Diabetes, Checking Blood Sugar, and Accommodations

[Dave Killoran]

I received the following question recently:

So I'm a type 1 diabetic and a while back I asked if there were any accommodations to see if I could check my sugar during the exam but the lady I spoke to at LSAC said they didn't have any for my situation. Usually when you sugar goes up it can go up from stress or from meals but I hadn't ate anything prior to the exam so when my sugar went up it happened in the middle of the 2nd section and till the end of the 3rd section I've only been diagnosed as ty 1 for a year so it's new but anyways I checked it during break and treated my high blood sugar so the 4 and 5th section were fine!

I guess I'm wondering if I should cancel my score or if I should explain this to the law school in an addendum I'm really confused I tried to push through it but it's so hard to explain to people that have never had this type of reaction to high blood sugar! You become tired and weak.

I could of had a chance to check it after my first section and it would of been fine

Oh boy, this is a major mistake on the part of the LSAC representative. If you check item #22 at Policy on Prior Testing Accommodations, you can see that they've dealt with this issue previously, and so they certainly can't claim there's no known course of action here. Yes, this form applies to prior cases where accommodation was granted, but as clearly stated on the page, LSAC will grant it. So, this is an allowable accommodation.

I would waste no time at all and 1. Complain about the lack of clear information being provided by LSAC in this case; 2. Apply for accommodations for checking blood sugar for the December LSAT; and 3. Sadly, take the December LSAT. Then, when you apply, add an addendum that explains the situation with September. If they see a higher December score, not only is that good, but then the addendum would help tell them more about you as a person.

The silver lining here is that next time, you know you won't have to deal with the deep fatigue that hits you, which is nice by itself and it's also one less worry to have!