October humiliated me... Retake in December? Forum

[hypothalamus]

I understnad test day performance is usually worse than PTs, but my October score is 11 points below my PT average.

Although I did alright on LG (-4), I reaaaally messed up RC because of time (-8). Add to that the fact that I had a hard time focusing for the first LR section...

What I'm trying to say is that I think my score is extremely unrepresentative of my potential, so obviously I'll retake. But I also feel that I knew (and still know) everything I need to know to do well on test day, but I need to work on taking morning tests and following a wrist watch :/. Is it too early to retake in December, given that I'm a senior writing a thesis? I don't want to lose momentum and wait until June...

[s0ph1e2007]

I understnad test day performance is usually worse than PTs, but my October score is 11 points below my PT average.

Although I did alright on LG (-4), I reaaaally messed up RC because of time (-8). Add to that the fact that I had a hard time focusing for the first LR section...

What I'm trying to say is that I think my score is extremely unrepresentative of my potential, so obviously I'll retake. But I also feel that I knew (and still know) everything I need to know to do well on test day, but I need to work on taking morning tests and following a wrist watch :/. Is it too early to retake in December, given that I'm a senior writing a thesis? I don't want to lose momentum and wait until June...

I started studying for the Oct. test (a retake) in August and was ready for the Oct. test and think I did very well and at the same time I was writing an honors thesis. You can do it. Just do some every morning before class and really focus the last three weeks

[nStiver]

You should retake, but do not make the same mistake I did. I got 3 hours of sleep the night before. In my delirium I thought I scored well, so I did not cancel. I should not have even attended the testing: I scored a 163, one point lower than my last score. I was PTing in the 170s. Seriously, if you are a re-taker, you need to pay attention to the most fundamental things like sleep, health, etc. If something like that goes wrong, you are shit out of luck. Cover all of your bases and you will be fine.

[hypothalamus]

You should retake, but do not make the same mistake I did. I got 3 hours of sleep the night before. In my delirium I thought I scored well, so I did not cancel. I should not have even attended the testing: I scored a 163, one point lower than my last score. I was PTing in the 170s. Seriously, if you are a re-taker, you need to pay attention to the most fundamental things like sleep, health, etc. If something like that goes wrong, you are shit out of luck. Cover all of your bases and you will be fine.

I absolutely agree. The problem is that I actually stressed all these things the first time... I'm generally one of those people who work great under pressure, with little sleep, etc. However, I made sure the whole week before the test I was getting 6-7 hours of sleep a night, I ignored my friends and boyfriend, did everything the LSAT demands. On test day, I was fairly fresh and extremely relaxed. Which I think was the problem. I really did not feel like I was taking the real test - none of that twisted stomach feeling, no adrenaline rush. I don't know what to do differently for next time, other than practice full tests in the morning... :\

[nStiver]

That is just a personal issue. Trust me, you don't want to be anxious for the lsat. You need to learn to operate without stress lol.