February 2012 Waiting Thread (NEW POLL!!!1!) Forum

[ross1004]

Happy one week anniversary everyone!

[Jsa725]

.

[FSK405K]

For those who are talking about curves and scoring tables being composed before each test's given date, how are you sure that LSAC does it that way? Why would they not use a more conventional curve? By that I mean why not arrange all the scores of those who took the actual Feb test, and assign scores by percentile? That's how other "curving" is done.

I worry when I read all of your PT averages that only those who regularly score 170+ would show up on my testing day, or that an unusually high number of test takers took a professional course, and no one scored 120s-140s, making my raw score of approximately 80/100 near the bottom of the statistical curve. Is your mechanism a safeguard against this?

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Team internship: renowned professor + one-two semesters of part-time or work-study 1) ARE a college experience and 2) enable paid summer bio jobs that would free her of working in subsequent years for not-employment extracurriculars.

[FinallyGoing]

For those who are talking about curves and scoring tables being composed before each test's given date, how are you sure that LSAC does it that way? Why would they not use a more conventional curve? By that I mean why not arrange all the scores of those who took the actual Feb test, and assign scores by percentile? That's how other "curving" is done.

I worry when I read all of your PT averages that only those who regularly score 170+ would show up on my testing day, or that an unusually high number of test takers took a professional course, and no one scored 120s-140s, making my raw score of approximately 80/100 near the bottom of the statistical curve. Is your mechanism a safeguard against this?

Can someone help me with interpreting the above graph? Am I correct in assuming that a 165 on the February 2010 LSAT was assigned a higher percentile than a 165 in October 2009?

I understand that the percentile figure that is reported is one based upon a 3 year window..however it would seem to me that by looking at the individual tests a February score @ 165 would be a higher percentile than an October score @ 165 if they were to be analyzed independently.

[Circle Guy]

Let's be honest here, has anyone else checked their lsac account to see if if their score has been posted?

[barrotmartin]

Google:
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/ra ... curve.html

"[T]he LSAT is not graded to a curve...Rather, for every form of the LSAT, a statistical process called test equating is carried out to adjust for minor differences in difficulty between different forms of the test. Specifically, the item response theory (IRT) true score equating method is applied to convert raw scores (the number correct) for each administration to a common 120 to 180 scale."

For those who are talking about curves and scoring tables being composed before each test's given date, how are you sure that LSAC does it that way? Why would they not use a more conventional curve? By that I mean why not arrange all the scores of those who took the actual Feb test, and assign scores by percentile? That's how other "curving" is done.

I worry when I read all of your PT averages that only those who regularly score 170+ would show up on my testing day, or that an unusually high number of test takers took a professional course, and no one scored 120s-140s, making my raw score of approximately 80/100 near the bottom of the statistical curve. Is your mechanism a safeguard against this?

------------

Team internship: renowned professor + one-two semesters of part-time or work-study 1) ARE a college experience and 2) enable paid summer bio jobs that would free her of working in subsequent years for not-employment extracurriculars.

[FSK405K]

Thanks barrotmartin! Reading the whole series makes me feel much better.

It's a smart curve.

[Morpheus69]

Google:
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/ra ... curve.html

"[T]he LSAT is not graded to a curve...Rather, for every form of the LSAT, a statistical process called test equating is carried out to adjust for minor differences in difficulty between different forms of the test. Specifically, the item response theory (IRT) true score equating method is applied to convert raw scores (the number correct) for each administration to a common 120 to 180 scale."

For those who are talking about curves and scoring tables being composed before each test's given date, how are you sure that LSAC does it that way? Why would they not use a more conventional curve? By that I mean why not arrange all the scores of those who took the actual Feb test, and assign scores by percentile? That's how other "curving" is done.

I worry when I read all of your PT averages that only those who regularly score 170+ would show up on my testing day, or that an unusually high number of test takers took a professional course, and no one scored 120s-140s, making my raw score of approximately 80/100 near the bottom of the statistical curve. Is your mechanism a safeguard against this?

------------

Team internship: renowned professor + one-two semesters of part-time or work-study 1) ARE a college experience and 2) enable paid summer bio jobs that would free her of working in subsequent years for not-employment extracurriculars.

Thanks for the link ( great blog they have btw) post. I became a little more worried than before after studying this.
Does anyone else wish lsac should just come out and say that the Feb. test takers have their odds stacked against them? I know that the schools usually "prefer" that you take the test earlier than the Feb. test, but I'm left wondering if the reason they do so is because they know about all the disadvantages (for lack of a better word right now) they must face. Or, is it the ever-popular "too late in the app process?" We obviously know it's late, but is there something else? Do they know the Feb. test takers score ridiculously lower than others or something. I'm not saying that I know that there is a huge difference, but from what I can tell there is at least a noticable difference.
One would think (in a perfect world) that adcoms would realize that we know the odds are against us and take that into consideration. They should see that courage as a plus and reward it (lol)
I do believe that this waiting is making me go crazy just a little.

@circle guy: I've checked twice hoping christmas has come super early (and hoping not to have a lump of <155 coal waiting for me)

[maxmartin]

why bother? it updated the same time with your email, just leave your email open, that is enogh

Let's be honest here, has anyone else checked their lsac account to see if if their score has been posted?

