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Why you should probably take the July 2019 LSAT
Cant Get Right
Yearly + Live Member Sage ⭐ 🍌 7Sage Tutor
The July 2019 LSAT presents us with a very unique opportunity. LSAC's thinking is that this will be the test on which they transition to digital, and so they should provide some benefit in order to counteract any detriment the switch to digital may present. The benefit seems subtle at first: You will be allowed to cancel your test after you see your score. The more I've thought about this, the more I realize how enormous it is. I've actually come to strongly disagree with LSAC's decision to offer this. If I had been in the room when this decision was made, I'd've been vociferously opposed to the point that it may have become uncomfortable for everyone. But with the decision made, everyone needs to shamelessly exploit this mistake. They take advantage of our errors, and so it is incumbent on us to take advantage of theirs.
Forgive the sports metaphor, but it's just too perfect: This is like a defensive offsides in football (real football, not soccer). When this happens, the offense gets to finish the play and decide if they want to accept or decline the penalty after the play has played out. Go for the end zone! If you make it, decline the penalty and touchdown! If it's intercepted and run back for a defensive touchdown, none of it counts; you get to accept the penalty and try again! Literally nothing can go wrong, there is no bad outcome possible. This is the July 2019 LSAT. Plus, the switch to digital won't be universal. Many test centers will still be administering the test on paper! If you're in one of these groups, your advantage is truly pure and unmitigated. I'm the poster child of "Don't-Take-Until-You're-Ready" but all bets are off for July 2019. This is a test worth taking for a much broader range of students. If you're not quite ready, take this test anyway. Take it for practice with the digital formatting. This alone is worth the take. The fact you could get lucky and spike a score worth keeping/applying with is just crazy. It's actually crazy.
Comments
I thought July 2019 was a gamble because you do not know beforehand if you will get the digital test/be able to cancel your score after seeing it?
Here's the official announcement @xenonhexafluoro : https://www.lsac.org/about/news/lsac-announces-digital-lsat-launch-schedule
"To ease the transition, LSAC is also offering July test takers a special option: regardless of format, July test takers will have the opportunity to see their score before they decide whether they wish to cancel it. Those who decide to cancel can choose to retake the test again through April 2020 free of charge."
Thanks for the cite! That's awesome.
Has LSAC clarified when we will find out if a test center is administering the exam digitally? I'm just curious whether we're going to find out shortly after the moment we walk into the test center or if we're informed a few days beforehand.
Also, I assume that for each test center all students for that test center will have the same format, correct? Surely the person next to me wouldn't have a tablet while I have the test in paper, right? That seems slightly absurd.
How does a cancel on your record compare to a retake? I am planning to take the June or July 2019 as my first try, with the September date as a retake option to still apply early. I have a low GPA I need to offset with a high LSAT. Does a cancellation look bad?
Pretty sure one cancellation won't hurt at all. retakes don't look bad either unless you regress.
Yeah, this is my feeling about it. You might raise some eyebrows if you have something like four or five cancels, but even then, the high score pretty much rules. Many schools even straight up tell you that they only consider your high score. If a cancel hurts at all, it’s a very minor ding. It’s a very minor trade off for the advantages here.
Just wanted to highlight this 😂
Haha, I half expected that to take over the thread, I cant believe no one has been horrifically offended!
Awesome! Okay, I'll plan on July then. That gives me another month to study too.
Do we have any idea how law schools might favor traditionally taken LSATs to the digital versions? Next cycle there will be a combination of paper and digital LSAT scores, do you think to top tiers will lean towards the paper test takers?
I haven’t heard any commentary on this, but I suspect they won’t even care enough to consider which test dates are which tests. It’s just a number to them and that’s where their depth of reflection ends for the most part.
@MarClaAve I suspect they will treat them the same, if they can even see if yours was digital or pencil and paper.
Not sure why you think a "Cancel" in the LSAT history would look any better than just a low score. In other words, I think these two applicants would be exactly the same:
Applicant A:
1) Cancel
2) 171
Applicant B:
1) 163
2) 171
If this becomes standard, schools are just going to (probably rightly) assume that "Cancel" meant a low score, and judge it exactly as they judge a low score now. Which is, not much, unless you have 3+ on your record, in which case eyebrows will be raised.
Now if they didnt report cancelled scores at all, that would certainly be an advantage.
How far in advance can you register for the LSAT? I want to make sure that I can sign up for the July date in time as I expect it will fill up quite quickly.
if they allow you to cancel and retake for free - does that include if it is your third time taking? no right
I think a Cancel for the July 2019 will not be viewed in any negative way, since the law schools will know this is the first digital test rollout. I suspect they will see LOTS of cancels for this specific test since its the only test in LSAT hx you can cancel after seeing your score.
It will be marginal because schools take your highest score, but applicant A will be in a slightly better position than applicant B. For B, admission reps may wonder what happened the first time. For A, they might assume you thought you got a 168 and were shooting for 170+ so you cancelled. You may have had a bad experience with a proctor so you cancelled etc...
Does anyone know when registration for July 2019 test opens? Thank you!
Would it be good to take the March or June test before the July test as practice? I am wondering if it would be more stressful to have the July test be the first real LSAT I take combined with the uncertainty of getting the paper or digital version. Or maybe that's just overthinking it...
"Registration for June, July '19 tests will open early Jan, along w/ new Digital familiarization tool"
https://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/18791/registration-for-june-july-19-tests-will-open-early-jan-along-w-new-digital-familiarization-tool
@lsat_kp20 thank you!
I'm confused about your question. If you take the March or June test you don't have the option to cancel after you see the score. How would that be beneficial?
A lot of this conversation has been about taking the July as a practice, but I would love to hear what people think about taking this as the second exam. I am taking it for the first time in January, and was originally thinking July would be my time to retake. Would it be bad if I then do worse/the same and cancel that second score?
Sorry I guess what I meant was the combined stress of not knowing what format we'll get in July and being the first time taking the LSAT. I'm thinking of taking March to at least have one guaranteed paper test under my belt before taking July. Then if I don't need to retake after July so be it, but then if I need to I can cancel and take September.
help Does anyone know how the Logic Games section will play out in the digital format. Will paper be provided for us to diagram?
Per LSAC:
"Will test takers be able to use physical scratch paper to diagram the analytical reasoning questions?
Yes! LSAC will provide scratch paper and a pen for test takers to use during the test. We will provide a stylus that can be used to underline and highlight text on the tablet."
I think that the July LSAT is a no-brainer, but I am trying to consider how it can be used in conjunction with the June / September exams. My original plan was to take the June exam and use the September exam as a last resort retake if I performed poorly in June. The July exam changes this plan. Basically now there are two exciting options, and I would love advice on what others think is most strategic.
Option A: Take the June exam and sign up for the July exam as a zero risk "insurance policy" for a potential bad score on the June exam.
Option B: Take the July exam and sign up for the September exam if I am unhappy with my score. The ability to cancel the July score mitigates any risk of a bad score but pushes back my application process slightly.
For some background: I originally took the LSAT over a year ago and have a strong (but not elite) score. I plan to apply in fall 2019 as early as possible.
Awesome opinion piece. Great perspective to approach the change.