Where do I go from here .......

ecarr_12

I dreamed about this day. The day that I would receive my score & post here to give my thanks and express my joy. How badly I wish that was the case for my writing this post .... I graduated in the spring and decided not to work post graduation so I could study full time for the LSAT. Fast forward 6 months of dedicated studying and scoring in the 160's, I open up my email from LSAC to find my score, 151. To say that I am distraught is a grave understatement. I am beginning to convince myself that I simply do not have the type of intelligence that the LSAT tests. I was going to send out my applications once I received my score but now I don't even know where I should go from here. I want to go to law school more than anything. Especially, this cycle. But I don't think I have it in me to put so much of myself into something once more and get nothing in return.

OverRatedUnderAchiever

Take the night. Collectively allow yourself & all your emotions run through you. Anyone who says to try to ignore or disregard them is lying to you, even if that's what you're trying to tell yourself. This feeling is supposed to happen, probably more and more each day. But listen to your intuition and brilliant mind. This is your test. This is your test. If you didn't second guess yourself during this personal time of turmoil then I'd be worried. But you are, and you're worrying about it all. That's how you know this is your future. Continue it. And show this test that it's your bitch.
You got this, and allow yourself to be raw with each feeling you're experiencing. If you didn't care, it's not meant for you. However you are.
But you already know this because you're going to prove it to all of us.

Tom_Tango

Bad test days happen. If you were scoring in the 160s, you'll get that the next time you take it.

Why do you HAVE to go this cycle? law school isn't going anywhere and you're still young if you just graduated. If you really want it make it happen

zscore94

I can definitely empathize with your situation. I graduated in May as well and took time off to study full time for the sept. lsat and despite scoring fairly consistently ended up doing less than stellar which in all honesty came down to both nerves and a lack of solid understanding of the fundamentals (and going a little crazy b/c all I did was lsat which I now do NOT recommend, haha). It sucks and while I ended up electing to skip the dec. test and take another year off - even though like yourself I had wanted to keep it an one year - I'm trying to remember all of the positive things that can come with taking a little more time off: (hopefully) a higher score, perhaps more chances for scholarship money, applying at the beginning of the cycle, the opportunity for a little self-growth and all that jazz. You can absolutely retake in Feb, but remember there's no shame in waiting. So many people on this forum have been in similar shoes and have had such awesome comeback stories which makes me a bit more optimistic about the future. One bad test performance doesn't matter, it's how you respond that does.

Seeking Perfection

If you are PTing in the 160s I definitely wouldn't let one bad test make you think you are not mentally capable of getting that score. You obviously are. Either you perforned badly by chance or the pressure got to you. Either of these says nothing about your intelligence whatsoever. One is cured simply by retaking and getting less awful luck and the other by learning to handle the pressure.

You are likely going to have wait a cycle though. Even February would be late for apps.