Page 1 of 1

Different Center the Second Time Around?

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:51 pm
by adamquigley9
Did a forum search and nothing turned up so...

Is there any benefit or disadvantage to taking the LSAT at a different center the second time? There are two centers w/in a 45 minute drive of me...anyone dealt with the "returning to the scene of the crime" mentality by taking it at the same place?

Re: Different Center the Second Time Around?

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:55 pm
by username99
adamquigley9 wrote:Did a forum search and nothing turned up so...

Is there any benefit or disadvantage to taking the LSAT at a different center the second time? There are two centers w/in a 45 minute drive of me...anyone dealt with the "returning to the scene of the crime" mentality by taking it at the same place?
Where do you live?

Re: Different Center the Second Time Around?

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:57 pm
by berkeleykel06
I took it twice in testing centers hudreds of miles apart and got the exact same score. If you know the conditions at the center you've already tested at are fine, I wouldn't chance going to a different location.

Re: Different Center the Second Time Around?

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 4:58 pm
by adamquigley9
username99 wrote:
adamquigley9 wrote:Did a forum search and nothing turned up so...

Is there any benefit or disadvantage to taking the LSAT at a different center the second time? There are two centers w/in a 45 minute drive of me...anyone dealt with the "returning to the scene of the crime" mentality by taking it at the same place?
Where do you live?
Just north of Grand Rapids...Cooley, despite it's reputation, is actually a good testing center...lots of space, professional proctors, right temp, etc...still not enough to convince me to spend 3 years there :)

Re: Different Center the Second Time Around?

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 5:17 pm
by username99
adamquigley9 wrote:
username99 wrote:
adamquigley9 wrote:Did a forum search and nothing turned up so...

Is there any benefit or disadvantage to taking the LSAT at a different center the second time? There are two centers w/in a 45 minute drive of me...anyone dealt with the "returning to the scene of the crime" mentality by taking it at the same place?
Where do you live?
Just north of Grand Rapids...Cooley, despite it's reputation, is actually a good testing center...lots of space, professional proctors, right temp, etc...still not enough to convince me to spend 3 years there :)
No clue, but do what's going to give you the best chance mentally. In my opinion, if you prepare well it all comes down to how you feel on that day. If one test center will help you mentally, do it.

Re: Different Center the Second Time Around?

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 5:29 pm
by forty-two
My first test was kind of a disaster, but I retook it at the same location and I'm glad I did. I felt like I had less to worry/wonder about the second time because I already knew how long it took to get there, where to park, what the testing rooms were like, where the bathrooms were, and when they'd start checking people in. I can understand wanting to go somewhere else though. I think it really comes down to what would make you more comfortable on test day. Good luck!

Re: Different Center the Second Time Around?

Posted: Tue Jun 29, 2010 5:49 pm
by LKing
YES. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. Well, for me anyways.

I took my first test at NYU law school - VERY crowded, loud, lots of waiting, had to pee, hadn't eaten enough, and the auditorium "flip up" desks were, as my fellow test-taker and I decided, the size of two 6 inch subway sandwiches placed next to each other. Translation = NO ROOM FOR BOOKLET AND ANSWER SHEET, never mind eraser, highlighter, extra pencil, watch, etc.

For the second test, I traveled to Fairfield, CT... went to bed at 8:30pm the night before (with earplugs)... got to the test center early and, when they allowed us into the room, I pulled a table into the corner and got rid of the second chair. It was selfish and annoying to everyone else, but.... I scored 7 points higher and felt like a million bucks walking out of there.

My advice: go as far away from a city as possible (or just the nearest unpopular test center)... chances are, you won't have to wait. And create as much space as possible from you and the other test-takers.

Good Luck!!