Accommodation

Donotdisturb26

Hello

I wanted to know if anyone has been granted accommodation (extra time) by just going to the doctor your physician refer you too. Meaning that would be the only proof the person has. I do suffer from anxiety (plus other things) every time I take a test no matter how much I try to calm myself and not think about it. I noticed lsac has a list of the things that would help for the approval of accommodation. But I never requested extra time on my exams in grade school or college. I took the ACT and SAT such a long time ago but I went to a community college so never really cared about my score.Can Someone guide me?

acsimon

I have no first-hand experience, but from what I could tell on various forums last year there’s a significant percentage of test takers who have no prior history of test accommodations for their recently documented need. Take it with a grain of salt, but I’m pretty sure this is the case. Good luck (and hopefully someone can respond that has more experience on this front)!

Donotdisturb26

Thank you so much !

LivingThatLSATdream

The situation you described, having test day anxiety, does not constitute a disability. "LSAC is committed to assisting disabled candidates with requests for accommodations needed to take the LSAT." It also doesn't sound (from your very brief description) like a situation that should be approved for extra time accommodations. There are a lot of resources out there that can help with test anxiety, such as meditation. Focus on studying and becoming confident with the test.

Edit: Here is an article that was recently written.
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1044207317710699

Abstract: Test anxiety leads to requests for accommodations under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), but many testing entities have expressed skepticism about whether test anxiety qualifies as a disability. This article addresses three legal issues raised by the inclusion of test anxiety under ADA: whether test anxiety is a mental impairment, whether test-taking is a major life activity, and whether test anxiety substantially limits test-taking. The article then turns to questions of policy: How should ADA claims for test anxiety be handled by educational institutions, independent testing agencies, and employers? A review of scientific research and legal authorities are used to answer these questions. Most individuals with high test anxiety levels will not qualify as disabled under ADA, although there will be exceptions to that general rule, and testing entities should always conduct an individualized inquiry into each claim.

amy.berger24

This comment is for LivingThatLSATDream. As someone who has been diagnosed with anxiety and depression in the past ten years, I find your comment extremely ableist and condescending. I've heard this sentiment "You are not disabled. Focus on studying and becoming confident with the test" uttered throughout my life to diminish my struggle with anxiety. In some situations, I function well, on some days, I struggle. It's just difficult to read something like that in what is supposed to be a supportive, educational community.

Donotdisturb26

@LivingThatLSATdream well first of all I never said that’s my only problem that’s just one of the problems I suffer from. And second I think a specialist will make that determination. Good luck!

LivingThatLSATdream

@amy.berger24 - I said based on the situation @dacalvert described, which I also noted was a VERY brief description, (test-day anxiety) does not constitute a disability.

@Dacalvert said:
I do suffer from anxiety every time I take a test no matter how much I try to calm myself and not think about it.

Read the article that I posted which was written by two doctors and is filled with a review of scientific research and legal authorities.

@Dacalvert would you consider yourself disabled? Have you ever considered yourself disabled prior to researching accommodations?

Of course speak with your doctors, they are in the best position to help you make a determination for your situation.

Here is a article that may be helpful to you. I meant no disrespect to you or your situation and I wish you the best.
https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/children/test-anxiety

youbbyun

i think a lot, if not the majority, of LSAT takers experience some form of test anxiety. it's kind of hard not to experience anxiety. it's a tough test, it's under time pressure, most people would feel some anxiety and nervousness.

the test is stressful for everyone. it'll be really weird if someone looks at a 4 hour test as an anxiety free joy event.

_oshun1_

Just popping in to say that there’s a diff between — taking a test does not feel good, I am tired and stressed and my brain hurts, vs. I am physically not able to get through a test, hands shaking, heart pounding, vision blurring, etc. Not sure how a doctor would diagnose that with no proven track record. From what I’ve heard it is rare to get denied accommodations so it should work out for you.

youbbyun

@oshun1

if it's rare to get denied accommodations, then can't anyone just say they have anxiety, go to their primary doctor and get a note written from their doctor saying I have anxiety, and then LSAC just gives them 50% more time?

it seems that if this were truly the case, tons of people would be trying to game the system. after all, if it's THAT easy to get an accommodation, who wouldn't want an extra 50% time?

also, i'm curious to hear, if one can't get through a 4 hour timed LSAT, how is one going to get through 3 years of law school? Law school is known for it's intense stressful first year exams.

_oshun1_

@username_hello said:
@oshun1

if it's rare to get denied accommodations, then can't anyone just say they have anxiety, go to their primary doctor and get a note written from their doctor saying I have anxiety, and then LSAC just gives them 50% more time?

it seems that if this were truly the case, tons of people would be trying to game the system. after all, if it's THAT easy to get an accommodation, who wouldn't want an extra 50% time?

also, i'm curious to hear, if one can't get through a 4 hour timed LSAT, how is one going to get through 3 years of law school? Law school is known for it's intense stressful first year exams.

probably yes. Not sure what the exact burden of proof is to get accommodations but I have heard it is expensive. I personally scored in the 96th percentile (not accommodated) and I would not do better on the LSAT with more time. I would be exhausted trying to repeatedly PT with 50% or 100% more time. Since the lsat is an exam based on understanding/comprehension/logic, additional time isn’t really a way to “cheat.”

This argument comes up every time anyone mentions accommodations and it’s super ableist. Some things that you can’t do on the LSAT, ie stand up, walk for a moment, stretch, eat, drink water... are things you can do while studying and while at work. Some people have ie nerve damage in a leg and just need to stand up every so often.

People handling stress differently than others doesn’t preclude them from becoming an attorney. Attorneys aren’t firefighters or neuro surgeons, you don’t need perfect health and a strong body and a steady hand to be an attorney. One could very well have a brief panic attack in the bathroom and then go back to being a great partner of a law firm. Nobody is watching you 24/7 such that you can’t take a 5 min break at work to shake off the stress.

Personally I would rather have someone who’s a hard worker with anxiety as an attorney than the people on here who post things like I’m too lazy to study more than an hour a day.

I feel like the people who make these comments must not have a lot of work experience or must not know many people on a personal level or just live in a privileged bubble bc in the real world there are more people with emotional disorders and personality disorders and health issues than there are people who are 100% perfectly health. Also, often people who aren’t perfectly healthy are more resilient and harder workers bc they’ve learned to “tough it out.”

TL;dr - it is NOT the case that good health —> good law student and good attorney