The 7Sage Podcast
by The 7Sage LSAT Podcast
The 7Sage Podcast is your guide to every stage of the legal journey. Each week, the 7Sage team is joined by admissions experts, current law students, and practicing attorneys to cover LSAT strategy, law school admissions, surviving 1L and beyond, and what it actually looks like to build a career in law. Whether you're staring down your first PT or studying for the bar, you'll find something here.
Episodes
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We Spoke to UCLA Law
What makes a law school application stand out? And how do admissions officers evaluate applicants who don’t fit neatly into a median? Ethan and Pauline speak with Rob, UCLA Law’s Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, about how his team reads applications, builds a class, and makes difficult...
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Would Elle Woods Get Into Harvard in 2026 (Halloween Special)
Happy Halloween from the 7Sage team! 🎃 In this episode, the crew dresses up, discusses changes to the LSAT, and reviews one of the most memorable law school applications in movie history: Elle Woods’s application to Harvard Law in Legally Blonde. Follow along as they break down Elle’s video…
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The LSAT is Changing in 2027
The LSAT is changing in August 2027. What does that mean for your prep? In this episode of the 7Sage podcast, we break down LSAC’s announcement: three longer sections, unscored questions embedded throughout the test, and a fixed section order, with Reading Comprehension followed by two Logical...
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Are You Applying to Enough Law Schools?
How many law schools should you actually apply to? Is your safety school really a safety? And if you took time off for mental health treatment, should you explain it in your application? This week, Alex, Bailey, Ethan, and Pauline work through all three using the profile of Carmen, a student…
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We Spoke to Texas Law Admissions
Law school admissions has never been this competitive, and the Assistant Dean of Admissions at Texas Law has the numbers to prove it. Mathiew Le joins Ethan and Pauline to share what changed behind the scenes since 2018, when Texas admitted over a thousand students. This year it admitted about…
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Should You Even Apply This Year?
Do you change right answers to wrong ones, then dread blind review because it makes the second-guessing worse? And if you’ve already taken the LSAT and missed your goal, should you apply this cycle anyway or wait a year? In this episode, Alex, Bailey, and Ethan answer two listener questions from...
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We read applications with Dean Z
What does an admissions dean actually think when she opens your file? In this first episode of our admissions professionals series, Dean Z of Michigan Law reads three real listener applications and tells us exactly what works, what confuses her, and what sends an essay off the rails. You’ll hear...
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Does Score Inflation Really Matter?
Score inflation has everyone comparing themselves to higher and higher medians. Does it actually hurt your chances? In this episode, our team of LSAT and admissions experts breaks down what rising scores mean for your application and why comparison is the wrong move. You'll also hear: Why weaken...
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September Score Release Live Extravaganza
September score release day is stressful, so we went live to answer your questions in real time. Alex, Bailey, Ethan, and Shamala work through pre-recorded questions and chat questions from students who just got their scores. We cover: Whether to retake after a score that came in under your PT...
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Is Your PT Score Fraudulent?
Going to an LSAC forum this fall? Learn what actually makes a good impression (hint: don't ask anything that's already on the school's website) and how to turn a quick conversation into gold for your "Why X" essay. Then meet Sebastian, a Navy sailor with his sights on Vanderbilt and a practice…
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We Ranked LSAT Study Advice
Ever wondered whether "Legally Blonde made me want this" is actually the worst personal statement topic you could pick? Ethan and Pauline blind rank five of them, and the results might surprise you. Bailey does the same with LSAT advice and immediately regrets locking in her top slot. Then we…
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Special Episode: Do Not Miss These Law School Events!
LSAC's law school forums put you in one room with close to 180 schools, a table of practicing lawyers, financial aid experts who will actually answer your specific questions, and a few hundred other people in exactly your position. Most applicants have no idea what to expect walking in, so Alex…
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The Assumption Rule Everyone Gets Backwards
You know the difference between a necessary and a sufficient condition. So why do necessary and sufficient assumption questions still feel like a coin flip? Bailey breaks down the mix up at the root of it, plus the negation test done properly, what "not all" actually means, and why a too strong...
