Should I apply for extended time on the LSAT? Will it hurt my application?

[MikeD86]

Hi everyone,

I am very unsure whether or not to request extended time from the LSAC. Here is my situation. I am diagnosed with ADD since I was in High School (yes, I actually have it). When I was taking the SATs, I scored a 1240 the first time (out of 1600). After I received extended time on the SATs, I scored a 1490 on my second attempt. The college board did not report that I received extended time to colleges. I am very happy that I did because I got a great scholarship to a IVY league school. Now, I am preparing for the LSAT's and doing ok, (consistently around a 163). I took the LSATs twice with extended time (52 minutes per section under LSAC extended time accommodations) and received a 174 and 175 on recent preptests.

I have a 3.5 GPA, I am a double major (Business with a concentration in Finance, Political Science) with a double minor (Accounting and International Relations) and want to apply to a top tier school (NYU, Columbia, Harvard, Cornell or Northwestern). I never received extended time in college because I did not want professors to have negative opinions of me because of my disability. After years of feeling inadequate because I needed to receive special attention in middle school and remedial classes for reading, I worked extremely hard to prove myself in college despite my disability. My doctor once recommended medication (Adderall) but I refused. I am really struggling with the time factor on the LSAT. When I take the practice LSATs, I can only get up to question 18 or 19 on LR and the third reading comp passage (my accuracy is about 95% though). My LG are pretty decent (19/23 average). It is quite discouraging to work slow on this exam, especially after months of preparation and very little improvement.
 

I really want to know if the benefits derived from a high LSAT score outweigh the risk associated with disclosing that I have a learning disability. I know that law schools are not allowed to discriminate against students with ADD and learning disabilities, but I am also concerned because since I never received special accommodations in college and received a decent GPA-- law schools will think that I took advantage of the system for an advantage in school admissions (especially if they learn about how extended time significantly helped me with the SATS) Also, will they think that if this student cannot complete a three hour exam, how will he read hundreds of pages nightly on complex argumentation in law cases? I know that I meet the criteria in terms of documentation from state certified psychological exams. Should I take the exam with extended time?

I may be thinking too deeply about this. I am just unsure what path I should take. Try to study harder to improve my 163 (even though I have spent eight weeks of non-stop 2-3+ hours daily preparation)or apply for extended time, take the exam in September, admit that I have a learning disability, and risk the application board have a bias towards my application. The test does not confuse me, I guess I am am just a slow thinker.

Thanks for reading this long post. Any honest thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[raghav04]

Sorry I can't offer any official advice to your dilemma-but seeing how you've had over 90 views and not a single reply, I thought I would at least offer but a few words.

If truly you have ADD, and you have proven it to yourself that you CAN do better with extended time-then DO IT-apply for a time extension. If the only reason concerning you is the 'bias', then I would really urge you to look past that. I don't think that it would be a factor especially if you are in the 175 range. Yeah-I believe it may matter to some very little degree if you were right on the border of admission, but not in your case.

Best of luck-hope this is of some assistance.

[Ninja1]

Whatever decision you come to, if you do get the extra time, for the love of god, never tell any other law students about it.

[gerber7]

I am in the same exact boat as you. I have been classified as dyslexic since second grade and score around a 164 timed without ever finishing a reading comp or LR section. Everything I have seen, in terms of admissions counselor advice, has been to take the test with accommodations because the LSAT is supposed to test your ability not disability.

I am very nervous about applying for extra time because although I have been granted extra time for other standardized tests (SAT, GEPA) I have heard that the LSAC can be very tough when it comes to granting accommodations, and it will cost me about $1,000 to get retested.

If you can get the extra time, go for it. If you truly have a disability, then you have every right to demonstrate your true ability rather then a present a false depiction of your potential. 

[Matthies]

I have dyslexia, really, really bad dyslexia like could not read or write my own name before I was 10, plus ADD. Not only does it effect my writing, but I read really slow because I have translate everything from dyslexic back to English as I go. But, getting accomdiations on the LAST is a pian in the ass. You will need a full recent evaluation witch, as another posters said, can cost $1-2k. Its takes MONTHS for LSAC to get back to you on your request so you need to get started NOW. In my case I waited too long and had not been approved before my test date and took it without accomdications. I bombed it, 150. I got every single games question wrong. The worst thing you can do to a dyslexic who inverts numbers and letters is ask them to put 8 people name A-h around atble number 1-8. WTF I wish the pople who wrote those questions could live in my shoes from ONE day and see how hard that is when your brian is wired backwards.