[Circle Guy]

why bother? it updated the same time with your email, just leave your email open, that is enogh

Let's be honest here, has anyone else checked their lsac account to see if if their score has been posted?

It went to my junk folder last time lol, so rather than sort through thousands of penis enlargement and nigerian prince emails...

[zapcaz]

--ImageRemoved--

[maxmartin]

two more dreadful weeks

[noleknight16]

--ImageRemoved--

hahahaha

[bernaldiaz]

I officially checked my LSAC account for the first time. Slippery slope I imagine.

[kfeaston]

can someone please confirm which RC passages were real. mention multiple ones if you can remember. thank you!

subsidizing art, agriculture techniques, bankruptcy traditional v modern techniques, and i don't remember the otehr

Was that the first Reading comp (section 3) or the second reading comp (section 4)? I had LG,LR, RC, RC, LR. I cant remember which passage was in which. I just remember I think I did better on the first one

[beebela]

can someone please confirm which RC passages were real. mention multiple ones if you can remember. thank you!

subsidizing art, agriculture techniques, bankruptcy traditional v modern techniques, and i don't remember the otehr

Was that the first Reading comp (section 3) or the second reading comp (section 4)? I had LG,LR, RC, RC, LR. I cant remember which passage was in which. I just remember I think I did better on the first one

I didn't have two RC sections, but it is very rare that the experimental is in the last two sections so I would guess your real RC was section 4. Sorry.

[lsacqueen]

I also had two RCs but mine were 3rd and 5th. The real was the 5th.

[Ronburgandy2468]

Experimental RC was the biggest joke ever.

[kfeaston]

I also had two RCs but mine were 3rd and 5th. The real was the 5th.

I remember the RC I had for section 3 had the passage about the Blues and Giaonts or something. Was that the experimental one? Section 4 was RC as well as seemed harder plus my brain was melted doing RC back to back

[bananashotgun]

Google:
http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/ra ... curve.html

"[T]he LSAT is not graded to a curve...Rather, for every form of the LSAT, a statistical process called test equating is carried out to adjust for minor differences in difficulty between different forms of the test. Specifically, the item response theory (IRT) true score equating method is applied to convert raw scores (the number correct) for each administration to a common 120 to 180 scale."

For those who are talking about curves and scoring tables being composed before each test's given date, how are you sure that LSAC does it that way? Why would they not use a more conventional curve? By that I mean why not arrange all the scores of those who took the actual Feb test, and assign scores by percentile? That's how other "curving" is done.

I worry when I read all of your PT averages that only those who regularly score 170+ would show up on my testing day, or that an unusually high number of test takers took a professional course, and no one scored 120s-140s, making my raw score of approximately 80/100 near the bottom of the statistical curve. Is your mechanism a safeguard against this?

------------

Team internship: renowned professor + one-two semesters of part-time or work-study 1) ARE a college experience and 2) enable paid summer bio jobs that would free her of working in subsequent years for not-employment extracurriculars.

Thanks for the link ( great blog they have btw) post. I became a little more worried than before after studying this.
Does anyone else wish lsac should just come out and say that the Feb. test takers have their odds stacked against them? I know that the schools usually "prefer" that you take the test earlier than the Feb. test, but I'm left wondering if the reason they do so is because they know about all the disadvantages (for lack of a better word right now) they must face. Or, is it the ever-popular "too late in the app process?" We obviously know it's late, but is there something else? Do they know the Feb. test takers score ridiculously lower than others or something. I'm not saying that I know that there is a huge difference, but from what I can tell there is at least a noticable difference.
One would think (in a perfect world) that adcoms would realize that we know the odds are against us and take that into consideration. They should see that courage as a plus and reward it (lol)
I do believe that this waiting is making me go crazy just a little.

@circle guy: I've checked twice hoping christmas has come super early (and hoping not to have a lump of <155 coal waiting for me)

There's always the possibility that the people who take the February test are not as serious/prepared. Personally, I just decided to go for law school around Christmas and while I studied hard, I didn't feel totally prepared and will end up around 160 from 150 because I wanted to attend Rutgers this fall. I know that if I had a few extra weeks to work on RC (I had the LRB and LGB but didn't have anything aside from preptests to review RC) I could've tacked on a few more points. I didn't think it was more difficult than any other preptests I took.

February is just an awkward time to take the LSAT. It seems early for people applying for the year after and late for people who want to apply for that year. I've been out of school for a few years and this really wasn't my plan. I'm assuming most people who make plans longer in advance are better prepared and June/October are the prime times to take it because they're aiming to get their apps in early. Even on the graph you can see June/Oct are the 2 best scores.

Who knows for sure, but I don't think it's as much to do with the difficulty as it is the people who are taking the test.

p.s. I've started the slippery slope of checking lsac for my score today.

[Fyo'Couch]

Experimental RC was the biggest joke ever.

True, but the real reading comp was just as easy in my opinion. I can't recall a reading comp in recent memory that was this manageable.

[bernaldiaz]

Seriously that shit was so easy.

[anteater1]

^^ agreed. Which is why I voted for the -10 curve.

[bernaldiaz]

^^ agreed. Which is why I voted for the -10 curve.

But still I thought LG was harder than usual, and LR was far from easy.

[PrincetonBound]

Promised myself I wouldn't check TLS this weekend. That quickly failed so I amended it to not posting this weekend. Almost made it, right?