I am not good test taker SAT and LSAT Tests Forum

[indo]

Should I write an addendum that I am not good test taker on SAT and LSAT ?

In High school I took math classes upto calculus BC and took AP calculus BC got 5 but on SAT I only got 740 out of 800.
I have never have any difficulty in College to get an A in class.
These SAT and LSAT tests really bothers me so much.
I had been an A student from 1st grade to college and had only 4 A- ( 2 in Middle school and 2 in college )

1) SAT I took 3 times. Score 1900, 1910 and 2080
2) LSAT I took 3 times scores : 158, 167, and 169.

My high school GPA is 4.7 because all those 12 AP courses credits
My College GPA is 3.98/ 4.0 and LSDAS GPA 4.12 ( 2 A-, 18 A and 12 A+)

I am retaking the LSAT in October 2013.
I doubt that I can break 170.
I been PT between 166 to 174.

Thanks for any advice.

[mr. wednesday]

You're scoring in the 90-95% on these tests. It's not good enough to be outstanding but that doesn't make you a bad test taker.

[BigZuck]

I am not sure if this is serious (.jpeg)

[NoodleyOne]

Not a good test taker is code for dumb. Doing well in school is code for "hard worker" (aka sucker).

[t-14orbust]

Please do

[jbagelboy]

Sounds like you try to hard. And you clearly didn't drink enough in HS. Also you should work on your english language proficiency: that might contribute to your "disappointing" test scores. 740 in math (a very strong performance) indicates the high 500s for writing/verbal. I taught tons of kids with that score breakdown at the prep academy I worked for in college: no native speaker in the home.

In all seriousness, first, given that law school is a series of exams culminating in the bar, a giant exam, presenting yourself as a "bad test taker" is just about the worst thing you could mention in your application, and certainly should not be done so explicitly. Do you think you would receive pity or sympathy for not being 99th%ile? Far from it, you'll be ridiculed and dismissed.

Secondly, as another poster mentioned, you got a 169 -- thats an extremely high LSAT score, particularly for someone with your apparent language skills. So it just makes you seem even more ridiculous.

[indo]

Sounds like you try to hard. And you clearly didn't drink enough in HS. Also you should work on your english language proficiency: that might contribute to your "disappointing" test scores.

In all seriousness, first, given that law school is a series of exams culminating in the bar, a giant exam, presenting yourself as a "bad test taker" is just about the worst thing you could mention in your application, and certainly should not be done so explicitly. Do you think you would receive pity or sympathy for not being 99th%ile? Far from it, you'll be ridiculed and dismissed.

Secondly, as another poster mentioned, you got a 169 -- thats an extremely high LSAT score, particularly for someone with your apparent language skills. So it just makes you seem even more ridiculous.

English is my second language and I was not born in USA.

[indo]

Not a good test taker is code for dumb. Doing well in school is code for "hard worker" (aka sucker).

lol

[jbagelboy]

English is my second language and I was not born in USA.

Yea, thats what Im saying.

You're not a "bad test taker". You're just not a native speaker. Anyone who spends more than two minutes with you could ID the difference, and you should know it too. This isn't to insult you - its a wakeup call.

Definitely get someone to read over and copy edit your personal statement

[indo]

English is my second language and I was not born in USA.

Yea, thats what Im saying.

You're not a "bad test taker". You're just not a native speaker. Anyone who spends more than two minutes with you could ID the difference, and you should know it too. This isn't to insult you - its a wakeup call.

Definitely get someone to read over and copy edit your personal statement

thanks

[indo]

English is my second language and I was not born in USA.

Yea, thats what Im saying.

You're not a "bad test taker". You're just not a native speaker. Anyone who spends more than two minutes with you could ID the difference, and you should know it too. This isn't to insult you - its a wakeup call.

Definitely get someone to read over and copy edit your personal statement

Thanks, I would make sure that I have some one to edit my personal statement.

[midwest17]

My high school GPA is 4.7

Wut?

[NoodleyOne]

My high school GPA is 4.7

Wut?

That was possible at my school, too. Advanced and AP classes were adjusted upward by .5 and 1.0 respectively, and my school also gave .2 for A+s.

[midwest17]

My high school GPA is 4.7

Wut?

That was possible at my school, too. Advanced and AP classes were adjusted upward by .5 and 1.0 respectively, and my school also gave .2 for A+s.

My impression of the quality of a GPA peaks at 4.0. Whenever I see a GPA over 4, I figure the school must be doing something insane.

