Nightmarish LSAT situation Forum

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danshupp

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Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by danshupp » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:00 pm

Well I've really dug myself into a deep, deep hole here and any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Here goes: I'm 32 years old and getting married this September. I live in the Bay Area, CA. I have a 3.34 that was recalculated by LSAC as a 3.0. I took the LSAT in June of 11' with only bookstore Kaplan study materials as a prep, of course big mistake. The result was a 153.

I then took the Blueprint live class prep in Berkeley, CA in preparation for the Oct. 11' test. I raised my practice scores up to the 162 range but choked hard on the test. I was in denial, surely it couldn't have been as bad as I thought...I didn't cancel. Even bigger mistake. The result: 150 :( .

I then retook the Blueprint course in order to prepare for the June 12' test. This time my practice test were up to 164 by the end. I took the test and again I believe I underperformed. I have no idea what the score is going to be. Since I cannot retest again until next June I am not planning to cancel (unless I change my mind in the next few hours).

If this is indeed another less than stellar score what the hell do I do? This test has caused much anxiety. I have never had a problem getting nervous and panicking on part of the test (games section) before in my academic career. I always regarded myself as a very good test taker. Now I know some of you might be thinking that maybe law school just isn't for me at this point and you may be right (but I really hope not) and believe me I have given this a lot of thought. However, I am determined to attend law school. My application is becoming more and more ugly though. If indeed I believe the score I will receive is sub 160 should I just cancel it today? I have thought about this but either way next year I would be applying with either 4 scores on record or 3 scores and a cancellation and I think those two scenarios are close enough to being equal to justify me not cancelling my score from last week. Thanks in advance for any and all responses. I need help!

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Mr. Pancakes

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Mr. Pancakes » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:03 pm

You should probably cancel.

maxmartin

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by maxmartin » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:17 pm

i don't know you should cancel or not, but one thing I think you should do is changing the test prep strategy. Maybe sign for another company Manhattan, Testmaster, Velocity. Since blueprint obviously does not work for you.
danshupp wrote:Well I've really dug myself into a deep, deep hole here and any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. Here goes: I'm 32 years old and getting married this September. I live in the Bay Area, CA. I have a 3.34 that was recalculated by LSAC as a 3.0. I took the LSAT in June of 11' with only bookstore Kaplan study materials as a prep, of course big mistake. The result was a 153.

I then took the Blueprint live class prep in Berkeley, CA in preparation for the Oct. 11' test. I raised my practice scores up to the 162 range but choked hard on the test. I was in denial, surely it couldn't have been as bad as I thought...I didn't cancel. Even bigger mistake. The result: 150 :( .

I then retook the Blueprint course in order to prepare for the June 12' test. This time my practice test were up to 164 by the end. I took the test and again I believe I underperformed. I have no idea what the score is going to be. Since I cannot retest again until next June I am not planning to cancel (unless I change my mind in the next few hours).

If this is indeed another less than stellar score what the hell do I do? This test has caused much anxiety. I have never had a problem getting nervous and panicking on part of the test (games section) before in my academic career. I always regarded myself as a very good test taker. Now I know some of you might be thinking that maybe law school just isn't for me at this point and you may be right (but I really hope not) and believe me I have given this a lot of thought. However, I am determined to attend law school. My application is becoming more and more ugly though. If indeed I believe the score I will receive is sub 160 should I just cancel it today? I have thought about this but either way next year I would be applying with either 4 scores on record or 3 scores and a cancellation and I think those two scenarios are close enough to being equal to justify me not cancelling my score from last week. Thanks in advance for any and all responses. I need help!

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Mr. Pancakes

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Mr. Pancakes » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:20 pm

Max, he can't change his strategy if he doesn't cancel. This is his last take.

maxmartin

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by maxmartin » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:21 pm

He said he could take it again next year.
Mr. Pancakes wrote:Max, he can't change his strategy if he doesn't cancel. This is his last take.

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danshupp

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by danshupp » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:23 pm

Mr. Pancakes wrote:Max, he can't change his strategy if he doesn't cancel. This is his last take.

If I cancel or not I will still have to wait until next June to take it again. The 3 test in 2 years policy would begin on June 11' and of course cancelled tests still count towards that...

maxmartin

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by maxmartin » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:27 pm

i thought it is calender year. Anyway if you are going to apply next year, you still have June, Oct, Dec 13 chances if Feb 13 does not count.
danshupp wrote:
Mr. Pancakes wrote:Max, he can't change his strategy if he doesn't cancel. This is his last take.

