Cancelling the LSAT Forum

[northwood]

THIS IS WRONG. If you have your test hand scored, you will not get credit for out of order responses. Handscoring comes in handy only if you have eraser discrepancies, I am pretty sure on this.[/quote]


No. I called LSAC personally after the OCtober test. I thought i would be sol if i did in fact mis bubble. If its obvious that you had a bubbling error, they will give your credit, but not for the first and last question on the bubbling. You have to mail a copy of the test answer sheet, your response sheet and indicate where you think the mis bubbling occurred. You also have to put it all in writing why you misbubbled it, and sign the note. it costs 65$ I think, and takes some time to get it resolved.

[Tullstone]

Northwood:

Last test in October, I scored a 165, normally test at 167-169. I thought I slammed the RC, but I missed 8. and with games, I was nervous, missed 5 . Missed 5 total questions on LR., my strength.

Admissions staff at GW and GULC advised me to retake for a few points.

This time around, I finished all LR with 5 mins to spare, and went back to check tough problems. Made educated guesses on at most 2 LR. Im very confident I did well on the comp, though thats exactly how I felt last time. Im very certain i did not miss as many as last time.

Games however..

With game one, I knew they were trying to psych me out with no room for diagrams. I didnt let them, finished it in 4 mins. Id be surprised if i missed any.

game 2 (stained glass), hard, but I made some inferences. I would think I missed at most 1.

Game 3 (conferences) Could not freaking understand it. Spent 3-4 minutes trying to answer questions, then moved to game 4 with 10 mins to spare in the section.

Game 4: finished in 4 minutes. No problems there.

Game 3 again: Still couldn't figure it out. I made educated guess on 1 question, got one right, and guessed on 3. No idea how i did.

I guess the question i'm asking is.. I rarely have to guess on so many questions, except for the test with mannequins game. I ended up not doing that bad.

Should I cancel? Idk. I need a 167, but what happeneds if I go down?!?

[northwood]

lets break down your performance together:

LR -2, excellent
RC- how do you think it went compared to your other tests -5, -8?(( assuming you did like your october test, and better)
LG- from going with your best guesses you say you think you got - 5 ( not including the educated guess, with it -6)

So totals -16 ( worst case performance)
-12 best case

This is purely hypothetical, and i cannot guarentee the outcome, but it sounds as though you think you did pretty well. If the curve is -12( using octobers curve- remember decemeber is traditionally a better curve), you should be at 170, or 168 ish. I think thats the score range you are shooting for, so I would keep it.

Its not good to go down. That being said, if you do go down, you will absolutely have to re take, and consequently, re apply next cycle. However, you sound fairly confident with your performance. The tricky part will be the curve. From the sounds of things, it should be -13 or -14. but no one knows. Take from this what you want, but I hope it helps you make a decision. best of luck

[northwood]

So this is a complete mess and I feel like I sound like I'm making excuses but I'm really not.

I took the LSAT at UDC and the room was sweltering hot. The proctors said there was nothing to do about the over 80*e room that we were testing in., despite multiple complaints - apparently this has been a problem in the past at UDC as well, judging by some threads on TLS. The dry heat made me nauseated and gave me a nosebleed through three different sections (I have never had a nosebleed before). Needless to say, the I didn't do well overall compared to what I normally would have done and I think I completely guessed on 3/4 of the LG section, which is usually my favorite.

I'm applying to schools this cycle (I can't put it off another year), and I have a 156 in the books, no cancellations or absences.

I retook this time because my watch stopped halfway during RC and I felt good about the rest of the test. Had I gotten half of the questions I missed in RC last year correct, I would have had a 160. Since I don't feel good about this one, I worry that I will have gotten less than a 156.

Should I cancel?

Absolutely. Guessing on 3/.4 of a section is grounds for a cancel. Sorry it happends to you, but shake it off. There is always february. take it again, but sign up for a different location. best of luck

[northwood]

better to have 2 cancels or negative lsat trend?

lucky: its depends on how your scores are. and where your cancels are. I would say, it also depends on the scores themselves, but I think 2 cancels are better than a downward trend. ( you can always say that on the second test you realized your first score was your best score- and cancelled)

[confusedlawyer]

So this is a complete mess and I feel like I sound like I'm making excuses but I'm really not.

