195 lines
18 KiB
Markdown
195 lines
18 KiB
Markdown
# Burton Method Competitor Research Intel
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## Week of February 14, 2026 (Scan #8 — Feb 14)
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### LSAC Remote Ban — Competitor Response Tracker (72h after announcement)
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- **Blueprint:** FASTEST responder. Published "Back to In-Person Testing for the LSAT" detailed blog post within 48h. Already committed to updating their platform to mirror new LSAT interface. Positioning as "prep that mirrors the real test." Most agile content competitor.
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- **PowerScore:** Not responding with product/content — instead playing media pundit. Killoran quoted across Reuters, Law.com, Above the Law, U.S. News. Identified as "founder and former CEO" confirming leadership transition. Podcast Ep 177 is a recap, not a strategy piece. Brand shifting from "prep company" to "industry commentator."
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- **7Sage:** NO response to LSAC announcement. Silent. Pricing unchanged ($69/$129/$299). Still publishing success stories but missing the biggest news cycle of the year.
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- **LSAT Demon:** NO response. Homepage unchanged. Running 4+ daily Zoom classes as usual. $95/mo. Personality-driven brand (Ben & Nathan) not reacting to structural industry changes.
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- **Kaplan:** NO response. Corporate bureaucracy = slow to react. Quiet week.
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- **Magoosh:** RSS feed: 0 new articles. Effectively dead in LSAT space.
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- **Hey Future Lawyer:** No updates detected.
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- **LSAC:** Original blog post by Susan Krinsky still the canonical source. New UI preview due late March. Updated practice tests by May. 2026-2027 registration opens mid-May.
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### New Coverage This Week
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- **U.S. News** published "The LSAT Moves to In-Person Only: What to Know" (Feb 13) — mainstream education coverage expanding. More students will learn about this change through non-prep channels.
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- **TOEFL Resources blog** covered LSAC change (Feb 14) — even non-LSAT test prep noticing. Cross-pollination opportunity.
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- **Above the Law** ran Killoran quote as Quote of the Day (Feb 12) — PowerScore getting free media while other competitors silent.
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### Key Dates Update
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- **Feb 25:** February LSAT scores release (11 days)
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- **Feb 26:** April LSAT registration deadline (12 days)
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- **Late March:** LSAC releases new UI interactive model in LawHub
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- **May:** Updated practice tests in new UI format
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- **Mid-May:** 2026-2027 testing cycle registration opens
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- **June 2026:** LAST remote LSAT ever
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- **August 2026:** First in-center-only LSAT + new UI debut
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### Strategic Window Assessment
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The 72h response pattern is clear: **only Blueprint is agile.** 7Sage, LSAT Demon, Kaplan, and Magoosh have NOT published responses. PowerScore is doing media, not product. This is the widest content marketing window Burton Method has ever had. Every day without a published response from competitors = more SEO real estate available.
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### Action Items (Updated)
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1. **(!!!) PUBLISH IN-PERSON LSAT CONTENT — WINDOW STILL OPEN.** Only Blueprint has responded. 6/8 competitors silent 72h later.
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2. **(!!!) FEB 25 SCORE RELEASE PREP** — 11 days. "What your score means" + "Should you retake?" content ready to publish.
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3. **(!!!) APRIL REG DEADLINE CONTENT** — Feb 26 = 12 days. "Last chance for remote LSAT is June."
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4. **(!) NEW UI CONTENT CALENDAR** — Map content to LSAC's timeline: UI preview (March), practice tests (May), August debut.
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5. **(!) IN-PERSON ANXIETY CONTENT** — Zero competitors addressing test center anxiety, logistics, environment prep. Blue ocean.
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6. **(!) BUILD UI SIMULATOR** — If LSAC releases new UI preview in March, Burton Method could build a practice simulator before May.
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7. **POWERSCORE DISPLACEMENT** — Leadership transition + media-only strategy = declining product relevance. Target their students.