If I cancel or not I will still have to wait until next June to take it again. The 3 test in 2 years policy would begin on June 11' and of course cancelled tests still count towards that...

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Nova

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Nova » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:28 pm

danshupp wrote:
Mr. Pancakes wrote:Max, he can't change his strategy if he doesn't cancel. This is his last take.

If I cancel or not I will still have to wait until next June to take it again. The 3 test in 2 years policy would begin on June 11' and of course cancelled tests still count towards that...
If I were you, I would not cancel. You are not going to HYS, so "averaging/wholisitic evaluation" wont really hurt you. Schools will take your highest score. Apply this year for the experiance, and if you dont like your cycle, retake next June.

maxmartin

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by maxmartin » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:30 pm

If cancelled tests still count towards that..., then there is no point to cancel. Just try again next year.
danshupp wrote:
Mr. Pancakes wrote:Max, he can't change his strategy if he doesn't cancel. This is his last take.

If I cancel or not I will still have to wait until next June to take it again. The 3 test in 2 years policy would begin on June 11' and of course cancelled tests still count towards that...

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Sauer Grapes

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Sauer Grapes » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:31 pm

Don't cancel. If you have to take it again, try the powerscore books. I can't vouch for their class, but their books are wonderful.

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Mr. Pancakes

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Mr. Pancakes » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:31 pm

Nova wrote:
danshupp wrote:
Mr. Pancakes wrote:Max, he can't change his strategy if he doesn't cancel. This is his last take.

If I cancel or not I will still have to wait until next June to take it again. The 3 test in 2 years policy would begin on June 11' and of course cancelled tests still count towards that...
If I were you, I would not cancel. You are not going to HYS, so "averaging/wholisitic evaluation" wont really hurt you. Schools will take your highest score. Apply this year for the experiance, and if you dont like your cycle, retake next June.
Yea, maybe. It sounds like he is going to end up with a 158 though. What good is it going to be to apply with that.

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Nova

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Nova » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:39 pm

Mr. Pancakes wrote:
Nova wrote:
danshupp wrote:
Mr. Pancakes wrote:Max, he can't change his strategy if he doesn't cancel. This is his last take.

If I cancel or not I will still have to wait until next June to take it again. The 3 test in 2 years policy would begin on June 11' and of course cancelled tests still count towards that...
If I were you, I would not cancel. You are not going to HYS, so "averaging/wholisitic evaluation" wont really hurt you. Schools will take your highest score. Apply this year for the experiance, and if you dont like your cycle, retake next June.
Yea, maybe. It sounds like he is going to end up with a 158 though. What good is it going to be to apply with that.
Youre right, he will almost defineitly be strongly compelled to retake, no matter how his 3.0/15X cycle turns out.

I think another minor benifit of not canceling is that knowing the questions missed this June can be more valuable/insightful than any other PT he has taken.

maxmartin

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by maxmartin » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:44 pm

Another thought is that knowing the questions he missed this June will be more valuable than any other PT he has taken.

I don't know about that. maybe I am just minority. If I did the same PT twice, every time I just got different questions wrong. I don't know why :(
Nova wrote:
Nova wrote:
danshupp wrote:Max, he can't change his strategy if he doesn't cancel. This is his last take.

Another thought is that knowing the questions he missed this June will be more valuable than any other PT he has taken.
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Nova

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Nova » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:52 pm

Interesting Max. I took the Dec '11 LSAT, and just for kicks, took it again a few days ago. Test day was such a blur, I didnt really remember any of it. On test day, I went -6 total in both LR and AR, and missed 5 of those 6 questions on my retake (along with an additional silly mistake) , leading me to believe that there was a fundumental flaw in my logic/approach to those questions.
Last edited by Nova on Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Mr. Pancakes

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Mr. Pancakes » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:53 pm

Does it bother anyone else how max quotes?