I took the LSAT at UDC and the room was sweltering hot. The proctors said there was nothing to do about the over 80*e room that we were testing in., despite multiple complaints - apparently this has been a problem in the past at UDC as well, judging by some threads on TLS. The dry heat made me nauseated and gave me a nosebleed through three different sections (I have never had a nosebleed before). Needless to say, the I didn't do well overall compared to what I normally would have done and I think I completely guessed on 3/4 of the LG section, which is usually my favorite.

I'm applying to schools this cycle (I can't put it off another year), and I have a 156 in the books, no cancellations or absences.

I retook this time because my watch stopped halfway during RC and I felt good about the rest of the test. Had I gotten half of the questions I missed in RC last year correct, I would have had a 160. Since I don't feel good about this one, I worry that I will have gotten less than a 156.

Should I cancel?

Wow, I thought the anxiety accompanying my sections was bad, nosebleeds in 3 sections? I don't know what I'd do.

[jwzp]

.

[northwood]

just make sure im drunk when you find me.

although you cant blame me for your performance. I didnt take the test for you

remember worst case scenario is you have to take it again. use the score response to see where you need some extra help. Then apply next year, get into school on a full ride, and profit.

[smartblonde87]

So this is a complete mess and I feel like I sound like I'm making excuses but I'm really not.

Should I cancel?

Absolutely. Guessing on 3/.4 of a section is grounds for a cancel. Sorry it happends to you, but shake it off. There is always february. take it again, but sign up for a different location. best of luck

I was leaning towards cancellation but none of my friends are going to law school and I wanted a second opinion. I will look into the Feb. LSAT. Thank you, I appreciate your help.

[smartblonde87]

So this is a complete mess and I feel like I sound like I'm making excuses but I'm really not.

Should I cancel?

Wow, I thought the anxiety accompanying my sections was bad, nosebleeds in 3 sections? I don't know what I'd do.

LOL

I didn't have test anxiety yesterday. I felt pretty calm and ready. IDK what happened. My bf's mom is a nurse and thought the excessive dry heat for 3 hrs probably caused it.

[AshtonB]

I'm at 156 - 152 -156. Yesterday's LSAT was my fourth attempt, and I left the test feeling quite dejected. I'll be lucky if I end up cracking the 160-ceiling. I initially considered cancelling my score, but there's little-to-no chance that my newest score will be lower than 156, so...I probaly shouldn't cancel, right? I may end up with a 158/159, which is considerably lower than my target score, but still.

[alicen]

dilemma! if i've already sent apps, and after retaking yesterday - blindly guessing D on 8 LG (usually miss none) but hoping to have improved on the other sections - emailing the schools i applied to telling them to consider my app complete with october score, which looks worse when they inevitably receive my december lsat score report: a cancel or a lower score by a couple of points?

[ss12389]

I really need advice!! I got a 166 my first time taking the LSAT in october, but had been scoring at a 170 on my preptests. I retook thinking that it was mostly nerves that had messed me up in october. The whole test was going really really well until I got to logic games. I got games 1 and 4, but 2 and 3 required A LOT of uneducated guessing. I probably blindly guessed on 10 questions in LG alone. The other sections, as mentioned, went pretty well; unless I am way off base I think I missed a maximum of 5 or 6 all together on the other three sections. Should I cancel??? I would like to hope that a generous curve and lucky guessing would permit me a 167 or a 168, but is that just wishful thinking?

[northwood]

I'm at 156 - 152 -156. Yesterday's LSAT was my fourth attempt, and I left the test feeling quite dejected. I'll be lucky if I end up cracking the 160-ceiling. I initially considered cancelling my score, but there's little-to-no chance that my newest score will be lower than 156, so...I probaly shouldn't cancel, right? I may end up with a 158/159, which is considerably lower than my target score, but still.

If you are sure that you beat your 156- then keep the score. Even one point higher is good. Even if you score 156 it wont be that bad.

