Official June 27 2010 LSAT Waiting Thread (overseas takers) Forum

[FutureApplicant]

Congrats on your score - don't feel bad about it, it's a great score!
Are you applying this fall?

But is it great enough? Considering a retake. Congratulations on yours, too. I'm assuming that the second-time is a charm and there is no need for you to retake!

But regardless, the plan is to apply this fall.

Since we're posting scores, mine was 172.

Like I said, exactly the same as the last time. I admit, I got greedy, imagining the greater scholarship money and greater prospects at H/S that I would have if I could get a 175 or above. As things turned out, I wish I'd used the vast amounts of time I spent prepping the LSAT instead memorizing more Chinese characters.

So a word of caution, Yurishima: trying to improve a 172 is no small matter. You have to be very nearly perfect on test day to do significantly better. I averaged around 178 on my last 10 prep tests, but on the day of the test I was a bit nervous, missed a key inference on a logic game, and poof three months of hard work went up in smoke.

So I'll cut it short. Congrats to those who scored 175 or above.

[kazu]

Congrats on your score - don't feel bad about it, it's a great score!
Are you applying this fall?

But is it great enough? Considering a retake. Congratulations on yours, too. I'm assuming that the second-time is a charm and there is no need for you to retake!

But regardless, the plan is to apply this fall.

Since we're posting scores, mine was 172.

Like I said, exactly the same as the last time. I admit, I got greedy, imagining the greater scholarship money and greater prospects at H/S that I would have if I could get a 175 or above. As things turned out, I wish I'd used the vast amounts of time I spent prepping the LSAT instead memorizing more Chinese characters.

So a word of caution, Yurishima: trying to improve a 172 is no small matter. You have to be very nearly perfect on test day to do significantly better. I averaged around 178 on my last 10 prep tests, but on the day of the test I was a bit nervous, missed a key inference on a logic game, and poof three months of hard work went up in smoke.

So I'll cut it short. Congrats to those who scored 175 or above.

Ouch... you have a point, 172 is hard to improve on and there's always the chance you'll score even lower.. which would be even worse.

[hemm]

Congrats everyone!

TLS played a huge part in me reaching my goal - from following Knockglock's studying thread to searching for help on individual PTs. Definitely couldn't have done it without this forum. Thanks to everyone!

I'm really pumped - when I started studying, my goal was a 170. Then I thought, maybe I can get a 175. Anything below 175 and I think I would retake. I REALLY wanted 175 for a shot at CCN and I was getting concerned about the test-day drop (I guess it still happened though; my overall PT average was a 177 I think).

Sure, I really wish I had some of the higher scores in this thread, but this is good. Now I can stop worrying and give away my study materials to someone else. But this also means I have to actually work on the rest of my application....crap!

[yurishima]

Although I can't really know this for certain because LSAC sucks and won't disclose the test, but I feel that my LG and LR are as good as they will ever be. The only thing that held me back from a higher score was the RC. I think with time (a month or so) I could pull it up to par with my other sections.

The problem is that I will lose my time advantage. I don't know what's more important: being able to apply in September, or the chance that I can improve my LSAT a few points (let's say to a 176).

[odoylerules]

congrats to everyone who aced it, those who didn't i feel your pain.
162 after testing in the mid 170's.. had a test day meltdown on those logic games.

now who in korea wants to sell some prep materials?

[kazu]

Although I can't really know this for certain because LSAC sucks and won't disclose the test, but I feel that my LG and LR are as good as they will ever be. The only thing that held me back from a higher score was the RC. I think with time (a month or so) I could pull it up to par with my other sections.

The problem is that I will lose my time advantage. I don't know what's more important: being able to apply in September, or the chance that I can improve my LSAT a few points (let's say to a 176).

172 to 176 would be a HUGE leap. I'd think even getting a couple more points (174) would be a "success"

I'm not sure which would be better either... Are you sure you can pull up RC? That's usually the most difficult to raise in a short time
I know some people who handed in their apps with their old score, retook in December and then had their profile updated when the new scores came out. Their reasoning was that any school that would accept them based on their old score would have done so already, so they were reducing their risk in case they scored lower the second time around. However, I've also heard that some schools ask if you're going to take the LSAT again, and then hold your app until they get the score. Not sure which schools do that but if they do you'd be losing any advantage you could've had with the above method, at the expense of delaying your apps further.

I think this also depends on what schools you want / what you want to do. I saw your GPA in the other thread, and I'm not sure if a 176 would give you THAT much of an advantage, unlike someone who had a 3.9 GPA for whom a few points higher would open up a lot of doors.

However you decide, best of luck!! 172 is still a fantastic score

[yurishima]

Yeah... One thing to consider is that I certainly do not want to experience this whole waiting game again.

