Should I retake?

LSAT Is Coming

I'm a bit bummed -- scored 2 points higher than where I was averaging my first few practice tests and 6 points under my average across my most recent 20 (in fact, the lowest of those by far). While it's a good score, after spending 3 months studying full time and $1000 on the course and study materials, a 2 point increase makes me nauseous to say the least. A big part of my score was RC, missed 7 right off the bat.

With my GPA, I don't have a shot at T-14 schools, so now I'm weighing my options. I could retake in September, but I feel like I've expended my study options. I used the Ultimate 7Sage pack, did most drills, completed the Core Curriculum, and did all of the PTs. I could study by retaking practice tests, but I worry it would not be very useful to do so, especially because I went over the questions I missed over and over again. I realize this score was a fluke compared to my trends, but I am not sure how I can keep my average up through September without new questions to work from.

Is it worth retaking? Part of me feels like it'll just be a waste of time and effort. Advice appreciated!

10000019

Disclaimer: I'm a newbie

I don't see how you could completed all the ultimate+ material, effectively and efficiently, in 3 months. How many PTs were you taking a week? If you were BR and going over each problem, I don't see how you could have done all the tests in such a short period of time.

Are you sure the score was a fluke? Maybe you get nervous during the real thing, or perhaps you haven't been keeping yourself accountable during PTs. I would have suggested taking an in-person proctored exam to test that theory, but you've burned through available tests.

I think you can still make improvements; it just won't be as easy to quantitatively know how much you're improving.

If you're set on attending a T14, you should be posting relevant information (i.e. LSAT, GPA, softs). You've either got to give studying for the LSAT another go, or consider transfer opportunities.

On a side note to more knowledgeable 7sage users, what is the general consensus on Kaplan 180? Would that book be helpful to the OP?

LSAT Is Coming

@USER123456 said:
Disclaimer: I'm a newbie

I don't see how you could completed all the ultimate+ material, effectively and efficiently, in 3 months. How many PTs were you taking a week? If you were BR and going over each problem, I don't see how you could have done all the tests in such a short period of time.

Are you sure the score was a fluke? Maybe you get nervous during the real thing, or perhaps you haven't been keeping yourself accountable during PTs. I would have suggested taking an in-person proctored exam to test that theory, but you've burned through available tests.

I think you can still make improvements; it just won't be as easy to quantitatively know how much you're improving.

If you're set on attending a T14, you should be posting relevant information (i.e. LSAT, GPA, softs). You've either got to give studying for the LSAT another go, or consider transfer opportunities.

On a side note to more knowledgeable 7sage users, what is the general consensus on Kaplan 180? Would that book be helpful to the OP?

I had also studied for a month about two years ago before deciding against taking it at that time. So 4 months overall. And when I say full-time, I literally mean 60 hours per week.

Definitely kept myself accountable -- used 7Sage proctor timer and followed it to the second. I was consistently scoring over 170, so the BR process the last 2 months went pretty quickly for each test. Definitely was nervous on test day, but unfortunately that's not something that would go away during a retake.

LSAT Is Coming

But definitely a lesson for anyone reading this -- even if you can go through PTs quickly, DON'T. The gains per test go down the more you take in a certain time period. And exhausting them screws yourself over for potential retakes.

BirdLaw818

Same thing here man. Went up only two points after the immense studying I did for the June take. Used up almost all the tests. Retake... You can still reuse tests. Some ppl on other forums talked about how they're used all the tests but reused them and went up significantly. You'll be fine. I made tons of really stupid mistakes on test day and I messed up my timing.

sjiang666

I really think there are questions should be asked before asking if you should retake: how you gonna study for retake, and how you gonna make most from the materials you have studied. Before knowing what's going wrong and having method to deal with it, it is like looking at the choices without a good understand of the stimulus.

thisissparta

@"LSAT Is Coming" said:
But definitely a lesson for anyone reading this -- even if you can go through PTs quickly, DON'T. The gains per test go down the more you take in a certain time period. And exhausting them screws yourself over for potential retakes.

Hey! So I have no substantive advice to give - I'm rather seeking advice from you. I have a similar-ish study schedule as yours. I'm studying FT for 5 months. Planning on sitting for the December take. How do you suggest I go about approaching my study period? In particular, what would you recommend NOT doing? Definitely would welcome any other wisdom that you could impart too.

BirdLaw818

DONT: go too quickly through preptests, use anythin but PT 1-30 to learn concepts and general frameworks, take too many TIMED PTs without actually reviewing and studying in between. And don't cram. and most importantly, don't go easy on your PTs and stop the time, go back and make changes, etc. take your timed tests like there is someone watching over you.

