LSAT addendum Forum

[JCougar]

Since I have now increased my score 10 points over my original LSAT score, a few schools want an addendum. How am I supposed to write one without making corny excuses? I was simply too nervous my first two times, and I scored well below my practice range. The third time I was more like "fuck it" and I ended up getting a 168. How do I explain this without it sounding like a bunch of BS?

[booboo]

Don't?

[JCougar]

Don't?

What if they ask for an addendum?

[booboo]

If they desire it, then post one on here that sugarcoats what happened. I, and I am sure others, will take a stab at helping you.

[You Gotta Have Faith]

Simply tell them that you did not prepare for it the first time (doesn't have to be 100% true... because it sounds like a legitimate reason). And say that this time you spent a few weeks going over several practice tests before actually taking it. I think they mainly want to know for A) making sure nothing fishy is going on and B) out of their own curiosity.

[JCougar]

This is what I wrote so far, but it just seems really corny and I don't know where else to go with it. It's about as truthful as I can get, but it sounds like I'm just making excuses.

I prepared rigorously for three months for my first time taking the LSAT (September 2009). Knowing how vitally important this score is to my law school application process, I believe I prepared too much and put too much pressure on myself to obtain my target score. I took quite a few practice tests, usually scoring between 165-170. During the administration of the September 2009 LSAT, I was extremely nervous, and not having taken a standardized test in many years, I let my anxiety cloud my mind. As a result, I scored well below my expectations, and even below the score of my very first practice test. Knowing that a 158 did not reflect my best effort, I took the LSAT again in December 2009, and received a 4-point improvement. Although I was less anxious this time, I still did not believe a 162 reflected the best of my ability, nor did it represent a score I would normally receive on my timed practice tests. I did not give up, and in February of 2010, I retook the LSAT one last time, and finally scored in my practice test range. My score of 168 represents what I believe to be a true reflection of my ability, and one that is congruent with the percentile scores I have received on standardized testing in the past.

[jetlagz28]

This is what I wrote so far, but it just seems really corny and I don't know where else to go with it. It's about as truthful as I can get, but it sounds like I'm just making excuses.

I prepared rigorously for three months for my first time taking the LSAT (September 2009). Knowing how vitally important this score is to my law school application process, I believe I prepared too much and put too much pressure on myself to obtain my target score. I took quite a few practice tests, usually scoring between 165-170. During the administration of the September 2009 LSAT, I was extremely nervous, and not having taken a standardized test in many years, I let my anxiety cloud my mind. As a result, I scored well below my expectations, and even below the score of my very first practice test. Knowing that a 158 did not reflect my best effort, I took the LSAT again in December 2009, and received a 4-point improvement. Although I was less anxious this time, I still did not believe a 162 reflected the best of my ability, nor did it represent a score I would normally receive on my timed practice tests. I did not give up, and in February of 2010, I retook the LSAT one last time, and finally scored in my practice test range. My score of 168 represents what I believe to be a true reflection of my ability, and one that is congruent with the percentile scores I have received on standardized testing in the past.

It doesn't need to even be this long. Sum it up in a few sentences. You knew you could do better, so you retook.

[JCougar]

Simply tell them that you did not prepare for it the first time (doesn't have to be 100% true... because it sounds like a legitimate reason). And say that this time you spent a few weeks going over several practice tests before actually taking it. I think they mainly want to know for A) making sure nothing fishy is going on and B) out of their own curiosity.

I'm worried about taking that angle because it makes me seem irresponsible, like I'm only going to take something seriously if I fail first.

[JCougar]

It doesn't need to even be this long. Sum it up in a few sentences. You knew you could do better, so you retook.

How about:

It took me three attempts at the LSAT before I scored within the range of my practice tests, and within the percentile range in which I have typically scored on standardized tests in the past. Knowing how important this score is to the application process, I was incredibly nervous and anxious in both September and December. I knew I could do better, so I retook in February and scored at what I think reflects my true ability.

[jetlagz28]

It doesn't need to even be this long. Sum it up in a few sentences. You knew you could do better, so you retook.

How about:

It took me three attempts at the LSAT before I scored within the range of my practice tests, and within the percentile range in which I have typically scored on standardized tests in the past. Knowing how important this score is to the application process, I was incredibly nervous and anxious in both September and December. I knew I could do better, so I retook in February and scored at what I think reflects my true ability.

I think that works. Its honest, to the point, no fluff, lawyer like.

[booboo]

It doesn't need to even be this long. Sum it up in a few sentences. You knew you could do better, so you retook.

How about:

It took me three attempts at the LSAT before I scored within the range of my practice tests,[strike]and within the percentile range in which I have typically scored on standardized tests in the past.[/strike] Knowing how important the LSAT is to the application process, I was incredibly nervous and anxious in both September and December. I believed I could do better, so I retook in February and scored at what I think reflects my true ability.

[Mattalones]

Simply tell them that you did not prepare for it the first time (doesn't have to be 100% true... because it sounds like a legitimate reason). And say that this time you spent a few weeks going over several practice tests before actually taking it. I think they mainly want to know for A) making sure nothing fishy is going on and B) out of their own curiosity.

I'm worried about taking that angle because it makes me seem irresponsible, like I'm only going to take something seriously if I fail first.

If I were you, I would say something simple like the following:

I took the LSAT three times and received the following scores: 158, 162, & 168. The 10 point discrepancy between my highest and lowest scores was due differences in my circumstances at each test date. Two unanticipated periods of instabilities in my life arose during my preparation for the first two tests and they frequently threw off my studying schedule, but, because I had already paid for a seat in advance, I took the tests anyway and underscored. Because of increased stability, I was able to prepare adequately and score close to my potential.

It doesn't have to be the same story ... I'm just giving an example of something that is really matter-of-fact, which your explanation should be. Include bullets if you would like.. The simpler, the better

[JCougar]

Thanks y'all. I think I have worked it down to something a lot better and more concise.

[Stringer Bell]

This is the one question there seems to be no absolute answer for anywhere. Personally, I would leave out anything about anxiety or nervousness. I would just say that you performed below your expectations based on how you had performed on practice tests. Just my $.02