+5 on my August LSAT compared to my PTs?

Aarmoire

I typically drill 35 min sections of the sections and have been doing so for late July and August before the August LSAT. I've only ever written 2 full lenght PTs the week of my LSAT. On my 2 PTs I scored a 157 and 158, but on my August LSAT got a 163. The LSAT I wrote on test day felt easier than my PTs, so should I see this a fluke? Does anyone else have any theories as to how this could have happened? Is this uncommon? Thanks

Matt Sorr

You can't call an official, administered LSAT a fluke. You took the real August test and got a very real 163. A fluctuation of five to six points, particularly when you're not scoring far into the upper rungs (like the mid to high 170s), is normal. It's totally possible that the questions just played to your strengths more than usual, and that's totally legitimate. The reality of the LSAT, and most other standardized tests, is some administrations just come more naturally to you than others.

If you're asking whether or not it's a fluke because you plan to retake, however, that's a slightly different story. It is still by no means a fluke, but you may want to treat it as one if you'd like to score higher than a 163. What I mean is that you still have that 163 on your record and it can't be taken from you, but if your goal is to score, say, a 165, then don't allow yourself to think that a 163 is your typical score because of one test. Allow yourself to believe it once your past 5 test scores average out to at least a 165. I hope this helps! And congrats if you're done with your LSAT journey!

Aarmoire

@"Matt Sorr" Thanks so much for this insight! I agree with your assessment and I am shooting for a 166 so you're definitely right - will try to keep my expectations realistic and aim to consistently get 166's before I start celebrating! The end is in sight but not there yet! Thanks so much for your response, definitely helped me