[northwood]

dilemma! if i've already sent apps, and after retaking yesterday - blindly guessing D on 8 LG (usually miss none) but hoping to have improved on the other sections - emailing the schools i applied to telling them to consider my app complete with october score, which looks worse when they inevitably receive my december lsat score report: a cancel or a lower score by a couple of points?

With a blind guess at D. I would guess that you got one or 2 of those right. So you are at -6 Lg. How did you feel about your other sections? Did you have to guess on a lot? What was your first score? You dont want to go down with regards to the LSAT. If your first score is good enough to get in, then I would cancel.

If you decide to cancel- email the school and let them know that you cancelled your score so they will review it earlier.

[northwood]

I really need advice!! I got a 166 my first time taking the LSAT in october, but had been scoring at a 170 on my preptests. I retook thinking that it was mostly nerves that had messed me up in october. The whole test was going really really well until I got to logic games. I got games 1 and 4, but 2 and 3 required A LOT of uneducated guessing. I probably blindly guessed on 10 questions in LG alone. The other sections, as mentioned, went pretty well; unless I am way off base I think I missed a maximum of 5 or 6 all together on the other three sections. Should I cancel??? I would like to hope that a generous curve and lucky guessing would permit me a 167 or a 168, but is that just wishful thinking?

So you think you got a -16 on this test. Generally December curves are more generous than october. Last years was a -14. Figure out how your worst case scenario would play out on a -12, -13, and -14 curves.

a 166 is not that far away from a 170. In fact is very normal to go down a few points from your pt average on the real thing. How does the rest of your application look? Is your gpa higher than the median at your target schools? What about the 166? From your post, I would guess that you are right around the 165-168 range. Tough call, but its up to you.

[alicen]

dilemma! if i've already sent apps, and after retaking yesterday - blindly guessing D on 8 LG (usually miss none) but hoping to have improved on the other sections - emailing the schools i applied to telling them to consider my app complete with october score, which looks worse when they inevitably receive my december lsat score report: a cancel or a lower score by a couple of points?

With a blind guess at D. I would guess that you got one or 2 of those right. So you are at -6 Lg. How did you feel about your other sections? Did you have to guess on a lot? What was your first score? You dont want to go down with regards to the LSAT. If your first score is good enough to get in, then I would cancel.

If you decide to cancel- email the school and let them know that you cancelled your score so they will review it earlier.

my first score was 170, and i got a lot of advice from people saying that if i wanted a better chance at places like CCN even a 1 or 2 point difference would be helpful. i felt confident that i could get that considering my PT average of 175ish. i think i probably got average -2 wrong on each of the other sections, so it's just a hard decision if it's even possible to get a 171 or 172 this time around. but i also know a 169 or 168 is possible. i already emailed schools telling them not to wait for my december score, but they'll still get the score report anyway. just wondering if a cancel or a lower score by a couple of points is worse to see....

[northwood]

a lower score is worse than a 170 and cancel.

[sweetthingsbyanne]

This was my first experieince taking the LSAt. I had a tutor as well as taking the Newton course and studying the bibles. I am 49 a have a very successful job in Healthcare Administration and 2 graudate degrees. But That test kicked my butt. I did not finish either of the games sections. I only got up to q18 in the 1st LR and I only completed three of the RC. I am so discouraged. Is there really time enough for me to re-take it in Februaruy and still be accepted in a 2011 class?

[northwood]

It depends on how much tiem you have to put into test prep. If you can put 2-3 hours of prep in 6 days a week, you should see improvement. However, a lot of people need more time. For October I prepped from June- october. I work 6 days a week, 10 hour days, so I knew I needed more time. It takes a while to get the basics down, and then to get your strategy and timing fine tuned. If you take it in february, there is still seats available at most schools. however, the earlier you apply, the better your chances at being accepted. Even though you are a non traditional student, if you can put it off another year- I would say to prep for the june exam ( give you more time) and apply next fall.

