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In tears. I did terrible.
MonkeyMammoth24
Member
I am an American studying abroad in the UK, and so I've just taken my exam today. I had wifi issues at my apartment and so I booked a public office space to take the exam. I was pumped and ready to take the exam. ProctorU began demanding I download software that is incompatible with my MacBook (i.e. a .exe file). I was unable to download it and thus unable to connect to a proctor and take my test. Of course I had to call customer service, and the lady ridiculed me and blamed the tech issues on me for being international. I was so flustered, anxious and frustrated. I was ultimately unable to use my own computer and had to borrow a Thinkpad from the public office. The keyboard was British and I spent so much time on my test simply trying to figure out where all of the keys were. On top of this I was too frustrated to focus for the first two sections - I have never felt so bad about a test as I do this one. The reading comp alone probably tanked my score because I kept having to re-read and hold back tears. During my 10 minute break I went to the restroom and cried. The last 2 sections went by okay, because I forced myself to pretend like I wasn't about to break down.
2 years of studying for the LSAT and website and tech issues might be the reason I don't get into the law school of my dreams.
I already filed a formal complaint to retake the exam, no guarantee that it will be granted though.
I am a wreck. I can't believe this is how test day went. 25 prep tests since June and I was averaging a 165 and sometimes higher, but because of what I went through this morning I wouldn't be surprised if I got a 150
Comments
All is not lost babe! You will pass and you could always retake in November or January
I recommend listening to the podcasts on 7 Sage. Plenty of folks had this happen to them and they eventually scored awesome scores. This is just a hurdle. Cry about it for a bit, then remember the boss person you are and how you WILL own this test!
Cancel your score and retake in November amigo.
Unfortunately I don't have that option, as the next international testing date is January. By the point I will have to just wait until next year, because I need the better odds of merit money by applying "early." ):
aye monkeymammoth24 - first of all, that customer service lady/man is a BITCH. A DUMB BITCH ASS MONKEY LOOKIN MAMMOTH LOOKIN ASS BITCH. They got lice in their hair and their husband/wife despises them. That's a MBT.
Second of all, you got "24" on your name - where's that Mamba Mentality fam?? Two years of studying is nothing bruhv. Folks studied 3+ years on this forum and others before their success. Take inspiration from those crazy motherfuckers.
Thirdly, you gotta stop crying fam. I cry sometimes too but if you can't handle even this kind of pressure, law school and law in general will FUCK.YOU.UP. I'm not shaming you for crying trust me. I'm as big a wuss as they get, but I'm just giving you real talk fam.
Fourthly, you're in the UK. Please go watch a Tottemham Spurs game and sip some tea with your folks. Flip off the "royal guards" at Buckingham palace and enjoy a nice pastry. So much life out there in the UK!! fUK!!
Keep your head up kiddo - it ain't over til u say it is fam. HOly shit I'm so cringe.
Sorry to hear that! I also had a bad experience today as a test taker in Europe. Do you remember any of your LR questions?
Oh my goodness! You have every right to be upset. But please do rest assured that they will most likely let you test again. This happened to some of my friends and each of them was able to reschedule. I'm sure LSAC is aware of how problematic Proctor U is.
Also, if its any consolation. My proctors switched in the middle of my exam and decided to interrupt me and tell me! On top of that she thought I was taking a different exam (something about physical fitness)!!! I politely told her that I was in the middle of an exam and she re-muted but I was panicked and thrown off because of it. Then it happened again, but this time she didn't mute back so I heard background talking and random noises until I just decided to mute her. This took up some time, I barely finished my section and my anxiety got super bad. I thought I was screwed. Turned out I scored 5 points higher than my last score. While, not as traumatizing as what you went through, I just wanted to plant the seed in your mind that you may not have done as badly as you think!
Cry it out but all is not lost, friend!
This actually made me feel a lot better, thank you I appreciate it. It's just so problematic how much time and money goes into studying for this test just for ProctorU to ruin it for anxious test takers.
If you in fact get a lower than expected score (which may not even happen), January is a perfectly viable option. While earlier is better, scholarship money generally doesn't "run out." Schools overcommit several times their budget and are constantly getting money"back" as people withdraw, and re-awarding it. Anecdotally, I applied with a January score and am at a T14 with the highest scholarship they offer.