Giving a small boost for A+s is reasonable, if you actually make the A+ an exceptional grade to achieve. But boosts for accelerated or AP classes? That's just absurd.

[dr123]

You took the sat three times? I didn't think anyone took it more than once.

[midwest17]

My high school GPA is 4.7

Wut?

That was possible at my school, too. Advanced and AP classes were adjusted upward by .5 and 1.0 respectively, and my school also gave .2 for A+s.

My impression of the quality of a GPA peaks at 4.0. Whenever I see a GPA over 4, I figure the school must be doing something insane.

Giving a small boost for A+s is reasonable, if you actually make the A+ an exceptional grade to achieve. But boosts for accelerated or AP classes? That's just absurd.

By the way, on the scale you're describing getting a 4.7 would require something like taking half AP classes (so like... 24 AP classes in a high school career? There are only 34 total AP tests.) and half Advanced classes. Do schools where that's possible even exist, and what does "Advanced" even mean at that point?

[indo]

As I mentioned I took 12 AP courses and a lot of honor classes.
in my high school AP and honor classes graded as follow;
A = 5, B = 4 and C = 3.
Freshman :Honor Algebra 2
Sophomore : Honor Geometry
Junior: AP statistic
Senior AP calculus BC

[indo]

You took the sat three times? I didn't think anyone took it more than once.

I did took SAT 3 times.

[midwest17]

As I mentioned I took 12 AP courses and a lot of honor classes.
in my high school AP and honor classes graded as follow;
A = 5, B = 4 and C = 3.
Freshman :Honor Algebra 2
Sophomore : Honor Geometry
Junior: AP statistic
Senior AP calculus BC

Ah right, I forgot that most high school classes are year-long.

Still, 5 point scale is absurd. I took a bunch of AP classes as well, none of them were so much harder than non-AP classes as to justify a full grade point bump.

[indo]

As I mentioned I took 12 AP courses and a lot of honor classes.
in my high school AP and honor classes graded as follow;
A = 5, B = 4 and C = 3.
Freshman :Honor Algebra 2
Sophomore : Honor Geometry
Junior: AP statistic
Senior AP calculus BC

Ah right, I forgot that most high school classes are year-long.

Still, 5 point scale is absurd. I took a bunch of AP classes as well, none of them were so much harder than non-AP classes as to justify a full grade point bump.

thats why they call it high school.

[xylocarp]

You took the sat three times? I didn't think anyone took it more than once.

I took it 4 times (the first time in 6th grade) thanks to having completely crazy parents. Went to a high school with lots of kids in similar situations so I knew a lot of people who took it more than once as well. My dad told me I could only stop once I got into college or got a perfect score... it was nuts but it paid off.

[xylocarp]

As I mentioned I took 12 AP courses and a lot of honor classes.
in my high school AP and honor classes graded as follow;
A = 5, B = 4 and C = 3.
Freshman :Honor Algebra 2
Sophomore : Honor Geometry
Junior: AP statistic
Senior AP calculus BC

Ah right, I forgot that most high school classes are year-long.

Still, 5 point scale is absurd. I took a bunch of AP classes as well, none of them were so much harder than non-AP classes as to justify a full grade point bump.

I was under the impression that the 5 points for AP was considered pretty standard nowadays. My high school GPA of 3.8 was considered shitty to the point that I was considered a fairly extreme splitter.

[dr123]

Personally I have never heard of a high school having anything other than the standard 4 point scale.

[jbagelboy]

Fwiw my high school gave 5 pts for AP courses, but not for honors. So I was over 4.0 "weighted" but not absurdly so, and the school showed an "unweighted" as well (out of 4 only). I think it made sense for school honors (magna cum laude, ect) to look at weighted since ap chem was a fuckton harder than anatomy, or ap english compared to remedial.

I know the college I ended up at only looked at the "unweighted" anyway, and most colleges recalculate to standardize, so it really doesnt make much difference.

[indo]

Fwiw my high school gave 5 pts for AP courses, but not for honors. So I was over 4.0 "weighted" but not absurdly so, and the school showed an "unweighted" as well (out of 4 only). I think it made sense for school honors (magna cum laude, ect) to look at weighted since ap chem was a fuckton harder than anatomy, or ap english compared to remedial.

I know the college I ended up at only looked at the "unweighted" anyway, and most colleges recalculate to standardize, so it really doesnt make much difference.

Yes , College only look at the unweighted GPA.