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---
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## Week of February 13, 2026 (Scan #7 — Feb 13)
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### LSAC Remote Ban — Full Details Confirmed
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- LSAC official blog post by Susan Krinsky (EVP Ops & Chief of Staff) confirmed: in-center only starting August 2026. June is last remote.
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- New test delivery platform launching in LawHub for August. Interactive UI preview end of March, practice tests in new UI by May.
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- Reuters coverage confirmed Dave Killoran (PowerScore CEO) as primary industry voice — no other prep company quoted.
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- China cheating scandal was the catalyst; LSAC declined to confirm cheating evidence outside China.
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- Online takers = ~40% of all takers but "majority" of score holds.
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### Competitor Updates
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- **7Sage:** New blog "LSAT Studying Success Story: Isha Fazili" (Feb 11) — 151→175, tutoring upsell. Still publishing 2-3x/week. Pricing unchanged ($69/$129/$299). Zero AI. Content machine unmatched.
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- **LSAT Demon:** Ep 1352 "How High Should You Aim?" (Feb 8). Daily Zoom classes continue. $95/mo. Zero innovation. Book promo heavy.
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- **Blueprint:** "February LSAT Predictions" blog confirmed RC change: January 2026 LSAT gave sections with 4 non-comparative passages. First substantive content in months. Quiet SEO play.
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- **PowerScore:** Ep 177 "February 2026 LSAT Recap" (Feb 12). Killoran quoted in Reuters + Law.com but listed as "founder and former CEO." Content cadence declining.
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- **Kaplan:** No new consumer moves. HBCU institutional play (Fort Valley State) from last week is latest.
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- **Magoosh:** No new content. Effectively dead.
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- **Hey Future Lawyer:** SPA-heavy, no visible updates.
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- **LSAC:** Remote ban confirmed. New LawHub platform. RC format change (0-1 comparative passages). Feb scores Feb 25 (12 days). April reg deadline Feb 26 (13 days).
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### Market-Level Signals
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- **Hyperrealistic AI tutors emerging:** Substack piece on face-to-face AI tutors with real-time video interaction. Next frontier for ed-tech.
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- **February LSAT wrapped.** Smallest test of 2026. Score release Feb 25 = retake campaign window.
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- **RC section quietly changed.** Both Blueprint and PowerScore confirmed. LSAC made no formal announcement.
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### Action Items
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1. **(!!!) PUBLISH REMOTE LSAT BAN EXPLAINER** — First mover captures SEO + social.
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2. **(!!!) RETAKE CAMPAIGN BY FEB 24** — Scores drop Feb 25. 12 days.
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3. **(!) APRIL REG DEADLINE COUNTDOWN** — Feb 26. 13 days. "Last remote LSAT is June."
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4. **(!) IN-PERSON TESTING PREP CONTENT** — New vertical nobody is doing: anxiety management, center simulation.
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5. **NEW UI PREP CONTENT** — LSAC changing test interface August. First to guide this wins.
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6. **RC FORMAT CHANGE CONTENT** — "LSAC changed RC without telling you" — viral potential.
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7. **POST-SCORE ANALYSIS FEB 25** — Publish immediately.
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8. **POWERSCORE DISPLACEMENT** — Widest window yet.
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---
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## Week of February 12, 2026 (Scan #6 — Feb 12)
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### BREAKING: LSAC Ending Remote LSAT Testing
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- **Announced Feb 11 via Reuters + Law.com.** LSAT goes in-person only starting August 2026. June is last remote administration.
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- 39% of January takers used remote — all forced to test centers by August.
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- Exceptions: limited medical conditions + geographic hardship only.
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- Triggered by China cheating scandal + global test theft operations.
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- LSAC also launching new test delivery platform.
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- Dave Killoran (PowerScore) quoted extensively in both articles as industry voice.
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- Online takers caused "majority" of score holds from tech/proctoring issues.
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### Competitor Updates
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- **Kaplan — NEW:** Fort Valley State University (HBCU) added to All Access License (Feb 9). Free LSAT/GRE/GMAT/MCAT for all students. Institutional B2B strategy accelerating. Claims $60M+ saved since 2022 launch.
