Withdraw from Dec. test?

Jengibre

I so wish I'd found this website a few months ago! I've been studying since September, taking practice tests and going through the exercises in the LSAT Trainer. My score fluctuates a lot more than I'd like due to timing issues, 179 one day and 166 the next. I've signed up for the December LSAT (less than two weeks to go!) and have started panicking. I feel I'd benefit from pushing the test back to February and going through all the lessons on this site and following the recommended exercise/coffee/steady bedtime schedule. It's too late to change the date but I could withdraw and sign up again. Or, I could do my best on the December test, see how it goes and cancel score or retake if necessary in February. I don't want multiple tests to look bad on my record or to underperform for the real test, but there is also the chance of getting my desired score or just having a another full length test under my belt before February. Any advice much appreciated!

danielkeithus

It's up to you, make sure you can still apply to the schools you want to with a February LSAT. I believe a big part of this is facing the fear of taking the actual LSAT. HOWEVER!!!! You must also feel as if you have prepared properly and be satisfied with yourself.

barcanou

If your goal is Yale or Stanford, I'd wait until you are consistently getting that 175+ that you are capable of, but otherwise go ahead and take it in Dec and again in Feb or June for next cycle if necessary. Most schools don't care about multiple scores on record

LSATCRACKER

Definitely you should not withdraw. Learning lessons is not as useful as you think, furthermore, the LSAT TRAINER and this website, for my personal view are pretty similar. 166 is a good score, who knows what will you achieve in the real exam. You should practice REAL exam in the spot and see how much you can get under stress. Usually, people get a little bit higher score under stress.

Good luck.

Jengibre

Thanks so much for your comments!

joegotbored-1

If you intend to apply for school starting in Fall of 2015, you should be taking the test in December. February is the last acceptable test at most schools, so if you bomb, you won't have a backup, whereas you would if you bombed in December.

If you could choose to push back your attendance by one year, then I would say wait until you feel ready. If that's February, or June, or September, then so be it.

Reasons for taking: experience, you might get the score you want, you have a backup if 2015 is your year, no need to find plans for next year in terms of work (assuming you're in undergrad now).

Reasons for pushing: You feel you're not ready, you can push 1 year, you want to watch the legal market another year before committing to a life of student debt servitude.

Good luck either way.

harrismegan

^ that's such a good answer hahaha

K-Magnet

Hi @Jengibre

I'm glad you posted because I feel that I am in a very similar situation.

You don't have to decide *yet* about December -- the money is already a sunk cost. You can keep preparing and continue to assess how you feel. It will not be wasted energy because all of the continued preparation goes toward either test.

You always have the option to cancel. So you could take the test as you had planned & then assess afterwards how you think you did. If you thought it wasn't one of those 179 moments & more like one of those 166 moments, then you could decide to cancel. But even cancelling has its up sides -- you've now seen what the stress/the day of the LSAT feels like!

turnercm

i think you should take it! especially if its your first go. you still have time to submit a better score (in february) if you want. Or wait a year and try again. if you skip december, you'd probably need to push law school back another year. taking it in december puts you in a much better position, and it may even be the score you want!