Disappointed with My Score

[NickSabanIsGod]

Hello,

Unfortunately, I am disappointed with my performance on the January LSAT. I had been scoring in the high 160s on practice tests up until the exam. I scored much lower on the exam than I was expecting to. I took 7 practice exams leading up to the test date.

I still want to be a lawyer and would like to take the exam again at some point. Right now I am very discouraged and do not know what my next step is. Any advice for moving on or improving my performance on the next exam would help. Thanks.

[Jonathan Evans]

Nick,

We've all been there. I've been there. I've taken dozens of practice tests for all kinds of exams over the years, but nothing quite prepares you for the experience of sitting down and doing the real thing, when it counts. My advice to you is not to be discouraged. Look at this exam that you took as a dry run, one more tool in your toolbox to give you the experience you need to diagnose your performance, evaluate where you struggled, note what you did right, and prepare to go in confident to take the LSAT again.

First, do an honest analysis of your performance. Even though your score might not have been what you were gunning for, it might be more than what's necessary to make you a good candidate for the law schools you wish to apply to. If your GPA is strong and your LSAT score is above your law school's median, you might consider just moving forward with your application.

If you are convinced that you need to take another LSAT, then there's some perennial advice that's more true than ever: set a goal for your test day; adopt a firm, disciplined, and structured plan for preparation; and stick with this plan looking forward not backward so that you are prepared mentally and psychologically to do what you need to succeed.

You are in the same situation as thousands of students, and for the purposes of admissions it does not reflect poorly upon you to have taken the LSAT twice.

Before you venture down either of these routes, give yourself some time to catch your breath, take a break from the LSAT, and enjoy the rest of your life. The LSAT isn't going anywhere. If you want to take it again, I'm confident that you have what it takes to prepare for it and succeed.

Here are a couple relevant posts I recommend you consult while you are deliberating:

http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/should- ... e-the-lsat

http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/conside ... xperts-say

Please follow up with further questions. We are here to help.

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Nick,

I'm so sorry to hear that things didn't go as well as they had during practice. I know how frustrating that can be! My first piece of advice is to take some time off from the LSAT. Breaks in general are good, and especially so after an actual LSAT didn't go the way you had hoped. This article talks a bit more about some of the benefits: https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/help/breaks.cfm. Hopefully, this will turn out to be a part of the silver lining of this experience!

Second, don't let one test result get your down or derail your career hopes. These days, law schools don't focus on your average LSAT score but rather on your high score, and so while I know this result hurts, if you turn it around on the next LSAT and improve your score, it will completely wash away the memory of this test. This one result can't stop you from being a lawyer, and hopefully after the June LSAT results come in we'll be talking about which schools you should apply to instead of retaking this exam So, as you take a break from this test, work also on putting this behind you. Focus on being positive and on doing well on the next exam. In fact, follow your account namesake: approach the June LSAT expecting to win and be victorious. Nick Saban never expects to lose and that helps his teams win—they sense his confidence in them. So, you need to adopt that same mindset and begin thinking not whether you will beat the LSAT, but rather by how much Some of the tools here might help with internalizing that outlook: http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/5-days- ... ource-list.

Last, let's set up a broad study for you that includes some areas to work on as well as tests to take. I know you have the LRB, but what other materials do you have? List anything at all (even non-PowerScore stuff , and if you could could give us a sense of the amount of study time you have each weekend, that would also be helpful. In fact, if you have relevant info to any of the questions listed in the following article, please include it: http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/need-ls ... s-help-you. That will give us the ability to optimize our answer for your specific situation.

We're here to help, and together we'll get you back to where you should have scored this time. You just need to work hard and stay positive. Let me know about the stuff above and we'll get started. Thanks Nick!