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LSAT addendum question
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 11:53 am
by anyriotgirl
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Re: LSAT addendum question
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 11:57 am
by koalacity
anyriotgirl wrote:I had a 7 point jump in my LSAT score (162-169), that I think is partially due to preparing better the second time around, and partially because I got lost on the way to the first test and almost missed it. I was obviously pretty rattled, and then the very first section the games, which are the most difficult part of the test for me. I don't feel any great need to explain this in detail on my applications, but some schools want an LSAT addendum for a jump like that. I'm not sure whether it's a good idea to tell the adcoms about getting lost, because I feel like it makes me seem flakey and easy to spook. (If I can't handle a small setback on test day, how on earth am I going to handle a similar issue in school, at court, etc.) If anyone has any advice on how/if to do the addendum, I'd appreciate it.
I wouldn't write an addendum. If you had gone from a 150 to a 169, maybe, but typically you should only write an addendum if it's a) an enormous jump, and b) you have a good explanation for the lower score (i.e. flu, death of family member, LSAC-documented irregularity at test center like a fire alarm going off in the middle, etc). I think in your situation it's unnecessary and could only hurt you.
Re: LSAT addendum question
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 12:13 pm
by lawschoolwannabee123
For what it's worth, I had a 10 pt jump (with several "okay" reasons, but no severe illness or death, etc.) and I decided to write an addendum only for the schools that explicitly said they "consider all scores" and that applicants can/should write an addendum if they'd like them to place a greater weight on the higher score. Common wisdom says that they take the higher score anyway, and it obviously benefits them to consider highest scores, but I don't think it hurts to include an addendum when asked. Just make sure it's straight to the point and doesn't come off as immature or whiney. For schools that didn't offer an addendum, or that explicitly stated they would take the highest score anyway, I didn't include one.
Re: LSAT addendum question
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 12:13 pm
by anyriotgirl
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Re: LSAT addendum question
Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2013 12:50 pm
by jingosaur
I don't think you would really need to write an addendum for that jump especially with the reason why you scored poorly on the first try.
Re: LSAT addendum question
Posted: Thu Dec 26, 2013 10:53 pm
by bp shinners
anyriotgirl wrote:koalacity wrote:anyriotgirl wrote:I had a 7 point jump in my LSAT score (162-169), that I think is partially due to preparing better the second time around, and partially because I got lost on the way to the first test and almost missed it. I was obviously pretty rattled, and then the very first section the games, which are the most difficult part of the test for me. I don't feel any great need to explain this in detail on my applications, but some schools want an LSAT addendum for a jump like that. I'm not sure whether it's a good idea to tell the adcoms about getting lost, because I feel like it makes me seem flakey and easy to spook. (If I can't handle a small setback on test day, how on earth am I going to handle a similar issue in school, at court, etc.) If anyone has any advice on how/if to do the addendum, I'd appreciate it.
I wouldn't write an addendum. If you had gone from a 150 to a 169, maybe, but typically you should only write an addendum if it's a) an enormous jump, and b) you have a good explanation for the lower score (i.e. flu, death of family member, LSAC-documented irregularity at test center like a fire alarm going off in the middle, etc). I think in your situation it's unnecessary and could only hurt you.
Thanks for the advice. I definitely agree with that assessment for most schools, but there are a couple schools that specifically request one for a jump in that range. For schools that don't, I'm 100% not, and was never going to submit anything. But I read something on Anna Ivey about how it looks bad to ignore specific instructions, and that's got me all paranoid now.
In general, that's true. However, this is the one place where it's sometimes okay.
That said, if you want to cover your bases, a 1-2 sentence addendum would be enough - "After recognizing the importance of the exam, and believing I underperformed during the first exam, I studied for a second administration of the LSAT. I believe this higher score reflects my abilities."