I did abysmally on my diagnostic test. SOS.

[willmcchez]

Well, I took my first diagnostic test last night. I was hoping to score in the 150 range, but I scored much lower (sub-140). I didn't even think that was possible. However, I'm intermittently going back and forth between telling myself that I have absolutely no business pursuing a career in law and giving myself some slack for various extenuating circumstances which may have altered my outcome. I'm interested to hear what your opinions on my thoughts may be.

First and foremost, I know I'm a bright person. I am over halfway through my undergraduate and I have maintained a 4.0 GPA (not in basketweaving either, I've taken biology, mathematics, upper-level literature, philosophy, etc.) I have a friend/mentor of mine who is a former SCOTUS clerk and professor at a Top 3 school. She has told me that I have better critical thinking skills than most of the students she taught there and will make an excellent lawyer. I'm not trying to be boastful or conceited, I'm just trying to demonstrate that I think I have what it takes to do well in law school. Perhaps not on this test.

On to the conditions surrounding last night's test:

I have been working extremely diligently to finish my semester's papers and projects well in advance of when they are due so that I can solely focus on my test preparation. In the hours leading up to my diagnostic, I finished an 8-page research paper and a short presentation. So I kinda went into the test a bit mentally exhausted.

I also had some personal conflicts in my life which resulted in me having one of my worst personal days in recent memory yesterday. I didn't sleep much in the two nights prior.

I'm usually my most sharp, mentally, during the day. I usually get up around 8 AM and start my collegiate studies by mid-morning. So I think that I'm simply not accustomed to taking such a long and grueling test from 7 to 10 PM. I usually do little or no schoolwork between those hours, unless it is just some simple textbook reading.

My in-person class is a one-hour drive from my house; a drive I am also not used to quite yet.

I'm someone who intakes a decent amount of caffeine throughout my day. Before the test, I drank a small amount 2-3 hours before, but I made sure to not consume as much as I normally would have, as I was concerned about being "jittery." Needless to say, I found myself pretty mentally drained by the end of section III.

My biggest issue, I believe, was drifting off and not actually focusing on the test. I found myself focusing more on the fact of "Oh my God, so THIS is the LSAT," as well as "listening to the room" to hear if other students were working quickly or as slowly as I was. I was more or less thinking about everything BUT the test.

The logic games were inherently challenging (as they are probably going to be the most difficult for me, and they didn't appear until the 4th section... I was completely cognitively spent by that point), but NOTHING on the test seemed impossible to me. While going through it, I kept saying "I know how to do this... I just can't think of the way to approach solving it," or "If I weren't so tired, I would be killing this right now."

Furthermore, I've had life-long ADHD. I do not take medication for it, but find that adequate caffeine and some motivation allow me to overcome most of it. Reading, in general, takes a bit longer for me than most people. I can fully comprehend anything I read (even 17th century English poetry/prose and Supreme Court opinions), it just takes longer for me to do so. So I give myself more time to read when doing homework. This is not a luxury I'll be able to enjoy on the LSAT, so I'll really need to begin training my brain to read both quickly and accurately. I kept second-guessing myself when reading, doubting whether or not I actually grasped the passages I just read (even on LR) and found myself reading things three and four times (when I actually probably did grasp it, but self-talked myself into thinking I didn't).

As a result, I only got through about 50% of the sections before the five minute call was made. In the "experimental" section (section III), I got every single question correct that I actually worked on.

I'm trying not to read too much into my diagnostic. I'm hoping that all of the circumstances surrounding it reduce my score to being a mere "fluke." But I have read that it is rare for people to "jump" more than 10-12 points from their diagnostic. I'm hoping to jump at least 30.

So, LSAT experts, considering all that I've said, would you give much credit to my diagnostic? Or should I really begin to reel in what my expectations are of my final LSAT score?

[Kristina Moen]

Hi Will,

Welcome to the Forum! First, breathe. You are not alone. Many people feel discouraged when they take a diagnostic (because most people applying to law school are smart and capable and have done well on tests in the past). The diagnostic is NOT your final score. The purpose of the diagnostic is not just to give you a baseline score, but also to give you a sense of the test as a whole. So when you start learning about Logical Reasoning question types, you understand the context of where those fit in the test. And this test is highly learnable, or we wouldn't have written so many books and provided so much course material to help you learn it! So stick with the class, follow along with the homework, and you'll learn a lot about the test and how to take it. Your thought process during the test was telling: "I know how to do this... I just can't think of the way to approach solving it"... you can do this, and we'll teach you how!

