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Anyone noticing their real scores are much lower than PT scores?
I wanted to get some more info on this. Since August, I have heard from all my friends that they scored on the real test roughly 5-10 points less than they are used to scoring on PT’s. My theory is that this is because LSAC is intentionally giving out harder tests in order to keep the scores down since they have so many test takers this year. Are your scores this year reliably lower than your PT’s? Do you think this is because LSAC is giving out harder tests?
Comments
10 points is a substantial decrease. How many of your friends are experiencing this? I just took the Oct. LSAT and it felt roughly like most of my PTS. Obviously I won’t know until I get my score back. But I took the most recently released PT (92) and scored the same as any other test, even slightly higher
I took the September 2019 LSAT. I was PTing around 160-162 right before. On the actual exam I scored in the low 150s. I was just off that day on one of the harder logic games and it threw off my whole routine and I think it affected my entire exam.
I think performance on test day all has to do with mindset, nerves, and the fact that it is just hard sometimes. You may get a really hard RC section that decimates your confidence and ability to keep moving through the section. Then this may psychologically affect your confidence on the next section, etc.
This phenomenon appears to happen to a lot of people. So, I wouldn't sweat it. I let it affect me and I quit. I didn't want to keep studying and I let it affect my decision to not want to go to law school for awhile. I had a diagnostic in the mid 140s and had improved my score 15-20 points on my PTs right before test day. So, the dip to low 150s on my actual exam just got he best of me.
Deep down I wanted to still study for LSAT and go to law school and still do. But, I let that day affect my pride and ruin my confidence, discipline, and overall drive.
So, please don't do this and just keep pushing until you get the score you want, desire for. There's nothing worse than quitting.
I had one friend I know immediately who experienced this and a few more friends of friends who got at least 5 points lower. Basically everyone I know who is taking it said they got at least around 5 points less than PT. Maybe they're just embellishing their PT scores, but it doesn't seem random. Honestly I hope you are right.
Honestly I have no idea. I don't have any friends at all who take the LSAT, the only people I know of are on 7sage. It's definitely possibly but I really hope it's not the case.
I think this discrepancy can also depend on what PT's you having mainly using recently. If someone was doing practice tests in the 50's-70's and below - these tests are in my opinion slightly easier in LR than the more recent tests - in the 80's+. I myself saw a pretty big score drop between the 70's tests and 80's tests. However my June LSAT was on pair if not slightly higher than my most recent PT's in the mid 80's. '
It's also extremely common to have test day jitters and nerves bring down your performance.