Drawback in giving test before you've reached your potential

skrishnan

Hi,

I'm quite certain I will be taking the test in Feb/June since I know I haven't reached my potential. I'm signed up for the December test and have been studying for about 3-4 months now. Most forums advice you to postpone the test and take it when you're ready. However, I don't understand what the drawbacks are if I do take the December test.
1. From my understanding only Yale averages scores
2. Giving the test in an actual testing environment may help calm nerves for the retake since no matter how strictly you take the PT's, the actual test, I presume, is a completely different experience.
3. When there were limited takes, it made sense not to waste a take, but is that relevant now?

I have been considering to to take December instead of withdrawing since i've lost the money anyway, but want to be sure if there are any drawbacks for giving the test that I haven't looked into.

Thanks in advance

Alex

@skrishnan said:
Hi,

I'm quite certain I will be taking the test in Feb/June since I know I haven't reached my potential. I'm signed up for the December test and have been studying for about 3-4 months now. Most forums advice you to postpone the test and take it when you're ready. However, I don't understand what the drawbacks are if I do take the December test.
1. From my understanding only Yale averages scores
2. Giving the test in an actual testing environment may help calm nerves for the retake since no matter how strictly you take the PT's, the actual test, I presume, is a completely different experience.
3. When there were limited takes, it made sense not to waste a take, but is that relevant now?

I have been considering to to take December instead of withdrawing since i've lost the money anyway, but want to be sure if there are any drawbacks for giving the test that I haven't looked into.

Thanks in advance

While it's true that schools don't really average scores, it doesn't mean they don't consider them at all. This seems especially true for top schools. So you aren't doing your app any favors by having a low(er) score. So it's a possible downside, though probably not as big as it used to be.

I've also read the accounts of several people who said taking the test unprepared actually worsened their fears and anxieties. Then again, I've also read many who said it helped too. I'm not sure there's any reliable way to tell which camp you'll fall into.

Last, and perhaps least, you end up burning a test. If you take PT83 (December 2017) you won't have it to practice taking later when you're closer to being ready. It's probably not a big deal being that there are 82 other tests, but still, it's a minor downside and worth considering.

I'm probably guilty of being a bit myopic on this topic in the past. I'm a little more open-minded now that there's unlimited takes. But I am still left wondering what, if any, major advantages there are if you're not feeling prepared. That said, if you're like 2-5 points away from your target score and feel fairly ready--but not 100%---there may be an argument for taking it. It may reduce nerves and give you a very accurate diagnostic of strengths and weaknesses. However, if you're like 8-10 points off from your target score, still need another 3-6 months of prep to feel "ready", then I'm not sure the potential advantages really will outweigh the potential disadvantages.

Seeking Perfection

I would say that there are very limited drawbacks as long as you are certain you will follow thrpugh with seriously studying for and taking a retake.

Schools don't really average, but as @"Alex Divine" pointed out they still see and may consider the lower score.

I took before I was really ready and got a few points lower than I hoped. It was still really hard to decide to study and retake.

I recommend creating a bright line rule. If I get lucky and score some number I will not retake. Otherwise I will retake. You don't wantto settle for less.

skrishnan

@"Alex Divine" @"Seeking Perfection" Thank you for this, I'm still about 8-10 points away, I've been Pt'ing between 160-162 and BR'ing between 173-178. 170+ is the target. I'm inclined towards taking the December test since I've been studying for a while now, but having a hard time coming to a decision.

Rigid Designator

@skrishnan said:
@"Alex Divine" @"Seeking Perfection" Thank you for this, I'm still about 8-10 points away, I've been Pt'ing between 160-162 and BR'ing between 173-178. 170+ is the target. I'm inclined towards taking the December test since I've been studying for a while now, but having a hard time coming to a decision.

If 170+ is your goal I would consider postponing. The 10 points between a 160 and a 170 are some of the hardest to earn in the LSAT. The chances of getting those +10 points due to variance are very slim.

Given your BR score, however, you clearly understand all the material, given ample time. If you feel strongly that timing is your only issue, it's conceivable that test-day adrenaline might make you sufficiently faster. But that's a big "if" to my mind.

