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Related Discussions
Why not going in for an experience?
Peaceofmind
Alum Member
I see many people withdrawing before the test but I don’t quite get why..Why not going in for an experience? Since you already paid? Don’t schools count only the highest score, even for T14? Plus it’s a disclosed test you get to see how you perform and get a copy of the test? Seems to me only pros to go in and write the test..
Comments
I think that just because school's only care about highest doesn't mean that you should waste takes. It's still a score that appears on your record. You should still try to limit how many takes you need. Also, it's also a psychological factor. Why go in if you know you won't hit your target score? Even though people know that, I'm sure that people will still have moments of hope (after taking it) about hitting or exceeding their score and what that would be like. It will distract from you from studying as efficiently as you can for the next one. Ideally, your official take shouldn't be that different from any PTs you took but there's a lot that factors into the decision to delay. Those are just a couple of reasons that I can think of for someone to withdraw. Some people regret taking when they weren't ready and others are glad for the experience, everyone is different.
Food for thought: the reason many people score several points lower on their official LSAT is they have never been in a "high pressure" situation and are not able to properly deal with the REAL pressure of the LSAT, one that seemingly isn't even present during PT's to full extent. Activities such as high school and college athletics or large scale presentations in front of hundreds of people where there is real pressure to perform are oddly similar situations that are analogous to the actual LSAT. If someone has never experienced this feeling and heart pounding pressure I'm not sure how comfortable the official LSAT could be when the clock begins to tick. Again, just my two cents. Either way I'm sure you will kill it ! Good Luck
I personally don’t think it’s worth taking before you are ready. Even with unlimited takes, the best admissions advisors out there still say that the best thing you could do is take the LSAT once and nail it. Schools will still see every score and why have a 150 on your record if you’re trying to get into HYS?
It’s also still advised by those who know best that taking it 3+ times begins to be a negative and likely necessitates an addendum to explain why you took it so many times. If you keep going in and having the same score over and over, it could signal bad judgement. If you retake a 176 multiple times, they could see you as obsessive.
Honestly I don’t think there’s any need for a “practice run” unless maybe you are a person with a known history of test anxiety. It’s just a test. You take it in a room with other people. It’s not that big of a deal. I think there’s more downside than upside to going in and taking it when you are not prepared.
As a retaker, I definitely think my first take helped prepare me for what's to come on my second take. I experienced a pretty significant score drop on my first test day and hit exactly my PT average the second time. I attribute that difference partly to being more accustomed to the test center (took it at the same place both times, almost sat in the same exact seat lol). A few schools I spoke to (notably UCLA and NYU) mentioned that I would need to write an addendum to address score increases of 6+ points so that's definitely one of the downsides.
This is was my experience, but I don't think it justifies sitting for the test before one is ready. The familiarity and prior experience is real but I think we shouldn't address that until our PTs are there because it seems like putting the cart before the horse.
@NotMyName yeah good point. If OP is far away from Target range then definitely do not take.
@retaker2014
Just thinking about this now. I took in December 2016 without being ready, June of 2018 ready but underperformed, and finally July of 2018 and killed it.
I don't think the December take helped me on the June 2018 test. Maybe that was because it was 1.5 years ago, but I think it was more so because the test is totally different when your avg is 160 vs 170s. The prior experience from December wasn't helpful because it wasn't applicable any longer. Driving a Honda Civic around a formula 1 track probably doesn't prepare you to drive a formula 1 car around the same track.
Now I'm left with 2 outlier scores and a few hundred dollars poorer. So yeah. Don't take it until you're ready.
Yeah, this. Not saying that taking it multiple times can't help your nerves. But if your PTs are far off from where you want to score, then I think taking it "just for the experience" isn't the best plan. Even though schools will consider your highest score, they will see them all. You may need to take it more than once to beat nerves, but wait until you're ready and properly prepared to start that process.
You’re not going to have the same level of nerves knowing that you’re going in taking it just for the experience so you’re not getting any “experience” from it.
Let’s say you take one for the experience, second one you might have a headache or just panic and tank so you retake again, third one you feel good but like you could do better, then you take a 4th and finally hit your dream score.
Or just take it once when you’re ready and maybe a second time if you feel there’s room for improvement.
I withdrew 2x from the lsat last year, had I taken those just for the experience/since I paid so why not, I would have had 4 takes total and that looks bad. Prob would’ve been really frustrated w the process too and not reached my target score this year.
I also got really sick twice a couple weeks after the lsat. Studying and taking the exam really takes a toll on your mind/body/soul. No need to do it more than necessary.
As an older person, I've taken many, many "make or break, do or die" exams and tests so far in my life. I can tell you, no matter how many of these that you take, the stress and anxiety are always the same level. Even though I have been in many types of similar situations, I still get the heart pounding pressure and stress. Doesn't decrease with experience, IMO.
I withdrew from September because I knew no matter what my score would be less than my target. Rather than putting myself through that stressful situation, I want to be confident I will hit my target going into the test for my first take. Only way to feel really confident about that is if you're testing above your target score.
I think if you have a chance of reaching your target score, and don't have any experience with the real test, then go for it.
I think everyone has their personal reasons. For me, I took the July test to see where I stand in prep for the main day (today’s exam). I was able to see what test day was like, feel the anxiety, hear the instructions, etc. It seemed to make today that much easier to handle. Certainly, everyone is different but this helped me in particular.
Interesting view from Asst Dean Zearfoss at Michigan on multiple takes:
"Let's say we see a 150, a 151, and then a 170. In that situation, I would want to hear some explanation for why the person thinks there was that distinction, but assuming there was some sensible story-I don't really have any presupposition about what that story should be, I just want to hear what the story is. Assuming there's some sensible explanation there, I would not hesitate to put more weight on the 170. Let's say the pattern was a 165, a 167, and a 169. You can't really go up usually too much on the LSAT-in general, the people who take it multiple times score within two or three points. So you would expect someone who took it twice to go up two or three points, just from more familiarity with the test, all other things being equal. So taking it two more times and going up two more points, I would put more weight in that instance on the mean score: the 167. I would think that would actually be the one that's more predictive."