Score Cancellation -- Thoughts (Help) Appreciated

marie3lisemarie3lise Free Trial Member
in General 22 karma

Hi Friends,

I have a dilemma that I would appreciate some insight on. I have taken the LSAT once (in June) and gotten a 160, which I wanted to improve significantly this September. I ended up going through a break up this past LSAT weekend and felt terrible throughout the test (I thought I was going to have to leave on multiple occasions because I was so nauseous). In addition, I did not finish three questions on the LG section. Other confounding factors that contributed include that I moved at the end of July to be with my ex in another city, keeping my old job and commuting to work 1.75 hours each direction daily. I was interviewing and was offered another position in order to be in the same city as my ex the week prior to the LSAT and accepted, so my entire life circumstances changed within about a month. I say this because I think all the turmoil on test day and leading up to it really affected my ability to focus and perform my best, both in June and last weekend.

Were you me in this situation, would you cancel and retake in November, or keep the score and retake in November? I know schools will see a cancellation, and I would also like to apply early decision, for which September is the last possible date they accept, so I would be gambling on the September score or using the 160, which I do not want to do... I also do not want three scores to look detrimental. I need to decide within about 24 hours, so any thoughts are greatly appreciated! Thanks so much.

Comments

  • AngusMcGillisAngusMcGillis Member
    403 karma

    Sounds like you could have gotten a better score than June, so keep it.
    Even if it ends up being lower, majority of schools take the highest score

  • MissChanandlerMissChanandler Alum Member Sage ⭐
    3256 karma

    I'm sorry you had such a rough time :( Which schools do you want to ED to? If you believe you did worse than a 160, cancel. If not, I'd keep the score, even if it might only be a few points higher.

  • marie3lisemarie3lise Free Trial Member
    22 karma

    Thank you! Northwestern is where I would like to apply ED.

    I just don't want three scores showing up to look terrible, but a cancellation might be just as detrimental. I appreciate the suggestions!

  • _oshun1__oshun1_ Alum Member
    edited September 2018 3652 karma

    Wow I’m sorry you went through that. I’m surprised that you even had the strength to show up to take the lsat. What was your PT average leading up to the exam, what were you last few PT scores before the exam, how were you scoring on the most recent 70-80 PTs? What was your target score? If your only concern was not finishing LG, then that might have been a good test for you.

  • eRetakereRetaker Free Trial Member
    2043 karma

    @marie3lise Since you're retaking either way in November, just keep it. It definitely sounds like there is a possibility of a higher score than June so it will be in your favor to keep it and then submitting an LSAT addendum. You also don't know if something in life will come up again in November, so if you keep Sept at least you will have a higher score in your back pocket to apply with than your June score.

  • BamboosproutBamboosprout Alum Member
    1694 karma

    I think we tend to be pretty accurate deep down with ourselves, and know what we should do. Excluding mishaps or technical mistakes with the scantron, actual scores tend to be fairly close to what we expect. So you know best if the test score will be helpful for your ED. Like others say, if it's higher than your past score, then it's not a big deal to keep it. If you're really lucky, maybe it'll be good enough that you won't have to wait for Nov score to ED. Worst case scenario, it's useless, then at least you know you can do better in Nov. So in conclusion, only cancel if you expect it to be worse than your previous score.

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