WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED =(

[bio major]

med school just isn't for me...

too bad i realized that way after i had taken all the tough o-chem physics and bio classes.  now my gpa suffers and the lsat was supposed to be my saving grace.

[Starresky]

Dude, I feel you on this. My best advice is to retake it and pray for a less harsh test. It worked for me and even though it would have been better if I never took the October test at all, it's better than wallowing in self-pity over a 164 which is a score most people would love to have (which is what I did for a month).

Love,
Q

[RocketBot]

Rocketbot:

Time to start encouraging yourself ahead of June's retake. Go back over the October-to-Dec threads, and see the people (like Cascagrossa, et. al.) who disappointed themselves in OCT, and came through big time in DEC.

I was testing in the 172-177 range a dozen+ tests ahead of FEB 12, but I was so sure I had BOMBED, thinking I might not even have broken 160, my 168 came as a welcome relief.

The difference between our scores is probably only 2-4 questions, which might be 2-4 lucky guesses on my part. Also, I'm 38, and having a crack at HYS doesn't matter to me. I have an outside, but reasonable, chance at my fantasy school (Northwestern), and there's NO WAY I'm retaking.

YOu probably only needed a trial run at the real thing. Also, our test was brutal, and what's more, even though we don't know for sure, it sounds like we got rooked on the scale. You're not the only one grievously disappointed.

Chin up, Rocket. June is only 3 months away. Take some time off to regroup, then get back to work.

If you can score 170s on practice tests, you CAN break 170 on the real thing. They're the same type questions, the same time limit, everything.

Encouragement and optimism are the watchwords of the day.

Thank you so much for the kind words.  I'm getting the feeling that I mis-bubbled or something, because this is just so far outside of my estimate of my performance.  But I think I should put that all behind me.  I think my problem was that I studied too much/consistently between Dec/Feb and didn't really need to.  I was a bit burnt out and overconfident going into the test, and some nervousness would have kept my mind in play.

I'm still an undergrad, with an OK GPA (3.4) from a top program at a top state school.  I've got good work experience, and good extracurriculars, but I was really counting on the LSAT (understandable, given my high practice scores) to give me a boost for the Top 20 schools.  But a 164 is anything but a boost in that range.  Argh.

My plan is to not study at all until just before the test.  I know the stuff incredibly well, I just can't be burnt out going into June.

[RocketBot]

Dude, I feel you on this. My best advice is to retake it and pray for a less harsh test. It worked for me and even though it would have been better if I never took the October test at all, it's better than wallowing in self-pity over a 164 which is a score most people would love to have (which is what I did for a month).

Love,
Q

Thank you, yeah.  I think I was just overconfident for some reason, but at the same time burnt out from studying so much.  I think once I had been averaging 175 for quite a few consecutive tests I should have given it a rest.  I think because I kept getting solid 170+ practices I was too laid back going into the test perhaps.

Starresky you are my inspiration.  I have got to pull off a big improvement, and quit obsessing and just kick ass.

[Starresky]

Thank you, yeah.  I think I was just overconfident for some reason, but at the same time burnt out from studying so much.  I think once I had been averaging 175 for quite a few consecutive tests I should have given it a rest.  I think because I kept getting solid 170+ practices I was too laid back going into the test perhaps.

Starresky you are my inspiration.  I have got to pull off a big improvement, and quit obsessing and just kick ass.

Yeah, I was the exact same way. I studied for three months up to the day before the test; when I finally took a breather it just wasn't enough. I woke up the next day, my stomach in knots, huge headache, highly tense and freaking out because I had studied so long and too hard. I hit my target like 10 prep tests ago but didn't quit and just kept grilling myself. It really hurt me that day because I couldn't see how the stress messed up my performance. After reading all the questions I missed on that October exam, I wanted to kick myself because if I had felt close to normal/sane I wouldn't have missed them.

I didn't even pick up a book for the December test until the day of the test when I did ONE simple logic game. That was enough for me. I didn't need that grief again. I focused on being healthy and being relaxed and I think it helped out a ton.

Love,
Q

[Tristana]

Hi guys. I just want to say a big ditto to everything said here. I have spent the day in a fog of depression. Part of me knows that my score was good, but the other part knows how much better I should have done. I did have the flu when I took the test and I guess that affected me more than I thought. I am already signed up for June. It will be better because I will be out of school and not so stressed. Good luck all!

[InVinoVeritas]

if you're up to it, definitely think about retaking.  next time though, try your best to relax.  if you were practicing in the low to mid 170s, it looks like test anxiety got the best of you; happens to a lot of people.  take the time you need to get over your disappointment and then let it roll off your back.  i'll bet you'll do much better next time if you tried not to stress about the test too much.

good luck to you!

[DunkinsFan]

Hey, sorry to hear your bad news.  It's really unfortunate that there are so many more stories like this than "holy crap, I did 5 points higher than I *ever* did on a practice test!"  (I actually think there are zero of these)

Mind if I ask, how did you feel after the exam?  Did you at all suspect you might not have performed to your potential?  I'm taking in June and so far my practice exams have been in the 168-69 range.  I know that with a combination of nerves/exp section/misinterpreting a rule on a game/etc it would not be difficult for to mess up and score 162-64 on test day.  But I always assumed that when this happened, it would at least be apparent before getting your score.

[DunkinsFan]

I know this probably doesn't help, but you did not bomb the LSAT. It's a hard test by any measure, and you scored better than most people who take it.

Bombing the LSAT is like a 140 or something. You didn't do as well as you'd like, but so many people out there would love to have your score.

I agree that the term "bomb" is an exageration for a 164, but it really is all relative.  Whenever you score 5 pts or more lower than your target score, it changes the admissions picture in a big way- target schools become reaches, safeties targets, and reaches out of the question.  That said, the OP probably won't be going to Cooley, but it is a bit of a letdown.

[weinmatt]

I tend to agree. Rocket... I remember the day of the test you and I both we thought... 170... for sure. I mean, my practice's weren't as high consistently, but 168-172's ... including a 171 on the December '04.

Imagine my *relative* dissapointment at my 164. Well hell you don't have to imagine... YOU KNOW.

I wont have a problem getting into American, but GW, the school I want, is now a bit of a reach. I don't have a great GPA... 3.18, but I'm also in a Top 20 Undergrad Computer Engineering program.... I have alot of other things going for me, great letters, extracurriculars (started an IT services company at 19). Still, now my numbers aren't anything special and it's left me feeling just average. And that honestly, blows.