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I honestly do not even know what to post. I got completely destroyed on test day. I scored 10 points lower than my average practice tests. All this studying for 6 months and I scored lower than I did on practice test one!!! I saw my score and instantly started crying. I don't even know how to come back from this. The thought of repeating this in January just feels extra discouraging and hopeless...and more nerve wracking not to mention..:( Do not even know what to do at this point. All my plans feel like they have been crushed.
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I feel your pain. I actually scored lower than my diagnostic test. I'm torn between laughing and crying. The thought of doing it all over is soul-crushing. I'm not even sure how to go about studying at this point. I feel like my knowledge is excellent- I can get a near perfect score untimed- but the process of taking the test is incredibly challenging for me. It's a real damn shame to have a very high aptitude and nothing to show for it. In fairness, I do need to acknowledge that my gut told me I should've put the test off until January, but I forced myself to give it a try against my own better judgement. All I can do is try to smile and laugh my way through the feelings of despair and failure. Good times. 🎉
Oh and if it makes you feel any better, I'm probably like 20 years older than you.
The same thing happened to me for the August exam. I scored lower than any of my recent practice exams. I was so discouraged and honestly felt like a failure. I had studied for 9 months at that point. I was already signed up for the November test and I didn't want to delay any further, so I doubled down and changed my study habits. I knew where I was struggling and what tripped me up on test day, so I focused on those areas. Even though there wasn't a lot of time between the two tests, I was still able to improve my score significantly for the November test. If I can do it, you can too! Give yourself time to be upset but then you have to move on. For me, it almost helped knowing that I couldn't do much worse on my second test because I had already bombed the first one. Keep your chin up, there is hope!
@js-45555 What changes did you make to your study habits? As noted above, my knowledge feels pretty solid. It's the time and the test process that seem to have the biggest impact on my performance. I'm not even sure what to study anymore because I feel like there's not much more I can learn. I'm definitely struggling to figure out how to move forward.
LITERALLY SAME THING HAPPENED FOR ME. I literally scored close to my diagnostic which was like 20 points less than what I was scoring. I immediately signed up for January and am freaking out internally a little. I'm sad but I know I just gotta work it out.
Just know that you're not alone. We will get where we're going all in good time.
@lilpingling I started listening to the PowerScore LSAT Podcast, which provided me with some insights/tricks that I had never considered before. I struggled the most with reading comp, especially the science passages, so I also started listening to the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast and reading an article from sciencenews.org every day. This helped making the science passages in reading comp less daunting for me and I stopped getting as many of the easy questions wrong. After every practice test, I would make a list of the question types I got wrong and the ones I had "mastered." Then, I would revisit the core curriculum lessons on the question types I got wrong and drill those questions types timed and untimed. Making these lists helped me pinpoint where my weaknesses are in timed conditions, which informed me where I needed to devote more time to. It was also helpful for me to have the "successes" part of the list so I could see where I was improving. It was a morale boost for me. You may already be doing these things but I wasn't before and I wish I had been doing them sooner! Good luck!
SAME! You are not alone! I scored about 5-8 points lower than what I’d been consistently doing on PTs! Test day conditions definitely got me - the hour wait in order to get a proctor seemed to have more impact than I thought. I love the suggestions above to go back in and really identify the question types and work those, as well as finding other LSAT stimuli outside of it. I need to fool proof some more Logic games and really make sure that I can nail the theory behind each question. Not alone and we’ll get it!!!
I had the same experience after the August LSAT. You are not alone!
I have the same issue! I never used to get test anxiety but when I'm doing it timed, and I place a lot of importance on what my score will be, I make the dumbest mistakes. Not sure how to work on it
Thank you all for posting. I think the hardest part is just trying to carry on with my day and responsibilites when all I can think about is how I have to resume the studying again...I thought I could finally put it all behind me. It feels better knowing that I am not alone. Now I just need to find motivation when I have zero hahaha 🙃
Keep your chin up! Keep trying, do every game you can, read hard passages and summarize them to yourself! Improvements can and do happen! You can do this!
Thank you all for your kind and encouraging words!
@haleygirl3 and @lilpingling I was reading both of your posts and wondering if perhaps the Flex format is what is causing issues? It seems like you both have dedicated a lot of time to studying and, speaking from experience, I know that even slight changes in the way a test is presented can have profound effects. I know the Flex here is to stay for a while longer but I wanted to say I am sorry that you are going through this and I am in the same boat. I kind of wish I could take a regular digital administration of the test and compare the two. best of luck!
@haleygirl3 I agree with @js-45555 ! I had a pretty bad experience on the August flex , but I was able to pull some weight on November and score much higher. On the August flex, I scored 7 points below my average and was absolutely crushed. I felt like the world was ending and my legal career would be negatively affected... but I took the time to really let the score sink in, lick my wounds, and move on. It took me a couple weeks of time off to really bounce back and go ham on prep for the November flex. I think the anger I felt also pushed me to work harder because I knew I was capable of a much higher score. And... it paid off! Sometimes, it’s just a bad day or test. There are definitely exams that play to your weaknesses and ones that play to your strengths so don’t give up!! If you scored way above this November test, you can do it again no doubt. Just keep going and you‘ll get the score you want eventually. Take some time off and go do some activities that you actually enjoy doing and just forget the LSAT for a week or two and then re-group. You got this!
I scored 20 points below my PT score and I was furious this morning. Cancelled the store and now prepping for January. Thank god for Mary Jane Holland
You're not alone! I've been studying for literal years and scored seven points lower on my first real LSAT than on my last practice test. Saw my score and then stomped around the house screaming "WHY?" for an hour before locking myself in my room and crying to dramatic opera music for the rest of the day. Took two weeks off to wallow in self pity, then registered for January and got back to studying. Don't give up, you'll get there!
I got 158 on my last PT which I was super upset about, then ended up getting 148 on the Nov flex. Trying hard not to have a complete mental break down atm Is it possible to cancel score now if you haven't paid beforehand?
@cpeaks13 yes, as long as it's your first test, you can pay $75 to cancel within (I believe) one week of results. Score preview before the test is just less expensive, but still available to first timers.
first official score was 138 for me....hang in there, itll be ok in the end my friend
I was scoring consistently between 152 and 154....and then a whopping 142 on test day..like is this a joke lol 😆 I definitely want a re-take. I agree, now I'm mostly in the anger phase as this point. I need to give myself a break I think before I start studying. Although I still do not feel like much time is left between now and January.