I was hoping I wouldn't have to post here

[iyl]

Not my story, but my friend's:

There was a gas leak in her building during Section 5, and they had to evacuate in case the building exploded. Fortunately it didn't, so after things were cleared up they went back in to finish the test.

The only thing that sucked about my experience was that I took it on my 23rd bday. BUT, a good score around Xmas time will make up for it 

[140am]

Not my story, but my friend's:

There was a gas leak in her building during Section 5, and they had to evacuate in case the building exploded. Fortunately it didn't, so after things were cleared up they went back in to finish the test.

The only thing that sucked about my experience was that I took it on my 23rd bday. BUT, a good score around Xmas time will make up for it 

Happy birthday!

[sea dream]

nothing terrible happened. the official time was taken by a digital timer and was accurate to the second. the only complaints i have about the test center are very minor and rather whiny - they gave half the people 2 desks to work on and the rest 1 desk. this is minor, but it was annoying. the 2 desk people get to keep their extra pencils/erasers etc on the other desk right next to their own. i had to literally have my extras in my hand moving them around during the test because my desk was small. but whatever! =)

the other problem i hated was i took it in a secondary campus of a university in another country. The bathrooms.. there were 3 stalls on our floor and none with any toilet paper. i borrowed some from my proctor to go pee, and was stuck in a long line. i shoudl have gone rooting around for diff bathrooms which there were but i just didn't know where and didn't want to go looking for them only to find them full of girls also and waste time. i got back to the room right before they called time- but behind me there were like 15 more girls waiting so i informed the proctor that probably people will need more time. oh yeah, they also made us put our bags in the front of the room and when i tried to retrieve mine for break i was informed it was forbidden, even to go to the bathroom. i was like .. i dont have a cell phone, or anything prohibited. i just want my handbag. they said no. i fortunately didn't need anything other than tissues which i got from the proctor, but if i had my period, which thankfully i didnt, i would have been mighty pissed to have to stand there and argue with the (male) proctor that YES i do need my handbag to go to the bathroom.

The test center was freezing, but i dressed in layers. still my fingers were pretty frozen.

one thing almost disastrous happened to me: the girl in front of me had a huge coat that she hung on her chair. when she got up for break she put it on, and it swept everything on my desk to the floor, including my timer which sounded like it was breaking into a million pieces (concrete floor) when i picked the pieces up there were parts i hadnt even seen before but the timer worked when put together anyways. The girl felt awful of course but if my timer had been broken i doubt she would offer me her own. i would have been pretty upset in that case.. ive been using that timer since the second i started practicing.

So, those were my LSAT stories. nothing major, nothing too bad. some people bubbling past time which frankly bothers me- i know some of the people here have claimed doing it and stated taht this test is so important andthey did it out of necessity. a minute extra like the girl bubbling in front of me had until the proctor got to her to pick up her exam.. that's not insignificant. time IS the worst part of the LSAT, and if other people are getting extra time, i'd like some too. but of course, time is taken differently everywhere and probably there are places taht get more time through the use of an analog clock or less time, and it sucks, but that's just how it is right now.

[cwctz8]

I feel like this test has too many serious issues to be considered a "standardized" test.  I mean, they only admininster it four times a year.  They can't have a few more procedures in place to make it more the same from place to place?  In my personal case, I feel like there needs to be a backup timer at every testing location.  Batteries die occasionally.  In other cases, I think it should be standard that a testing center cannot administer the exam if conditions aren't the same for everyone (desk size, etc.).  On a more national/worldwide level, I think test centers should have adequate heat/AC, bell towers are turned off, etc.  This is too important of a test to screw around like they seem to do in so many cases.  Some people spend a year of their life on this thing, and in my opinion, LSAC just doesn't seem to make the effort they should.

OK, I'm done complaining...           

[140am]

I feel like this test has too many serious issues to be considered a "standardized" test.  I mean, they only admininster it four times a year.  They can't have a few more procedures in place to make it more the same from place to place?  In my personal case, I feel like there needs to be a backup timer at every testing location.  Batteries die occasionally.  In other cases, I think it should be standard that a testing center cannot administer the exam if conditions aren't the same for everyone (desk size, etc.).  On a more national/worldwide level, I think test centers should have adequate heat/AC, bell towers are turned off, etc.  This is too important of a test to screw around like they seem to do in so many cases.  Some people spend a year of their life on this thing, and in my opinion, LSAC just doesn't seem to make the effort they should.

OK, I'm done complaining...           

While I agree with you in theory, and in an ideal world on most of those issues, and I have spent 20 months of my life on 2 administrations of this test, I think that at the end of the day, we've got to accept that the test is what it is.

And that is to say, a required entrance test/procedure that differs, but only slightly, across various test centers, which is not likely to be perfected any time soon.

I used to be fired up about several of the same issues, but the whole thing is a necessary evil, and a means to an end, soon we'll all be in school not thinking about this test anymore.

[Considering_Law]

Oh yeah I forgot to mention, if I get a good enough score on the LSAT that I don't need to take it again as a gift I'll give away my LRB and LGB books for free.   So come on you well wisher's we're talking free books here, I'll even pay the s&H fees.  I never wrote in them and the LRB wass practically never used (shoot! that may have been my problem)

Um I'll be holding onto the books for a little while longer

[sonofapickle.]

of course you do.

But unfortunately I have a horror story.
When I was taking the LSAT today someone's cell phone alarm went off for about a minute.  The proctor kept yelling "Who's is that Who's is that!  You were specifically told not to bring cell phones in here, This is very distracting to the class, I'm gonna find you"  Turned out it was the guy right in front of me but he kept saying it wasn't him and he turned his phone off but when he pulled it out, he discovered his alarm was still on and that's what was ringing.  The proctor was like "I'm gonna have to report this"  but really between her yelling and the phone  ringing i don't know which was more distracting.

As soon as it happened I thought of this board, and smiled and shook my head.