LSAT score and retaking the test

[Tsp]

Hello,

I took the full-length Powerscore LSAT course from October to December and wrote the test in December.
I started the course with 0 knowledge about the LSAT and scored a 134 on the diagnostic test on the first day. I scored a 141 on the second test, however, my score remained the same (1-3 points up or down) since then. I was really frustrated that I wasn't improving my score and wanted to cancel my December test but I had spent so much money on the application I thought I'd give it a shot especially to gain experience.
I just received my score and again I scored a 141. I was planning on retaking the February test but I am so discouraged now, I don't know how much I can improve in a month.
One of my issues is with time management. I can usually complete 15-17 questions but even though I spend more time on fewer questions, I am only answering an average of 9 correctly. My weakest section is the logical reasoning. Although I have tried to focus on the main question types and despite the fact that I answer the homework questions correctly (usually untimed), I still struggle with answering the questions correctly during the tests.
I received accommodations during university due to a disability but I was getting better and not using my accommodations as much so I decided to not request accommodations for the LSAT, but now I don't know if I should request it for the next LSAT.

I want to know if I should retake the February LSAT, what I should do to improve my score and if I should request for accommodations.

[Nikki Siclunov]

Hi Tsp,

I'm really sorry about your disappointing score in December. It's a real bummer, but it shouldn't have come as a surprise: your actual score is in the same score band as your practice test scores, whose predictive validity is especially high when taken in aggregate. So, what to do now?

An LSAT score of 141 is about ten points below even the lowest median LSAT scores of Tier 4 schools, such as Suffolk Law. Needless to say, you need to re-take the test. The question is not whether, but when.

As we've discussed extensively in the last few months, you are unlikely to be penalized by the admission cycle for taking the LSAT in February and applying closer to the due date. Sure, you would have gotten a slight bump by applying earlier, but a good score in February can overcome any potential or actual disadvantage of a late submission date. To prepare for February, you will need to take a close look at what type of questions are costing you the most points, paying particular attention to the frequency with which such questions appear on the test. Are you applying the techniques you've learned in class correctly? Do you prephrase whenever possible? Have you learned when to cut your losses short and move on? Hitting a plateau is hardly unusual, and in fact we've written quite a few blog posts about it. Take a look:

Plateau-Busters: Overcoming Selective Attention
How To Focus Your LSAT Study
Why Breaks from the LSAT Can Increase Your Score
Wait! Did My LSAT Score Just Go Down?

If I were you, I'd take a long hard look at my most recent practice tests (have you taken at least 12? If not, that may be an issue in itself), and figure out not only what types of questions I'm missing, but also what types of arguments they contain. Maybe you have trouble manipulating causal arguments, or lack the requisite technique to diagram conditional relationships. Maybe you misunderstand arguments employing numerical evidence. If you're running out of time on some of these sections, review not only the questions you got wrong, but also the ones that cost you valuable minutes - even if you got them right. Clearly, your approach was not optimally efficient if a particular Parallel question took 3 minutes to solve.

Ultimately, breaking through a plateau is a difficult task - something you may or may not be able to achieve in a month. That's where some students resort to tutoring, especially since plateaus are so unique to each test-taker and benefit immensely from an individualized approach. If you find that your scores are not improving as quickly as they need to, reconsider whether it's wise to take the test in February, or wait until next year to apply. It is emphatically unwise to take the test when you aren't fully prepared for it. (For that reason, you probably shouldn't have taken it in December). Of course, whether you wait to apply next year is a personal decision that will depend, at least in part, on how far off target you are, how comfortable you are with a (slightly) lower score, and whether or not you can keep yourself productive and busy until Fall 2017.

As far as receiving an accommodated testing, this is a prolonged and complicated process. I doubt you'll be able to pull it all together for February, but here's what you need to know:

Accommodated Testing
Accommodated Testing on the LSAT: New Policy in Effect June 30, 2014
LSAC Official Policy
Accommodated Testing FAQ

Hope this helps a bit! Good luck!

[embrucia]

hello

I am a senior in college and I just got my December LSATS back. I got a 152. I am wondering if I should retake the test. I do i am still in the running of my target law schools (University of Connecticut, Brooklyn, and Cardozo) but I honestly am not sure if it would be worth it to take it again in June (I doubt I would be ready to take it again in February)

Related Question: Is getting into a Tier 1 law school the only chance I have of getting a decent job as a lawyer.

[Clay Cooper]

Hi embrucia,

Thanks for your questions.

As to the first (whether or not it would be worth it to retake the test in June), let me offer what experience and observations I can. I would first point out that it is generally possible to have a fairly good idea of what score to expect on the actual test based on your scores on timed practice tests in the immediate run-up to the real thing - obviously, exceptions and flukes occur, but some level of predictability generally exists. Therefore, I would encourage you to not take the June test unless you are confident, based on practice test scores not long before the test date, that you will do at least as well on it as you did in December.

As to whether retaking the test (by which, I think, you mean preparing for and then retaking the test), I would encourage you to look at the time and energy that you put into your preparation for the December test and ask yourself if you are willing to equal or surpass that in June. Beyond such general advice, an answer to this kind of question is hard to give - the basic decision is very personal, and will depend on how much you value admission to a particular school or tier of schools, as compared to how much you value not having to repeat the prep process.

To answer your second question: simply, no. While admission to a great school will certainly provide you with an opportunity to excel in your legal studies and thus stand out from your fellow applicants for any job, it is certainly not the be-all-end-all of employment as an attorney. Remember that at top-tier schools, your classmates would be top-tier as well, and it is with them you will be competing for grades; thus you might excel more at a school with a less rigorous academic environment. I have been told by attorneys for whom I have worked (and many who run the city in which I live) that, within a year or two after leaving law school, if not before, no one will ask or care what law school you attended; it serves as a springboard into the practice of law, but your work on the job will carry far more weight.

I hope that helps!