Score Came Out and Disappointed, What Should I do?

Pat the Bunny

Hello everyone!

I just first want to say kudos to everyone who took the January test. It was my first time taking it and it was really tough, a lot tougher in my opinion than taking practice tests. I'm just curious on what some of your thoughts may be about my experience. So I received the score today and I got a 163. Honestly, it isn't a bad score and when I look up at the 7sage school predictor, I see a lot of pretty good law schools I could consider as "target". But for me personally, when I first saw my score I was really disappointed. My average score from the 85 or so practice tests that I took in preparation was around 170 and I was consistently in the 170's weeks before the test. Also, I had thought I did pretty well on the actual test despite my nerves. Nerves did get to me though -- and I knew that they would -- and this is why I'm completely lost on what I should do. The test was pretty fair and I know I was prepared and yet I received a score that was way lower than my average. So I'm thinking that if I re-take the test, it might just be the same thing all over again. And I for sure know that I don't want to put myself through all the mental stress only to get similar results. I've also recently started my first semester of senior year and everything's going pretty well so I don't want to go on a leave and postpone my graduation. I've heard (from people talking about the LSAT on YouTube and from podcasts) that people usually don't do very well on their first test. But I'm really not sure what I should do.. Does anyone have any advice?

rmmccoy94

I'd take it again! One big difference with a second test is that you know exactly what to expect if you take the flex again. That can be a huge difference in terms of nerves. You know how to get the software set up. The worst didn't happen and the proctor didn't cause you to lose time. So that could be a huge help for settling nerves.

I'm not sure why you'd need to go on leave and postpone your graduation, you can study while doing school. There are a lot of us who work full time jobs and are taking the LSAT.

But at the end of the day it is up to you and no one can tell you what to do. If you think you can do better, and your practice tests show you can do better, then take it again. If you don't and you decide you're happy with that score, then stick with it.

VerdantZephyr

Absolutely agree with @rmmccoy94 . Also, if you're just starting senior than you are not, I presume, planning to enter law school in 2021. If that's the case I don't really understand why you wouldn't retake. You could retake twice at a leisurely pace and still be ready to submit day one for next year's cycle.

I also just retook for the first time after getting a useable but somewhat disappointing score. Knowing that I had a score I could use to apply with, (I submitted all but one of my apps before taking the Jan. test) nerves were not a problem at all. I think the process gets much easier after the first, and you can't lower your score with subsequent takes.

One last thought. You mention having taken 85 PTs. This is inevitable now since you've gone through all the PTs, but maybe you aren't studying them in a way that is supremely effective for your learning? How much time are you spending blind reviewing and then going over the questions that you still don't understand? Have you done partnered BRs? What ways can you go back to the old material and try new approaches to get new knowledge out of it?

Pat the Bunny

Thank you @VerdantZephyr for your input!! I did think about my performance on the test and I think that because I was nervous I relied a lot on my "gut feeling" about correct answer choices. I think that if I really had solidified my reasoning skills I would not have had to rely so much on my instincts. I think that during my prep, I just tried to cover as much questions as possible and review them, yes, but review only the questions I got wrong and not with BR but just by looking at the wonderful videos available here on 7sage. I think JY said in one of his videos that it is better to start out slow, meaning solving and reviewing problems slowly but carefully, and as your reasoning skills really solidify, the speed will naturally come. I didn't know how important this was during my first prep but now I know and in preparing for the re-take, I think I'll try studying more meticulously and worrying less about speed. But anyway, thanks for commenting and I decided to do a re-take!

VerdantZephyr

@"Pat the Bunny" I strongly encourage you to do partnered BR. Take a PT on your own and find a buddy to do the same. Do not check your answers. BR together and challenge each other to defend your reasoning. This forces you to articulate your own reasoning and also to listen to a different perspective. Sometimes you will agree but will realize that your partner got to the answer a different way. Other times you will develop a good understanding of what you got wrong when thinking it through. I would not, however, turn to somebody that spams forums for tutoring help. There are plenty of tutors around that don't need to lazily spam boards.