Comment on the Reddit Emails

[Dave Killoran]

On Reddit this morning, /user/msp95713 posted that he had received an email from LSAC stating that:

• Because we were closed for the Holidays, scores will be released tomorrow and Thursday.
  
  Test Administration Group
  Law School Admmission Council

I've been asked quite a bit about this on Twitter, so please allow me a moment to share a few thoughts on this email.

First, the one thing that catches your eye is the spelling error. That error makes the email look false from the get-go, but several other users noted that they had also received emails from that address with the same error. In fact, one of the emails even had a slightly different error! Now, this could be the sign of an extremely well-organized hoax, but I seriously doubt that. It appears that someone at LSAC just isn't a very good speller

Second, another reason I was originally skeptical of this email was the blunt manner of telling the student the score release date, and stating it was over two separate days. That is not LSAC's normal operating procedure, and it makes the whole thing ring hollow, and I said so on Twitter.

Subsequent to those comments, /user/msp95713 reached out to me and offered just about any way possible to prove that the email was real. He revealed his real name, forwarded the email to me, and also offered to allow me to log into his account. Based on all that, I feel that the email is probably real. I say "probably" since nothing is really provable these days, and anything can be faked with the tools out there. But I think he's probably telling the truth, and for his sake it's worth making that clear.

So, what does this all mean?

In a word: nothing. LSAC has always stated that LSAT scores will come out on the announced day, and in the past they have done this even on the same day that scores are released. For the September 2016 score release, on the very day scores were released the reps were saying they'd be out "tomorrow." When I called them the next morning—after scores were already out—they still told me it would be that day! In other words, the fallback position is to quote the standard release date. Assuming this email is real, that's likely what's going on here.

What about the email citing score release over two days? What does that mean?

Also nothing. Once scores start coming out, they come out over hours, and that often stretches into the next day (for the September16 LSAT, some students didn't receive their LSAT scores until 4 or 5 AM the next day). That would be a reasonable explanation for this. I still think it's very odd that they'd say anything at all (especially in such a blunt fashion), but the bottom line is that this manner of phrasing doesn't change anything.


If you have any questions, please let me know below. Thanks!

[ChandlerSteiger]

Just got an email from a school saying that my application was complete so I logged into the applicant online status checker and under the requirements list there is a check next to "Future LSAT Score Received". I took the LSAT in Sep., so I already had a reportable score but this makes it sound like my Dec. score was received, right?

[Dave Killoran]

Just got an email from a school saying that my application was complete so I logged into the applicant online status checker and under the requirements list there is a check next to "Future LSAT Score Received". I took the LSAT in Sep., so I already had a reportable score but this makes it sound like my Dec. score was received, right?

Yes, I talked to Mike Spivey about this a while ago, and we don't recall this happening before. Usually the law schools get the scores a day or two after they are released. So, something is going on, and it would seem that law schools are getting December scores and thus checking the apps as complete. A good sign I think!