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Is anyone familiar with complaint procedures?

MakeitWorkMakeitWork Member
edited December 2019 in November 2019 LSAT 46 karma

Hi all, I was wondering if any of you are going through/or have ever gone through the complaint process.

I administered for November 2019 as my second take only to find myself in total frustration. My proctor accidentally started the timer while she was still giving out the instruction even before we were allowed to start on our first section. Having discovered from the tablet screen that time was being counted, most of the fellow test-takers, including myself, immediately informed the instructor of what was happening. The proctor, at first, insisted it wasn't being counted, only to admit a few minutes later that the timer for the first section has already begun. Most people started to panic, realizing that some precious minutes were already lost in vain. Many of us, feeling bewildered and frustrated by the fact that we weren't already off to a good start, asked what we should do, but all she could do was hurrying us off to the first section. In trying to relieve our anxiety, she also added, "It's not a big problem because I can manually add all those lost minutes afterward. Approximately three to four minutes were lost.

As much as I was frustrated, I was as determined to do well. I tried not to let this frustration get on the way of my performance. However, although I worked hard to maintain my composure, the impact carried on throughout the first section, and the pacing for each question wasn't nearly at where I usually was for practice exams. The first section ended with many items left unattempted. What was even worse was that I typically save all the questions that are down to two answer choices for the last minute. With those extra minutes promised in mind, I planned on at least putting in answers for those questions during that time. But things don't always turn out the way you wish. As soon as the digital clock reached 0, the screen turned to the next page. Immediately following the first section, a man who appeared to be in charge of technical issues walked into the room with the proctor and told us they aren't able to adjust the time as promised as the program was digitally hard-wired. With whatever the concern or complaint we may have, we have to talk to LSAC, he further added.

And my day went downhill from that point on. My heartbeat started pounding and palms sweating. That feeling of [I've got to get all the remaining questions right if I were to have the slightest chance of achieving the target score] only worked against me, aggravating self-control and composure, let alone my mental sharpness. I managed to sit through the entire exam, but I knew I was doing that only not to feel worse about myself.

I instantly submitted the formal complaint letter to LSAC, and a few days later received an acknowledgment letter informing me that there will be an investigation regarding an incident, and some options may be available for me once it's complete. A temporary hold has been placed on my account ever since, and I still haven't heard back from them in more than three weeks.

Have any of you 7sagers gone through this process where you had to submit the formal complaint because your performance was affected due to some issues beyond your control? If so, what was the process like, and what are some of the options LSAC offered you? What should I be expecting? At this point, the best thing I can wish for is a cancellation without any record, as I have already cancelled once before. Do you know if LSAC has ever offered this kind of option?
I am even debating whether it'd be better for me to wait and aim for the next cycle to apply. Even if I end up slaying the January exam, I won't be able to apply until February, and I worry if that's too late to have any good shot at top schools.

Any advice, anyone? I apologize if any of this sounds too whiny. I didn't mean to, but I think I am just feeling lost and not sure what would be the most practical step to take.

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Comments

  • bananabobananabo Core Member
    1211 karma

    I filed a complaint with LSAC two years ago because of noise issues. Even before we started the test and got seated, my proctor told us that there was a loud humming noise that the door made, so he was going to try to fix it before we started the test – he didn’t fix it and started the test anyways. The noise was so loud that it was distracting even the proctors so they kept going to the door every five minutes and shutting it very loudly during the test, so it was a huge distraction for me and I knew I wasn’t going to get a good score because of it.

    After the test, I emailed my tutor at the time and asked him on what I should do and he told me to file a complaint, and so I did. I don’t remember exactly how long it took for them to get back to me, but I think it was at least a month later until I heard back from them. They emailed me back and said that they couldn’t do anything further for me and I only had two options: to keep my score or cancel my score. They said that they weren’t going to reimburse me or allow me to take a makeup because no one else at my test center filed a complaint on what happened, AND the proctor marked the testing conditions as “good” (even though he told us before the test started that the noise was bad….). It was very frustrating for me to get that kind of response back from LSAC, so I completely understand what you’re feeling.

    My experience is not to say that you’ll get the same response from them, but I think that how they responded to my complaint is the worse case scenario that could happen to you. I think with your situation, since they’ve had countless of problems similar to that since they switched over to digital, then the best case scenario would be for them to have you take a make-up but I’m not 100% sure that it’ll be in January.

    Worse case scenario: they don’t accept your complaint and you have to register for the Feb test

    Best-case scenario: they accept your complaint and allow you to take a makeup in Jan/Feb

    Either way, you’re going to have to retake it (unless you want to keep your Nov. score, which I wouldn’t advise you to do because it already seems like you knew that you didn’t perform well on it). I know this is all really frustrating – trust me, I’ve been through it – but, this situation is beyond your control at this point and it’s all up to LSAC, so all you can really do now is wait for them to reply back and to keep studying for your next take.

    I really hope this helps!

  • Woodsy_567Woodsy_567 Member
    257 karma

    I experienced a four-hour delay at my test center. I ended up leaving during the break because I realized my concentration level wasn’t the same after such a long delay. I reached out to LSAC regarding a make-up test or at least removing the canceled score from my file. They said that because I was exposed to the test, the canceled score would need to stay on record and I would not be able to make it up. They initially also denied my request for a refund over the phone, but I kept pushing and they ended up issuing one.

  • Optimistic23Optimistic23 Free Trial Member
    18 karma

    @MakeitWork So sorry that you experienced that. I was told the November exam was cancelled for all of North America, so I'm a bit surprised that you were able to take yours. They claim cancellations were due to equipment issues but now I'm wondering if this was not true.

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