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As the title says, I just withdrew my registration. I've been prepping for a little over 6 months, took the June test (cancelled), and deferred October. So i've used (1) of my three tries. Here's some info to help those who may be able to answer my question:

1. Un-timed, my practice tests would average in the high 160's and low 170's, but I only started strictly timing them a bit a few weeks ago. I understand the content and know I can truly do well and get in the low 170's, but I don't feel like I was adhering to the strict timing as much and as long as I should have.
2. I think I was burning myself out since I haven't taken a break longer that was longer than 3 days since May and really started losing some motivation, so I think that may be able to partly explain my inability to get hyped/jumpstarted on strict timing?

Given both of the above, I found that it really affected my performance much more than I had previously thought: another timed test yesterday yielded a 160. My goal score is a 172/173.

I was devastated, but was still considering that I could pull off a 170 up until 30 minutes before the withdraw deadline.

My question: Was withdrawing a good decision? I was really worried that using my 2nd try and getting a score like that would have made me feel like I was trapped by the 3rd try/2yr limit situation. I really wanted to take the test, and was very confident up until an hour ago, but I had that inkling of doubt. But I also feel like I owe it to the people (and myself) who were counting on me to finally take it?

Opinions? I'm so stressed out.

Aspire1L wrote:My question: Was withdrawing a good decision? I was really worried that using my 2nd try and getting a score like that would have made me feel like I was trapped by the 3rd try/2yr limit situation. I really wanted to take the test, and was very confident up until an hour ago, but I had that inkling of doubt. But I also feel like I owe it to the people (and myself) who were counting on me to finally take it?

First of all, dwelling on whether or not you made the right decision isn't going to help you. It's only going to make you go insane. You made the call; take a break to avoid burnout, move on, and focus on June for next year's cycle.

Now, that being said, if you're aiming for a 172/173 and getting 160s on timed practice tests right before the real thing, you were definitely going to get a score you're not happy with and December would have felt like a wasted opportunity. Yes, you have to ultimately pull the trigger. But don't do it unless you're confident. And definitely don't do it because other people are counting on you to take it.

First of all, dwelling on whether or not you made the right decision isn't going to help you. It's only going to make you go insane. You made the call; take a break to avoid burnout, move on, and focus on June for next year's cycle.

This!

you made the right choice if you scored 160 on your last practice test and were going for 172/173. The likelihood of a 172/173 happening tomorrow (today?) were really really slim, so don't spend another second worrying about whether it was the right thing to do.

As far as taking untimed tests, timing is everything as far as the LSAT goes. It is fine to take tests or do sections untimed while you are learning, but you need to be regularly doing timed PTs (ideally aiming for 30-33 minutes a section) and scoring at your target score (ideally better) before you should take the test. Period. Timing is such a crucial part of the LSAT, moreso than any other standardized exam I have ever taken.

Bottom line: you did the right thing. But before you take it next time make sure you are getting the score you want under timed conditions regularly.