Which LSAT is the "easiest?" Forum

[Jasper21]

Is June the easiest LSAT to take? I've what'd that it is and that's why the curve is a bit more strict. Does anyone know which is the "hardest" or "easiest?" I took the October LSAT and that was pretty intense but I did better than I expected.

I put certain words in quotes because obviously no test is a slam dunk. I'm speaking generally though before smart asses try and pollute this thread.

[ahnhub]

If you're asking which LSAT gives you the best chance of getting a high score, the answer is they're all the same.

If you're asking which LSATs tend to have the most forgiving curves, it's pretty random.

[tmon]

If you're asking which LSAT gives you the best chance of getting a high score, the answer is they're all the same.

If you're asking which LSATs tend to have the most forgiving curves, it's pretty random.

Actually, December traditionally has the most forgiving curves:
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/ea ... -june.html

Regardless, you should take it only when you're ready, and early enough that you can apply early in your cycle.

[glucose101]

But "most forgiving" curves are there for a reason--because on the whole they're more challenging.

Regardless, you should take it only when you're ready, and early enough that you can apply early in your cycle.

+1

[Jasper21]

thanks guys! i took it in october, but some of my friends were really trying to convince me that june was the easiest lsat

[3v3ryth1ng]

Not trying to be a smartass.

There is absolutely, unequivocally, beyond a shadow of a doubt no advantage to be gained (in terms of difficulty) by taking the LSAT in one month and not another.

The statistics about which months have the most forgiving curves is accurate-- and it is meaningless. Don't draw any conclusions from it.

Take the test in June so you can be ready to apply earlier. If you don't like your score, you have time for a retake.
/thread

[dietcoke0]

Well, if you are a night owl, then June can be easier, since it's later in the day than the other three tests.

[willwash]

If you're asking which LSAT gives you the best chance of getting a high score, the answer is they're all the same.

If you're asking which LSATs tend to have the most forgiving curves, it's pretty random.

Actually, December traditionally has the most forgiving curves:
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/ea ... -june.html

Unless February has the most lenient curve. No one knows.

[Jasper21]

If you're asking which LSAT gives you the best chance of getting a high score, the answer is they're all the same.

If you're asking which LSATs tend to have the most forgiving curves, it's pretty random.

Actually, December traditionally has the most forgiving curves:
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/ea ... -june.html

Unless February has the most lenient curve. No one knows.

This.

[willwash]

If you're asking which LSAT gives you the best chance of getting a high score, the answer is they're all the same.

If you're asking which LSATs tend to have the most forgiving curves, it's pretty random.

Actually, December traditionally has the most forgiving curves:
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/ea ... -june.html

Unless February has the most lenient curve. No one knows.

This.

Actually I take it back. The bastards at LSAC know but they're not telling!

If the curve is based on how well people score on that administration on average, I'd bet February has a generous curve. February is kind of la-la-land. You're getting the extreme stragglers (lazy, ie probably did not prepare very well), the desparate retakers (statistics working against them, ie, if they had gotten a high score they wouldn't be retaking), or people getting the jump on the next cycle (probably employed, been out of school for a while so their brain is a little rusty). I'm fairly willing to bet average scores on the Feb test are a little lower. Whether this would mean a more generous curve I don't know.

[glucose101]

The statistics about which months have the most forgiving curves is accurate-- and it is meaningless. Don't draw any conclusions from it.
/thread

I wouldn't say meaningless. They're curved heavily for a reason.

[hotchkiss1]

troll

[American_in_China]

None. Every single test has about the exact same score distribution. The bigger the curve, the harder the test is uncurved. The small, the easier. But since they equate scores, it won't really matter.

[tomwatts]

If the curve is based on how well people score on that administration on average, I'd bet February has a generous curve. February is kind of la-la-land. You're getting the extreme stragglers (lazy, ie probably did not prepare very well), the desparate retakers (statistics working against them, ie, if they had gotten a high score they wouldn't be retaking), or people getting the jump on the next cycle (probably employed, been out of school for a while so their brain is a little rusty). I'm fairly willing to bet average scores on the Feb test are a little lower. Whether this would mean a more generous curve I don't know.

The test isn't curved; it's equated. That means they're all the same, statistically, and they all have been the same for the past 20 years.

I do wonder -- and have never bothered to see if there's easily available data -- whether scaled score frequencies are the same for each month. I would expect February scores to be lower than, say, June scores, even though a 160 on February is just as easy/hard to get as a 160 in June, but I've never seen that confirmed or refuted. As far as I know, they release percentiles on a 5-year basis, not for individual tests, so you can't tell from that, and I haven't combed through the other reports.