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Nova

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Nova » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:57 pm

Mr. Pancakes wrote:Does it bother anyone else how max quotes?
Makes me twitch. Would prefer to read top to bottom :P

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by maxmartin » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:59 pm

i actually wish I could be like you. I am so random, it makes really hard for me to figure out what is my weakness. Especially in LR, I usually get 2-3 questions wrong in each section, but each time it will be a different type question. And most of time it is just some misreading.
Nova wrote:Interesting Max. I took the Dec '11 LSAT, and just for kicks, took it again a few days ago. Test day was such a blur, I didnt really remember any of it. On test day, I went -6 total in both LR and AR, and missed 5 of those 6 questions on my retake (along with an additional silly mistake) , leading me to believe that there was a fundumental flaw in my logic/approach to those questions.

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maxmartin

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by maxmartin » Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:01 pm

sorry I am a little confused with editing quote, the board give me 4 quots max warning
Nova wrote:
Mr. Pancakes wrote:Does it bother anyone else how max quotes?
Makes me twitch. Would prefer to read top to bottom :P

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Nova

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by Nova » Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:04 pm

maxmartin wrote:sorry I am a little confused with editing quote, the board give me 4 quots max warning
Nova wrote:
Mr. Pancakes wrote:Does it bother anyone else how max quotes?
Makes me twitch. Would prefer to read top to bottom :P
I think Pancakes is refering to you putting the quotes below your replys.
maxmartin wrote:i actually wish I could be like you. I am so random, it makes really hard for me to figure out what is my weakness. Especially in LR, I usually get 2-3 questions wrong in each section, but each time it will be a different type question. And most of time it is just some misreading.
Nova wrote:Interesting Max. I took the Dec '11 LSAT, and just for kicks, took it again a few days ago. Test day was such a blur, I didnt really remember any of it. On test day, I went -6 total in both LR and AR, and missed 5 of those 6 questions on my retake (along with an additional silly mistake) , leading me to believe that there was a fundumental flaw in my logic/approach to those questions.
Sounds like you are in pretty good shape, at least. :mrgreen:

maxmartin

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by maxmartin » Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:08 pm

Nova wrote:
maxmartin wrote:sorry I am a little confused with editing quote, the board give me 4 quots max warning
Nova wrote:
Mr. Pancakes wrote:Does it bother anyone else how max quotes?
Makes me twitch. Would prefer to read top to bottom :P
I think Pancakes is refering to you putting the quotes below your replys.
maxmartin wrote:i actually wish I could be like you. I am so random, it makes really hard for me to figure out what is my weakness. Especially in LR, I usually get 2-3 questions wrong in each section, but each time it will be a different type question. And most of time it is just some misreading.
Nova wrote:Interesting Max. I took the Dec '11 LSAT, and just for kicks, took it again a few days ago. Test day was such a blur, I didnt really remember any of it. On test day, I went -6 total in both LR and AR, and missed 5 of those 6 questions on my retake (along with an additional silly mistake) , leading me to believe that there was a fundumental flaw in my logic/approach to those questions.
Sounds like you are in pretty good shape, at least. :mrgreen:
You are supposed to put it at bottom? I did not know that. :mrgreen:
Well this is my second time trying, so hoping for a good one

maxmartin

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by maxmartin » Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:13 pm

sorry danshupp if highjacked your thread :cry:

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by bobbyh1919 » Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:27 pm

You should probably rethink your whole approach to the test at this point. With a 3.0, you're gonna need something in the upper 160's to go to a school that will give you a good shot at a successful career. Making the jump from that upper 150's range to the upper 160's is one of the hardest jumps to make I believe numbers wise, so you should probably look into taking a different course and altering your approach. Given the way anxiety has plagued you on previous exams, you should wait to take the test again until you are consistently getting say 167 or higher.

danshupp

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by danshupp » Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:08 pm

maxmartin wrote:sorry danshupp if highjacked your thread :cry:
No worries. I appreciate all of the insight everybody has provided so far. This forum is an outstanding resource that I wish I would have utilized last year.

danshupp

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Re: Nightmarish LSAT situation

Post by danshupp » Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:59 am

bobbyh1919 wrote:You should probably rethink your whole approach to the test at this point. With a 3.0, you're gonna need something in the upper 160's to go to a school that will give you a good shot at a successful career. Making the jump from that upper 150's range to the upper 160's is one of the hardest jumps to make I believe numbers wise, so you should probably look into taking a different course and altering your approach. Given the way anxiety has plagued you on previous exams, you should wait to take the test again until you are consistently getting say 167 or higher.
Great advice I think you nailed it. I should indeed wait until I am getting those types of scores before retaking. Damnit I'm getting old!! lol Thanks for your advice everybody.

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