Disappointed and would like some advice!

mpits001

Hello, everyone!

I'd like to congratulate everyone who got through 7Sage course and took the LSAT. It was a very stressful semester! I would like some different perspectives on my current situation and thought of no better place to ask for such advice.

I started studying for the December exam in mid August. I was spending hours upon hours everyday along with school full time and my part-time job. I had scored a 147 on my first practice exam, and while I was disappointed I knew there was nowhere to go but up. In the middle of the semester though (around the same time as midterms), my father needed surgery and I needed to contribute a lot more to the household operations, which killed about a months worth of study time (I studied, but not as much as I needed to).

Fast forwarding to when I got back on track, I really started to nail down my LG. Getting maybe 5 wrong, then 2 wrong, then 3 wrong. I wouldn't say I mastered that section, but it did a lot for my score. Two weeks before the December exam I took PTs #40 (June 2003), #68 (Dec. 2012), #69 (June 2013), and #70 (Oct. 2013). With these 4 tests I score three 156s and one 157. I felt I was prepared for the test, and that these four test really reflected where I was and how I would perform on the exam.

I got my score yesterday and it was a 147. My heart dropped. I wanted to cry, but held back the tears because I was in front of others. I'm still applying to the schools I planned on applying to (their low end was 151 last year), and I'm hoping that everything else on my application nudges me over (strong GPA, PS [LS admissions officer personally told me my resume and PS were strong], and letters of recommendation.) However, I'm still skeptical that I'll even be able to make it in, and it's so depressing that after a full semester of school, work, and LSAT I dropped the ball on test day, because that score is not really indicative of where I truly am.

I have some options. I could take the Feb. LSAT but I felt that would be rushed and not very productive (it's already decently late in the application cycle for next fall.) So my aim is June/October 2015, assuming I don't make it into the schools I want. Of course in this off year I would try to find a full time job and hopefully have a better score at that point.

I know this is a lengthy read, but I appreciate it if you made it this far. I wanted to know what some of you guys think and what you would do in my position. It also felt good to air it out. Also, if you're in my position, at least you know you're not alone! :'(

Patrick :D

Hey there sorry about score. I have a similar situation. I took the test in June of last year and scored well below what it was scoring on PT's. But I studied for four more months and added three more points to my score to give me a competitive percentile. In your situation I would keep studying, go over the December test and see what your weak points were, and crush the test in June; that sounds like plenty of time. As for the first score, write an addendum mentioning your father. Best of luck & keep up the hard work.

mpits001

@Patrick Hey thanks for the reply! It's great to hear that you were able to raise you score after the first exam! Also, where can I add the addendum?

jdawg113

Im a strong proponent of retaking, especially when you're at the lower end of the spectrum score-wise. Your goal may be only around 155 but you are capable of higher than that. being in that score range is a fundamentals thing and means there are things fundamentally that need work which IMO is the reason theres a decent amount of people PTing constantly around what they want and drop so much on test day (instead of a normal few point diff) bc fundamentals is what your score for the most part depends on. Take a year off, get a job, keep studying and get your fundamentals down more and retake when you're ready, if you keep your target school the same and increase 10 points the amount of money that 1 year will save you is a pretty penny... food for thought. GL on your decision

mpits001

@jdawg113 Thank you for the advice. I think if I take the test in June or Oct I can def hit the 160s (I was able to average my upper 150s within 3 months), so hopefully with another 6-8 months worth of studying I can nudge further along and that would def help me scholarship wise. I still want to apply and see if I can get in with the small percentage I can. If not I will wait a year and do my best to even hit a 170 and really get the fundamentals down. Once again, thank you for your advice!

Patrick :D

As part of your law school application, a majority of schools allow you to write a one-page addendum describing a specific difficulty you had with your test taking process; in your example your father's situation.

jdawg113

I think I would avoid the addendum bc it did not really interfere with your ability to take the test or mental state for the test itself, just backtracked ur studying a bit (from what Im interpreting that as)

mpits001

@jdawg113 well on test day there was some sort of high school debate going on in the classroom next to mine. They were using microphones, sliding desks across the room, and constantly opening a squeaky door. Should I add that, is it not worth mentioning?

jdawg113

thats more of an LSAC complaint than addendum worthy I think

mpits001

@jdawg113 okay thank you!