...and besides, Virginia seems like a nice place to spend three years!

[asianette]

Wow, CONGRATULATIONS to everyone, so happy for you! What do you guys think the curve was on the test, out of curiosity? Seems like everyone scored really well - but it may just be a biased sample group

[Hannibal]

I think the fact that they are active on an LSAT board makes them pretty special. Besides there's always the 40% taking it on a lark or whatever.

[kazu]

Wow, CONGRATULATIONS to everyone, so happy for you! What do you guys think the curve was on the test, out of curiosity? Seems like everyone scored really well - but it may just be a biased sample group

I honestly have no clue about the curve... but it seemed pretty standard to me, so probably just the normal -10 or so?? Pure conjecture though haha

I think the fact that they are active on an LSAT board makes them pretty special. Besides there's always the 40% taking it on a lark or whatever.

Yeah I definitely think the difference is that anyone who's on this site are probably the ones who've prepared for the test well beforehand. The ones who are halfhearted probably wouldn't be obsessing over their scores here....

[FutureApplicant]

Although I can't really know this for certain because LSAC sucks and won't disclose the test, but I feel that my LG and LR are as good as they will ever be. The only thing that held me back from a higher score was the RC. I think with time (a month or so) I could pull it up to par with my other sections.

The problem is that I will lose my time advantage. I don't know what's more important: being able to apply in September, or the chance that I can improve my LSAT a few points (let's say to a 176).

If you can get a 176 in October then that is ABSOLUTELY better than whatever advantage you get by applying early, at least based on what I know. Your reach schools (presumably some combination of CCHYS) are unlikely to admit you early anyway. As Kazu said, you can also apply right away, then retake and update your score.

Your problem is the "if." As my case proves, you can Prep Test yourself silly and still not make it into the 175+ range.

But of course I'm now biased, due to my own disappointment at not having improved. If you retake and get over 174, you'll feel great. If you retake and get 170-173, you'll feel like you wasted a lot of time you could have spent on something else. And if you retake and actually do worse...well, I had more than one nightmare about getting a 168, and thank heaven it didn't turn out that way.

Best of luck either way.

[SentinelsOfEvil]

Btw, what happens if we don't have any GPA? My university just gave me 2:1 degree. Is this somehow converted or do they just focus more on the LSAT score?

[kazu]

Btw, what happens if we don't have any GPA? My university just gave me 2:1 degree. Is this somehow converted or do they just focus more on the LSAT score?

I've heard that lsac.org converts foreign transcripts to a ranking system: "Superior" "Above Average", etc., based on what you got individually and the status of the institution you graduated from. Is the 2:1 by the UK grading system? I think you get an "Above Average" for that... which isn't fair since I know it's probably a really good score, but lsac equates 2:1 with a B+ average or something There are a bunch of threads somewhere where the UK students complain about that.

[SentinelsOfEvil]

this is a 2nd class upper hons degree at Engineering in a university in Singapore. generally equated to the British 2:1 by most employers. that is sad that they equate it with a B+. hopefully my LSAT score should help me sneak through to a top 6-7 uni...

[lotus924]

congrats to everyone who got a score they're satisfied with

i'm really happy to say that i've joined the 170+club
though not as high up as Hemm or Sentinels

despite some negative comments on the prospects of improving your grade on retakes
i think i will give it another shot in october

during preptests it was usually LG -0, LR -0~-2
so basically i was losing most of my points in reading comp

if i can maintain my grades for LG and LR and focus on RC for next 80 or so days
i definately think i should at least give it another go

and plus, i can usually guess accurately my grade after a test
so if i mess the october test up, cancelling is always an option

for me, that opportunity to improve my grade (even if i cancel) outweighs any advantage that i might get for handing in my apps a few weeks early

i hope this tread stays alive for those who are preparing for the october test

again, congratulations
and good luck to all oct test takers!!!

[SentinelsOfEvil]

congrats to everyone who got a score they're satisfied with

i'm really happy to say that i've joined the 170+club
though not as high up as Hemm or Sentinels

despite some negative comments on the prospects of improving your grade on retakes
i think i will give it another shot in october

during preptests it was usually LG -0, LR -0~-2
so basically i was losing most of my points in reading comp

if i can maintain my grades for LG and LR and focus on RC for next 80 or so days
i definately think i should at least give it another go

and plus, i can usually guess accurately my grade after a test
so if i mess the october test up, cancelling is always an option

for me, that opportunity to improve my grade (even if i cancel) outweighs any advantage that i might get for handing in my apps a few weeks early

i hope this tread stays alive for those who are preparing for the october test

again, congratulations
and good luck to all oct test takers!!!

good luck with your oct test... let us know how it goes...

