LSAT Addendum for a 15 Point Increase

[OA2012]

Powerscore Team,

When is it appropriate to submit an addendum for a large score increase and how do you approach the subject in a succinct, yet efficient manner? I took both the June and October LSATs this year and went from a 153 to a 168. Honestly, the difference in my score came from focused preparation and more time allotted for studying. That being said, I had just left an intense job in mid-April to return home to help care for some sick family members (with a death pretty close to the June LSAT), but even though this made prep more difficult, my increase came from 10 weeks of solid prep from July through September (thanks for the help)!

I do not want to sound whiney or entitled, but I think I should explain the large jump with an addendum. Is this the correct move?

Thanks!

[David Boyle]

Powerscore Team,

When is it appropriate to submit an addendum for a large score increase and how do you approach the subject in a succinct, yet efficient manner? I took both the June and October LSATs this year and went from a 153 to a 168. Honestly, the difference in my score came from focused preparation and more time allotted for studying. That being said, I had just left an intense job in mid-April to return home to help care for some sick family members (with a death pretty close to the June LSAT), but even though this made prep more difficult, my increase came from 10 weeks of solid prep from July through September (thanks for the help)!

I do not want to sound whiney or entitled, but I think I should explain the large jump with an addendum. Is this the correct move?

Thanks!

Hello OA2012,

First off, sorry about the death in your family.
As for the addendum, It is up to you, but it could possibly be useful. The main thing is that you had the increase at all (congratulations!), which is much more important than any explanation of it. I assume the school is going to hear of your score anyway, but perhaps you are concerned that the school may be mystified that your score increased so much? and may be wondering what happened??
If so, mentioning the fact of the family death, which disrupted things (if I have the chronology right), and then studying a lot which improved your score later, may make some sense to the admissions committee. Again, the score increase may be more important than any explanation, though. And as you said above, succinct may be better than lengthy.

Hope this helps,
David

[OA2012]

Hi David,

Thank you for your response yesterday! I was just curious because I remember the teacher of my online course explaining that admissions committees can become suspicious of a large jump in scores (and I've also read some of the same rhetoric on other sites). It seems like determined preparation is a perfectly good reason why a person's score would increase substantially, but I don't want to leave a gray area on my application regarding such a positive change.

Yes, I had some family issues surrounding the June LSAT, but I do not want to come off as though I'm skirting the larger issue of just not properly studying for a test that was more difficult than I first anticipated. It was a confluence of both issues. Sorry for restating most of what I said above, just trying to add a little clarity as to where my concern came from.

Thanks again, and if anyone has additional insights to this type of addendum, please let me know!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi OA2012,

Congrats on the awesome score increase! It's great to see hard work pay off like that.

Let me toss my two cents in here. I'd say that you should submit an an addendum on this. If you didn't, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but this score increase is a really positive event, so why not subtly highlight that?

I'd keep it simple and state that you wanted to explain the 15 point difference, and then mention the job/family situation as adversely affecting your June result (which is true), and that you had time to properly prepare for October and this resulted in a score that you think better represents your true abilities. Short and simple, and the explanation makes perfect sense, so if anyone did have some question in their mind, it will be eliminated quickly.

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

[OA2012]

Dave,

Thank you for jumping in with your thoughts and augmenting the discussion. My gut was telling me to do what both you and David have suggested and just write a brief addendum explaining the jump. I appreciate the input and am ready to finish up these applications!

Sorry for posting this in the wrong forum...it might have worked better under the "Law School Admissions" area.

Thanks again!

[Dave Killoran]

No problem, glad to help! And no worries on the Forum—I'll move that for you right now