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So I'm signed up for the LSAT this Saturday and have been studying pretty good for the last 3 months, but I've had more on my plate this past month than I expected and don't feel fully prepared for this Saturday. My goal was at least a 170, but my PTs have been between 162 and 168 (I've only actually done ~5 timed PTs). So my question is should I take it and keep the score or cancel? My reason for keeping the score would be to actually have something official and hopefully use that to motivate me for June or maybe some how to better than I was expecting. Or is the risk of getting a low 160 not worth having on file? Thanks for any advice, I'm kind of leaning towards getting a score for motivation but wanted to hear some ideas.

Nearly all schools will only look at highest, and you can try 3 times.

Cupidity wrote:Nearly all schools will only look at highest, and you can try 3 times.

If a person isn't ready it isn't worth it to waste a shot. Take an absence.

The LSAT is very hit or miss, if you are sick or have a bad day, you can easily drop 4 or 5 points. Get a 16X in the bank, whatever it is. It will be a nice saftey net when you take it a second time. Maybe you get lucky and do well, if you don't having a T-30 score to fall back on will make your life happier.

Thanks guys, I guess I was also a little worried on how bad it looks if I had a huge jump in scores. I know I can address this in an addenda and most schools take the best score, but it doesn't calm my nerves lol.

i also wanted a 170 when i took the test in september, but i hadn't been testing there consistently (i was fluctuating between 162 and 170). i felt that i had put in so much time in and that i wanted to have a score down, so i took the test. right after the test, i knew that i hadn't done exceptionally well, but i resisted my instinct to cancel. this was a mistake; i scored in the low 160's. i simply needed more preparation (in december, i got a 170). i would advise you to take the test this weekend, but you should be very willing to cancel the score. if you haven't been getting a 170 in practice tests, you should cancel unless you felt that you knocked the test out of the park. any score below your goal will just be an albatross for you--trust me.

bloodonthetracks wrote:i also wanted a 170 when i took the test in september, but i hadn't been testing there consistently (i was fluctuating between 162 and 170). i felt that i had put in so much time in and that i wanted to have a score down, so i took the test. right after the test, i knew that i hadn't done exceptionally well, but i resisted my instinct to cancel. this was a mistake; i scored in the low 160's. i simply needed more preparation (in december, i got a 170). i would advise you to take the test this weekend, but you should be very willing to cancel the score. if you haven't been getting a 170 in practice tests, you should cancel unless you felt that you knocked the test out of the park. any score below your goal will just be an albatross for you--trust me.

Yeah I see your point. I've been saying I want to cancel my score unless I feel I did awesome, but my friends and family seem to all say that I've already put so much time in that it would be a waste to not do it for real. I guess it just comes down to what I want, but they make valid points.

pu_golf88 wrote:

bloodonthetracks wrote:i also wanted a 170 when i took the test in september, but i hadn't been testing there consistently (i was fluctuating between 162 and 170). i felt that i had put in so much time in and that i wanted to have a score down, so i took the test. right after the test, i knew that i hadn't done exceptionally well, but i resisted my instinct to cancel. this was a mistake; i scored in the low 160's. i simply needed more preparation (in december, i got a 170). i would advise you to take the test this weekend, but you should be very willing to cancel the score. if you haven't been getting a 170 in practice tests, you should cancel unless you felt that you knocked the test out of the park. any score below your goal will just be an albatross for you--trust me.

Yeah I see your point. I've been saying I want to cancel my score unless I feel I did awesome, but my friends and family seem to all say that I've already put so much time in that it would be a waste to not do it for real. I guess it just comes down to what I want, but they make valid points.

it's more of a waste to put a score on your record that you're not happy with.

Desert Fox wrote:

Cupidity wrote:Nearly all schools will only look at highest, and you can try 3 times.

If a person isn't ready it isn't worth it to waste a shot. Take an absence.

What I tell people is not to take it until you know what your minimum score is going to be and are happy with it. Other people have some other ideas, but that's mine.

Would it be a bad idea to judge how I test this week and use only those scores when making my decision? I guess I'll have a pretty good idea how I did after I take it.

I'm in the same boat. Aiming for a 170 and have been testing between a 161-166. Most of the questions I get wrong on LR are usually careless mistakes. (Which also makes it hard to judge how I scored after I take a test). If I could avoid dumb mistakes it would definitely put me in the range I want to be in. Though how much I struggle with the logic games/reading comp sections is usually the ultimate indicator of whether I scored above or below a 165.

So, unless I come out feeling like I totally rocked BOTH the RC and LG sections, I'll probably cancel. I'm already signed up to take it in June either way.

christinalsat wrote:I'm in the same boat. Aiming for a 170 and have been testing between a 161-166. Most of the questions I get wrong on LR are usually careless mistakes. (Which also makes it hard to judge how I scored after I take a test). If I could avoid dumb mistakes it would definitely put me in the range I want to be in. Though how much I struggle with the logic games/reading comp sections is usually the ultimate indicator of whether I scored above or below a 165.

