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Cancel or Keep?

TheSwanQueenTheSwanQueen Member
in April 2021 LSAT 88 karma

Hi everyone,

Wondering if some of you who have gone through admissions process might be able to chime in here? April LSAT Flex scores just released and I scored substantially (5+ points) lower than my PT average. I'm already signed up and plan to retake in June.

I'm a first-time test taker and had a horrendous time getting ProctorU to function on my prehistoric MacBook Pro. Spent 1 hour or so on tech support call before beginning exam, which rattled me to say the least!

I have Score Preview option available so cancelling is a possibility but I've seen mixed advice on how a cancel looks to ad comms when you apply. The score in question is not bad (166) but I've scored higher than this on every PT I've taken (I've been religious about simulating actual test day conditions on each PT so I don't think this is a huge factor...) I also don't want to wreck my chances at a T14, especially in a cycle as competitive as this fall's likely will be.

Would appreciate this community's guidance as I think about how to move forward.

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Comments

  • Ozzy SheikhOzzy Sheikh Member
    115 karma

    don't cancel: schools will take your highest score if you've only taken the exam 3 times or less.

  • Second Language-1-1Second Language-1-1 Alum Member
    82 karma

    @"Ozzy Sheikh" are you saying if you have taken more than 4 times, schools will look at your scores differently?

  • Student1015Student1015 Member
    edited April 2021 77 karma

    Also kinda confused! Do they have a policy or something about taking it 4 or more times? Sure it looks better if you get your greatest score with just one try or two, but at the end of the day, I thought the highest score is the one that really matters? Can someone confirm/clarify this please? Thank you!

  • ConstantineConstantine Member
    1334 karma

    You should not cancel a166!
    First of all, schools would assume that you did cancel something at least 10 points lower. Second of all, a 166 is a great score.

  • canihazJDcanihazJD Alum Member Sage ⭐
    edited April 2021 8491 karma

    @"Ozzy Sheikh" said:
    don't cancel: schools will take your highest score if you've only taken the exam 3 times or less.

    Let's clarify this. Schools "take" every score. They see them all, and you'd better realize that it does affect how your app is perceived. Now whether that is a bad or a good thing depends on many factors... the argument could be made that a low score followed by a high score could indicate resiliency and determination, but it is also just as likely that an app reader would prefer to see one high score. No way to tell, but regardless, schools have an interest in considering your highest score, because that is what gets reported, and that is what is calculated for medians and rankings. While individual schools or deans may have their own one off rules, there is nor broad "three times or less" rule.

    Anecdotally, I have 7 takes on record and did just fine... especially considering the competitive nature of this cycle.

  • Ozzy SheikhOzzy Sheikh Member
    115 karma

    It's not perfectly clear, but it is just a general rule that if you've taken the test 3 times or less they won't care about some lower scores. but if you've taken it 5 times, they will be more inclined towards averaging your scores, especially if you scored lower on the last or second last time.

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