to cancel or not to cancel, that is the question... Forum

[rachue]

hey guys,

so after agonizing about this stupid test from this morning, i think worst case scenario i got a 160 and the best case scenario i'd get a 170 (considering best and worse case scenarios for curves, questions i guessed on, etc). i did feel i underperformed out of nerves. i had wanted to apply ASAP but def not with 160, or pretty much anything under 168 to be honest. for the schools i would want to go to, and considering my GPA, i would need at least that 170 to have a chance. should i cancel, and retake in december, but thereby pigeonhole myself into applying later (and no early decision apps)? or take the chance by a stroke of luck i might have gotten that 170, allowing myself to apply by end of october?

i have 6 days to decide but it is really hard to figure out.

i'd appreciate any insight from people who have been through this!

[Eco]

I took September exam back in 2009. I didn't feel good about it, and cancelled even though it was possible I did well. Went back and retook the test in December and scored above 170. I'm in GW Law now.

I think you should cancel. Applying early is only useful if you have the stats. Cancel and study hard for December and remember, no reason to be nervous anymore- you already did it once, you should be ready.

P.S. If you're getting more than 1 or 2 mistakes on LG going into the exam, you need to study the shit out of that section. It's the easiest to improve on.

[rachue]

I took September exam back in 2009. I didn't feel good about it, and cancelled even though it was possible I did well. Went back and retook the test in December and scored above 170. I'm in GW Law now.

I think you should cancel. Applying early is only useful if you have the stats. Cancel and study hard for December and remember, no reason to be nervous anymore- you already did it once, you should be ready.

P.S. If you're getting more than 1 or 2 mistakes on LG going into the exam, you need to study the shit out of that section. It's the easiest to improve on.

Usually I do -1 to -2 on LG. This one was just really time consuming, harder than the last few PTs. Thank you for your advice, though. I'm still trying to weigh everything...

[senorhosh]

why do you think you underperformed?
Do you just THINK you did or did you genuinely not know/guess answers to multiple questions?

[rachue]

why do you think you underperformed?
Do you just THINK you did or did you genuinely not know/guess answers to multiple questions?

i ran out of time on 3 out of 4 of the scored sections. if that ever does happen to me, it's usually in only one section. i ended up having to blind guess on like 7 questions. that's not counting a few LR questions i wasn't 100% sure on. plus, there may have been a few i thought i had gotten right but still missed.

[Eco]

Just remember if you get a 160 or a lower than you wanted score, you are stuck with it and most schools average LSATS. Which means even if you got a 180 next time, they would consider you a 170.

So the best thing you can do is cancel. You'll write an addendum in your app and tell the law schools that you felt sick that day with the flu and didn't feel the test would be a good measure of your regular performance.

Retake in December and the second you get the score around the 25th, just hit the "send" button on all your apps. If you score 168+ you'll get into a T30 minimum, T20 if your gpa is high, t14 if its really high.

[rachue]

Just remember if you get a 160 or a lower than you wanted score, you are stuck with it and most schools average LSATS. Which means even if you got a 180 next time, they would consider you a 170.

So the best thing you can do is cancel. You'll write an addendum in your app and tell the law schools that you felt sick that day with the flu and didn't feel the test would be a good measure of your regular performance.

Retake in December and the second you get the score around the 25th, just hit the "send" button on all your apps. If you score 168+ you'll get into a T30 minimum, T20 if your gpa is high, t14 if its really high.

I thought it was the other way around, that most schools actually don't average? Of course there are a few that look at the top score, but I think you might be mistaken.

Thanks for your advice, though. The thing is, I know I CAN do better, but I'm not sure if I want to have all the pressure on me of HAVING to do great ("last chance ever" mentality) in December... that might make me do worse... I really don't know... :-/

[rivermaker]

Just remember if you get a 160 or a lower than you wanted score, you are stuck with it and most schools average LSATS. Which means even if you got a 180 next time, they would consider you a 170.

So the best thing you can do is cancel. You'll write an addendum in your app and tell the law schools that you felt sick that day with the flu and didn't feel the test would be a good measure of your regular performance.

Retake in December and the second you get the score around the 25th, just hit the "send" button on all your apps. If you score 168+ you'll get into a T30 minimum, T20 if your gpa is high, t14 if its really high.

WRONG