Does the curve take cancelled scores into account? Forum

[perry24]

I've been wondering if the LSAT curve will take cancelled scores into account. I mean, we never seem to hear about anyone doing less than 150 but in reality half the test takers should have done worse than that, right? So I'm just wondering if the reason we don't hear about those <150 scores is because most of those people cancelled?

[KevinP]

No, canceled scores do not affect the curve.

[ArchRoark]

I've been wondering if the LSAT curve will take cancelled scores into account. I mean, we never seem to hear about anyone doing less than 150 but in reality half the test takers should have done worse than that, right? So I'm just wondering if the reason we don't hear about those <150 scores is because most of those people cancelled?

Self selection. Most of those people don't post on TLS or if they do, they are not ecstatic about sharing their score.

[The Gentleman]

So I'm just wondering if the reason we don't hear about those <150 scores is because most of those people cancelled?

This sounds like a LR flaw question.

"I hardly ever hear people say they scored under 150, so there must be very few people who actually scored that low."

But seriously OP, cancelled scores are not factored into your percentile rank. (ex 80th percentile means you did better than or as well as 80% of test takers whose scores were NOT cancelled) And I'm pretty sure that the curve is more or less tied to the percentile distribution. (thought perhaps not entirely) Thus I wouldn't think that the number of cancellations factors that heavily into the curve.

[NYCLSATTutor]

The curve is determined before you even take the test.

So, no, cancellations don't matter.