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 mattm
  • Posts: 50
  • Joined: Jun 10, 2014
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#17404
Hello, my question is wether or not if I gain extended time accommodations a massive score increase if should put an addendum

I had normal reading vision in both eyes prior to January 2012 when I had an accident and detached my retina in my left eye and had to sit out a year from school to recover. Due to the detachment, from that point on I have had no short range reading vision in my left eye but i can still read perfectly fine out of the right eye.

I know It was extremely foolish but I took the June 2014 LSAT under normal conditions as at the time I did not feel it was negatively impacting me on the LSAT and thought most of my errors were due to reasoning errors not reasoning. I ended up with a 154

Most of my under grad exams were short answer choice or essay so there wasn't a whole lot of reading involved so I don't think reading out of one eye impacted me on regular under grad exams.

I first began to notice that reading out of one eye was an issue when LR and LG scores dramatically rose but Rc Didn't (I can see the whole stimulus and answer choices in LR and there is minimal reading in LG...but RC gives me trouble reading out of one eye with the time constraints as the questions and passage are split over two pages.

The main reason I ask if I should include an addendum or not is I have heard, LSAC in the recent lawsuit starting with the September 2014 LSAT now could not flag scores as accommodated.....why are now LSAT exams are now unflagged because 1). as the LSAT is a time pressured test and the timing accounts for much of the difficulty of the exam an admissions officer may look at a 170 under normal conditions as a more reliable predictor than a170 with extra time. or 2) the discrimination may not be in the LSAT scores themselves but rather an admissions officer's concern if the applicant with a disability can handle the rigorous workload of being a law student

I think there was probably some motivation behind this new recent change of not disclosing of which test takers took the exam under non standard conditions and was looking into insights as to why

While Law School admissions officers can't outright discriminate against disability as it is illegal, they can do it privately, similarly to a minority who doesn't get hired at the job, very few managers would outrightly indicate that race was the basis for the non-hire.....My GPA is decent but being at the 25% percentile for most of the T14 schools ..it's not like I have a 4.0 GPA and I could say "I got a 170 on the LSAT, so I probably was denied because of my condition despite scoring in the top 2% of all test takers and a perfect GPA" ( i know thats somewhat simplistic but many of admit/deny are heavily numbers based even though the whole application is reviewed)

Even though I would like to believe otherwise, in some areas of society and life, discrimination does exist and often is in a more subtle than outright form so I was wondering if it would be wise to put an addendum or not

Sorry for the long message !
 Nikki Siclunov
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 1362
  • Joined: Aug 02, 2011
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#17410
Hi mattm,

Thanks for your question. From what I gather, you're wondering 1) if you can obtain accommodated testing after taking the LSAT under normal testing conditions; and 2) if you do, will that negatively affect your application.

The answer to your first question is beyond the expertise of this (or any) forum :) Only the LSAC can give you a reliable answer, and yes - their standards are a bit more lax now than they were in the past. It sure sounds like you have a condition that would warrant some sort of an accommodation, but exactly what - only the LSAC can tell you. I suggest you give them a call to inquire - it cannot hurt. Keep in mind, however, that it can take months for them to reach a decision. If you're applying for next year, the December LSAT would be out of the question. Even if they do approve you for accommodated testing, you're looking at February at the earliest.

The answer to your second question can be found in a blog article I wrote earlier this year:

http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/accommo ... ne-30-2014

Hope this helps a bit! Let me know.
 mattm
  • Posts: 50
  • Joined: Jun 10, 2014
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#17415
I was more concerned with the second question than the first: i currently applied for the December LSAT and awaiting my status on my request ( thats in their hands not mine)

I read the article and still had a few questions: in the article it said mentioned in the lawsuit how some felt it was discriminatory how these scores were flagged...Was that the primary issue of confidentiality...or was it because it went a step farther in perhaps schools either 1. Did not view the scores of test takers granted extra time or other accommodations as valid as a "normal" test score or 2. If admissions officers were concerned about the disability affecting the student's academic performance in law school.

I wanted to know mostly if I should shape an addendum explaining the score increase, or submit my apps without one. ( Currently at a -3 consistently on each LR and -2-3 on LG so It is somewhat frustrating to have struggles in the RC section because of my visual impairment. I often miss 10-12 there )

i would like to go to law school, but with about a 160 being my max due to my condition ( mostly slowing me down in RC)...it would be hard to justify since I am capable of much better options so I'll try my best to secure accommodations even if it is not for this year
 Steve Stein
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 1153
  • Joined: Apr 11, 2011
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#17484
Hi Matt,

That's an interesting question. In general, schools are interested more in your highest score than on an explanation of an increase. To be on the safe side you can contact the programs that you're considering to ask whether such an addendum might be necessary.

I hope that's helpful! let me know, and good luck!

Steve

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