[kazu]

this is a 2nd class upper hons degree at Engineering in a university in Singapore. generally equated to the British 2:1 by most employers. that is sad that they equate it with a B+. hopefully my LSAT score should help me sneak through to a top 6-7 uni...

I'd be very surprised if it didn't!! You got a FANTASTIC score - I'm sure you'll get into T6 at least, if not the T3!

congrats to everyone who got a score they're satisfied with

i'm really happy to say that i've joined the 170+club
though not as high up as Hemm or Sentinels

despite some negative comments on the prospects of improving your grade on retakes
i think i will give it another shot in october

during preptests it was usually LG -0, LR -0~-2
so basically i was losing most of my points in reading comp

if i can maintain my grades for LG and LR and focus on RC for next 80 or so days
i definately think i should at least give it another go

and plus, i can usually guess accurately my grade after a test
so if i mess the october test up, cancelling is always an option

for me, that opportunity to improve my grade (even if i cancel) outweighs any advantage that i might get for handing in my apps a few weeks early

i hope this tread stays alive for those who are preparing for the october test

again, congratulations
and good luck to all oct test takers!!!

Good luck on your retake I was always terrible at guessing my score...
But lotus, please do remember that getting in your apps early counts for a lot! I mean, there's this one guy on LSN who got a 177 (with a decent GPA), and handed in his apps in February, and ended up being waitlisted at pretty much everywhere including Duke and Cornell....

[lotus924]

good luck with your oct test... let us know how it goes...

thanx, will do

Good luck on your retake I was always terrible at guessing my score...
But lotus, please do remember that getting in your apps early counts for a lot! I mean, there's this one guy on LSN who got a 177 (with a decent GPA), and handed in his apps in February, and ended up being waitlisted at pretty much everywhere including Duke and Cornell....

thanx for the advice

i know that handing in apps late has definately proved to be disadvantageous
but regarding how handing apps in early will improve your chances
im hoping that late sept and mid oct wont make much difference,
esp since most schools dont start evaluations til mid oct (or so i've heard)

[FutureApplicant]

despite some negative comments on the prospects of improving your grade on retakes
i think i will give it another shot in october

during preptests it was usually LG -0, LR -0~-2
so basically i was losing most of my points in reading comp

if i can maintain my grades for LG and LR and focus on RC for next 80 or so days
i definately think i should at least give it another go

Since you're going to go ahead and retake, some words of advice from someone who's just been there:

improving is about more than just spending a lot of time studying. As I mentioned, my practice test scores were wonderful. The trouble, though, was that during practice tests my focus was on going as fast as I could, avoiding boredom, and resisting the urge to just bag it and go play basketball instead of grinding through preptest after preptest. During the actual test, though, my problem was quite different: I was anxious and worried, and had to focus on slowing myself down.

I'm not trying to discourage you. My point is merely that the LSAT, more than any other test I've taken (and we've all taken plenty of them) is about more than just "studying harder."

Good luck, with the preparation and the final exam. Hope you hit your target number.

[kazu]

good luck with your oct test... let us know how it goes...

thanx, will do

Good luck on your retake I was always terrible at guessing my score...
But lotus, please do remember that getting in your apps early counts for a lot! I mean, there's this one guy on LSN who got a 177 (with a decent GPA), and handed in his apps in February, and ended up being waitlisted at pretty much everywhere including Duke and Cornell....

thanx for the advice

i know that handing in apps late has definately proved to be disadvantageous
but regarding how handing apps in early will improve your chances
im hoping that late sept and mid oct wont make much difference,
esp since most schools dont start evaluations til mid oct (or so i've heard)

When is the October LSAT exactly? I think the October scores usually come out in early November, so that'll probably be the earliest you can get your apps in if you have everything else prepared beforehand (PS, transcripts processed, LORs processed, filling out any Why X? essays or diversity statements you decide to write etc...)

But you're right, if you do send the apps in as soon as the scores come out, it probably won't make that much of a difference. Just make sure to get everything done before then. Good luck!

[Nulli Secundus]

For Europe it is 09 October 2010, which will be my first and only LSAT. (Score e-mail date is 01 Nov according to Lsac.org) Practicing in the 175 - 178 range so far, haven't done Bibles yet, wish me luck people Though, they say RC got a lot harder lately and I am a non native speaker, dont know whether I will have problems, hope not. We ll see

[SentinelsOfEvil]

For Europe it is 09 October 2010, which will be my first and only LSAT. (Score e-mail date is 01 Nov according to Lsac.org) Practicing in the 175 - 178 range so far, haven't done Bibles yet, wish me luck people Though, they say RC got a lot harder lately and I am a non native speaker, dont know whether I will have problems, hope not. We ll see

the RC was indeed a lot harder this time than the pre tests... good luck with your exam...