Petition for a retake, then focus on self care until you hear back. Best case, take another shot next week... worst case, kill it in January. Either way (and even if things had gone smoothly this time) holds possible that you both do or do not ultimately get viable admissions outcomes. It could very well be that the extra study time between now and Jan makes the difference... it was for me. Just focus on what's in your control.
@MonkeyMammoth24 I agree with @canihazJD's take here. This application cycle will be slower than usual as well because of the spillover effect from last cycle, so I think you'll be just fine with January.
That being said if you're really not feeling January, couldn't you board a plane to the US/Canada in November and take the test that way? Might sound extreme to some, but as long as there's not some LSAC rule against doing this (there's not that I'm aware of), then I wouldn't say this is an extreme measure at all. When it comes to accomplishing your goals, there has to come a point where nothing will get in your way.
I really hope you don’t have to go through what I did today. Not everything is about being the strongest and most emotionless human on earth. I am rightfully upset that time and money has been wasted if this ends up being my test. I’ll be perfectly capable in law school and don’t need a man telling me how hard it’s going to be and that I’m not allowed to be upset if I want to succeed. I see you post a lot throughout 7Sage and while you may be trying to come across as encouraging, it’s often cringy and inappropriate. 2 years IS in fact a lot of time to spend studying for a single test, but thanks for your insight that compared to other people it’s not. Your comment was unhelpful and I encourage you to reread your posts before making them public.
First off, congratulations on taking a test that's also given me a painful journey of emotional turmoil that I did not need. You should be extremely proud of yourself! And I fully believe that you have the capability to ace it. The LSAT evil lords just threw you a ton more curveballs than normal this time. But they can't defeat you!
Now, for practical advice: you've already done what you need to do, which is to file a formal complaint. Like others have said, given the enormous amount of tech issues experienced by October test-takers, you will very likely get your complaint approved and get a re-take. If that doesn't work out, @galactic and @canihazJD's suggestions are also an option.
Bottom line is, your dream is not over by any means! Give yourself a few days to process your emotions, and if your re-take doesn't get approved, just take a whole week off of the LSAT! Don't forget that looking after yourself is more important than anything else. Sending you best wishes!
Hey bestie!!! I took the exam from France today and homie we deserve an extra generous curve for having to deal with the obstacles of taking this exam from abroad. I'm so sorry to hear that this happened to you and I agree that the pressure to do well today was unbearable bc of the lack of November international exam date. I remember feeling a huge sense of dread when I hopelessly watched the November registration deadline come and go. You have worked so hard and positive energy will come back to you! I'm going to take a ~break~ from thinking about this exam for a while and just soak up where I am. The positive thing about being abroad is that I think it's easier to distract yourself with all the new and interesting stuff around you. You deserve to take a break from all of this and if you end up having to come back to it, I think a break could really help you get back in the headspace! That being said I have a very strong feeling that you'll be able to retake it next week and if not, like was said above, it's never too late! You can always take a break and regroup. I've noticed from being here at least that life is not as fast paced and career-driven as American society tells you it is. You have years and years ahead of you. You deserve to go to law school and you will make it! Don't give up!
literally thank you so much. this is a great perspective.
That's true, thanks so much for the advice!
Thank you so much
Trust me you are not the only one. My proctor interrupted me and stole over 5 minutes of my test and would not give it back. I told them I would not complete it and I lodged a complaint. A similar thing happened in August. I am wondering if I will ever be able to take the test without interruption. I would definitely write an addendum if you are unable to get a good test under your belt. It will help at least somewhat in the admissions process.
It's crazy that this has been going on since the LSAT went digital. I had tech issues when I took in June but nowhere near as bad as what happened today. This type of thing really does single out anxious test takers like myself. When I take a PrepTest in my room with a relaxed mindset and a cup of coffee - 167. When I am forced to go through hours of painstaking customer service reps and use a foreign British laptop because ProctorU won't give me a correct file download? Who knows where I'll end up. ProctorU/LSAC really make it so hard for people to prove their potential "on the record."
