Next steps after potentially disappointing LSAT

[rhjones2691]

Hello,
I realize this is a pretty specific situation, so I apologize if this is posted in the incorrect forum. Anyway, as a little background, I took an LSAT approximately 4 years ago and scored a 158. I should not have taken it because I was insufficiently prepared (did not take a Powerscore course!), and a little college arrogance convinced me that it would work out in the end. It did not, and the score was disappointing for me. Fast-forward a few years after working and getting a Master's degree, I decided to take the June 2018 LSAT. I felt confident going into the exam, with my final two practice test scores under replicated timed testing conditions were 167 and 172 (Dec 2017 and Oct 2011 tests, respectively).
Unfortunately, I think I performed terribly for the June 2018 LSAT. Seemingly everything went wrong for me - I slept poorly the night before, I did not start my analog watch for 3 sections resulting in unclear and rushed timing, and I could not get "in the zone" like I usually can during a test. I may (trying to remember exactly,but it is unclear) have missed a rule in one of the Logic Games, which almost never occurs for me and is usually my best section. I performed extremely poorly on what turned out to be the experimental section, which unfortunately had a negative impact on the final section. As a result, I am expecting to receive a score well below my average/my expected range, given my previous preptests. So my question is, where do I go from here? I have taken the LSAT twice now, and as I understand it, law schools do not like to see more than two LSAT exams. And I do not think either score represents my realistic ability to perform on the LSAT (given my practice scoring). I was/am shooting for highly-ranked schools for which I believe I would be a competitive candidate given my GPA and degrees in engineering (want to pursue IP law).
So now I have reached somewhat of an impasse. Do I take the LSAT a third time? Do I just stick with whatever score I receive and apply with that? Do I cancel my score? I know the deadline for the July 2018 LSAT is 6/13, so I may just go ahead and sign up for that regardless. Any and all help would be appreciated. And thanks for providing a great product in the course preparation. I am just disappointed that I did not perform (I think) to my potential.

[Alex Bodaken]

rhjones2691,

Thanks for the question. First of all, really sorry to hear that you don't think you did as well as you could of on June's test, especially after all of the hard work you have put in.

That said, you have much better options than you may think. Despite what you may have heard, the very best evidence we have from admissions officers, elite admissions consultants, and admissions stats indicates that law schools DO NOT care about how many times you take the LSAT. Here's a blog from our friends at Spivey Consulting describing that in more detail:

https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/do-law ... a-negative

Basically, the deal is that law schools only have to report any given student's highest LSAT score to the ABA (which is what is used for rankings, etc.), and so that's all they care about. There are some schools that say they look at and/or average scores, but a.) those schools are EXTREMELY few and far between, and b.) even from the those schools, the evidence of who gets in and who does not seems to indicate that only the highest score matters.

With that knowledge, what is your best option? First of all, I wouldn't cancel the score from the June test...there's basically no upside, and potentially a downside (if you did better than you think). I would also go ahead and sign up for an additional administration - if you feel prepared to take in July, I think signing up for that is a great option. And finally, try and keep your head up and stay positive - the LSAT score you get reflects preparation, of course, but there is also a fair amount of luck involved (what type of test you get, how you are feeling on test day, etc.), and maybe Monday just wasn't your day. If you keep preparing like you have been, I am confident you can get the score you are shooting for to round out your application.

Best of luck!
Alex

[rhjones2691]

Hello Alex,

Thank you for the reply. It is reassuring to read the information from the blog you provided. Upon receiving my score this morning, I can report that it was, in fact, well below what I was performing in practice and below what I believe is representative of my abilities. It is disappointing but expected. I signed up for the July 2018 LSAT, and after a brief break following the June exam, have picked up right where I left off prior to the June test. I feel good going into the July exam, and my ability to pick things back up easily following the break further cements the notion that I have a good understanding of the concepts and simply had a bad test day in June. Sometimes these things happen. Thanks again for all the assistance you and the Powerscore staff have provided in preparation for these exams!

[Adam Tyson]

I'll add that you can use what you learned from June to better prepare for July. Be sure to get a good night's sleep beforehand, eat well and rest the day before, get up early the day of and perhaps get a little moderate exercise to get the blood flowing and oxygenating that good brain of yours. Practice with your watch every time so that you won't have much chance of a timer snafu on test day, but if it does happen in a PT just drive forward as best you can (perhaps work with a virtual proctor, too, so that if your watch isn't going you will still get that important five-minute warning). That way, if it happens on test day, you'll remain calm and it will be just like you practiced.

A third score won't be a problem, as you've read, nor should a fourth score if it comes to that. Go into the July test planning to do the best you've ever done, relaxed and in control, and crush it. You've got this!