I suppose the question to ask is... is the cost of applying with a 160-2 on your record worth the benefit of having test-day experience when you go for your "real" test? If it were me, I'd lean towards postponing in this instance.

kayyyy95

@"Alex Divine" @"Rigid Designator" I'm in a similar situation at the moment. I'm currently PT'ing around 166-167 average and I'm aiming for 170+ (I BR around 175-176, so seems like timing/thinking clearer under pressure is what I really need to work on). I already took the LSAT once last year when I didn't feel nearly as ready as I do now (160) but I still don't think I have reached my full potential. Now that we no longer have a limit on how many times we can retake, my thought process is that I already have one relatively low score on my record and I've already worked pretty hard for the December test that I might as well take this test and then reassess whether I want to keep studying for that 170+ after we get our scores back (like @"Seeking Perfection" said, I told myself I won't retake if I get a 168, which I think might be a reasonable statement considering test day adrenaline and luck and all). I hadn't even considered withdrawing until
very recently, and now I'm not sure if I'm even considering it because I really think that would be the best plan of action, or if I'm just having pre-Test anxiety.

Thoughts/advice/general comments? Any and all advice would be much appreciated!!! Thank you in advance!

Rigid Designator

@kayyyy95 said:
@"Alex Divine" @"Rigid Designator" I'm in a similar situation at the moment. I'm currently PT'ing around 166-167 average and I'm aiming for 170+ (I BR around 175-176, so seems like timing/thinking clearer under pressure is what I really need to work on). I already took the LSAT once last year when I didn't feel nearly as ready as I do now (160) but I still don't think I have reached my full potential. Now that we no longer have a limit on how many times we can retake, my thought process is that I already have one relatively low score on my record and I've already worked pretty hard for the December test that I might as well take this test and then reassess whether I want to keep studying for that 170+ after we get our scores back (like @"Seeking Perfection" said, I told myself I won't retake if I get a 168, which I think might be a reasonable statement considering test day adrenaline and luck and all). I hadn't even considered withdrawing until
very recently, and now I'm not sure if I'm even considering it because I really think that would be the best plan of action, or if I'm just having pre-Test anxiety.

Thoughts/advice/general comments? Any and all advice would be much appreciated!!! Thank you in advance!

Sounds like we're in slightly similar situations. My goal is a 170 or better. I've scored that before on PTs, but my consistency isn't there so my average isn't a 170. But I'll still be taking December, since I think I've improved since my last PT and I think it's possible to put in your best performance on test-day.

kayyyy95

@"Rigid Designator" Same with me- I do better on some tests but generally tend to stay in the mid to high-ish 160s range, so that's around where my average is. That makes me feel better, I think it's definitely possible to do your best on test day, especially if it's not that far out from your PT range... I just worry because of how many people say you go down at least 2-3 points on test day, but I guess maybe that's a risk that's worth taking (at least so close to the test).

Thanks!

Seeking Perfection

@kayyyy95
I just want to make sure my emphasis was clear. If you make 168 your line I think you have to absolutely commit to retaking if you get a 167.

I'm not saying this for everyone, just for those taking before they feel like they have done everything possible to be ready.

I drew my line at a 174. If I got a 173 on my first take(my average going in) I was going to be very happy, but I was going to retake anyway. I wound up getting a 172. If I had to apply with that score it would have been okay, but it was not the score that I wanted to maximize my chances. So I prepped for a retake, studied for three months and retook. It wound up working out (I got a 180 so I know I've done everything I could as far as the LSAT is concerned. Now I'm just trying to make sure the rest of my applications to each school are ecactly as I want them.)

I knew the 172 wasn't enough to maximize my chances at my goals and knew that I hadn't studied enough to reach my peak. I could have studied those three months(felt fully prepped) had the stress get to me on the real test and not been able to best my 172, but I would have still known that I had done everything I could. I think what you want is to be able to walkaway from the LSAT to law school without regrets.

@"Rigid Designator"
It is definitely possible to beat your PT average on test day. I was below by 1 (173 average to 172) the first time and above by 3 the second(177 average to 180). That second time I had a strange flu/cough bug, puked in the morning before the test, coughed throughout, had dry heaves during the break, and wound up tying my previous best (In 79 previous PTs I had one 180).

On the real test, things are a little different because adrenaline courses through you and that affects everyone a little differently every time. That can help a little or hurt a little to a lot.

It is also different because you probably are doing everything possible to maximize how alert you are for the test(waking up hours ahead of time, eating breakfast, and maybe doing more of a warmup. Those things meaningfully help. Additionally, even with the flu keeping me awake part of the previous night I think I was more rested and had less distractions on the real test day than for most of my PTs(they had family members cooking, political discussions about Trump happening next to me in the library, football game day sounds drifting through the window, a power outage, ect.)