Another cancel post Forum

[nmd2810]

Hello!
So I too completely bombed the RC on the June exam. Except that I REALLY screwed it up. I had been averaging around 165ish on my PTs but cannot reasonably expect anything more than a 155-157 on this one (probably get a -15 just on RC). The reason I messed up so much on this exam isn't only because it was a hard RC but simply because I panicked since I didn't do well on my LR2 and so couldn't focus at all. I am definitely retaking it in October and know that i can score at least 5-7 points higher than what i expect to get on this test. Is it even worth keeping this score then? Or should I just cancel it altogether?

Any advice/suggestion is hugely appreciated!

-Thanks

[seancris]

Depends. It's hard to be sure that you're getting a -15 in RC. That sounds more like a worst-case senario to me. Would it be possible to say that on the flip side, in a best case senario, you would get a -10 or -8 on the same section? I saw an LSAT teacher online say that you should take your "best case" and "worst case" scores for each section, add them up and you'll have your best/worst possible raw scores. From there, find a recent score conversion chart (IE June 2010 or Dec 2011, etc.) and convert those raw scores. Then, add two points to the lowest end of your range and subtract two from the highest end of the same range and you'll be left with a reasonable estimate of how you did (IE 155-162 would be 157-160). If you'd be satisfied with a score in that range, don't cancel.

Personally, that system makes my range 160-164, and my goal score is a 162 so I'm not cancelling. If you wouldn't be satisfied with a score anywhere near your range, then you might want to cancel or adjust your expectations for law school, depending on personal considerations.

I guess it would also depend on what school you're wanting to attend. If you're talking T14 or close to it I'd be more likely to cancel than if we were talking about a 50th ranked state school.

Also depends on your GPA. Do you need the LSAT to pull up a poor GPA or do you have a strong GPA? In the former case I'd be more likely to cancel as well.

[Flyer32]

OP, I am pretty much in the same boat as you, and I am almost certain I am going to cancel my score. I was pressed for time on every section, which surprised me a bit. RC was the last - and by far the worst - section for me. Had trouble with the first passage, started to panic, and it was all downhill from there. Went at least -5 due to answers I didn't even have time to bubble in (and I know I got at least a few others wrong). My PT range had been 166-173 and my RC sections were normally -1 to -5. To miss that many on the real thing isn't really acceptable to me given what I know I can do. I'm canceling because I know I'm not going to be happy with this score, and because I know that one cancel isn't going to hurt me in admissions. I don't see the benefit of having a score I know I will not be happy with - and won't get me into the schools I want to go to - on my record when I know I am taking another crack at the test in a few months. That's just me though.

[Younger Abstention]

I wouldn't cancel unless your worst case scenario would be truly embarrassing. For example, if you are shooting for a 162 and you think you might have gotten a 147, you should cancel. If you probably got a 155, then having that score on your record isn't so bad.

[seancris]

BTW, almost everyone I've talked to on TLS and other sites full of test-takers who are shooting for 160+ scores has expressed having serious difficulty with the RC section compared to their usual PT performance.

Am I wrong in assuming that the 'curve' will be likely to reflect this? That was always my experience with PTs. An unusually rough game section or RC section usually correlates with a more generous curve.

[gggrra]

BTW, almost everyone I've talked to on TLS and other sites full of test-takers who are shooting for 160+ scores has expressed having serious difficulty with the RC section compared to their usual PT performance.

Am I wrong in assuming that the 'curve' will be likely to reflect this? That was always my experience with PTs. An unusually rough game section or RC section usually correlates with a more generous curve.

There's probably some truth to it. May be some sampling bias, i.e. people who did poorly are more likely to post about it. Also, difficulty of RC might be offset by (slightly?) easier than usual LR and LG? I sure hope the curve is generous...

[nmd2810]

Depends. It's hard to be sure that you're getting a -15 in RC. That sounds more like a worst-case senario to me. Would it be possible to say that on the flip side, in a best case senario, you would get a -10 or -8 on the same section? I saw an LSAT teacher online say that you should take your "best case" and "worst case" scores for each section, add them up and you'll have your best/worst possible raw scores. From there, find a recent score conversion chart (IE June 2010 or Dec 2011, etc.) and convert those raw scores. Then, add two points to the lowest end of your range and subtract two from the highest end of the same range and you'll be left with a reasonable estimate of how you did (IE 155-162 would be 157-160). If you'd be satisfied with a score in that range, don't cancel.

Personally, that system makes my range 160-164, and my goal score is a 162 so I'm not cancelling. If you wouldn't be satisfied with a score anywhere near your range, then you might want to cancel or adjust your expectations for law school, depending on personal considerations.

I guess it would also depend on what school you're wanting to attend. If you're talking T14 or close to it I'd be more likely to cancel than if we were talking about a 50th ranked state school.

Also depends on your GPA. Do you need the LSAT to pull up a poor GPA or do you have a strong GPA? In the former case I'd be more likely to cancel as well.

My GPA is pretty decent so I'm not worried about that. Its near the 75th percentile of my target schools. Its only this LSAT i'm worried about. And as far as the RC section goes, -15 isn't really my worst case scenario (I only got to doing 2 passages). Its kinda embarrassing because I didn't do that badly on RC on even my first diagnostic. And like I mentioned, I only messed up because i sort of blanked out on the section which shouldn't happen to me again. I'm also in a similar range as you. The only reason I'm considering cancelling is that I don't want the score to affect me negatively. I know that one cancel doesn't really hurt you but I wanted to know how much one low score would hurt me even if i have a higher score...say 5 points higher. If it doesn't hurt much then I'm okay with letting it play out.

[nmd2810]

OP, I am pretty much in the same boat as you, and I am almost certain I am going to cancel my score. I was pressed for time on every section, which surprised me a bit. RC was the last - and by far the worst - section for me. Had trouble with the first passage, started to panic, and it was all downhill from there. Went at least -5 due to answers I didn't even have time to bubble in (and I know I got at least a few others wrong). My PT range had been 166-173 and my RC sections were normally -1 to -5. To miss that many on the real thing isn't really acceptable to me given what I know I can do. I'm canceling because I know I'm not going to be happy with this score, and because I know that one cancel isn't going to hurt me in admissions. I don't see the benefit of having a score I know I will not be happy with - and won't get me into the schools I want to go to - on my record when I know I am taking another crack at the test in a few months. That's just me though.

That's exactly what I'm thinking right now!!

[seancris]

I know that one cancel doesn't really hurt you but I wanted to know how much one low score would hurt me even if i have a higher score...say 5 points higher. If it doesn't hurt much then I'm okay with letting it play out.

One low score won't hurt at most schools assuming October is better. Most schools take the highest score rather than averaging. If I were you I would keep it and retest if I wasn't satisfied, rather than put all my eggs in the October basket. You never know what could happen, you could be sick on October 4th or get in an accident on the way to the test center.