[3v3ryth1ng]

The statistics about which months have the most forgiving curves is accurate-- and it is meaningless. Don't draw any conclusions from it.
/thread

I wouldn't say meaningless. They're curved heavily for a reason.

The fact that December's LSAT curves were, on average, more "lenient" means nothing, except that when averaged, December's LSAT curves were, on average, more "lenient." You can literally infer absolutely nothing about a particular test from this statistic.

[KevinP]

If the curve is based on how well people score on that administration on average, I'd bet February has a generous curve. February is kind of la-la-land. You're getting the extreme stragglers (lazy, ie probably did not prepare very well), the desparate retakers (statistics working against them, ie, if they had gotten a high score they wouldn't be retaking), or people getting the jump on the next cycle (probably employed, been out of school for a while so their brain is a little rusty). I'm fairly willing to bet average scores on the Feb test are a little lower. Whether this would mean a more generous curve I don't know.

The test isn't curved; it's equated. That means they're all the same, statistically, and they all have been the same for the past 20 years.

I do wonder -- and have never bothered to see if there's easily available data -- whether scaled score frequencies are the same for each month. I would expect February scores to be lower than, say, June scores, even though a 160 on February is just as easy/hard to get as a 160 in June, but I've never seen that confirmed or refuted. As far as I know, they release percentiles on a 5-year basis, not for individual tests, so you can't tell from that, and I haven't combed through the other reports.

If you are still interested for curiosity's sake, the score frequencies between months are pretty significant. The data is available: http://www.lsac.org/LsacResources/Resea ... -10-03.pdf (Pages 42-44)

For example, here's the data for the 2009-2010 cycle:
June: Mean = 151.68, SD = 10.51
October: Mean = 152.29, SD = 10.12
December: Mean = 150.11, SD = 9.92
February: Mean = 148.07, SD = 10.06

June/October have a noticeably better pool of test takers than December/February. You can always calculate the z-score to find the approximate percentile for a given LSAT score.

[JasonR]

If the curve is based on how well people score on that administration on average...

It isn't.

[willwash]

If the curve is based on how well people score on that administration on average...

It isn't.

Well, then what is it based on then? If it's based on the "difficultly" of the test, then the only way to measure that is to look at how people scored on it. If people statistically do worse on a given test, then it will be assessed as a more "difficult" test. I'm sure they get some useful data from the previous use of the questions in experimental sections, but they'd better not be solely relying on that!

[suspicious android]

I don't know why these threads make me so mad, but they do. They do.

[Jasper21]

The curve is set eem before you take the test.

[glucose101]

It really depends what "easy" means to you. Would you rather have an "easier" exam that you have to miss less on to get score X, or have a "harder" exam that you can miss more on to get score X?

While nothing's set in stone which's "easier," given the idea of the curve, I'd rather have the former, as I think the psychological preconception of the latter would not make the tests equal in my eyes.

[tomwatts]

If you are still interested for curiosity's sake, the score frequencies between months are pretty significant. The data is available: http://www.lsac.org/LsacResources/Resea ... -10-03.pdf (Pages 42-44)

For example, here's the data for the 2009-2010 cycle:
June: Mean = 151.68, SD = 10.51
October: Mean = 152.29, SD = 10.12
December: Mean = 150.11, SD = 9.92
February: Mean = 148.07, SD = 10.06

June/October have a noticeably better pool of test takers than December/February. You can always calculate the z-score to find the approximate percentile for a given LSAT score.

Huh. I wasn't really sure whether to expect nothing at all or something relatively sizable. Four points from top (October) to bottom (February) is about the least that I would call "relatively sizable," but it still is sizable. Interesting!

And personally, I'd rather have harder questions and a more forgiving scoring grid. I have more confidence in my ability to get hard stuff than in my ability to avoid silly mistakes.

[3v3ryth1ng]

OP:

Just to be clear, YES, one particular test may be "harder" than another. Personally, I found that December 2010's was actually much harder than June 2011's, hands down. I'm not sure if that's the reason for difference in curves (-14 vs. -11).

However, they do not choose the difficulty based on the administration date. Looking at past averages of curves is foolish and is an example the types of flawed reasoning the LSAT seeks to punish people for.

[notaznguy]

According to TLS, the 40s are the easiest.

[Jasper21]

OP:

Just to be clear, YES, one particular test may be "harder" than another. Personally, I found that December 2010's was actually much harder than June 2011's, hands down. I'm not sure if that's the reason for difference in curves (-14 vs. -11).

However, they do not choose the difficulty based on the administration date. Looking at past averages of curves is foolish and is an example the types of flawed reasoning the LSAT seeks to punish people for.

Thanks !! I'm going to email this thread. Thanks a lot