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Some Right Answers Aren't Worth It
Stephanie keeps switching right answers to wrong ones, and her blind review score is eleven points higher because of it. Then we pull up her analytics and find something worse: five minutes on one question she got right, and three or four questions she never reached because of it. Plus the “never...
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The LSAT is Hard, Actually
Cory is scoring in the low 160s, aiming for mid 170s, and about to leave for six months backpacking Europe. He wants to know how to hold his focus when people are shuffling around the testing center. Bailey answers with box breathing, the anxiety page that talks your brain down, and the untimed…
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Special Episode: August Score Release
August scores are out, and the number on the screen does not tell you what to do next. Alex, Ethan, Kevin, and Bailey break down how to decide whether to retake, how schools actually read a score history, and why a pending score can stall your application at every school you send it to. You'll…
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Why a 180 Can Backfire in Law Admissions (& More)
You've been told a 180 must be better than a 175. It isn't, and the reason has less to do with math than with what an admissions officer thinks when they see it. Ethan explains why retaking a 174 is a mistake and what schools actually spend to move their median by one point. Plus Pauline on her...
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Special Episode: LSAC GPA Change
Alex and Ethan come to you with a special announcement: LSAC is backtracking on a change to GPA calculation it announced just a couple of weeks ago. So what does this mean for you? Probably nothing, and if it was something that worried you, you can relax for at least another year. LSAC was…
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Why Your Personal Statement Sounds Fake (& More!)
Most personal statements don't fail because the writer has nothing to say. They fail because the writer decided who they were supposed to sound like before figuring out what they were writing about. Alex explains the two bars you have to clear, professionalism first and personality second, and…
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The LSAT Skill Some People Will Tell You to Skip
We open with a bonus segment: Dean explains how he rebuilt 7Sage's free Admissions Predictor to account for the way your LSAT and GPA interact against each school's medians. Then the news. LSAC just stopped counting dual enrollment grades toward your LSAC GPA. If you took community college…
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Stuck Between Two Answer Choices?
You get it down to two, agonize, switch your answer, and the one you left behind was right. Sound familiar? Alex and Bailey break down why this happens to basically everyone and what to actually do about it: the rule for when it's okay to switch an answer, why "many" and "most" don't mean the…
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LawHub's Tester Changes Again, and How to Crack Conditional Logic
There's a change to the LSAT testing interface that most other platforms haven't adjusted for yet, and if you're drilling anywhere but 7Sage or Law Hub itself, you're training on an easier version of the test than you'll get on test day. Kevin breaks down exactly what's different, down to the...
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Why AI Essays Don't Get Into Harvard
A stack of applicants with 174-plus LSAT scores, all rejected from Harvard. The common thread? Most of them wrote their essays with AI. In a new format, the team digs into what actually separates a strong application from a competent one. The team hears from Jo, a Canadian applicant in the high...
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Zero Offers to Full-Ride at Berkeley Law School
Jehieli went from a 148 to a 176 on the LSAT, had her score held, was waitlisted at Yale, and negotiated a full-tuition offer from Berkeley Law, all as a DACA recipient ineligible for federal aid. In this episode of the 7Sage Podcast, she walks through her three-cycle admissions journey: choking…
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This Risky Essay Got Him Into a T14 Law School
Bailey and Ethan start in the 7Sage forum: whether it's ever too late to start law school, how to think about the October LSAT timeline, why studying less can actually raise your score, and the real answer to "should I cancel my 158?" They also unpack a quiet red flag that sinks strong...
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The Wedding That Got Her Into Notre Dame Law
At a friend's wedding reception, Ariel struck up a conversation with the groom's brother-in-law about his first semester at Notre Dame Law. That one conversation ended up shaping the most praised Why Notre Dame essay the 7Sage admissions team had seen. But the road there was rough. She signed up...
