Shoud I cancel..?

[piggy-buttercup]

I freaked out at the real thing.

did okay on rc, two lrs, maybe missing 4 questions each (those were the number of questions i wasnt quite sure of)

i totally messed up the first game though. the sequencing game, i got the rule wrong. =( it was s-w-p, (don't exactly remember the two variable's alphabets, excuse me if im wrong) but i wrote it as s-w, p-w.. no wonder why the question didn't have an answer.. so im assuming i got most of the Qs wrong for that first game.

and the third game - i was just lost..

i usually get 168~170 on my practice tests.

I think i missed at least 20 questions on this dec. lsat. which should roughly add up to 160..

should i cancel, (which means i can't apply till next year) and take either feb, or june test and apply next year..

if i do retake it, should i take the feb test, or study for six more month and do the june test.

my gpa is quite strong - 3.91, im still in college - it's a medicore state college, graduating next may. i have a "sort of" unique status of being bilingual (korean and english - tho i don't think it's that big of a deal), and being from a economically disadvantaged household.. been working since 14 to support my little brother and grandmother after my parents left home. maintained a full time job throughout college, and graduating in 3 years..

those soft factors, i think, would help if my stats were great (gpa and lsat together). but with my estimated lsat score, i probably won't get into any schools i want to get into.. i was really hoping for boalt.. or even usc.

wow this turned into a big babble.. the lsat totally kicked my @ss... i really would appreciate any feedbacks.

[PsychJK]

Don't panic.  Get a good night's sleep and reassess tomorrow.  It sounds like you could be assuming things are worse than they actually are.  Misreading one set of logic reasoning isn't the end of the world.  When I took the LSAT, I ran out of time and had to guess on an entire RC passage - and still ended up doing just fine.  You can't be sure how many questions you missed until you see your score (provided you don't cancel).  At what point during the test did you start 'freaking out'?  How much of this is your nervousness about the importance of the score?  Are you sure you WANT to apply to law school this year?

All is not lost.  I'm not sure what I'd do if I were you, but I have a feeling it isn't quite as bad as you think!

[piggy-buttercup]

Don't panic.  Get a good night's sleep and reassess tomorrow.  It sounds like you could be assuming things are worse than they actually are.  Misreading one set of logic reasoning isn't the end of the world.  When I took the LSAT, I ran out of time and had to guess on an entire RC passage - and still ended up doing just fine.  You can't be sure how many questions you missed until you see your score (provided you don't cancel).  At what point during the test did you start 'freaking out'?  How much of this is your nervousness about the importance of the score?  Are you sure you WANT to apply to law school this year?

All is not lost.  I'm not sure what I'd do if I were you, but I have a feeling it isn't quite as bad as you think!

thanks for the encouraging reply.. my assumptions are defenetely towards the worse end. but then again, even on the worse side - what if I got like 155. arg, i hate this feeling.

I wasn't super "freaked out" but i found my thought process weren't as clear, compared to when i was doing other practice tests, i was also running outta time immensely - didn't have time to check my answers (usually do have a minute or two at the end to check my answers). for dec. lsat, i was rushing.. also, i kinda freaked out more(my thought process slowed down) after the whole "there are 5 minutes remaining" thing got announced..

I was really hoping to apply this year. but it would be an option to work an extra year after graduating college before I start law school. provided that i study like crazy for another half a year and get a really good score.. i do admit my reading comprehension level could be improved, esp speed wise..

i really don't know what to do. it would really suck to study for this darn test again.. yet by not canceling the exam i feel really bad on, im making a dangerous bet..

o boy.. what to do..

[Dolcejn]

Hi   K the first thing to realize is that canceling is not the end of the world.  Plenty of people on here did it for the October test, and are glad they did.  Most of those people were in the same situation you are in:  i.e., were getting high scores on their own, but nerves held them back on the real test.  So just to reiterate: it is ok and not at all rare to cancel.

This is what I would recommend: mark the last date to cancel on your calendar, and make sure that you make your decision two days before that date.  In the time you have between now and then, surf around on here and see how other people did.  Ask questions about specific LSAT questions you think you got wrong (if you can remember them).  You'll get a pretty good idea about how other people answered, and may find out that you did better than you thought.  Or, you may have your fears confirmed.  Either way, your decision will be better informed.

Keep in mind that you're very lucky to have this option of working for a year instead of going to law school.  That's a nice safety net to have.  So you know if you do cancel, you have a backup plan.

Lastly, your decision should depend (perhaps first and foremost) on how badly you want to go to a particular school.  If you have your heart set on HYS, or any of the top ten, and if you're relatively sure you got a below 160, I say cancel.  Your GPA is excellent, but your LSAT would not be indicative of your potential, and might get you dinged.  However, if you're considering a good top thirty school, like UC Hastings, you would have a 20% shot with a 155 and a 3.9.  With Pepperdine (more of a top 50 or 100 school, but on the upswing), you have a 75% shot.  So it really depends on how badly you want to go to a certain school, and whether or not that school is T14. 

Personally, and if I were you, I would cancel, study (under simulated test conditions to work on those nerves--get friends to time you and be mean about it) and retake.  Not only would you get a better score, but work experience is always a plus on an app.  But that's just my opinion!  And whatever you do, don't freak out - it'll be ok.  Really

[Praetor]

Take a look at the 'Studying for the LSAT' board. There is discussion about specific questions over there and general agreement on all but one or two. That should give you a better idea about how you did. Also, there is a thread about the very same problem you had with the game (it's s-w-u, no p) and the answers to pretty much all the questions are listed off in there.

In general, don't do anything rash. I know you probably feel horrible right now, but wait a few days, get more info and then make up your mind.

[piggy-buttercup]

if i cancel and retake - should i take it in feb or june??

thank you all for taking your time and posting those replies..

[Dolcejn]

June - more time to study

[ryanjm]

I agree with Dolce for the most part. I took the October LSAT, was way too slow on the games section(guessed on 1.5 sections) and had like 2-4 guesses in the LR sections. I was expecting around a 164-65, but after looking at this board and thinking about it for a few days, I realized I wasn't going to achieve that score so I cancelled. I wish I'd have found this board a few months before the October, because I didn't know about the Powerscore materials and they helped a lot between Oct and now.
I took this December test and feel like my worst score would be a 165, and I'm hoping for a 167-69. My mental state was much more confident, prepared, and my timing for each section improved. I could mentally guage how fast I was going and glance at my timer for reassurance so that I was able to complete every section except for a few games questions(which i always suck at comparatively).
Anyway, good luck with law school. Again, I'd recommend putting it off(why not do the June one?) and shoot for the score you really want.

[Matthew_24_24]

You had the same number of bombed sections as i did on October. I convinced myself i might have done okay.

I scored 158.  Big choke. 

I wish i would have cancelled...however, i did have december to clear my record up.

Advice?  Totally depends on the medians at the schools you are applying for.

If they have 163+ medians, id cancel.
IF they are 159-160 schools, with your GPA, id keep.

Matt

[strouse]

You had the same number of bombed sections as i did on October. I convinced myself i might have done okay.

I scored 158.  Big choke. 

I wish i would have cancelled...however, i did have december to clear my record up.

Advice?  Totally depends on the medians at the schools you are applying for.

If they have 163+ medians, id cancel.
IF they are 159-160 schools, with your GPA, id keep.

Matt

I scored 158.  Big choke. 

Matt, do you realize you piss people off with this stuff.  Not everyone on here breaks 160. 

HTH