To Take Or To No Show Forum

[brittyboo]

Hi all. I am scheduled to take the LSAT Saturday but, like so many others, am considering not showing up for my test and waiting for the fall test.

I took the test with virtually no preparation in 2008 and scored a 155. Not that I am hoping for a miracle, but I would haved liked to jump up to 160 and would be THRILLED with a 165 after 3 months of studying. I feel like these expectations are modest, yet I have not been scoring consistently within my goal range on my Testmasters proctored and supplemental diagnostics. My highest diagnostic score has been 163, but I am typcially within the range of 154-159.

I am starting to panic (never good a few days before the test date) and feel there is little I can do to improve my score in the next few days. I just want to feel confident that I can get into the 160s.

I've spent a lot of time and money now preparing for the LSAT and am planning on applying for law school this year, regardless of whether or not I score higher.

What are your suggestions? Is the no-show going to look bad with a 155 sitting on my LSAC profile and another score in the fall? Should I just go for it on Saturday??

[RonArtest]

Go for it Saturday.

[Bert]

I wouldn't think that adcoms would look at your no-show any differently than they would look at somebody else's no-show.

[berkeleykel06]

Go for it Saturday.

Just in case you truly are confused about this (and bless your heart if you are) I'm going to make this even more explicit: The test in on Monday, not Saturday.

[upfish]

The test on Monday could be easy (KNOCK ON WOOD?), and it would really suck to miss it. You can can always take a third time in September.

GO FOR IT! (The showing up thing, I mean.)

[brittyboo]

haha MONDAY - of course. sorry - see what I mean? TOTALLY SPAZZING! I am like THIS close to signing up for the October test.

[matt@atlaslsat]

Here's my advice.

1. Determine what score you need to get into the law school of your choice.
2. Ask yourself is this score reasonable to achieve. Let's say your scoring in the 150's but you need 160. That's reasonable. If you say, "I need a 170" and need to go up 15 points, that's probably not reasonable.
3. You will not suffer any disadvantage in terms of applications with the October test than if you were to take the June test.
4. Take the average of your last three PrepTests. If you're not scoring where you want, and what you want is reasonable, then wait.
5. Do not "no show!" Simply change your test date. It costs money but you wont have a "no show" on your record. And you'll have to pay that money to reschedule your test anyways. Your record will be "clean."

Either Take, Take and Cancel, or Change your Test Date.

[09042014]

If you properly studied, you may have peaked. Not everyone is 170 material. If you studied hard and comprehensively take it monday.

If on the other hand, you didn't study well, and slacked out, take an absence and try in October.

[RonArtest]

Here's my advice.

1. Determine what score you need to get into the law school of your choice.
2. Ask yourself is this score reasonable to achieve. Let's say your scoring in the 150's but you need 160. That's reasonable. If you say, "I need a 170" and need to go up 15 points, that's probably not reasonable.
3. You will not suffer any disadvantage in terms of applications with the October test than if you were to take the June test.
4. Take the average of your last three PrepTests. If you're not scoring where you want, and what you want is reasonable, then wait.
5. Do not "no show!" Simply change your test date. It costs money but you wont have a "no show" on your record. And you'll have to pay that money to reschedule your test anyways. Your record will be "clean."

Either Take, Take and Cancel, or Change your Test Date.

It's too late to change your test date, FYI. (5/16 was the deadline)

[LSAT Blog]

Here's some advice for folks in this situation.

[Bert]

5. Do not "no show!" Simply change your test date. It costs money but you wont have a "no show" on your record. And you'll have to pay that money to reschedule your test anyways. Your record will be "clean."

This is not possible at this point in time.

[RonArtest]

5. Do not "no show!" Simply change your test date. It costs money but you wont have a "no show" on your record. And you'll have to pay that money to reschedule your test anyways. Your record will be "clean."

This is not possible at this point in time.

Thanks for that, Bert.

[matt@atlaslsat]

I stand corrected...

That's a new policy. In the past one could change the test date even up to one day after the LSAT administration, so long as you did not sit down to take the test. I've been teaching the LSAT since 2003, but I did take 2009 off, so maybe the change occurred during that period.

In that case, take the average of your last three scores, if you like what you score, take it. If not, "no show."

[09042014]

I stand corrected...

That's a new policy. In the past one could change the test date even up to one day after the LSAT administration, so long as you did not sit down to take the test. I've been teaching the LSAT since 2003, but I did take 2009 off, so maybe the change occurred during that period.

In that case, take the average of your last three scores, if you like what you score, take it. If not, "no show."

Yea I think the rule changed for the Sept 09 LSAT. I changed fairly late for June, but they wouldn't let me for sept, even though I had a fairly bad emergency.

[stintez]

Go for it Saturday.

Just in case you truly are confused about this (and bless your heart if you are) I'm going to make this even more explicit: The test in on Monday, not Saturday.

+10000000000000000000000000000000000000

[LSAT Blog]

I stand corrected...

That's a new policy. In the past one could change the test date even up to one day after the LSAT administration, so long as you did not sit down to take the test. I've been teaching the LSAT since 2003, but I did take 2009 off, so maybe the change occurred during that period.

In that case, take the average of your last three scores, if you like what you score, take it. If not, "no show."

Yea I think the rule changed for the Sept 09 LSAT. I changed fairly late for June, but they wouldn't let me for sept, even though I had a fairly bad emergency.

June 2009 was the first time the postponement deadline was approx 3 weeks before the test date. (As with most major changes at LSAC, it was introduced in June - the beginning of the cycle.)

[Bert]

5. Do not "no show!" Simply change your test date. It costs money but you wont have a "no show" on your record. And you'll have to pay that money to reschedule your test anyways. Your record will be "clean."

This is not possible at this point in time.

Thanks for that, Bert.

And to you as well

[matt@atlaslsat]

That's really unfortunate for a lot of people. I understand that an absence will not be held so much against you, but I don't think that people know 3 weeks before the LSAT whether they are going to be ready. And to force them into an "absence" that will appear on your LSDAS record seems unfortunate.

I'm sure that they're trying to balance the need for an accurate head count so as to make appropriate room reservations with people's need to make last minute adjustments.

Like the earlier second form of the Writing Sample (2005-2007), I predict that this policy won't last long. It's really unfair to the test-taker.