Good test center (far) vs Not good one (close) Forum

sarahsala · Post by **sarahsala** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 10:36 am

Hi,

I was just wondering when you choose test center, which one would you choose, either the one people say good stuff about but far from your apartment OR the one people say not good, but close to your place.
Also, do people reserve a hotel or just commute to the test center in the morning?

Thanks,

barley · Post by **barley** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 10:53 am

I think it depends on how much you personally are affected by your environment when you take tests. I'm really sensitive to distractions, so I'd probably opt for the test center with a good reputation. But if you're not, it wouldn't hurt to have a "home court" advantage. I'm not sure what the reputation of the close test center is, but if it's supposed to be noisy/distracting, I'd recommend trying to take a PT somewhere with a distracting environment - say, a coffee shop - and see how well you're able to focus.

FloridaCoastalorbust · Post by **FloridaCoastalorbust** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 10:58 am

I would fly from NY to CA for a better testing location, because something as seemingly trivial as testing location could mean one extra point on the LSAT, which could mean an extra $50k in scholarships or admission into a school you otherwise wouldn't be accepted into. Definitely go with the "good test center (far)".

basedvulpes · Post by **basedvulpes** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 10:59 am

Post removed.

sarahsala · Post by **sarahsala** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 11:39 am

barley wrote:I think it depends on how much you personally are affected by your environment when you take tests. I'm really sensitive to distractions, so I'd probably opt for the test center with a good reputation. But if you're not, it wouldn't hurt to have a "home court" advantage. I'm not sure what the reputation of the close test center is, but if it's supposed to be noisy/distracting, I'd recommend trying to take a PT somewhere with a distracting environment - say, a coffee shop - and see how well you're able to focus.

People say "the desk is small and no place to put both answer sheet and test sheet" or something like that...and it seems the facilities of the college is overall not that good. I have not been there, so not sure whether it's true though..

basedvulpes wrote:Is this just based on reputation of the schools, or actual anecdotal information about test day environment?

Either way, just go with whatever makes you most comfortable. I took the test in June within walking distance of my apartment and it was really relaxing to casually stroll over without worrying about commuting or parking. I can't say whether that would work out better for you.

Does desk size matter to you? I want to choose the one close to my place because the test starts in the morning, but if desk size matters a lot I guess I should choose the other place...

sarahsala · Post by **sarahsala** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 11:42 am

FloridaCoastalorbust wrote:I would fly from NY to CA for a better testing location, because something as seemingly trivial as testing location could mean one extra point on the LSAT, which could mean an extra $50k in scholarships or admission into a school you otherwise wouldn't be accepted into. Definitely go with the "good test center (far)".

Would you reserve a hotel or just commute? Not a distance need a flight btw lol

basedvulpes · Post by **basedvulpes** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 11:42 am

Post removed.

ihenry · Post by **ihenry** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 11:56 am

FloridaCoastalorbust wrote:something as seemingly trivial as testing location could mean one extra point on the LSAT, which could mean an extra $50k in scholarships or admission into a school you otherwise wouldn't be accepted into.

While this might be true, it's adding to the nerves... plus having to travel extra long distance may leave you upset (traffic jam, bus/plane delay, etc) or exhausted, which may also cost you one or two points.

sarahsala · Post by **sarahsala** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 12:30 pm

ihenry wrote:
FloridaCoastalorbust wrote:something as seemingly trivial as testing location could mean one extra point on the LSAT, which could mean an extra $50k in scholarships or admission into a school you otherwise wouldn't be accepted into.
While this might be true, it's adding to the nerves... plus having to travel extra long distance may leave you upset (traffic jam, bus/plane delay, etc) or exhausted, which may also cost you one or two points.

basedvulpes wrote:
sarahsala wrote:
barley wrote:I think it depends on how much you personally are affected by your environment when you take tests. I'm really sensitive to distractions, so I'd probably opt for the test center with a good reputation. But if you're not, it wouldn't hurt to have a "home court" advantage. I'm not sure what the reputation of the close test center is, but if it's supposed to be noisy/distracting, I'd recommend trying to take a PT somewhere with a distracting environment - say, a coffee shop - and see how well you're able to focus.
People say "the desk is small and no place to put both answer sheet and test sheet" or something like that...and it seems the facilities of the college is overall not that good. I have not been there, so not sure whether it's true though..

basedvulpes wrote:Is this just based on reputation of the schools, or actual anecdotal information about test day environment?

