Thoughts on Taking the Exam in Feb

Comments

• maxmaxbobax Alum Member

  October 2014 98 karma

  Hi,
  I took the 2014 February test and it was much more difficult than the December 2013 test.
• elruffolo Alum Member

  October 2014 15 karma

  Thanks. Does that mean you scored lower on the 2014 Feb test or did you do about the same?
• 7 Likes

  Jonathan Wang Yearly Sage ⭐

  October 2014 edited October 2014 6874 karma

  First - the LSAC needs the February LSAT to carry exactly the same weight as any other administration, implying that it will be created, equated, and otherwise treated exactly the same way as any other test. Because you're not directly scored against your peers but instead against a predetermined scoring scale, it doesn't matter the absolute level of difficulty as long as the same scale is applied to all takers. Even if it were ten times as hard as any other test in the history of the LSAT, it would still be scaled appropriately and you'd receive the score you deserve.
  
  Second - stop and think about what making the February test harder would imply about the LSAC's motives. What reason would the LSAC have to make the February test in particular either harder OR easier? Why would they risk losing credibility with the law schools that make their test the cash cow it is? Why would they create a bunch of tests that could not fairly be compared with their other three administrations (destroying the entire point of the test in the first place), and then proceed to keep on doing that while keeping it a secret, and then decide that they should all be given only in February?
  
  Third - does it honestly matter? If your goal is to apply for this cycle, December and February are your two chances to take the test. You don't really have a choice unless you decide to push your entire admissions cycle back one year, and if that's on the table then I'd seriously question the wisdom of taking the February test in the first place.
  
  Any effect that taking the February test is going to have is going to be related to rolling admissions and seats filling up. Don't listen to any of the other stuff - it's student paranoia at best and damaging misinformation at worst.
• Archieboots Alum Member

  October 2014 155 karma

  I took the test in February and it was the worse experience ever (proctor called the time early for two sections, took our watches away!). I am not implying it is because it was the February test but I know I will never take it in February ever again.
• 1 Like

  LeoFiro8 Alum Member

  October 2014 244 karma

  @archieboots coincident doesn't imply causation. First lesson on Lsat. And @Elrufollo Like Jon said, ( in a less questioning your entire intuition/making you feel bad to even think of something like this way) the chances that the February test is any harder is slim. I would say September would've been the hardest because all the indians and asians would be hitting the books hard during the 3 month break while white people are out enjoying their summer so it could get competitive but other than that February's only down fall is that because of the rolling base admission you'd probably be better off submitting your Feb score for the next year cycle since it'd be way too late to apply at an admission cycle that opened up Oct 1st.