Lsat

[Joe G]

Any thoughts or opinions on today's LSAT, for anyone else out there who took it? I'm in two minds: if the first section (one of two logic games ones that appeared today) was the experimental section, than I feel good about it. If the other logic games section was the experimental one, I better cancel my score now, because there's no way I reached my goal. Some dumb jappy ho from with a Kate Spade bag decided to the nose of her BMW 330Ci into the rear bumper my car* as I was parked (in a space, not on the street.) and getting out of it. (I was nice, I think. I didn't call the police to get a report until we were both done taking the test.) But regardless of that distraction, that first section was damn hard, and if I got 11 of 24 right I'll be amazed. Peace, JG *Well, not technically my car. My real new car (a 1999 Volvo S80 T6) was hit the day I bought it by a moron in a gaz-guzzling and pollution belching SUV. So it was the horrid rental I have to drive whilst my car is fixed (a 2002 Buick Century) that actually got it. Funny, I've had two accidents (wherein I've been hit by someone who's either ignorant or preoccupied) in two weeks, compared to none prior to the one that (my fault or otherwise)....

 

[ulf]

My real new car (a 1999 Volvo S80 T6)

On the subject of Volvos, my brother had a beautifully restored P1800, cream with darkish red leather seats. Gorgeous.

Then he got a girlfriend and a practical car...

 

[Automatic]

Try to recall how many questions were on these sections (and on others) and you can figure out which one was experimental one ( cus you know a total number of questions, right?). Also helpful to take into account odd/even number of questions and figure it out that way.

 

[Automatic]

Think twice before cancelling your score anyway. I had pretty much the same prob as you - I got only half of my logic ones right (while I got right almost all experimental ones

), but still I received 86% and no way I was or am doing that test ever again.

 

[ulf]

I'm in two minds: if the first section (one of two logic games ones that appeared today) was the experimental section, than I feel good about it. If the other logic games section was the experimental one, I better cancel my score now, because there's no way I reached my goal.

I've taken semi-similar (?) tests with a part of it doubled. What turned out to be the experimental part was the part I felt most unsure about. If you're not sure what was real and what was not, don't cancel anything. Just take the test again if you felt you failed.

I scored 98% on my first try, 99% on the second (and third). 98-99 as in weighed against those who took the test, not the amount of correct answers.

I'm not sure what SATs or LSATs are, really. The tests I took was kind of a University SAT I guess?

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

I'm in two minds: if the first section (one of two logic games ones that appeared today) was the experimental section, than I feel good about it. If the other logic games section was the experimental one, I better cancel my score now, because there's no way I reached my goal.

I wouldn't sweat it if I were you.  I felt exactly the same way right after I took the LSAT, and it turns out the section in which I couldn't answer half the questions was the experimental section.  The experimental section is deliberately designed to be insanely difficult so that the testers know what questions they can put on future tests and what questions are too difficult.  If you've been doing well on the logic sections in practice tests, you should be OK.

 

[GQ Lawyer]

To echo everyone else, just relax. I thought that I bombed it and wanted to cancel right away (I was even doubtful that my name was correct). But, I ended up in the 92% (or somewhere around there). Realize that everyone belives that they *********** pooch on this test. My suggestion, don't cancel the score, but think twice about going to law school.

 

[Joe G]

Realize that everyone belives that they *********** pooch on this test.  My suggestion, don't cancel the score, but think twice about going to law school.

Well, I got my results today. Horrible, absolutely horrible. Even with my undergrad GPA and MA I can't imagine a top-5 law school doing anything but laughing when they see my LSAT score. I'm going to carry on as if I had never taken it and was planning to take the test in December all along. (I've been taking a practice test a week anyway, to "keep in shape" to some degree.) The third section, rather than the first one, was experimental, and I missed 10 of the 14 on which I guessed. (Before I started frantically filling in "D" at the end of that section, I also missed one on that section.)

On the plus side, I only missed three other questions on the rest of the test (except for the third section, although I felt good about it and rarely missed more than 1 or 2 on practice tests), so when I take it again in December (I've already signed up), I'll perform more in line with my practice-test results, and several schools have told me to just include a short paragraph and/or the accident report with my application to explain the likely 10 point discrepancy in the scores.

Peace,

JG

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

I think that most law schools will average your LSAT scores if you take the test more than once.  Given your extenuating circumstances, however, they may weight the second score more heavily.

Keep in mind that a "top five" law school offers a significant advantage only if you want to become a law school professor (in which case you will need to do very well and clerk on the Supreme Court as well).  How well you do in law school is much more important than the name of the school on the diploma.  If you go to a top fifteen school (like Georgetown) and do very well, there aren't that many doors that will be closed to you.

Good luck.

 

[GQ Lawyer]

Schools will average your LSAT scores unless there is a 14 point difference; they take the higher one.

 

[Joe G]

I think that most law schools will average your LSAT scores if you take the test more than once.  Given your extenuating circumstances, however, they may weight the second score more heavily.

All of the schools I contacted said that if I included a short paragraph and/or the accident report, and I don't completely fail the first section again, they'll throw out my first score. The improvement between the scores (given that the other sections were consistent with projected results) should be on the order of 10-12 points.

Keep in mind that a "top five" law school offers a significant advantage only if you want to become a law school professor (in which case you will need to do very well and clerk on the Supreme Court as well).  How well you do in law school is much more important than the name of the school on the diploma.  If you go to a top fifteen school (like Georgetown) and do very well, there aren't that many doors that will be closed to you.

Let me clarify: by "top five" I mean top five International Law, of which Georgetown certainly is one. (Speaking of which, I'm going there to visit and observe a few classes on Tuesday.) I'm not too concerned about my future here; especially given recent political trends, I don't see myself staying in the USA for much longer than the law school term. (Also, my fiance is dead-set against living here.) For that matter, I'm strongly considering leaving sooner and writing my law degree at Oxford. But even if I do end up going UK, I'd still want a representative LSAT score, for personal pride if nothing else.

Good luck.

Thanks.

Peace,

JG