It might be an issue for accomdiations if you did not get them in UG. But as to schools looking down on you for having a learning disability, it won’t be an issue. I wrote my PS on my struggles with dyslexia, and in spite of having a supper crappy score I think it helped em get into some good schools (well that and another thing I did, but that’s a long story). If you have a documented disability then get accomidations. If you have a sever disability it’s the only way you can be competitive.

As to what your classmates will think, f-them. I have never had anyone say ANYTHING negative to me about it ever, and I don’t hide the fact I’m dyslexic, and anyone who has vere seen me write anything would know right away anyway. In fact many, many of my classmates are impressed by how hard I work to overcome it and do well. I’ve had many tell me that. It only takes 5 mins of IMing with me to see how f-ed up my writing/spelling is. Even with accomidations NO EON would trade places with me if it meant they had to work as hard as I do.

[Ninja1]

Whatever decision you come to, if you do get the extra time, for the love of god, never tell any other law students about it.

WTF is wrong with you?  This person has a disability, and you think s/he should be ashamed of it?  You really are a tool.

I'm not saying they need to be ashamed of anything. I'm just saying they need to not tell people about getting extra time if that's what happens. I've found people in law school tend to think it's bull to give any kind of advantage to anyone on things like the the LSAT or law school exams.
 
I know two people that get to take their exams apart from their sections. Personally, I don't see what the problem is, but a lot of people female dog even about that.

So chill and *&^%.

[Matthies]

Whatever decision you come to, if you do get the extra time, for the love of god, never tell any other law students about it.

WTF is wrong with you?  This person has a disability, and you think s/he should be ashamed of it?  You really are a tool.

I'm not saying they need to be ashamed of anything. I'm just saying they need to not tell people about getting extra time if that's what happens. I've found people in law school tend to be petty, insucure, whiners who will blame eveything and naything but themslves for any slight but think it's bull to give any kind of advantage to anyone on things like the the LSAT or law school exams.
 
I know two people that get to take their exams apart from their sections. Personally, I don't see what the problem is, but a lot of people female dog even about that.

So chill and poo.

fixed

[Ninja1]

Whatever decision you come to, if you do get the extra time, for the love of god, never tell any other law students about it.

WTF is wrong with you?  This person has a disability, and you think s/he should be ashamed of it?  You really are a tool.

I'm not saying they need to be ashamed of anything. I'm just saying they need to not tell people about getting extra time if that's what happens. I've found people in law school tend to be petty, insucure, whiners who will blame eveything and naything but themslves for any slight but think it's bull to give any kind of advantage to anyone on things like the the LSAT or law school exams.
 
I know two people that get to take their exams apart from their sections. Personally, I don't see what the problem is, but a lot of people female dog even about that.

So chill and poo.

fixed

Maybe that's the case at Denver...

[Matthies]

Whatever decision you come to, if you do get the extra time, for the love of god, never tell any other law students about it.

WTF is wrong with you?  This person has a disability, and you think s/he should be ashamed of it?  You really are a tool.

I'm not saying they need to be ashamed of anything. I'm just saying they need to not tell people about getting extra time if that's what happens. I've found people in law school tend to be petty, insucure, whiners who will blame eveything and naything but themslves for any slight but think it's bull to give any kind of advantage to anyone on things like the the LSAT or law school exams.
 
I know two people that get to take their exams apart from their sections. Personally, I don't see what the problem is, but a lot of people female dog even about that.

So chill and poo.

fixed

Maybe that's the case at Denver...

Actually, that's the impression I get from this board.

exactly, people at Denver don't give a *&^% if you have a disablity

[Ninja1]

Whatever decision you come to, if you do get the extra time, for the love of god, never tell any other law students about it.

WTF is wrong with you?  This person has a disability, and you think s/he should be ashamed of it?  You really are a tool.

I'm not saying they need to be ashamed of anything. I'm just saying they need to not tell people about getting extra time if that's what happens. I've found people in law school tend to be petty, insucure, whiners who will blame eveything and naything but themslves for any slight but think it's bull to give any kind of advantage to anyone on things like the the LSAT or law school exams.
 
I know two people that get to take their exams apart from their sections. Personally, I don't see what the problem is, but a lot of people female dog even about that.

So chill and poo.

fixed

Maybe that's the case at Denver...

Actually, that's the impression I get from this board.

This is also generally correct.