Advice on LSAT Situation Forum

Share experiences and seek insight regarding your experience as an underrepresented minority within the legal community.
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting

Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are sharing sensitive information about bar exam prep. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.

Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned."
thatgirlwiththefro

New
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 12:33 pm

Advice on LSAT Situation

Post by thatgirlwiththefro » Tue Jun 07, 2016 1:09 pm

Hello, I've been a long time lurker on here and was hoping to get some advice on my current predicament. I am an AA female from a good university with 3.56 gpa (double major w/ minors) I initially sat for the LSAT my junior year of undergrad in June 2014 without having studied enough/utilized my prep test materials (and stupidly jumped at an opportunity to take a grad seminar with a professor I was trying to impress not realizing it would eat up such a huge chunk of my time) and ended up canceling my score.

Following this I decided to put my LSAT on the back burner until I had proper time to study. After graduating last June I buckled down and got to a point where I was really confident in my PTs and my understanding of the test. I have been consistently scoring pretty much exclusively in the low to mid 170s (168 a couple weeks ago) for the past two months. I felt prepared.....until I sat for the test yesterday. I'm really disappointed in myself as I let family issues prior to test and my nerves completely erase my hard work. Sheer panic, proctor asked me twice if I was alright, but I felt like I needed to just push through. My timing was off the entire time and I had to blindly bubble the last 3-5 in each section did not even get to the last game which hasn't been a problem for since I broke 165.

So, the conundrum is whether or not to cancel my score (have two cancellations on record) or wait for June 2016's results and have an undeniably bad score next to a hopefully good score. I would really appreciate any advice, I have really high hopes for a T-14 but I KNOW that three different LSAT attempts can't look good even if I do well in September.

User avatar
dietcoke1

Silver
Posts: 1326
Joined: Tue Mar 08, 2016 8:18 pm

Re: Advice on LSAT Situation

Post by dietcoke1 » Tue Jun 07, 2016 1:53 pm

Canceling your score still counts as a take. Not sure if your aware of this. So even if you cancel it, September would be your last shot to take it in the two years.
There is really no upside to canceling. Schools will only consider your highest score. And your score may be better than you think. If you have been consistently in the 168 to low 170s region, a really bad test day could be a 160-162 and TLS has reported multiple URM's with that school that get into Harvard.

Wait and see what your score is. If your really unhappy about it, then retake in September. But schools wont care if you have a low score next to a high score. If anything you can write a paragraph in your applications explaining you werent feeling well on the day of your first take.

thatgirlwiththefro

New
Posts: 2
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2016 12:33 pm

Re: Advice on LSAT Situation

Post by thatgirlwiththefro » Tue Jun 07, 2016 2:11 pm

Thank you for your feedback!

Yes, I am aware that canceling counts as a take but I had assumed since my first time taking was in 2014, I would have another opportunity in February as the two years would then be up. Of course, that situation is less than ideal.

I suppose I was just curious if two canceled scores looks better or worse than a cancel-bad score-good score. I detest hypotheticals but if I got a 170 in September do I still have a chance at a T-14, T-6 with a less than stellar LSAT record? I know many on here say to cancel if you don't believe your score is one you would apply with and seeing as my gpa is mediocre, I know I need an excellent score to apply.

texcellence

Bronze
Posts: 170
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2015 2:05 pm

Re: Advice on LSAT Situation

Post by texcellence » Tue Jun 07, 2016 4:13 pm

thatgirlwiththefro wrote:Thank you for your feedback!

Yes, I am aware that canceling counts as a take but I had assumed since my first time taking was in 2014, I would have another opportunity in February as the two years would then be up. Of course, that situation is less than ideal.

I suppose I was just curious if two canceled scores looks better or worse than a cancel-bad score-good score. I detest hypotheticals but if I got a 170 in September do I still have a chance at a T-14, T-6 with a less than stellar LSAT record? I know many on here say to cancel if you don't believe your score is one you would apply with and seeing as my gpa is mediocre, I know I need an excellent score to apply.
If you get a 170 in September, I guarantee no school will care about your previous scores. If you really want to feel better when applying, you can write a (very!) brief addendum addressing why your first two are cancel/lower, but I really see no upside to canceling this one. At the very least you'll have a benchmark score to motivate you to do better in Sept. You'll be fine!

rav17

New
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Jan 08, 2016 4:09 pm

Re: Advice on LSAT Situation

Post by rav17 » Wed Jun 08, 2016 3:06 pm

texcellence wrote:
thatgirlwiththefro wrote:Thank you for your feedback!

Yes, I am aware that canceling counts as a take but I had assumed since my first time taking was in 2014, I would have another opportunity in February as the two years would then be up. Of course, that situation is less than ideal.

I suppose I was just curious if two canceled scores looks better or worse than a cancel-bad score-good score. I detest hypotheticals but if I got a 170 in September do I still have a chance at a T-14, T-6 with a less than stellar LSAT record? I know many on here say to cancel if you don't believe your score is one you would apply with and seeing as my gpa is mediocre, I know I need an excellent score to apply.
If you get a 170 in September, I guarantee no school will care about your previous scores. If you really want to feel better when applying, you can write a (very!) brief addendum addressing why your first two are cancel/lower, but I really see no upside to canceling this one. At the very least you'll have a benchmark score to motivate you to do better in Sept. You'll be fine!
The only school that MIGHT care that you wrote 3 times if you do end up writing again is Yale, even then, it's far from certain that they would. None of the other schools in the T14 will care, as long as you end up with a good score.

Post Reply Post Anonymous Reply  

Return to “Underrepresented Law Students”