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- **7Sage:** 2 new posts (Feb 9): "Game Plan: Sasha's 151→175 Journey" podcast + "Decisions on the Horizon" admissions blog. Still $69/$129/$299. Zero AI. Zero product changes. Content machine steady.
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- **LSAT Demon:** Ep 1352 "How High Should You Aim?" Daily Zoom classes. $95/mo. Zero innovation. Book promo heavy.
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- **Blueprint — WOKE UP:** Published "February LSAT Predictions" — first substantive content in months. Confirmed RC section changes (4 non-comparative passages on Jan LSAT). SEO play.
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- **PowerScore:** No new content. Killoran still the media voice (quoted in Reuters/Law.com) despite being listed as "founder and former CEO." Product/content declining.
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- **Magoosh:** SEO-only "LSAT Scoring" blog refresh. Functionally dead.
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- **Hey Future Lawyer:** SPA-heavy, unscrapable. No visible new content.
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- **LSAC:** Remote testing ban (see above). Feb scores release **Feb 25** (13 days). April reg deadline **Feb 26** (14 days). New test platform. RC format changes confirmed.
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### Market-Level Signals
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- **SIAI academic paper (Feb 2026):** LLM tutoring "already automating routine teaching at scale." 76% UK teachers, 69% US teachers report little/no AI training. AI tutoring is mainstream, not a differentiator anymore.
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- **Unplugged Prep:** Active YouTube — "LSAC Changed the LSAT Without Warning" + "Did LSAC Make LR Harder?" Small competitor capitalizing on LSAC confusion with speed.
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- **Remote ban creates new content vertical:** In-person testing anxiety management, test center environment prep, "how to simulate test day at home."
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### Action Items
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1. **(!!) PUBLISH REMOTE TESTING BAN EXPLAINER — TODAY.** First mover captures SEO + social.
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2. **RETAKE CAMPAIGN BY FEB 24.** Scores drop Feb 25. 13 days.
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3. **APRIL REG DEADLINE COUNTDOWN.** Feb 26 = 14 days. "Last remote LSAT is June."
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4. **IN-PERSON TESTING PREP CONTENT.** New vertical: anxiety management, environment simulation, timing drills.
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5. **POST-FEB SCORE ANALYSIS.** Publish immediately Feb 25 to own "what happened" narrative.
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6. **Counter Kaplan HBCU play.** "Free ≠ effective" targeting institutional students.
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7. **PowerScore displacement campaign.** Widest window yet — brand fading, content dying.
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## Week of February 11, 2026 (Scan #5 — Feb 11)
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### Competitor Updates
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- **Kaplan — NEW:** Signed Fort Valley State University (HBCU) to "All Access License" — free LSAT/GRE/GMAT/MCAT for all students. Adds to existing HBCU roster (Howard, Spelman, Hampton, Xavier, NC A&T, Fisk+). Claims "tens of thousands of students saved $60M+" since 2022 launch. Kaplan going B2B institutional, not consumer.
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- **7Sage:** Unchanged. Core $69/mo, Live $129/mo, Coach $299/mo. New YouTube: "3 LR Habits that Separate 170+ Scorers." Zero AI features. Content + community + analytics moat.
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- **LSAT Demon:** $95/mo. 4 live Zoom classes today. Podcast Ep 1348+ active. Book promo prominent. Zero product innovation. Scaling humans.
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- **Blueprint:** Dormant. No updates since Oct 2025 testimonials. Maintenance mode.
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- **PowerScore:** Still fading. No new blog/podcast since Jan recap. Denning solo era. Content cadence declining.
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- **Magoosh:** Updated LSAT Scoring blog (SEO only). Functionally dead.
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- **Hey Future Lawyer:** "Save $250k" messaging. Podcast covered 32.9% applicant surge. Active Reddit free sessions. Product depth unclear.