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How Patience Got Her Into Michigan Law | The 7Sage Podcast
Leah was 35 and a decade into a political career when she decided to go to law school. This episode follows her whole journey, from that first decision to a 173, a T14 acceptance, and a major scholarship at Michigan. Ethan Madore traces the long runway she gave herself to study, the wrong answer...
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Admissions Isn't Fair (& What You Can Do About It)
Is law school admissions actually fair? Ethan, coordinator of 7Sage's admissions program, sits down with writing consultant and Yale Law grad Pauline to grade every part of the application against a four-part test of fairness. They rank the LSAT, GPA, resume, and essays one by one, and the…
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129 LSAT to Penn Law: 5 Tests, 5 Essays, and a Shed in Nepal
Vivienne started with a 129 diagnostic, took the LSAT five times, wrote every optional essay Penn offered, and got the call from the dean of admissions. In this episode, she breaks down what actually moved the needle: study groups, JY's explanations, morning gym sessions before work, and a...
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New Features with J.Y. Ping & Kevin Lin; Aseman's Journey to 179; Admissions Q&A
This week we go deep on what's new at 7Sage and what's keeping admissions officers up at night. J.Y. and Kevin join to break down two big releases: the AI Coach, which surfaces tutor-level feedback on your timing, pacing, and study plan inside your subscription, and 7Sage's redesigned digital...
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Special Episode: Everything Changing About the LSAT (New Updates from LSAC) with Kyle McEntee
The LSAT is getting a major overhaul in August 2026, and Kyle McEntee from LSAC came on to walk us through all of it: the new in-person testing requirement, distance exemptions, the first-come-first-served scheduling window, and what the test capacity question means for you. Kyle also gets into…
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What Admissions Officers Really Want, Plus Jake's Road to Texas Law
Three segments this week. Alex tackles a listener who scored 150 on their first timed PT after six months of studying, with hard truths about blind diagnostics, anxiety, and why waiting only makes it worse. Bailey talks with Jake, a 7Sage tutor wrapping up 1L at Texas Law, about diagramming...
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Sydney's Path from 155 to T14; Admissions Q&A with Ethan Madore
Three segments this week. First, Alex and Bailey break down how to translate the densest, most convoluted answer choices on the LSAT into something you can actually evaluate. Then Bailey sits down one-on-one with Sydney, now a 2L at Duke Law, to hear how she climbed from a 155 diagnostic to a 179...
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Phoebe's Journey to 173: How a Screenwriter Cracked the LSAT
Phoebe wasn't planning on law school. She was working in entertainment in LA when a friend half-jokingly suggested they study for the LSAT together. She took a diagnostic, scored a 163, and was hooked. Four months later, she sat for the real thing and walked away with a 173. In this episode, she...
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Sean's Path from 153 to 173
Alex sits down with Sean, one of 7Sage's tutors, to walk through his LSAT journey from a 153 diagnostic to a 173 official score. Sean talks about discovering the LSAT through a Christmas gift prep book, splitting his studying across two stints separated by a semester abroad in Spain, and what it...
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What Your Law School Won't Tell You About Loans
Getting into law school is one thing. Figuring out how to pay for it is another. In this episode, Alex sits down with Leah Young, Student Success Resource Lead at Juno, a company that negotiates private student loan rates on behalf of borrowers to help them get the best deal possible. Leah brings...
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The Truth About Diagramming
Alex and Bailey are joined by Kevin Lin, 7Sage's senior content creator, to tackle one of the most debated topics in LSAT prep: conditional logic and diagramming. Is diagramming a must? A waste of time? Somewhere in between? Bailey shares what it was like to resist diagramming through most of her...
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Why Did My PT Score Drop 11 Points? | The Short Cut
You've been grinding through your LSAT prep and finally start seeing scores in the mid-to-high 170s, only to fall back to the high 160s on your next practice test. Sound familiar? In this episode, Alex and Bailey break down a question from a student dealing with exactly that kind of score…
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"What Should I be Doing Right Before Test Day?" | The Short Cut
Feeling burned out right before test day? In this episode, Alex and Bailey tackle a question from Sharon, who's been studying for six months and has hit her target score on multiple practice tests but is battling mental fatigue with the April LSAT just days away. The hosts share practical advice…
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Hitting Target Time on RC Passages | The Short Cut
Just finished the LSAT core curriculum and frustrated that your Reading Comprehension timing isn't where you want it yet? Alex tackles a question from Zach, who's been drilling for a few weeks but can't hit the 8:45-per-passage average. Alex's honest answer: it's going to take time, and that's...
