August 2021 Overcorrection?

practiceinordertopractice

Hi 7Sagers,

First of all, congratulations to all who received their target score from the August administration today.

I'll be the first to admit that I am not in that category. On various forums and social media accounts, I've seen a number of folks describing a phenomenon that is similar to my experience, so I wanted to relate that information here to see if others have encountered it as well.

I started studying about one year ago, using a combination of 7Sage, LSAT Trainer, and more recently, the Loophole. My first ever diagnostic was 150, but by the end of the study year (August), I was consistently scoring in the mid-to-upper 160s, even on the most recent practice tests. My last ten PTs ranged between 164-168, with the more recent exams being closer to the 168 mark. During the actual administration, I felt fairly clear-minded and confident. I know now that my first section was experimental, and I felt that the sections actually played to my strengths fairly well.

So, I was pretty devastated to get a score this morning in the mid-150s. Basically, my PT average had dropped by ~10 points, and I'm pretty shattered. However, I'm also surprised to see so many others sharing a similar experience on various threads. Because this exam is undisclosed, it's really hard to gains specific insights into where things went so awry.

So here's my question - and I promise it's not bitter blood - but rather a recognition that others have recounted a similar experience during this administration: could the LSAC have overcorrected the curve for the past August administration?

zoomzoom

I'm in the exact same boat as you. I was in mid to high 160's and got a score in the 150's.

I actually teared up. I couldn't believe it. I hadn't scored so low in over a year.

I would not be surprised if they overcorrected it but what would they have done is what I am wondering?

Would they tighten the curve by doing a -8 to -6 for a 170 or -20 to -17 for a 160?

I dunno, I'm just as lost as you.

Jiujitsujunkie

A couple of my friends who would consistently score in the mid 170's have scored in the mid 160's. Don't beat yourself up too much.

catbelly

In the same situation as you! Powerscore said that this test could've had a looser curve especially because of that RC section, so I was shocked to see my score. I hadn't scored below the 160s in months. I think it could have been an overcorrection, and I've seen that opinion on Reddit too... but of course, I have no idea. But it's comforting to know that others feel similarly! Here's to October/November!

practiceinordertopractice

ZoomZoom- I'm really sorry to hear that you've encountered a similar situation. I agree that it's mystifying, frustrating, and disheartening. This is one of the many times that I wish the LSAC were more transparent with testakers about the administration.

Earlier this week, I listened to an LSAT podcast, and noted a few interesting things about this particular administration. First, A LOT of people took this exam. I think it was on the order of around 23,000 people in one weekend/week of administration.

Second, the exam most definitely used material from the October 2020 administration on the August 2021 exam. Supposedly, there are mechanisms in place to prevent those who took the Oct 2020 exam from second exposure, but this seems like an extremely short timeframe for turning around reuse of materials, and potentially like an unfair advantage if the mechanisms in place do not work properly. (How would we know?)

Third, and not sure if anyone else has observed this, but when the podcast hosts described the sections from Saturday, I was like "yep that was my LG section exactly," and then "yep that was my RC passage exactly," and then "yep that was my experimental RC exactly." But then they got to the LRs, and only some of the questions matched from my section. And as they started describing LR questions from across the weekend, I realized that my questions varied across exam formats. And since I only had one LR section, I know it has to be experimental.

So, in my opinion, there were some interesting factors at play in the August administration and I wonder if any or all of them impacted the curve we witnessed today.