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- **LSAC:** Scores release **Feb 25** (14 days). April reg deadline **Feb 26** (15 days). Test fee $248.
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### Market-Level Signals
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- **Kaplan B2B institutional strategy:** Going after university-wide licensing instead of consumer market. Removes price as barrier for entire student bodies. Smart defensive play against free AI prep.
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- **Applicant surge sustained:** 28 schools at 170+ medians. Most competitive cycle in history narrative continues (Above the Law, Hey Future Lawyer, 7Sage all amplifying).
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- **AI tutoring market still growing:** Jenova AI expanding multi-model platform. Market $1.63B→$7.99B by 2030 projection holds.
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### Action Items
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1. **CRITICAL — Retake campaign by Feb 24:** Scores release Feb 25. 14 days.
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2. **CRITICAL — April reg deadline Feb 26:** 15 days. Countdown urgency content.
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3. **HIGH — Counter Kaplan institutional play:** "Free prep ≠ effective prep" content targeting HBCU students.
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4. **HIGH — PowerScore switcher campaign:** Displacement window widening weekly.
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5. **URGENT — Gemini LSAT positioning:** Build "why we're better than free AI" narrative.
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6. **MEDIUM — Data content play:** 7Sage owns admissions narrative. Publish original insights.
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7. **LOW — Monitor Jenova:** Track adoption, not marketing.
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## Week of February 10, 2026 (Scan #4 — Feb 10)
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### Competitor Updates
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- **7Sage:** No new content since Feb 9 "Decisions on the Horizon" post. Homepage unchanged: Core $69/mo, Live $129/mo + $120/yr LawHub. Still pushing "12+ classes/weekday, 60+/week, 3,000+ recorded." Admissions Predictor prominent. +23.4% application surge data still their big content play. **Still zero AI features.** Pure content + community + analytics moat.
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- **LSAT Demon:** Homepage unchanged. $95/mo, daily Zoom classes, 24hr "Ask" button. New podcast episodes this week (Eps 1349+). Book promotion now prominent on homepage. Today: 4 live classes scheduled. **Zero product innovation.** Tutor training from last week = scaling humans, not tech.
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- **Blueprint:** No new blog content. Homepage still testimonial-heavy, latest reviews Oct 2025. No product updates, no pricing changes. Dormant.
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- **PowerScore:** Still behind Cloudflare. No new blog or podcast since Jan 2026 LSAT Recap. Denning solo era — content cadence visibly declining. Fading competitor.
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- **Kaplan:** Website behind Cloudflare. 2026 Premium Prep book in market. Pricing: self-paced $99 to unlimited $1,999. DECA partnership ongoing. No product innovation. Discount cycle continues.
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- **Magoosh:** Only 2 boilerplate blog articles visible. Free prep for fee waiver recipients. Effectively dead.
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- **Hey Future Lawyer:** SPA-heavy homepage renders minimal content. "Save $250k" messaging. Ben Parker cadence unclear.
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- **LSAC:** Feb LSAT complete (Feb 6-7). Scores release **Feb 25** (15 days). April 2026: Apr 9-11, reg deadline **Feb 26** (16 days). Test fee $248. LawHub now hosts former Khan Academy LSAT prep resources (Khan Academy LSAT prep ended June 2024).
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### Market-Level Signals
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- **Google Gemini x Princeton Review — LSAT NEXT:** SAT practice tests launched Jan 22 — free, full-length, on-demand in Gemini app. Google teased "more exams coming." Business Insider called it "latest nail in coffin for tutors." Forbes: generalist AI models covering vast standardized content. LSAT expansion is near-certain. When it hits, free AI practice tests become the floor.
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- **Gemini January 2026 Drop:** Personal Intelligence feature (taps all Google account data), built into Chrome sidebar, Connected Apps integration. Google building most personalized AI assistant — test prep integration would be commodity-crushing.
