PT Scores Dropping

alex1996

Hi 7Sagers!

I am scheduled to take the February administration and have a problem. (Don't we all?) For weeks, I've been hitting my target score range (157-160). However, the last two PT's I've taken (74 & 75) have been downhill for me. 150 & 153. (I haven't changed my diet or exercise routines since I was achieving my desired scores). I'm not sure how to handle this/react to it, as the exam is less than two weeks away and the last thing I want to do is postpone taking the exam since I want to apply for Fall admission.

Thanks everyone!

StopLawying

I know you don't want to hear this but please postpone and apply next cycle.

alex1996

@StopLawying Thanks for the comment. Would you elaborate?

StopLawying

Sure. I think you're aiming too low. Why is your target score 157-160? With more study, you might be capable of scoring much higher, and a higher LSAT score will help you in the long-run: you'll get into a better school, which leads to better job, which leads to higher quality of life, you get the point. Basically, don't settle for an average score so that you can apply this cycle. Wait another year and I promise you it'll pay off. I was in the same position you're currently in, and it was hard at first to decide to push law school off for another year, but I realize now I definitely made the right decision. A higher LSAT is really life-changing. Aim high, study hard, and kill the LSAT. Good luck!

bbutler

@alex1996 I agree with @StopLawying that you should really rethink applying in this cycle, as hard as it might sound, but know you're not alone. I was in the same boat as you and rushed through the curriculum the first time and scrambled to start taking PT's when I wasn't ready because I wanted to apply this cycle. But the best decision I could have ever made was delaying a cycle because it's allowing me to understand the material so much better this time around and I feel so much more confident moving forward so that I can get a scholarship to a top school. You can do the same thing, you have to remember the only ceiling on this test is a 180, don't sell yourself short because you're capable of scoring as high as you want.

Now as far as why your scores are going lower recently it's awesome that you've tracked your diet and exercise but how long have you been scoring in the 157-160 range? Like how many tests in this range before the drop. Also how has your BR been during this dip, is it right around where it was before or has it changed too? Finally is there any pattern that you can see to questions that you've missed (misread, ran out of time, struggling with a question type, etc.)? There is nothing wrong with revisiting the curriculum for a little bit before going back to PT's if you feel you're shaky in a certain area, but understanding why your scores have dropped recently will help you be able to score back where you were and then push through and score even higher! Good luck and happy studying!

joshuafjones22

@StopLawying You suggest achieving a higher LSAT is life changing..I am hoping you can offer some additional data/facts, which indicate that If any of us simply score a little higher on the LSAT, our lives will simply change for the better. I understand your overall argument, however it is unfortunately layered with condescension. We should all achieve for the highest score possible, but some of us will score 155s and 160s, and instead of attending a T14, we will attend a top 50, or ever top 100 score. I think @alex1996 should do what is best for his/her situation.

Nicole Hopkins

@joshuafjones22 :

I think @alex1996 should do what is best for his/her situation.

Yes! I firmly believe that the vast majority of us on this forum have the same goal—to encourage each person to do what is best in his/her situation. And it is with that goal in mind that I can, with full assurance, say that a higher score, even (or especially) at top 50 or top 100 school, will truly be in anyone's best interest. The WORST situation in which to find oneself is attending a T50-T100 school and paying too much for it, coupled with the often grim prospects for debt repayment for folks who go to those schools. If you're going to stray very far from the T20, you'd best be sure to make it affordable for yourself by means of scholarships. And at those schools in particular, the absolute best way to gain scholarship leverage is with a 165+ LSAT score.

joshuafjones22

@"Nicole Hopkins" I do not disagree with anything you said. The problem that I have discovered after reading the various topics on 7 sage is that too often blanket statements are made and the actual best interests of an individual are ignored. It is very easy to understand why paying too much for a undervalued degree should be avoided. However, there are so many great regional law schools that will benefit the careers of students, which do not require a 160+ school. So, implying that a student who chooses to wait out a year to improve the likelihood of attending a higher ranking law school does not seem to make the most sense. Not too mention the overgeneralization that doing so would automatically result in a higher quality of life.... How are we even measuring quality of life?

Nicole Hopkins

@joshuafjones22 said:
Not too mention the overgeneralization that doing so would automatically result in a higher quality of life....

One commenter has argued for that point. Those of us who have been in the workforce for a substantial number of years would likely not make a similar argument.

The fact remains: a higher LSAT score puts anyone in a better position for scholarship negotiations (outside of HYS); decreased debt load definitely makes for a higher quality of life. Statistics certainly speak to the deleterious effects of high levels of debt on stress levels (and accordingly, lower quality of life in most cases).

I have plenty of friends who are T14 grads with T10 law firm jobs who are miserable with $150K+ in debt ($160k + bonus does not stretch as far as the young attorney-hopeful might imagine, given taxes and monthly income devoted to debt service). Many of them regret having not attended a regional school that would have very likely offered them very high amounts of scholarship money coupled with very similar job prospects. But that's because they have the chops to end up in the top 5-10% of a regional and they were employable enough to get those T10 law firm jobs, credentials not entirely making up for factors that might make one a poor candidate for employment (personality-wise, etc.). And they had the LSAT scores that would have gotten them those generous scholarships at said regional schools.

One thing I know for sure: it would be very difficult to service $150k+ in debt on a $70k/year salary. And that is a very, very harsh financial reality to face.

joshuafjones22

@"Nicole Hopkins" said:
The fact remains: a higher LSAT score puts anyone in a better position for scholarship negotiations

I think we can all agree on this!

Defining and measuring quality of life; however, I will leave up to another arena of discussion/debate.

wlamont

I will say tthis: my goal score is a 158, and I don't think I am "aiming too low." I work at a law firm currently and there is a private law school down the street from our firm that has an EXCELLENT reputation in the area (I am in Birmingham, Alabama). A 158 at this school will pretty much guarantee you're getting at LEAST a 75% scholarship, and I will be able to keep my job while working through law school. I didn't have to quit my job to study, and I have been able to maintain around my target score for PT's. I believe I will have an EXCELLENT quality of life when I am done, debt-free, with a great job as an attorney at a great firm I currently work at and KNOW the culture/quality of life thy want for their attorneys. From being in the legal field since I graduated high school, I can see that most of these "goals" people have for their life as a lawyer is not going to be exactly what they had envisioned. Working 80+ hours a week at a "fancy firm" (as I call them) where you are most definitely a "briefcase toter" for the first seven years is not my idea of a good time.

With all that said, yes, I agree you should strive for the best possible score for your particular goal. But, for me, it's only a 158. Don't let someone look down on you for having a lower score.

Now with all that said, I dropped a few tests when I had first started reaching my target area. You just have to push through and up your studying! Find out the exact problems (mine were the weird logic games that started appearing) and work to fix them. Good luck to all of you!!