Quick Tip
Set Up Your Room!
If you’re sitting for the LSAT, there are probably a million things on your mind: the material, proctor difficulties, your nerves, etc. The last thing on your mind is what your room looks like…yet it matters! There are a variety of LSAC requirements for your testing room: no screens, limited items on walls, an empty desk, etc. You don’t want to have to frantically fix your room while on the phone with the proctor. Instead, read the requirements the night before and lay out your room properly.
Discussion
Studying for a Retake
Suppose you took the test and didn’t get the score you wanted. Although obviously disappointing, you have the opportunity to channel this negative energy constructively: towards a retake! You’ll have a completely blank slate and the opportunity to get a score that reflects your true potential. How should you go about studying for a retake? There are two questions that you should ask yourself.
First, how much material do I have remaining? For a lot of students, the sheer amount of material out there in the PrepTests (PTs) is overwhelming—over 90 PTs’ worth of material (over 5,000 questions!). Yet for those studying full-time, it’s possible that you’ve exhausted most PTs, particularly the more recent ones that bear the closest resemblance to the test today.
If you have ample tests remaining, don’t worry—prioritize taking the more recent PTs, although you should perhaps save a few in case you need another retake. However, if you’ve exhausted all—or nearly all—of the PTs, you may need to start reusing old tests. That’s okay! Start in chronological order, retaking tests in the order that you took them. Take PTs that you took over a year ago. Then, in Blind Review, consciously try not to remember “What did I pick originally?” but instead push yourself to break down the reasoning underlying the question.
Second, did I underperform, or are my skills not there yet? Some students do a retake because their real score was lower than their PT score. For others, however, their PT scores and real score were the same, but they want a higher score.
If you underperformed, the issue may be less about the LSAT and more about test anxiety. You should ask yourself why you underperformed: nerves? Proctor or tech difficulties? Lack of sleep? Be ruthlessly analytical about this and figure out precisely what went wrong—then, come up with a plan to address it! Sometimes, simple steps like a meditation routine, studying less, and relaxing more can help.
If you didn’t underperform but still want a higher score, that just means it’s time to hit the books! Ask what prevents you from hitting your goal score (both in PTs and real life). Try to find the lowest hanging fruit—whichever section you struggle with the most should be where you start. This is especially true if you have points on the table for LG, which is the most learnable.
So, if you have to retake, don’t despair! View it as an opportunity for you to get more points and, as a result, more offers of admission (or scholarship money)!