So, unless I come out feeling like I totally rocked BOTH the RC and LG sections, I'll probably cancel. I'm already signed up to take it in June either way.

Yeah that's kind of how I'm feeling.

I took an untimed PT last night just to gauge potential and scored a 176. I'm tempted, that since I'm not expecting to keep my score, to just practice doing sections (like one game, passage or 10 LR Qs) as fast as I can and not take any PTs this week so I don't get too down before the test. Figure it couldn't hurt.

pu_golf88 wrote:Would it be a bad idea to judge how I test this week and use only those scores when making my decision? I guess I'll have a pretty good idea how I did after I take it.

I jumped up to 173-177 in my last week (about 6 tests) and still scored a 169

My advice is to take it since you're retaking in june. Having one test under your belt will help with your second one in terms of nerves...that's what I've been hearing at least.

Cupidity wrote:Nearly all schools will only look at highest, and you can try 3 times.

Wait.. really? For some reason I thought most schools averaged your score! This makes me feel a lot better about this Saturday. Do you happen to know or have a link to which schools average and which ones take the highest score? I've been approaching this test as do or die the entire time since I thought if I scored low I would pretty much be screwed even if I score good on later tests.

Personally, I feel you will be more motivated if you sit this one out. Say you do ok, but not quite what you want, like a 167. In that situation, you may never again feel the motivation and drive that is required to get a 170, which in your case seems reasonable if you study hard till June. I am just saying, don't let that safety net reason backfire.

Edit: I meant to say I would feel more motivated without a score.

I think most 2nd tier law schools take your highest score, however, within the t14 it seems most of the schools either publicly disclose that they average scores or refuse to say one way or another. I'm already scoring in the 160s, so my decision to cancel my score and wait until June is aimed at reaching that top tier. I'm assuming that since you're scoring in a similar place, that's probably your thinking as well. I'm still planning on canceling, but I'm open to hearing more arguments against it.

pu_golf88 wrote:

bloodonthetracks wrote:i also wanted a 170 when i took the test in september, but i hadn't been testing there consistently (i was fluctuating between 162 and 170). i felt that i had put in so much time in and that i wanted to have a score down, so i took the test. right after the test, i knew that i hadn't done exceptionally well, but i resisted my instinct to cancel. this was a mistake; i scored in the low 160's. i simply needed more preparation (in december, i got a 170). i would advise you to take the test this weekend, but you should be very willing to cancel the score. if you haven't been getting a 170 in practice tests, you should cancel unless you felt that you knocked the test out of the park. any score below your goal will just be an albatross for you--trust me.

Yeah I see your point. I've been saying I want to cancel my score unless I feel I did awesome, but my friends and family seem to all say that I've already put so much time in that it would be a waste to not do it for real. I guess it just comes down to what I want, but they make valid points.

Screw them. they aren't studying. they have no idea what they're talking about. That's like asking your stock broker for legal advice. Forget about it. If you don't feel ready, you're not going to be ready, and you're not going to get the score you're looking for. Either take it cancel for the experience, or take an absence and catch the next one. Don't be pressured to get it over and done with.

christinalsat wrote:I think most 2nd tier law schools take your highest score, however, within the t14 it seems most of the schools either publicly disclose that they average scores or refuse to say one way or another. I'm already scoring in the 160s, so my decision to cancel my score and wait until June is aimed at reaching that top tier. I'm assuming that since you're scoring in a similar place, that's probably your thinking as well. I'm still planning on canceling, but I'm open to hearing more arguments against it.

Damn. Yeah I'm definitely not scoring exactly where I want to be by a couple points. If most top schools took the higher score I would for sure take it and see my score. If the top schools don't though I'll probably cancel unless I feel supremely confident I owned the test.

Well I can't say I feel to confident after tonight's study session.

So these T14 schools that don't take the highest score... how do the factor a cancel? One isn't too bad or does it kind of hurt?

i'm not going to take it until i'm averaging ~2 points higher than my target in practice tests to counter any nerves during the actual test.

pu_golf88 wrote:Well I can't say I feel to confident after tonight's study session.

So these T14 schools that don't take the highest score... how do the factor a cancel? One isn't too bad or does it kind of hurt?

From what I heard, law schools (in any tier) don't care about one cancel. It's when they see a pattern of cancels that it could work against you. So, I have to say that my only reservation about canceling on Saturday is that the stakes are high for the June test. Canceling/taking a no - show is not really a smart option the second time around.

Overall though, June is 4 months away so I'd like to think if I'm scoring in the mid 160s now, I can nail the test then with the right studying. Just hope I don't run into any other obstacles that are beyond my control. The LSAT Blog has a really good post on whether to cancel or be marked as absent.