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MattDegz14

.

dmlang22

if you genuinely need them? then sure, but I wouldn't say that more time translates to you scoring exponentially better. also, without assuming your circumstances, would emphasize that if you truly, medically need it? then go for it. but if you're trying to game the system? that's problematic

MattDegz14

I have conditions that I know others have used to get accommodations. I just was wondering how widespread the use was. That's all.

Kitty McMaster-1

I wonder if I can use accommodations for being an English language learner sometimes. It is very difficult for me to read as fast as a native speaker, although I don't have any disability.

kanel1995

Most (or many) top scores have accommodation? I'm genuinely curious, as this is news to me

melsathope

Honestly I do think at least some top scorers have accommodations. When I do any section with 150% time I typically miss 1 or 2 questions. With 100% (standard) time, if for example, you mess up one of the games but then find out and go back to correct it, you are pretty much doomed already. I constantly think about getting extra time too (I had accommodations during college and I have a very good GPA) but I am scared that law schools see accommodations as a negative factor. When I was a pre-med a professor told me that med schools don't like to see accommodations and this pretty much stuck in my head since.

rachneli

I mean, this all kind of sounds like cheating. There are people who have actual conditions who actually need them. In no way am I saying those people don't deserve them. They do. But talking about getting accommodations, especially publicly, just to boost your score seems unethical. It really frustrates me when I see posts like this.

eliza180marie

Are schools able to see if LSAT accommodations are used?

justindnbr

@elizaschank no

melsathope

No I think they don’t see. But … I don’t know

maco4538

they won't know that you were allowed extra time, they will only have access to your scores. I agree that it's problematic but it's also undeniable that others have used it to seek an advantage which hurts everybody--all I gotta say is selfish people get the farthest ahead in life so take the route best suited for your goals. Im not saying its right, and I certainly didn't request extra time, but you're own person and you gotta call the shots. > @dmlang22 said:

if you genuinely need them? then sure, but I wouldn't say that more time translates to you scoring exponentially better. also, without assuming your circumstances, would emphasize that if you truly, medically need it? then go for it. but if you're trying to game the system? that's problematic

coldbrewithoat

@MattDegz14 said:
I've debated whether I should seek accommodations. It seems that many, if not most, top scorers have them and I feel that I am putting myself behind the 8 ball by not seeking them. Thoughts?

While I'm sure this question came with genuine intent, I don't think it's fair to associate accommodations with top scorers. As an accommodated test-taker who worked their way up from the 150s to the 170s, I know that my scores are a product of my work ethic and commitment to the LSAT. When I did not have accommodations, I was not on an equal playing field with other test-takers. Now, I have a fair shot at demonstrating my full competitive potential while having several disabilities.

Accommodations definitely do not make the LSAT easy. With extra time/some small breaks, my LSAT is almost 5 hours long, which makes it an endurance test. I still feel the intense pressure of time constraints like everyone else, and on top of that, I have health problems that cause stress throughout the exam. When speaking with friends who are taking the LSAT without accommodations, our struggles, as well as the trajectory of our score improvements, are relatively the same. Many of them are the top-scorers you are referring to, and their path to the 170s took just as much time and hard work as mine did.

I see in this thread that you have conditions that can qualify you for accommodations and do not wish to invalidate your personal experiences. If you think they are right for you, go for it! I don't know where you are at in your studying journey, but for me personally, the need for accommodations was pretty salient soon after my initial diagnostic.

The LSAT disadvantages incredibly talented and intelligent students with disabilities, and we deserve a shot like everyone else. I just don't want this discourse to contribute to the myth that people use accommodations to gain an unfair advantage or have an easier path to a top score.