Always waive right to view letters of rec when applying to grad school. They view it as bad if you do not, and it does have an effect on admissions. This is one of those weird things that makes it harder for people who do not have higher degrees in the family to be successful in grad school. People oddly do not broadcast that it is taboo not to waive your right to view, but it is, and you should.

@ said:

10 points is a substantial decrease. How many of your friends are experiencing this? I just took the Oct. LSAT and it felt roughly like most of my PTS. Obviously I won’t know until I get my score back. But I took the most recently released PT (92) and scored the same as any other test, even slightly higher

I had one friend I know immediately who experienced this and a few more friends of friends who got at least 5 points lower. Basically everyone I know who is taking it said they got at least around 5 points less than PT. Maybe they're just embellishing their PT scores, but it doesn't seem random. Honestly I hope you are right.

I don't know what school this is but lawschoolnumbers.com has a graph that shows admission stats based on the month you applied in and if you apply past december the vast majority are rejected. Just search your school on there and click graphs. Consider the odds of moving up in score versus the harm it will do to your odd to apply after receiving your January score back

I had a lot of technical issues as well, though thankfully I don't have to retake. Anyone know why? Everyone I know who has taken the LSAT this month has had at least some issues.

#help

I want a second opinion on this: I chose the correct answer, (C), but the only reason I was confident that it was correct, rather than (B) being correct is because the question stem was worded in a particular way. The question stem was worded "which conclusion does this passage LEAD to" not which is the most strongly supported. (B) is in no way incorrect, as far as I see it, but it is also not really LED to by the stimulus so much as it is stated by the stimulus. Therefore, while (B) is supported, it is not LED to.

Does this situation contradict the principle that JY says applies to all LSAT MSS questions: The correct answer to all MSS question will be the only answer with support, not the one with the most support.

Caveat: I understand that (B) is worded in a complicated way, which was the only reason JY seemed to give in this explanation video for why it was wrong, but to me, re-wording a true statement that is supported by the passage is not enough to make it incorrect.

Am I wrong about any of this?

Thank you!

#help

What does the "priority" column refer to when you're looking at your problem set answer results?

Is it a certain kind of problem that I have trouble with? If so, what kind of problem? Is there a more detailed way of classifying problems that MP and MSS, and so forth?

Trust me you are not the only one. My proctor interrupted me and stole over 5 minutes of my test and would not give it back. I told them I would not complete it and I lodged a complaint. A similar thing happened in August. I am wondering if I will ever be able to take the test without interruption. I would definitely write an addendum if you are unable to get a good test under your belt. It will help at least somewhat in the admissions process.

#help Is W wrong because it is not trying to negate a conditional? Otherwise it is pretty similar to me.

I can't say that I know much about this, but I would say that having a lower score on your record won't kill you at all. Speculating: I think that the only reason past scores would matter is if they were used to measure your competence because other measures of competence were lacking from the application. This doesn't seem to be the case with you, so I would guess that having a score that is good enough for the school would be totally sufficient.

Also, I hear you on the score dropping: I personally was PTing in the same area as you and I got a 162. I was confused, still am. I have heard a lot of people I know had a similar experience with this test though, some have said this test was unusually hard, but who knows. Just know you're not alone! Try again!

Congrats! Did you every find yourself stagnating at a certain score? I have noticed this recently: I decided that I had the fundamentals down and moved onto a tactic of only doing PT's, two a week. My score stagnated at the mid-high 160's. I am looking to dislodge myself from this but I am not positive how to go about it. I am considering doing one PT a week on the weekends and then simply studying individual question types during the week. My thought process is that if I practice question types and smaller problem sets then my brain will have a chance to slow down, engage, and really learn the material, instead of just powering through without growing.

Have you ever been in a similar situation? If so, any advice on how to get out of it, how to start looking at the test fresh, with new eyes, and start learning again instead of just repeating rote actions?

Thank you, and congrats again!

This is tough. Were your PT's in the 170's for this final round and then you got 156? My average PT is high 160's and I got 162 on this latest one, a total surprise. I heard from a lot of people that this was an unusually hard test, but I'm not sure whether that is true or whether that is just coping. I was certainly surprised. The score I got was roughly 6-7 points lower, and I know a few other people for whom it went the exact same way. Honestly I am not sure what the deal is.

If your plan is Big Law, know that it is still an option: if you are in pretty much any law school and you make the top 10% of your class then you will be recruited by a big law firm and get that fat salary if that is what you are after.

For me, I will say that not getting a 170+ as quickly as I wanted has made me question what I want to do: Do I want to go to law school? Or do I just want to have a top tier school like Harvard, Stanford, or Yale attached to my name? There is nothing wrong with asking yourself the hard questions like this, and maybe the answer is that you don't really want to go to any law school. Don't be afraid of the answer; ask the question. I did, and I decided that there is work that I could do with a law degree which I could not do otherwise, and that I want to pursue this regardless. Being in this place now has made me realize how my mentality in the past was just not right. It may be hard, but on the plus side, you will be more at peace with yourself and more ready to throw yourself into the rest of your life if you answer the question honestly.

Moreover, a 159 is a score that some people fight for. Don't disregard that. Best of luck!

What is your GPA in terms of relation to the schools medians? I would say it doesn't hurt to take the test again unless that is particularly financially burdensome. Most importantly, if you decide not to take it again, apply ASAP. Applying a few months earlier improves your odds considerably.

I have ADHD and I chose not to take medication. I was on it for some time, but I found that rather than helping me, what it did was intensify my focus without intensifying my ability to choose on what I focused. I would focus intensely, but was equally or more prone to get distracted. There is something which has helped me greatly: meditation. Meditation is really all about learning to control your attention, and I am shocked that it is not the primary means for treating this disorder. It has been incredibly helpful. If you commit to your practice (~20-30 mins a day) it can be life-changing. I would advise that over medication. I felt that medication ultimately gave me less control over myself. Moreover, I feel that medication is a short term solution to a long term problem, and beyond that is not a remedy for the whole issue but rather fixes some symptoms while worsening others. Best of luck.

I will join you for 2 PT's a week? I am testing in the upper 160's. My strong suit is LR. LG and RC are usually around -4 and -3 respectively. LR is usually -2.