LSAT no-show or cancel or am I screwed either way? Forum

[hailmarylaw]

I have taken the LSAT twice and scored 160 and 165. I want to get into the NW law and I need a 170. I have been scoring around that on my PT's but my confidence has been super low this past week. I am not sure if I will get a 170 on the real deal and feel I might end up w a 165 again. If I take the LSAT, I will be using the 3-count limit in 2 years. If I don't show up, I could save it up for June and apply early next year. However, some of the schools are holding my application and I am assuming I would be a auto-reject if I don't show up and have an absence. If I do show up and cancel, it might have the same effect. Any advice would be appreciated.

[hiromoto45]

I think the cancel counts towards the limit...http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =6&t=90729

[fathergoose]

I have a no show on my record and it doesn't seem to have effected my cycle thusfar. To be fair the no show was feb 08 (retook June 08) so it may be viewed a little differently. I think law schools care about results. If you can pop out a 170+ all transgressions are forgiven.

[hailmarylaw]

Thanks for the feedback! Anyone else would like to suggest me on what should I do?

[Kiersten1985]

If you have one cancel or absent (I have one absent) it generally doesn't hurt you. From what admissions officers have told me, they understand things happen. It's when they start to see a pattern of cancels/absences that they want explanations.

[Cleareyes]

I thought absences counted towards your 2 in 3 years limit. If that's the case then you should take and either cancel or accept the score. If not, then you should seriously consider whether the certainty of putting school off for a year measures up against your lack of confidence, given that you have PTed high enough and this might just be nerves. Personally I'd probably take.

How extensive has your prep been? Do you have a lot of untaken PTs? How sure are you that your confidence will be high enough in June?

These are all relevant questions.

In terms of an absence of a cancel hurting you when it comes to admissions, I doubt either would cause much trouble.

[hailmarylaw]

Kiersten1985 and Cleareyes - Thanks for your replies.

I have taken about 30 PT's and my average thus far has been 169. My weakness is RC and I had to work hard to fix my mistakes there. My practice test scores in the last week have been in the 165-167 range. In addition, I am really scared that it's my last shot to take the LSAT. If I don't improve my score, NW will be a dream. If I don't show up for the test, I will have one more chance which could be a very risky hail mary.

If it really comes down to holding off another year to go to NW, I don't mind. At first, I didn't care much about the school I wanted to go to. After researching further, I really think school matters.

My application is currently under review at some of the T-20 schools. If they know I was absent, they might auto-reject me. Does anyone think this is what would happen?

I am worried about my chances at other schools in the T-20 range is because if I get into any of them, I am willing to start school this year and hope for a transfer. If not, I would be happy graduating from any T-20.

[UTexas]

Make sure you're getting good rest. The LSAT, as I'm sure you know by now, is not like college coursework. It does not respond kindly to prolonged fatigue. A lot of people in your situation seem to benefit from taking it down a notch during the final week.

[gymboree]

you sound stressed, anxious, and otherwise preoccupied. It doesn't sound - and you're admitting that you're not -- like you're confident.

Things you need to have to ROCK the LSAT:
1. Preparedness. Are you more prepared for this event than you have been for any other test you've ever taken? Do you know the patterns of your mistakes and have you corrected and bested them?
2. Confidence. Do you feel like you're going to rock it out? Do you know deep down that you are going to kill this test?
3. Consistency. Are you consistently testing at 170+? If your goal is 170, you need to be consistently performing at or above this range. You shouldn't go in hoping for some game day bounce.

Although I realize I might be a wet blanket, I think you know all of this already. Much of it you admit to, and you've elucidated all of the reasons you shouldn't take it. We can't convince you to do it, or that it's the right thing one way or another.

You already know.

edit: I'm not presupposing that the answer is one or the other. I'm suggesting you not take our advice, but look to yourself for guidance.

[existenz]

If you are a no-show I think that still counts towards your 3 in 2-years. You should call LSAC on Tuesday to figure this out.

If the test WILL count, then you'd better get ready to rock the test and get the 170 you've been dreaming of. You say RC is your toughest section, but LR is half the test so make sure you have that down. Are you solid with LGs?

It's getting late to make any big jumps in your score. So my best advice is to get a good night's sleep before the test, eat a good breakfast, have a clear mind, and BE CONFIDENT. Your mindset and focus on test day are easily worth 7 points in either direction.

Finally - after the test, if you think you bombed hard (didn't do one of the games, guessed on ten questions, etc.) then you could always cancel the score and see where your 165 will get you.

[mailbuaces]

I am pretty positive that a no-show wouldn't count towards the 3 limit policy. I am still in a dilemma. In a way, I want to go hit it hard. I am just afraid of it because it's my last chance to take the LSAT. I feel it's a very tough decision for me. A no-show might have bad consequences though since most schools that are currently holding my application might feel I am flaky. I should have either postponed or never thought of following alternate routes like canceling, no-show etc.. I hate losing confidence in the last two weeks. I almost feel I fumbled the ball in the endzone.

I am planning to take three PT's Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and see where I stand. If I don't lock in over 170 on 2/3 of them, I am planning for a no-show. If I get over a 170, I am going to do my best on Saturday!

Good call?

Edit: Thanks to the above posters for taking your time to help me out. I really appreciate your input.

[booboo]

I am pretty positive that a no-show wouldn't count towards the 3 limit policy. I am still in a dilemma. In a way, I want to go hit it hard. I am just afraid of it because it's my last chance to take the LSAT. I feel it's a very tough decision for me. A no-show might have bad consequences though since most schools that are currently holding my application might feel I am flaky. I should have either postponed or never thought of following alternate routes like canceling, no-show etc.. I hate losing confidence in the last two weeks. I almost feel I fumbled the ball in the endzone.

I am planning to take three PT's Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and see where I stand. If I don't lock in over 170 on 2/3 of them, I am planning for a no-show. If I get over a 170, I am going to do my best on Saturday!

Good call?

Edit: Thanks to the above posters for taking your time to help me out. I really appreciate your input.

Does this mean you plan on taking 9 PrepTests in less than a week before the exam? If so, I highly recommend against that.