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How to Stop LSAT Perfectionism (and Improve Faster) | The Short Cut
Perfectionism can be your biggest enemy on the LSAT. In this episode, Alex tackles a question from listener Mia about how to handle frustration and discouragement when missing questions during study sessions. Alex shares a personal story from his own LSAT experience and explains why the...
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How to Get Off a T14 (or Any) Waitlist
Waitlists are longer than ever this cycle, and Ethan and Alex explain exactly why, from yield protection to the new reality of private loan financing. Ethan, who got off the Yale Law School waitlist himself, shares a practical step-by-step guide to writing a Letter of Continued Interest that...
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Why Your LSAT Score Isn't Improving (Yet) | The Short Cut
Lydia spent two months studying 6 hours a day — core curriculum, live classes, drilling — and her score didn't budge. Alex explains why a flat score isn't a sign of failure, how to structure your study schedule at different stages of prep, and why blind review scores matter more than your PT…
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I Get the Passages, but Then I Miss the Questions | The Short Cut
Struggling with Reading Comprehension—even when you understand the passage? In this episode, Alex breaks down one of the most frustrating RC problems: answer choices that all look the same. If you’ve ever been stuck between two “jargony” answers or felt lost on inference questions, this is for…
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HELP: I Can Only Take June or October LSAT | The Short Cut
You only have two chances to take the LSAT: June or October. What do you do if you’re not ready yet? In this episode, we break down a real scenario from an international student who doesn’t have the flexibility of U.S. test dates. With limited LSAT administrations available, the usual…
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LSAT Date Dilemma: June or August? | The Short Cut
A full-time teacher. Weekend studying. Mid-160s. A 171 goal. So… should you take the LSAT in June, or wait until August? In this episode, we break down one of the most common (and misunderstood) decisions LSAT students face: timing your test. We explain why June vs August doesn’t actually affect...
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Yale Law Grad Turned 7Sage Admissions Expert: What Really Matters in Your Application
Big announcement: the podcast is expanding beyond just the LSAT. In this episode, we introduce Ethan from the 7Sage admissions team and start zooming out to the bigger picture—law school, applications, and what comes after the test. Ethan shares his path from philosophy major to Yale Law, what...
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How do I Handle When I Get Down to 2 Answer Choices? | The Short Cut
Scoring in the high 160s but stuck just short of the 170s? This episode breaks down one of the most common frustrations we hear: getting down to two answer choices… and picking the wrong one. Alex and Bailey explain why that pattern isn’t actually the problem—and what you should be focusing on...
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What Does it Take to Score in the High 170s Consistently? | The Shortcut
Want your question answered? Comment on this video (we’re drawing from the comments first), email [email protected], or tag us (@AlexJacobs and @BaileyLuber) in a post on the 7Sage Discussion forums. In this episode, Alex and Bailey tackle a question from theBigFatPanda: what actually separates a...
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How Can I Stop Stressing Over the LSAT? | The Short Cut
Feeling overwhelmed by the LSAT? In this episode of The Short Cut, we tackle a question a lot of students quietly struggle with: how to manage stress when it starts affecting your score, your mindset, and your life. If you’re doing all the “right” things like studying consistently, working out…
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About this show
The 7Sage Podcast is your guide to every stage of the legal journey. Each week, the 7Sage team is joined by admissions experts, current law students, and practicing attorneys to cover LSAT strategy, law school admissions, surviving 1L and beyond, and what it actually looks like to build a career in law. Whether you're staring down your first PT or studying for the bar, you'll find something here.
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The 7Sage LSAT Podcast
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