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I got a gold slip for violation during the lsat??
joycool9567
Alum Member
Hi Im korean and I took October test in korea.
It was a terrible day for me. I didn't do very well on virtually all sections and expecting lower score than my previous test in July.
So heres what happened.
When the time for section 5 was about to be finished I found that one of my answers in section 2 of the scranton was not fully erased. So I erased the mark fully and in the process of doing so I erased part of my answers and blackened them .
The proctor saw it and told me it was a violation as I "worked" on different section and gave me a gold slip saying 'I marked on one question in section 2.'
In doing so I did not turn back the pages to section 2 or anything of that sort but just erased the incomplete marks and blackened the answer that was recorded so as to avoid the technical difficulties because of the machine's misreading my answer.
From my search I found out yellow slip is a deal breaker and considered as a serious offense. But i feel like erasing the incomplete marks as a 'violation' that wil be on my record permanently seems rather disproportionately harsh
The proctor did not deny he didnt see that I turned back to different section but merely saw me marking on different section. The whole incident destroyed my day and the prospect that this would go in my permanent recors is disheartening. I want to make my case to LSAC though it would be very difficult to overturn the case in my favor.
Anybody had similar experience? I really beed some help on how to deal with this entire mess.
Comments
I'm so sorry to hear about this. I think the best you can do is to write a C&F addendum describing what happened. What is written on the slip is reported to schools you apply to.
Unfortunately, erasing something on other sections is considered as a misconduct even if you don't turn pages:
I unfortunately did not have a similar experience and thus have no advice to give to you on this topic.
However, my brain tells me that the best you can do is to make your case to the LSAC and pray all of your remaining positive karma and blessings be spent on this one incident, because (and forgive me for saying this)...
...your case sounds like a clear, inexcusable violation. I believe the LSAT instructions that come with the ticket specifically warn candidates against working on a section after time is up (I'm not 100% sure, but I would be surprised if it doesn't... besides, I really don't feel like looking at another LSAT-related material), not to mention the proctors' instructions on the D-Day. Besides, doesn't the CSAT also prohibit working on a section after the allocated time is up? I am inclined to think that intention is irrelevant in this case.
I would be more than happy to see somebody contradict me, for joycool9567's sake. If anyone else has any insights, please feel free to share.
Yeah, unfortunately you broke the rules. It might not have felt like cheating but the proctors were doing their jobs by giving you the gold slip. I’d agree with the above advice to write an addendum
The point of that rule is so that you don’t i.e. run out of time to bubble your last few answers in section 1, then while in section 2 you go back and bubble in the remaining section 1 answers. Had the test been on the computer you would not have been able to fill in / erase those answers from a diff section. You would have gotten a leg up over students who were abiding by the time had the proctor not noticed.
I know. But had it been computer I would not have needed to do it. When I said incomplete marks it was not as if I narked two answers and erased one of em but rather I already erased it but felt like it might interefere with the score processing.
I think I technically violated the rule in which case I can definitely explain the circumstance and hope for understanding. But how serious is this violation. . Do they cancel the score if this type of violation happens??
You did not need to make the correction; you should not have done it in the first place. Like I said, intention is likely irrelevant. You had all the time you needed to mark and check your answers during those 35 minutes.
If the scoring machine did not register that partially unerased mark, then everything would have turned out well (especially if you got that question right). Even if it did, it was just one compromised question, which is quite insignificant compared to a testing code violation.
I don't know whether the LSAC cancels the score in such an incident. The real issue, I would think, is the fact that all law schools that you apply to will automatically know that you violated a testing regulation.
Take this for what its worth, one guy's opinion...
I've taken the LSAT formally 3 times. I am positive, like bet my house, 4 children, and kidney positive, that the instructions explicitly say that you are not allowed to work on any section besides the one currently in session. You violated the rule. Period. End of discussion.
I know this sucks. I know it sucks because during my last test I spent the entire last section knowing that I had a answer on section 4 double bubbled. I also knew that it would be easy for me to go back and erase the wrong answer. I didn't because I was deathly afraid of exactly what happened to you.
