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Feeling discouraged by low first LSAT score
madisonamueller
Live Member
Hey everyone,
Selfishly interested in seeing if anyone who scored below the median on their first test has any inspiring stories to share 😅
My October score was 149 — way below what I was hoping for —and feeling especially discouraged since the November LSAT felt equally, if not more, challenging. Taking it again in January.
Anyone else in a similar spot?
Comments
Same exact spot, best thing id say is what I am doing which is to keep some studying going just to keep the flow until the score comes on on the 27th and best case you surprise yourself, at worst you're already in the flow for January, even though its a later test, if you do decent there are plenty of spots waiting for you. But definitely do not feel discouraged because you would be wasting time on something that is not certain, just keep the grind going for only two more months, unless you ended up doing well on this one. Some of my best practice tests I felt like I did bad on.
Felt stressed out by the LSAT a month prior, pops helped me get trough, and made me realized that it's just a test. It's not the end of the world and just improve on the next test.
What is your ideal score? I don't think doing october, november, january is a good idea if you are looking to score significantly higher. You are not allowing yourself breathing room to learn the material better. If your goal is only to get a few points higher than 149 and you are PTing in the 160-155 range then you might be fine taking january. Keep in mind that there are a limited number of times you can take the exam. https://www.lsac.org/about/lsac-policies/limits-on-repeating-lsat
means absolutely nothing. taking your first test cold before learning the techniques makes no sense. its like playing a sport knowing none of the techniques-you'll start with a way higher score going in knowing the basics first
How does the limited number of attempts to take the LSAT impact a student's decision-making process regarding when to schedule their exams?
It should not impact which exams they take rather whether it is wise to take so many close together. The reason you take multiple exams is to hopefully see an increase in scores. If (for instance) you take the October exam and score poorly, and you immediately sign up for the November LSAT, the question you should be asking yourself is whether it is reasonable that you will see an increase in your LSAT score. If it is not reasonable, then why are you taking it so closely?? You are essentially "wasting" one of your LSAT attempts. As it mentions on the LSAT website, you can only take the LSAT 5 times in a 5 year period. If you take 3 back to back, you are now down to 2 more attempts allowed. You should ideally be waiting until you are PTing around where you want to score. That is why i mentioned that if they are PTing around 160-155 and want to score in the mid 150s then they may be fine taking the january LSAT. But if they are PTing around 160-155 and hope to get a 165+ then it probably isnt wise to rush the process. Rather, take a moment to breath and study.
Instead, it may be better to wait a few months until you are confident that you will see an increase in scores. Now this is not always the case. For example my cousin took the LSAT and ran into some issues during the exam that affected her stress and confidence. She was PTing at around a 176 and ended up scoring I believe in the 160s on that exam. She knew that it wasn't the content but rather the outside factors that caused her to score much lower than her PTs. So she retook the exam a month later and scored a 174 (right around where she was PTing). But like i mentioned, she was confident that she would see an increase in scores.
The reason why i mentioned that in my post was this is simply something to keep in mind. It is not the number 1 determining factor. As the original poster mentioned in their post, they scored poorly in October and felt they did not do well on the November test. Chances are that if they feel as though they did bad on both that there are some content issues that may need adjusting. It is by no means the end of the world, and everything is fixable. However, only giving yourself a month and half of serious studying may not be sufficient.
But i completely agree with one of the other comments who said to keep studying in the mean time. If the November score comes out and it isnt good and you feel like you can do well in january then sign up! and if you still dont feel confident it is okay to wait!!
I agree with the above comment; make sure you're scoring in your target range before you take the January test. If you're applying for fall 2025, the added pressure of knowing that January is one of your last attempts before sending in your application can significantly hinder your progress. If you decide you want to apply for a later cycle, you'll only have 2 attempts left which, again, will add to the pressure of the exam.
I am in the exact same position as you with a 149 score in October and planning on a taking it again in January. I'm curious to what your plan of attack is for studying and such. I think I'm going to follow the syllabus quite vigorously and take a practice test each week.
I took my test in June and I was extremely unhappy with my score. But I got me a few LSAT books, found a CONSISTENT study buddy (we meet at least 1x a week, homework, etc) and I just started over (7sage syllabus, etc)!
I am registered for the June 2025 test (I think) but I plan to move that test back as many times as I need until I am comfortable.
1st time was a terrible, anxiety filled rushed decision. I will not make that mistake again.