Either way, just go with whatever makes you most comfortable. I took the test in June within walking distance of my apartment and it was really relaxing to casually stroll over without worrying about commuting or parking. I can't say whether that would work out better for you.
Does desk size matter to you? I want to choose the one close to my place because the test starts in the morning, but if desk size matters a lot I guess I should choose the other place...
Honestly that sort of stuff should be pretty low on your list of worries. You can prepare for that.

Both of you are correct...I guess I'll choose the one close to my place. The difference is just 30 min between the two, but still it matters I guess.
By the way, it is CUNY (not CUNY Law school), have you heard anything about this school?
From 7sage I found one says "The desk is fairly small as typical of folding-style lecture hall seats, and does not fit the entire LSAT test booklet so I often had to hold one side up with my hand in the RC and LG sections."

Kinky John · Post by **Kinky John** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 12:45 pm

ihenry wrote:
FloridaCoastalorbust wrote:something as seemingly trivial as testing location could mean one extra point on the LSAT, which could mean an extra $50k in scholarships or admission into a school you otherwise wouldn't be accepted into.
While this might be true, it's adding to the nerves... plus having to travel extra long distance may leave you upset (traffic jam, bus/plane delay, etc) or exhausted, which may also cost you one or two points.

He said that he would fly from NY to CA for a better location, not that anyone should. His point is that you should go for the test center that puts you in the position to score the highest you can

stcait · Post by **stcait** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 4:23 pm

Actually I think small desks can hurt...especially for RC if you go back to passages a lot. For LG it can or cannot depending on where you write your diagram. You may want to check back your sub-boards, so in that cases flipping sheets a lot may annoying.

ihenry · Post by **ihenry** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 6:46 pm

Kinky John wrote:
ihenry wrote:
FloridaCoastalorbust wrote:something as seemingly trivial as testing location could mean one extra point on the LSAT, which could mean an extra $50k in scholarships or admission into a school you otherwise wouldn't be accepted into.
While this might be true, it's adding to the nerves... plus having to travel extra long distance may leave you upset (traffic jam, bus/plane delay, etc) or exhausted, which may also cost you one or two points.
He said that he would fly from NY to CA for a better location, not that anyone should. His point is that you should go for the test center that puts you in the position to score the highest you can

Huh? I think that is a subsidiary conclusion, supported by "one point is valuable", and is used to support the final conclusion, "choose the farther test center".

Kinky John · Post by **Kinky John** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:39 pm

sarahsala · Post by **sarahsala** » Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:17 am

stcait wrote:Actually I think small desks can hurt...especially for RC if you go back to passages a lot. For LG it can or cannot depending on where you write your diagram. You may want to check back your sub-boards, so in that cases flipping sheets a lot may annoying.

That's true too, and I'm confused now lol

Kinky John wrote:
ihenry wrote:
FloridaCoastalorbust wrote:something as seemingly trivial as testing location could mean one extra point on the LSAT, which could mean an extra $50k in scholarships or admission into a school you otherwise wouldn't be accepted into.
While this might be true, it's adding to the nerves... plus having to travel extra long distance may leave you upset (traffic jam, bus/plane delay, etc) or exhausted, which may also cost you one or two points.
He said that he would fly from NY to CA for a better location, not that anyone should. His point is that you should go for the test center that puts you in the position to score the highest you can

Yeah I understand the point, but the prob is I'm not sure which will allow me to achieve higher score I can. Maybe it will not make a big difference though.

When you choose test center, what elements do you usually take into consideration?

TheodoreKGB · Post by **TheodoreKGB** » Sun Aug 16, 2015 10:19 am

Kinky John · Post by **Kinky John** » Sun Aug 16, 2015 11:02 am

sarahsala wrote:Yeah I understand the point, but the prob is I'm not sure which will allow me to achieve higher score I can. Maybe it will not make a big difference though.

When you choose test center, what elements do you usually take into consideration?

The ones you can't control or mitigate. You can mitigate your commute by renting a hotel room nearby, for instance. You can't control the size of the desks, nearby construction, street noise, etc.