[ss12389]

I really need advice!! I got a 166 my first time taking the LSAT in october, but had been scoring at a 170 on my preptests. I retook thinking that it was mostly nerves that had messed me up in october. The whole test was going really really well until I got to logic games. I got games 1 and 4, but 2 and 3 required A LOT of uneducated guessing. I probably blindly guessed on 10 questions in LG alone. The other sections, as mentioned, went pretty well; unless I am way off base I think I missed a maximum of 5 or 6 all together on the other three sections. Should I cancel??? I would like to hope that a generous curve and lucky guessing would permit me a 167 or a 168, but is that just wishful thinking?

So you think you got a -16 on this test. Generally December curves are more generous than october. Last years was a -14. Figure out how your worst case scenario would play out on a -12, -13, and -14 curves.

a 166 is not that far away from a 170. In fact is very normal to go down a few points from your pt average on the real thing. How does the rest of your application look? Is your gpa higher than the median at your target schools? What about the 166? From your post, I would guess that you are right around the 165-168 range. Tough call, but its up to you.

My GPA is basically AT the median at my target schools. I have a 3.6 from a highly ranked liberal arts school. The 166 is also AT the median at my target schools. Ugh. Its a really really tough call.

[np25]

This December LSAT was the first LSAT I have taken. I have been studying since the middle of October (took at prep course) and was averaging 163-166 on my PTs. My best section on all PTs was always the LG section (always either getting a perfect score or missing at the most 3). However, this test totally messed me up. I tend not to be too consistent with my LR and RC sections (getting anywhere from -2 to -8 wrong on each), so that's why I really bank on doing well on the LG section because it always pulls my score up. For this test this is how I feel I did:

LR1 - Blind guessed on 2
RC1 - Finished two passages fully and then half of each of the 3rd and 4th (guessing on I would say about 7 questions)
LR2- Blind guessed again on about 2
LR3 - Finished the section
LG1 - Finished games 1 and 4 but games 2 and 3 threw me off completely and I guessed on a majority of those questions.

Taking into account my general performance on PT tests, I am pretty sure that I scored in the 150s (way below what I was hoping or I know I can do). I am thinking of canceling my score. Do you think this is a good idea?

And if so, do you think it would be better to take the test again in February (I have heard mixed reviews about the February test) or in June? I am not applying for school until next Fall. I am not sure if it would be better to stay in the studying mind set and take it sooner or take an extended break?

[bartleby]

This December LSAT was the first LSAT I have taken. I have been studying since the middle of October (took at prep course) and was averaging 163-166 on my PTs. My best section on all PTs was always the LG section (always either getting a perfect score or missing at the most 3). However, this test totally messed me up. I tend not to be too consistent with my LR and RC sections (getting anywhere from -2 to -8 wrong on each), so that's why I really bank on doing well on the LG section because it always pulls my score up. For this test this is how I feel I did:

LR1 - Blind guessed on 2
RC1 - Finished two passages fully and then half of each of the 3rd and 4th (guessing on I would say about 7 questions)
LR2- Blind guessed again on about 2
LR3 - Finished the section
LG1 - Finished games 1 and 4 but games 2 and 3 threw me off completely and I guessed on a majority of those questions.

Taking into account my general performance on PT tests, I am pretty sure that I scored in the 150s (way below what I was hoping or I know I can do). I am thinking of canceling my score. Do you think this is a good idea?

And if so, do you think it would be better to take the test again in February (I have heard mixed reviews about the February test) or in June? I am not applying for school until next Fall. I am not sure if it would be better to stay in the studying mind set and take it sooner or take an extended break?

I think it might be a good play to cancel - as hard as it might be as it is your first exam. You aren't applying until next Fall which gives you June and Oct. I wouldn't take Feb.

I am kinda like you in that I always bank on LG to be -0 to make up for my bad other sections - and if you guessed on the majority of your best section - and didn't feel exceptionally confident about the other sections, I'd cancel.

Sorry.

[jwzp]

.

[np25]

bartleby - any specific reason you would stay away from the feb test?

jwzp - do you recommend studying as much as possible for the june test because it is generally difficult? or would you just always give that advice?

thanks for the advice...this is really stressing me out. i was so ready to be done with the test!