Help! Deciding whether to withdraw or take the LSAT in 1 day

[powerkat]

Any advice on how to decide whether or not to take the LSAT with one day left?

Here's my situation - I've been studying since late December and my practice tests have ranged from 158 to 167 over the past few months. About a month ago, I scored a 172, above my target score! Frustratingly, I haven't been able to replicate that score nor have I been able to score close to it. This past week I've been between 161 and 167. I read somewhere that if you aren't scoring within 5 points of your target score in the days before the test, then you should consider withdrawing from the test. Would Powerscore agree with this?

As corny as it sounds, I believe deep down that I can get my target score eventually but, being honest with myself, I'm not sure I'll be able to do it for this test in 1 day given my recent scores. At the same time, I've been studying for around 6 months now and it might be foolish not to take it after all this hard work. Do I withdraw and work my butt off for October? Do I accept that this is my range and take the test anyway? Do I take the test for the experience and consider canceling? Please help!!!

[Steve Stein]

Hi powerkat,

Part of the answer might lie in your ability to assess your own test performance--in your practice tests, were you able to predict how you had done? For example, on your 172 day, did you know that you had done really well? Did the 167 feel significantly different from the 158? If you have found that you are able to roughly predict your score, it might be worth taking the test, and then deciding whether or not to let it ride--a cancelled score should not be detrimental, and as you alluded to,the experience of taking the test can be valuable.

~Steve

[powerkat]

Hi Steve,

Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, I'm not very good at assessing my performance. On the 172 day, I actually had a very casual approach to the test - I had a very busy day that day and wasn't able to start my practice test until around 8pm. I definitely didn't feel like I had done especially well and was very surprised to see the score. On most of my tests, I feel quite good about it while I'm taking it and am pretty confident about my responses... until I score it and see how wrong I was. If anything, this has lowered my confidence even more. I haven't been able to hone my ability to predict my score so I'm not sure how I could do so on test day.

-K

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Powerkat,

Please allow me to jump in and add some thoughts.

The decision to take the test or not take it is a very personal one, and we rarely will come out and tell someone what to do. But, with enough information from you, we can at least try to help interpret what you are thinking

That said, I really get the feeling from you that you don't want to take it tomorrow, and I don't think that's an unreasonable position for you to take. Your target seems to be around 170 or so, and you've broken through that number once already. But, your recent--and most-consistent--scoring range is the low 160s. If you take it tomorrow, that's where you are likely to score. Assuming that's what occurs, you are going to end up taking it again in October anyway. So, using that line of thinking, I'll agree with you that you shouldn't take it tomorrow and that you should hold off until October. That gives you some time to relax and refocus, and it will help hone your ability to predict your scoring range (and, I've never heard anyone complain about spending too much time studying ).

If you do skip it tomorrow, the best advice I can give you is to take the next month off from LSAT studying. You've been studying for a while, and if you are going to put more time in down the road, you need a serious break at this point. Put the books aside for about four weeks, and then get back into it slowly. While taking a break seems like a scary proposition in that you might feel like you could lose your momentum, in my experience the opposite happens--when you come back you'll actually be a bit better than before.

Please let me know if that helps, and good luck with your decision!

[powerkat]

Hi Dave,

Thank you so much for your response! Your insight was really helpful in making my decision. I'm definitely looking forward to a much needed break.

~K