I'm sorry you had to go through this experience, sometimes in life no matter how much we prepare things just go wrong. I hope you realize that this is not your fault at all, this is on Proctor U and LSAC. It's normal to feel bad, take your time to cope with the situation you had to go through but just know that this isn't the end. You should contact LSAC and try to schedule a retake as soon as possible, if not you should schedule for the next available LSAT. You will be attending a Law School in the future, and you will find a way to become a lawyer. This is a roadbump that will not define your journey. Good luck!
Please don't complain too much about a digital LSAT and at home options or flex options, because some of us cherish this flexibility.
Lol you think I don’t cherish this option? I wouldn’t be able to even take the test from the UK if it weren’t for the digital test. Kindly, don’t selfishly tell people to not complain about something simply because YOU didn’t experience issues with it. in my experience it caused anxiety and frustration which led to the entire test being ruined. I had to take the test on a foreign keyboard. Not everyone’s test goes perfectly and the digital factor really fucks over people who experience problems. If you have nothing constructive to say then please get off my discussion post.
I'm so sorry! I had terrible technical issues and the agents they had me on with were RUDE. Pretty sure I bombed the first section and was almost in tears on break too. All I can do is thank past-me for scheduling the November test "just in case".
I feel you! We will both recover, take it again, and do much better! Also sorry but F&%$ ProctorU I hate them with such a burning passion.
I still do and will always complain about them because:
Having to read on a screen adds up unnecessary anxiety on the RC section (eyes hurt, hard to stay focused etc.). I would probably have done even worse had my laptop not the option to turn into tablet mode so that I could get it closer to my eyes and use the touch screen to navigate through the text and choose the answers directly with my finger.
I honestly do not understand why now there are 3 scored and 1 unscored section, as opposed to 4 scored and 1 unscored section on the normal LSAT. Gents, either do 5 sections including 1 experimental, or 4 sections with no experimental, but wtf is this crap? Now every wrong answer matters more and if you have bad luck and get a very hard section (which can totally happen, no matter how well you are prepared), then you have to hope for a miracle to still be in the 170s...
Generally, I don't understand why this switch to digital test needs to be permanent! For GMAT and GRE, it totally makes sense since they are adaptive, but for LSAT? It is unnecessary torture!
I do not think that it will make any difference, but I will make a formal complaint to LSAC and demand that they should provide at least the option to take the LSAT on pen and paper, like back in the good old days.
LSAC doesn't give a f**k about their test takers (especially international ones), have incredibly unfavorable refund policies once you've registered for the test, and when I took the test the first time c.2 years ago I had to contact them via FAX (!!!!!) in order to make a change of the test center in my registration... but the only thing for which I praised them was that the exam was still taken with pen and paper.
It's really mind boggling how hit or miss (and usually seems like miss, hearing from everyone's stories, though that might just be bias from the types of posts I see pop up on disc. forums often) that these customer service reps are, especially considering how important all this is for your future. Hope everything works out in your favor!
this is the best pep talk i've ever seen
@HopefullyHLS LSAC actually does offer a paper test accommodation. You have to request it, and I am not sure if you need a letter as with other accommodations, but it is available.
Maybe this is a dumb question... but can you not register for the US testing slots anyway, since it's all virtual? And I'm presuming you permanently reside in the US.
Thankfully I was granted the retake due to the gravity of the issue. I retook the test on Thursday. but, to answer your question: internationals cannot take non-international exams even though its all virtual. You sign up based on where you will physically be on test day, and if you attempt to hide your location via VPN they WILL find out lol... its to prevent cheating I think
^ I don't know if that's necessarily the case - they requested I turn my VPN on the entire time for October and there was no issues with the system? Could be viable
Odd, I thought it was based on your permanent residence. I mean, what if you're studying abroad or doing an exchange semester? That would be quite arbitrary... I signed up and was only asked to provide my permanent address, which is in the US, so I think that should be fine... I wasn't even using a VPN.
that's exactly the position I'm in. I am a permanent US resident studying abroad in London. I asked LSAC if this means I have to take an international administration and they said yes. It does seem really dumb, but at least October was international so I could take it.
Argh, that's quite annoying. Thanks for the heads up, as I'll probably still be abroad when I'm going to take the LSAT.