. I also went out on a limb and predicted that the same would be true for the December LSAT.

In the craziest development yet, in the midst of outlining what my LSAT experience in September was going to look like, I made a joke about honeybees being the topic of conversation on a difficult reading comprehension passage:

“There was a real bitch of a science passage related to human dependence on the honeybee.”

The clock is ticking… 10 days, 9 days, 8 days, 7 days, 6 days, 5 days…

Yep, the LSAT is less than a week away. But no need to stress. Not much more than the rest of your life (higher education, career, attractiveness of your future spouse) is riding on your performance next Monday.

My last day through the ringer was last September. If you want to get a feeling for what the experience will be like, check out my pre-game post, written in the stressful moments before the big day.

These last few days can be vital to your performance. You should know by now that the LSAT is not a test for which you should cram. This is not introductory Biology. If you pull an all-nighter before the LSAT, you are in trouble. Your mental acuity is crucial.

I recently returned from a trip to Vegas. Well, actually, I returned about two weeks ago, but my wallet and my soul have just recently recovered.

Seeing as I am unable to ever completely shake the LSAT out of my brain (even after twelve beers at the pool and too many tequila shots to recall), I kept noticing that people use some pretty flawed logic inside the hallowed walls of those casinos. I know that might sound shocking since we normally equate Vegas with rationality and profound intellect, but let me give you a couple examples.

1. Overlooking bias and/or ulterior motives

Here are some claims that I overheard at the pool/casino/club.

Since some crazy folks have started circulating rumors about the Logic Games on the LSAT becoming more difficult over the last year or so, I thought it might be appropriate to outline some brutal deductions.

Say hello to the final game from the September 2009 LSAT. In order to get through this game in less than an hour (and not slice your wrists in the process), some crucial deductions were needed.

Let’s take a look (the subject of the game has been slightly altered):

A young princess (not literally) is selecting friends to invite to her big Sweet 16 bash. She must invite at least three friends from among the following seven: Harriett, Liza, Margaret, Penelope, Sigourney, Tabitha, and Wilma. The birthday girl’s parents have placed the following restrictions on the invitations that can go out:

Doesn’t sound too bad, right? This is one of the basic and very common type of games on the LSAT. It involves selecting one group from a larger group. Feeling good, feeling strong, here comes the rules:

Everyone loves a comeback, a good underdog story.

Just look at the Olympics currently taking place north of the border. Seth Wescott became a star with a valiant comeback in snowboard cross. Bode Miller, the incredible disappointment from 2006, came back to win bronze in the men’s downhill. Lindsey Vonn bounces back from a leg injury (and some questionable bikini photos) to capture gold in the downhill. Shoot, even Shaun White came back (down to Earth) after spinning around what seemed to be 18 times in the halfpipe.

However, there is a comeback of another sort that also seems to be taking place. The return of… Logic Games. (Cue the sounds of screaming children.)

You have until Friday to decide. No, I am not talking about your destination for Valentine’s Day or your excuse for making this weekend a super-long weekend. Friday is the deadline to cancel your February LSAT score.

For some students, this decision brings sleepless nights and lots of overeating. A bad LSAT score is not a great thing to have on your record. Not as bad as a conviction for international espionage or anything, but not great.

The LSAT talks about a lot of different subject areas. Fractal geometry, the mating habits of sage grouse, diapir eruptions, “group think” behavior, and even unicorns have all been the topic of discussion at different times.

But they don’t talk about sports. Well, not much, at least.

And I think I might know why. There are certain issues in sports that I believe can poke holes in the reasoning used on the LSAT.

It has been a very eventful year.

The United States swore in our first black President. The King of Pop kicked the can. We finally achieved health care reform… sorta. We started to bounce back from the recession… kinda. A Tiger became a cheetah. And the Yankees won another World Series.

Well, all of that is well and good, but it has been an equally eventful year for those of us in the LSAT world. And I would like to take this opportunity to take a stroll down memory lane. Some highlights…

Scores have arrived.

Thousands of anxious LSAT students awoke this morning with a frightening email in their Inbox. Subject: Your December 2009 LSAT Score. After a brief panic attack and some inspirational videos, many students have not yet summoned the courage to actually open said email.

But once you have, you can join the big topic of conversation… the curve.