Raphael Rivera

I could only purchase the starter program when I was studying but invested heavily in every PT i could buy. I took the test and would go to lsathacks.com where I could see explanations for every PT for free. They may not have been the best explanations but I learned alot for free. If you didnt take every PT in existence this may be a possibility? Or id say reuse old ones.

But dont base decisions off sunk costs. If you believe you can do better then I think you should retake it, NOT because you spent so much time and energy in the past but because you can see yourself doing better in the future. If you dont see yourself doing better than maybe contemplate accepting your score? Its all about attitude too. If you pessimistically retake because you spent so much money i dont see your scores going up. But if you retake it with confidence and excitement then you will probably reach your potential. Maybe watch "the mind - motivational video" on youtube. That video gets me all jacked up. But in essence, my advice is to only retake it if you see yourself doing so with determination and drive. Doing so just to do so may be worse than accepting it as is.

As for the actual test when/if you retake: try meditation. I sat down with my eyes closed and didnt move a single muscle and tried to stop thinking about anything for 5 minutes. After it was over I walked to the test center with a focused mind, talked with those in line, and took it in a good mindset.

ajcrowel

So I have some expirence with this. Hopefully what I say can be useful. My first take was 6 points below my 7Sage analytics average over 60 tests. My second take was 2 points below that average and my last take was dead average. It's difficult to recreate the pressure of test day and actual conditions. If you struggle with pressure perhaps try and take in the actual room where you'll be sitting for the exam (if that's even possible) and have a friend come and time you (they can work on homework or whatever).

Only you can know if retaking is right. If you would be very happy to go to schools you could get into with your numbers retaking could be avoided. But I did because 1) LSAT is the name of the game for admissions and 2) scholarship money.

If you do decide to retake I would recommend working through PTs 5-50 if you have not already taken those. And retake are actually really helpful. You just need to realize the purpose is to understand the test not to have a niceness clean score at the end whereby you can feel proud of yourself. When I retook I have myself 28 & 1/2 minutes per section and usually waited no less than a month between seeing questions and retaking. The time constraint definitely moved the difficulty scale and made me work for it.

PM me if you have any concerns.

Mellow_Z

@"LSAT Is Coming" said:

With my GPA, I don't have a shot at T-14 schools, so now I'm weighing my options.

Just going to call out this little piece here. There isn't a gpa in existence that entirely excludes you from the T14. If you have a 172+ LSAT, put together a strong application (great LoR's, great PS, addenda, etc.) you can definitely get accepted into the lower T14 schools, sometimes even with money. The one thing I will add is that having a few years of work experience (2+) will be the largest piece in overcoming your bad GPA. You need to distance yourself from that GPA and show that you've grown and matured.

http://mylsn.info/3vvk7a/

Here is a breakdown of everyone with 2.0-3.0 gpas and a 172+ lsat score - you'll see a pretty good chance at Northwestern, decent chance at UVA, UT Austin, GT, UCLA, Vandy, WUSTL, etc.

willhm93

For anyone seeking advice: I’ve taken the test twice now. In September 2016, I scored 161 and this June 2017, I scored 164. In my first cycle I averaged 163 over about 12 PTs, and this past cycle I averaged 168 over about 8 PTs.

In my first study cycle I burned through all the most recent test material and took a PowerScore course. In the second cycle I ordered Preptests 41-61 and worked through much of that material.
Though I know for a fact I can perform better, I have decided to stop at 164. The reality of the lsat is every test is different, some tests will happen to play to your strengths and some will not. You never know what you are going to get on test day.

September 2016 is infamous for the computer-virus game, which seemed to have stumped just about everyone on test day. Needless to say I was very disappointed to score -5 on my LG when I consistently averaged -2 and often scored perfectly.

June 2017 was, in my opinion, a very average level of difficulty. Potentially a bit above average. But come release day, we all learned the curve was -9, which has only occurred twice in LSAT history.

Unless you are absolutely bent on attending a T13 school, there’s no sense in beating yourself up over scoring below your PT average on test day. In fact, it is a common occurrence. If you do decide to retake, just know that you could sit in on an unusual test, like I did twice. Or, you could just have an off day, or get a test that just does not play to your strengths. Retaking is a big commitment. From my experience, I advise clearing your mind from the initial disappointment, and really thinking about whether you want to invest that much more time and effort into taking the test for a second or third time.