Do Schools See a Cancellation? Forum

[Tayaz2015]

So I've decided to postpone taking the LSAT until February. I'm close to scoring 170+ and still have room to improve so I'm going to wait but I am too late to get a partial refund or reschedule my test. I have to withdraw and then re-register.

My question is if I don't withdraw and I go take the test on Saturday but cancel will that hurt my application? Do schools see a cancelled test? I'm thinking about going to take it just for the experience since I've already paid. I figure it will be helpful to go through an actual test before I take it in February. However if it would have any impact on my application I will just withdraw.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[BillsFan9907]

So I've decided to postpone taking the LSAT until February. I'm close to scoring 170+ and still have room to improve so I'm going to wait but I am too late to get a partial refund or reschedule my test. I have to withdraw and then re-register.

My question is if I don't withdraw and I go take the test on Saturday but cancel will that hurt my application? Do schools see a cancelled test? I'm thinking about going to take it just for the experience since I've already paid. I figure it will be helpful to go through an actual test before I take it in February. However if it would have any impact on my application I will just withdraw.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Schools will not care. Now, even Harvard has announced that it will only take into account your highest score.

[Rigo]

Schools do not see a withdraw (what you're referring to as postponing), so that's good.
Schools do see a cancellation though (where you sit for the test and then cancel your score).

A cancellation wouldn't hurt, but personally I would not waste a take if you're already planning to cancel. Something may go wrong in the future, and it'd be better to have another opportunity to take rather then a CANCEL, CANCEL, LOW SCORE or CANCEL, LOW SCORE, LOW SCORE.

[Tayaz2015]

So I've decided to postpone taking the LSAT until February. I'm close to scoring 170+ and still have room to improve so I'm going to wait but I am too late to get a partial refund or reschedule my test. I have to withdraw and then re-register.

My question is if I don't withdraw and I go take the test on Saturday but cancel will that hurt my application? Do schools see a cancelled test? I'm thinking about going to take it just for the experience since I've already paid. I figure it will be helpful to go through an actual test before I take it in February. However if it would have any impact on my application I will just withdraw.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Schools will not care. Now, even Harvard has announced that it will only take into account your highest score.

I've been told having a lower score will hurt my application even if I retake and get a higher score. Are you saying that's not the case at all?

[Rigo]

I've been told having a lower score will hurt my application even if I retake and get a higher score. Are you saying that's not the case at all?

Having a low score followed by a high score looks worse (perception matters) than just a high score.
Though the conventional wisdom is that nearly all schools don't care whatsoever, some schools (Yale, Stanford, Berkeley) have been thought to view multiple scores negatively, even though they only report the highest.
Your circumstances lead me to believe you should withdraw. You make your own moves though.

[Tayaz2015]

I've been told having a lower score will hurt my application even if I retake and get a higher score. Are you saying that's not the case at all?

Having a low score followed by a high score looks worse (perception matters) than just a high score.
Though the conventional wisdom is that nearly all schools don't care whatsoever, some schools (Yale, Stanford, Berkeley) have been thought to view multiple scores negatively, even though they only report the highest.
Your circumstances lead me to believe you should withdraw. You make your own moves though.

Thanks for the advice.