Estimate Actual Score From Prep Test Scores? Forum

[haley1996]

Hi everyone,

What is the generally used "rule" for estimating your actual score based on your prep test results?
The prep tests I took most recently are also the latest ones (from pt 60-78), and I almost always got the same results.
There were four outliers, two below average and two above, and even those weren't that far off from average.

Should I -3 percentiles from my average score or my lowest score?
Or is there a different method altogether?

Thanks in advance.

[kindofcanuck]

Hi everyone,

What is the generally used "rule" for estimating your actual score based on your prep test results?
The prep tests I took most recently are also the latest ones (from pt 60-78), and I almost always got the same results.
There were four outliers, two below average and two above, and even those weren't that far off from average.

Should I -3 percentiles from my average score or my lowest score?
Or is there a different method altogether?

Thanks in advance.

Wait until October 20th if you want an accurate answer. If you want to guess, assume you gave a broadly comparable performance that you did on some recent preps.

[RareExports]

The only things that would make your actual test score differ from your prep test score (assuming you were doing prep tests under normal testing conditions) are test day anxiety (which doesn't affect everyone, and even helps some people) and variance.

There is no "method" and you can't estimate your actual score. With that said, unless you experienced crippling test day anxiety or weren't keeping yourself honest with testing conditions for the prep tests, your actual score shouldn't be different than your normal prep test score. But it could be that your score is lower or higher than all 19 practice tests you took, that's just how stats works.

[haley1996]

The only things that would make your actual test score differ from your prep test score (assuming you were doing prep tests under normal testing conditions) are test day anxiety (which doesn't affect everyone, and even helps some people) and variance.

There is no "method" and you can't estimate your actual score. With that said, unless you experienced crippling test day anxiety or weren't keeping yourself honest with testing conditions for the prep tests, your actual score shouldn't be different than your normal prep test score. But it could be that your score is lower or higher than all 19 practice tests you took, that's just how stats works.

I would be thrilled if I got my average prep test score!
I didn't feel especially nervous, so hopefully I don't get a dramatically different score.
Thanks!

[haley12]

Hey, are you me? You spelled my name right (No Hayley ), we were born in the same year, and we're both obviously nervous about our September LSAT scores. Good luck twin!

[haley1996]

Hey, are you me? You spelled my name right (No Hayley ), we were born in the same year, and we're both obviously nervous about our September LSAT scores. Good luck twin!

Good luck to you as well ! I wish I could calm down enough to get off this LSAT forum because it's just making me second guess myself

[haley12]

Hey, are you me? You spelled my name right (No Hayley ), we were born in the same year, and we're both obviously nervous about our September LSAT scores. Good luck twin!

Good luck to you as well ! I wish I could calm down enough to get off this LSAT forum because it's just making me second guess myself

Sameeee... need something to distract me for the next 3 weeks. As if classes, sports, and PS aren't enough

[SunDevil14]

My approach is to take your average score over last 5 PT's with a 2 point distribution in either direction.

Example: 170

If I felt that test was difficult 168
Average test 170
If I think I did well 172

It works pretty well when I estimate a PT score before I grade it. It's rare that you are going to score much more or less than your average.

[RamTitan]

I've read you should expect a range of +3 to -3 on the actual test day. My first test was my exact test average.

[yyyuppp]

If you've done most of your prep already such that you are really just taking prep tests, and are doing recent prep tests, then a PT score just means you are capable of getting that score (under prep test conditions). The average a means you are capable of averaging that score. You can't predict your score or even a range; with PTs you only have an idea of what you are able to do.

The rest comes down to how the novelty of the experience affects you and the extent the actual test skews towards material which you are proficient at or otherwise.