But here's the thing about practice tests - they are the most accurate when done in conditions that are comparable to test day. On test day, you won't have just finished an 8-page research paper and given a presentation, it won't be nighttime after a long drive, and you will have stuck to your regular habits (i.e. this is not the time to quit smoking or drinking coffee...). You won't need to read the directions or spend time trying to figure out what you're being asked, you'll have spent weeks and months beforehand learning how to approach the questions, and you'll go into it with the confidence of someone who has studied, practiced, and is ready to kick some butt!

I do encourage you to look into accommodations for ADHD. Law schools want an accurate gauge of your abilities, and that may mean that you need a bit more time in order to demonstrate that. Go here to learn more: LSAC POLICY ON ACCOMMODATIONS FOR TEST TAKERS WITH DISABILITIES. Some of my colleagues have helped other students through this process, so please don't hesitate to ask us questions.

Good luck!

[willmcchez]

This is certainly encouraging! Thank you. After just one Powerscore class, I'm already beginning to feel more confident. It really is becoming apparent to me that this test is highly learnable. Pure sequencing games have gone from something that seems nearly impossible to a task that can easily be defeated within just 30 minutes of instruction.

Going back to petitioning LSAC for extra time due to ADHD disability, it would seem as though I would have to provide a large amount of documentation to prove my disability. Unfortunately, being a non-traditional student, I never took an SAT and my ACT was taken well over a decade ago (and honestly, I didn't particularly care about the outcome, so trying to get extra time at that point wasn't a concern of mine). Furthermore, I haven't been treated for it since I was diagnosed as a child. So I'm thinking that successfully petitioning LSAC would be a futile exercise. But I could be wrong!

[Dave Killoran]

Hey Will,

Thanks for the update! I am really glad to hear that you are feeling better already You mentioned some points that I'd like to add some thoughts to, so below I'm going to quote your last message and then reply.

After just one Powerscore class, I'm already beginning to feel more confident.

Confidence is a huge part of this test, so the fact that you can feel yours growing is a fantastic sign. I frequently write about confidence and test mentality, and you will see some of those thoughts in your course books and in the online student center. If you ever feel like you need a mental boost or pick-me-up, check out the list I put together of the various articles we've published on the topic:

The Ultimate Test Mentality Resource List

Some of the links on this list are just interesting points or scenarios (such as Andy Murray's Motivational Notes and the LSAT and How to Increase Your LSAT Score Simply By Using Your Nose) but others are a more practical application of ideas (such as The PowerScore LSAT Test Mentality Seminar).

It really is becoming apparent to me that this test is highly learnable. Pure sequencing games have gone from something that seems nearly impossible to a task that can easily be defeated within just 30 minutes of instruction.

YES! I was very happy when I saw you say that you could sense the test was learnable. If you want to kill some time, I wrote two articles on why it is in fact the case that you can prepare for standardized tests like the LSAT:

Can you prepare for standardized tests such as the LSAT, SAT, and GRE? Part 1

Can you prepare for standardized tests such as the LSAT, SAT, and GRE? Part 2

While this is a process test, not a fact-based exam, you can learn the ideas they are testing, and you can improve your process of analysis. Take your time with it and keep studying steadily, and you will improve.

But I have read that it is rare for people to "jump" more than 10-12 points from their diagnostic. I'm hoping to jump at least 30.

This was from your first message but I wanted to reply to you on this as well. I wouldn't say it's rare at all to increase by more than 12 points, and I've seen it happen many times. To do so requires full confidence in yourself, and I think it would help you to immediately read two articles from our Test Mentality list:

Tom Brady and the LSAT. Easily my personal favorite blog post of all time. I refer to it frequently, and I think it tells a very relevant story for LSAT takers. and come to think of it, I should update this to include some of the things he said after their amazing Super Bowl comeback.

The PowerScore LSAT Forum thread that spawned the above blog post. This epic thread details the conversation between Thomas—a PowerScore student—and myself. Thomas ended up increasing his score from a 143 to a 167, and our conversation began before he achieved that 167. At times we end up talking about other topics, such as application essays, but in the early portion you can see Thomas' mindset isn't ready to score highly, but through our discussion we were able to change his outlook, and ultimately his result.


I hope the above helps. Keep working hard and stay positive!