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- **Jenova AI Expanding:** Now marketing as comprehensive multi-model AI Tutor App platform. Claims GPT-5.2, Claude Opus 4.5, Gemini 3 Pro, Grok 4.1 access. Citing AI tutoring market $1.63B→$7.99B by 2030 (30.5% CAGR). "54% higher test scores" marketing claim. Full iOS/Android with progress sync.
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- **AI Tutoring Mainstream:** 86% of students globally now use AI in studies. AI Journal 2026: adaptive materials, 24/7 chatbot, AI-driven curriculum now TABLE STAKES. Multimodal tutors (voice+video+animation) predicted as next wave. Brookings RCT data still reverberating.
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- **Application Surge Still Running:** +23.4% YoY (7Sage data). Jan LSAT: 26,999 takers (+6.9%). 28 schools at 170+ median. 4 months ahead of 2024 cycle.
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### Action Items
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1. **CRITICAL — Retake campaign by Feb 24:** Scores release Feb 25. Content + ads for score-disappointed students.
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2. **CRITICAL — April reg deadline Feb 26 (16 days):** Countdown urgency content.
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3. **URGENT — Gemini LSAT prep-positioning:** Build "why we're better than free AI" narrative BEFORE Google adds LSAT to Gemini.
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4. **HIGH — Mobile strategy:** Jenova AI has full mobile experience. Burton Method needs mobile story.
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5. **MEDIUM — Data content play:** 7Sage owns admissions data narrative. Publish original LSAT/admissions insights.
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6. **MEDIUM — PowerScore capture:** Displaced audience window widening. "Switching from PowerScore?" content.
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7. **LOW — Monitor Jenova:** Noisy but unproven. Track adoption, not just marketing.
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---
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## Week of February 9, 2026 (Scan #3 — Feb 9)
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- 7Sage published "Decisions on the Horizon" — applications +23.4% YoY, Jan LSAT 26,999 takers (+6.9%). Content cadence 3 posts/week. No AI features.
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- LSAT Demon: Podcast Eps 1347-1348. Daily live classes. February Tutor Training. $95/mo. Zero product innovation.
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- Blueprint: No updates. SEO commodity play. Dormant.
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- PowerScore: Content slowing. Denning solo confirmed permanent. No new blog since Jan recap.
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- Kaplan: Cloudflare-blocked. 2026 book in market. $99-$1,999 pricing. DECA partnership.
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- Magoosh: Blog effectively dead. Free prep for fee waiver only.
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- Hey Future Lawyer: SPA renders nothing. "Save $250k" messaging.
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- LSAC: Feb scores Feb 25. April reg deadline Feb 26. NALP: recruiting at lowest since 2012-2020.
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- Jenova AI expanding with dedicated LSAT page, iOS/Android apps, citing "127,000+ aspiring law students."
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- BETT 2026: Google/Microsoft AI education updates. LingoAce→ACE Academy expansion.
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## Week of February 8, 2026 (Scan #2 — Feb 8)
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- Princeton Review x Google Gemini partnership (SAT now, LSAT likely next) — biggest market signal. 7Sage YouTube content "3 LR Habits." LSAT Demon steady state. PowerScore: Admissions Bible co-authored with Spivey (full-funnel). Kaplan $150-200 off promo. Jenova AI new entrant. Brookings RCT: AI matches human tutoring. Texas + Florida dropped ABA monopoly.
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## Week of February 3, 2026 (Scan #1)
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- 7Sage platform overhaul live — self-directed pivot. PowerScore brand fracture (Killoran departure, Denning solo). Kaplan $200 off extended. LSAT Demon content machine, no innovation. AdeptLR: AI-first adaptive drilling. Feb LSAT Feb 6-7. Application surge +33% applicants.
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## Previous Weeks (Compressed)
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- **Jan 26:** PowerScore Killoran departed. 7Sage full redesign. LSAT Demon pricing stable. Blueprint tablet mode. Kaplan 2026 book + $200 off. AdeptLR spotted.
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- **Feb 1:** Market exploding — applicants +33%, registrations +22%. LSAC using all-new content. RC comparative no longer guaranteed.
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