So, the best thing you can do is move forward, own the mistake, and stop using phrases like "technically" and "worked". Stop blaming the proctor for following the rules and calling you out when you didn't. He did his job and protected the integrity of the test for everyone else not breaking the rules. The best suggestion is to write a C&F statement that is short, factual, and humble. Don't try to deflect blame. Speaking as someone who wrote a C&F statement himself accepting complete responsibility for a past mistake and also as a military leader who spent years responsible for doling out judgments for people that committed transgressions, a show of personal responsibility and acceptance goes a LONG way. Accepting responsibility and a demonstration of contrition sells much better than trying to parse details and deflect blame. Humans make mistakes. Other humans realize that, including humans on admissions panels. Own it and demonstrate remorse and personal growth. That's the best thing you can do at this point.
@LSAT_Wrecker
Thank you for your honest opinion and awakening me into senses.
Yesterday was painful and I was in some sort of a state of self denial. As a person who also served in army as a KATUSA (dont know if you know about em) for two years I also know how honest contrition and accepting the mistake are far better than pointing fingers. Your advice definitely helped me. I should accept my mistake and the consequence. That is the right thing to do.
Being branded as a transgressor is humiliating no matter how trivial the mistake might have been. Ive studied LSAT for a year and with that one silly decision at the end of the test I blew all my efforts away and now I will carry that stigma all along. I never got into trouble in regards to academic dishonesty or unethical conducts all my life and this was simply hard to take. But I guess ill have to suck it.
Again genuinely thankful for your advice
@joycool9567 I'm really sorry to hear about your situation, and @LSAT_Wrecker gave some really good advice. However, in response to your last post, I just want to say that you shouldn't beat yourself up forever. You made a mistake. It hurts and it sucks big time. But one mistake doesn't define you and if you are meant to be a lawyer, this one mistake will not utterly derail you from that goal. This can be a great learning opportunity for you. You are not a bad person because you made a mistake and please do not beat yourself up forever.
This. Owning a mistake does not mean you are a horrible person. Everyone has a bad day. Learn from it, adjust, and keep going. There is a reason that C&F statements are pretty standard in law school applications. No one is perfect.
I'm very familiar with the KATUSA and have great respect for the Republic of Korea people and military. I spent a significant amount of time at Yongsan, Daegu, and Osan. Katchi Kapshida!
I think everyone else has covered this pretty well now. I wanted to add, I think it would be ok to note in your addendum that you didn't realize at the time that it was a violation, but also that you accept responsibility. So that it comes across that you had no intention of breaking a rule.
And @LSAT_Wrecker, oh man I feel that. The first LSAT I sat for, I mis-judged the final 5 minutes and didn't bubble in 2 answers in one section. The whole test it felt like it was glaring at me... and it would be so easy to just fill in bubbles as guesses... but I didn't, because I was too afraid of the consequences. So much temptation though...
Also want to note that if this situation were to come up again, there is an option of asking for your test to be hand-graded. So, if your score came back and there was an answer like that, that you knew was likely a machine reading error, there is a remedy for it.
Yeah I think you'll be fine, but regardless you'll have to write a C and F addendum. On another note, scantron machines nowadays are pretty amazing and they credit the darkest mark. So if you bubbled two circles, it'll only register the darker one. Of course you should still make an effort to erase completely but the sensitivity of the machines is different than a decade ago.
This discussion is so positive. Accepting responsibility ftw.
I always thought that referred to the LSAT booklet, and not the answer sheet.
Definitely applies to the answer sheet... cannot touch anything except for the section you are currently working on.
Yea. It applies to the answer sheet. You have to be done marking and erasing at the 35 minute mark. So if you spend like 10 seconds erasing something in Section 1 when you have to work on Section 2, that means you illegally worked on Section 1.
Oh no... I've never changed answers, but I definitely have gone back to darken the pencil marks in previous sections. I have a distrust for scantrons. =/
Yikes... glad you didn't get caught but if you take it again... that definitely is against the rules. Scantrons are pretty accurate and if there's a discrepancy, you can always request a hand grading.
Hmmm, understood! Thank you~