Are simulated flex tests calculated correctly?

thomascraig96

Hi, does anyone know how accurate the score conversion from the PTs (when simulating flex) on this site are to the actual flex exam? I only ask because each time I take a practice test and simulate the flex, I score in my preferred range or score somewhat higher. But when I took the exam in October and in January, my actual test scores were 10-13+ LOWER than my usual score on ANY PT.

I don't feel like I do anything different during the real exam vs. a practice test but of course it could just be me choking under the pressure. If that is the case, does anyone have any tips for test day nerves? Preparing again for April 10 and not feeling too confident because I don’t know whether I can even trust my PT progress at this point...

canihazJD

No one can say for sure, as we do not know LSAC's scaling methodology, and the released PTs, with the exception of M20 were scaled as 4 section tests. Regardless they are still a good benchmark. I'd assume some type of performance factor over inaccurate scaling... especially with that big of a disparity, and the fact that scoring seems to be fairly accurate for most other people. While a test day penalty should be anticipated, IMO -13 is a lot. Lots of possible factors... anxiety on test day can be a bitch, and we can never truly replicate (thus prepare for) it. I'd just take a bit to see if I could isolate any specific potential causes. More importantly we should plan to experience that kind of performance degradation. We strive to have a perfect take, but the reality is that it's not going to happen... there is a 100% chance you will screw something up on the real test. So have a plan in place... not "I'll try not to screw up" or even, "if I screw up, this is what I should do" but "when I screw up, I need to do X, so I'm going to make sure I am awesome at doing X."

Juliet - Student Service

Hi @thomascraig96,

The scaled scores generated from Flex mode use the same methodology as our Flex Score Convertor which is based on having the same raw to scaled conversion table, but scored as though there was only one LR section (one half of the usual amount) with the raw score scaled up to account for reduction in number of questions. Because no one outside of LSAC knows how the scoring will actually be done, this is just an educated guess.

Let us know if you have any further questions