Addendum for 15 point jump?

[juliep1130]

I scored a 150 in November. I had bad anxiety during the test which I believe was the main culprit that contributed to my lower score. I studied harder, refocused, and took the exam again in January and got a 165. I'm so excited because this score is a more accurate reflection of my practice exams. I have found conflicting advice online about whether an addendum is needed in my case. A 15 point increase does seem like a huge jump, however I do not really want to highlight the anxiety that I had. I am unsure of what I would say in an addendum. Will not writing an addendum hurt my application chances?

[Adam Tyson]

Congratulations, juliep1130, that's a great score and a huge improvement! Way to go conquering your nerves and getting the job done!

Some schools will ask for an addendum in the case of a large score increase, and if you are applying to one of those schools you must of course write it. There's no problem with admitting to nerves getting in the way, and that those nerves were no doubt exacerbated by insufficient preparation. Highlight how you used that experience to fuel you to work harder and do better, showing that you are not intimidated by setbacks but that you learn from them and can overcome them through hard work and dedication. What a great story to tell a law school!

If you are applying to a school that doesn't require such an addendum, you should still write one that gives that very positive (and very true) spin on the situation. Most schools will look at that increase and understand that you were unprepared, and then you got prepared, and they will really only care about the high score. Some of those admissions folks will, without an addendum, read between the lines and see that you are a hard worker who doesn't give up and who is capable of improvement, but it wouldn't hurt to help them along with some background, especially since you conquered the problem (which is a positive). They might comment on it in an interview, in which case you should also be prepared to talk about it, but there's no down side to what happened and how you handled it.

Again, congratulations!