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Post-exam feelings of disappointment/failure
nikkik33333
Free Trial Member
Does anyone else feel disappointed/like a complete failure unworthy of being accepted to law school after taking the test? I went into it feeling fairly prepared with months of studying under my wing, but I knew a lot of my score would be dependent on how I performed on test day and the difficulty of the test given. I felt like the test itself was very fair (almost on the easier side), but I have no idea how I performed. I hoped to come out of the test feeling relieved to finally be done after all the time I've spent on preparing, but all I feel is anxiety and disappointment because I'm not confident in my performance. If anything, I feel that I underperformed.
The only section I felt confident in was LG, and for the rest it just felt like I was just on autopilot - no time to freak out or gauge how well I was doing, just had to chug through and get the questions answered. It turns out the section that I was least confident in was NOT my experimental section as I had hoped, so that doesn't help matters. Now I have to wait until freakin' January to find out whether I completely screwed it up or nailed it. And in the case that I screwed it up completely, I can't even take it again because most of my schools won't accept February scores. I’m not getting my hopes up at all about my score because I have a pretty good feeling I’m going to be disappointed. I guess I won't know for sure until January, but it's definitely not fun to invest so much time into preparing for something and only feel overwhelming disappointment instead of relief after finally finishing it.
Comments
Many people have been in your shoes previously. Some have indeed underperformed and others have exceeded their expectations. What I want to communicate to you is that worst case scenario you underperformed. That is not an indictment on your worthiness to attend law school/pursue the career we all dream of. That is a chance to dig deeper and deeper, locate shortcomings in your approach and study smarter and more efficiently than you might have the first time.
If what you want is a tremendous score that will afford you the opportunity to receive a scholarship and that didn't happen this time around, the community here on 7Sage will be here to dispense valuable advice of where to go from here, much of that advice will be from people who once underperformed, but eventually conquered this thing and are on their way to elite schools.
What you are feeling is absolutely normal in my experience. No matter what happens, the community here will be ready to assist you in answering the "what now" the day scores come out. This might mean you should sit June's exam, cross that bridge when you come to it my friend. That might be something that is a bit of disappointment, but for many, that extra time studying was the difference of 10+ points on their score come test day.
In summation, seek solace in that others have been through what you have been through and have success stories to tell.
David
I definitely understand where you are coming from. I took the June LSAT, did alright, but I took it too early. This time around I had to leave in the middle of some sections because I was sick and I was coughing very disruptively and needed to just cough it out in the hallway. I'm freaking out now because I wasted a few minutes getting up and going in the hallway.
The only section I was confident in was the LG, but I was in autopilot as well.
Some schools accept February scores, but its so late in the game.
I know this didn't really give you any guidance or piece of mind, but just know you have others in a similar situation.
Instead of feeling sweet relief, I am contemplating whether I did my best, or if my LSAT score is going to suffer.
Don't worry, I feel the same. I left not having a clue on how I did, which isn't a good thing. I feel like I did well on every section except the LG section, BUT someone actually pulled the fire alarm in the middle of our test and really screwed us up on the RC. At least that didn't happen to you! Imagine having to stop near the end of a RC passage and having to wait outside for 15 mins before coming back in, knowing you only had four minutes left and you don't remember the fresh details of the passage anymore.
Anyway, if anything, we will just have to re-do the test. It's tough, but if it's worth it to you, it's not going to stop you.
Tbh I have no idea how I did either. It "felt good," but who knows how accurate of a predictor anyone's "feeling" can be of their actual exam performance.
But c'est la vie ~
Block it out of your mind until the scores come out. Don't let it eat at you.
I've been feeling the exact same way since I wrote it. I messed up on the LG section, which I usually don't, because I let the rules confuse me and break my concentration. I really feel like I underperformed, because I also felt like I was in auto mode just trying to get to the end of each section, which is not like how I felt during my practice.
I'm from Canada so all of the schools I applied to accept the February LSAT result, but I feel heartbroken. I've signed up for the February exam and want to gradually start studying again by mid-December. But it's hard getting over this feeling of disappointment.
What's the worst is knowing you got a question wrong on the LSAT and knowing there's nothing you can do to change it
But at the same time, there's nothing you can do to change it!
Which one do you think you got wrong? I'm replaying the test in my mind and not liking any of my answers
I was there with you on the fire alarm...WTF. Oh well, made for a very long day.
I think I did about average for LR and RC; however, on the LGs there were some ones that I froze up on. It was like I never saw those type of games. Oh well. At least I am not applying for a Tier 1 school (of course I knew that going in). I wanted to do better than I think I did, but at the same time, knowing if I get my average along with my GPA, I am probably ok. If not, well, more studying.
I agree, I wasn't feeling too bad about any of mine (I assumed I'd miss a few on each LR section anyway), but the more I see people discussing specific questions the more I'm starting to panic ?
Ditto to all of this. I totally froze in LG and sunk much of my time in the second game. I feel like I really screwed up, and am really bummed that after all these months of preparation, I may need to wait to apply next year. Ughhhhh.
Just like some of the posters above, some school still accept February score. I would call the school's admission office and specifically ask them if they take February, this might ease some of the tension and stress youre experiencing. It would give you something to do and maybe some peace of mind that your goal is still attainable.
Funny thing is I knew I had issues with the second game type of setup before the test. There was a similar game in 31 or 41. I did this game twice a day before the test. The sad story is I still think I messed it up; brute forced through the questions without making any major inferences
@oberdysz A question about the authors tone in RC...made a silly mistake.
@"Paul Caint" Was that the "open-minded" versus "accepting" question? That question made me lol during the test because it was such a clear example of how the LSAT likes to fuck with people. Curious to see what the answer is. Forgive me if you meant a different question.
I've taken on this mindset of "well. I did my best." since the exam that has allowed me to relax and feel really good despite not knowing my score. I like to measure my success on how hard I try rather than how well I did compared to other people. I literally cannot ask any more of myself than my very best.
@nicolas.saw Yeah that's the one. It was in the multi-verse passage. Just a silly silly mistake on my part, I shoulda gotten it right.
Were you at UTA?
I feel the same. I breezed through first 3 sections. No issues really stood out, only four questions throughout the RC, LR, LG I struggled with. After the 15 minute break, I crashed and burned. I did OK-ish on the 2nd LG, I answered all the questions, and I didn't flop out on any of the sections, but by the 2nd LR, I was fried. I struggled from the beginning, but by question #19, I could barely read, much less comprehend. I don't' think I got any of the last 6 or so questions correctly.
If I really did OK on those first 3 sections, I think I hit in the high160s. If I didn't do as well as I thought, I could be hitting the mid 150's.
Sometimes when I think I did well, I don't. Like the Sept. PT. But, this one seemed a bit easier, especially the RC.
There's really no point in stressing over it now. We have to wait soooo long. Good luck to you. I think I'm going to go ahead and continue to study for February, and hope for the best.