Disappointed. Any tips?

julsnet2

Im going to make this quick for u guys. I took this past Feb LSAT, and I was very disappointed. Quick background- After finishing core curriculum, my first PT to last went around this- 157 159 157 161 162 161 167. As you can tell, I was very happy with my improvement. On the night of the LSAT, I couldn't sleep, went to bed around 2am and woke up at 5am. Couldnt go back to sleep after waking up. Ended up playing video games until it was time to take the test, which I took with 3 hours of sleep and had to supplement by chugging 3 cups of coffee before the test, giving me the jitters and some extra anxiety due to all the caffeine. Ended up getting a 157. Either way, now I am about to get a full time job but still have to retake the test in June because I can clearly do better. My question is first off, how much did getting 3 hours of sleep mixed with the extra anxiety of chugging coffee etc affect my score? Some people have told me heavily. And also with a little amount of study every week until June due to a full time job, will I still be able to perform close to my high score? I am so angry at this whole situation.

Sprinkles

Hey!

What's your target score? besides that, you know yourself best and everyone's situation is different. I can't look at you and be like, "ok you're the type of person that needs 8 hours of rest and will need 10 hours a week of studying to get a good score." It literally makes no sense.
It's always important to make sure you're well rested the night before the LSAT though.

rajanjc92

It is normal to do 3-4 points lower than anticipated on test day. In June there should be less anxiety so you should see improvement with more practice.

danielznelson

Unless I averaged your numbers incorrectly, your average rests just above a 160, with one outlier that slightly skews the average. So a 157, especially under those circumstances and on the real test, isn't too far off from where you were performing.

So at this point and assuming around a 167 is where you'd like to perform, you need to focus on averaging that (or more preferably, above that) to give yourself a perfectly reasonable chance of scoring around that range. One high score isn't enough to show that you can get that same score on test day. But... it does much more likely than not show that you CAN get a score that high, and that's amazing. So focus on improving that range by addressing your weaknesses, increasing your BR score, et cetera. Best of luck! You can do this.

Alex

N one can answer these questions for you. Sounds like just a plethora of bad variables. If you can score a 165+ retake. Do not be disappointed (Not for long) It is just a test and as you can see a million variables make the difference. Me on my meds (I take anti-anxiety) vs not taking it is easily 3-5 points. So understand it happens and pick yourself up and give it another go. You owe it to yourself! you know you got more in you!!!!

Cant Get Right

Yeah, I agree with @danielznelson . A 157 is consistent with your average. Given the circumstances, it's actually quite impressive! With only seven tests under your belt, you still have lots of material to improve with. Just make sure that as you take tests in the future, you take the time to identify and respond to the weaknesses they expose. Seems like you're in a great position to break into the mid 160's.

Moosader

With me personally, I could and have muscled through college and some graduate exams with little to no sleep and the jitters from too much caffeine. However, the LSAT is a beast and a 3 hour + beast at that. That's along time to have anxiety, jitters, adrenaline, etc. However, +/- minus 5 isn't unheard of. If anything you might be a little impressed that you stayed within your range despite the bad circumstances.

Although it pains me to to admit it, the month before the LSAT, I'm going full diet, meditation, sleep, vitamins, meditation, etc. Pretty much anything to reduce stress and chill out for the test.