December bombers, come in here and put your ego's aside

[ProfessorPlum]

honestly, one of the best things that happened to me was i didn't do well on the test last year and i had to stray from the path i always thought i would take in life.  i hate to be the one to say that things happen for a reason...

...but maybe they do?

Agree %100.  This sounds kind of parental, though, no?  Dammit, I'm getting old.

[umass22]

I just don't see how some people waltz in and get awesome scores without adequate preparation and then people like us study our asses off and do awful...it's just not fair

There is an obvious answer to this question.

Ouch.  We're gonna need some ice for that burn.

I'm not sure if this is the appropriate thread for that...

well this guy seems like a jerk, he made a snide remark to me in my other thread

[Slumdog Lovebutton]

honestly, one of the best things that happened to me was i didn't do well on the test last year and i had to stray from the path i always thought i would take in life.  i hate to be the one to say that things happen for a reason...

...but maybe they do?

Agree %100.  This sounds kind of parental, though, no?  Dammit, I'm getting old.

i'm super-parental.  i don't even try to be "hip" to the "jazz" that these kids are talkin nowadays.   

[Jameson]

I was scoring between 168-173 on every practice test inculding those administered by powerscore and I scored way below my first dianostic, I want life to end, it is not fair

[zipfly]

Jameson, I feel your pain.  I was scoring really well (for me) on all my practice tests, averaging high 150's - low 160's.  Don't know what happened, but, I completely bombed this test, 150.  Ugly, ugly, ugly.

[RobinSinghsDaddy]

As an older student (in my thirties), let me chime in on this thread.  First of all, it really isn't the end of the world not scoring as high as you would have liked on this thread.  Without knowing what many of you specifically scored, let me remind you to also look at your percentile when evaluating your performance.  I took the test in September and scored a 159, which was about the 80th percentile.  When I started this process (the law school application process), I had dreams similar to many others on this board; I was destined to go to school at HLS or Yale.  After receiving my September score, however, I felt absolutely crushed.  It was as if my life dreams were just thrown out the window. 

Looking back, however, I think this was a good, humbling experience.  I have come to realize that ultimately, where I end up in life will be largely due to who I am, not where I go to school.  I will be a strong candidate for many law firms because of my general education and my experiences.  Yes, a degree from the right law school will make things easier, but it just means I will have to take a different path to get there.  Feel free to PM me if you have any questions; I've been around the block a couple of times and I'm pretty sure I see it slightly differently than you do.

Forums such as this make a lower score that much harder, because this site is full of people scoring in the 170's and then claiming disappointment with it.  This is atypical, and you have to realize this.  There are only a handful of people scoring above 170, but 30,000 others scored less.  Fortunately, law schools run the full spectrum, and do not only accept high scoring students.

For me, I have decided to complete a masters in chemistry before applying to law school.  Yeah, this puts be back yet another year, but in the end, it will make me a stronger candidate.  I retook the LSAT in December and although I did not hit 170 like I wanted, I am mostly satisfied with my score now.  Life goes on, but how you bounce back from this is exactly what law schools seek in their candidates... your ability to recover from adversity and persevere.  Don't be too harsh on yourselves, but look at ways you can turn this setback around and still end up in the career that you you have worked so hard towards.

[tbone]

I got a 161.  I wouldn't say I'm dissappointed but I'm not proud either.

The thing I learned most is that I won't just get by being a "smart" guy.  I took a few diagnostic test when I took a Kaplan course about six months ago.  I scored 160 on the first one I took and figured I would surely score higher with more preparation.  I studied more then a little over the past six months but didn't really hit it if you know what I mean.  All in all I only did a handful of practice tests.  I mainly just practiced a couple of sections a few times a week.

The people who did put up great scores are the ones who did practice all the LG games published so far.  They worked their butts off and studied systematically.  I didn't and I realize how unprepared I really was.  If you want to ace this test and excel in law school it's going to be a grind.  It's not just studying it's having a gameplan.  I studied but didn't have a gameplan.

The test for me was an eye-opener that I can't coast anymore.

[singerlawyer29]

You ready?

147.

Yup. Get this, though, I did a lot better than I thought I would. Why I didn't cancel my score, I have no idea. I think it was because leaving the test center, I really couldn't say whether I thought I did bad or not so I thought I'd take my chances. Perhaps, like many, there was this spark of hope in me that I'd hit at least a 160 considering my prep test scores. I know why I did so horribly, though. Sure, I could always blame it on lack of sleep (the roommate is crazy), personal problems (family, and breaking up with the boyfriend... the weekend before the test. hah.), hectic work and school schedules (like many, the test was the weekend before finals... oh and fyi, I even took an LSAT prep class and missed a good majority of it due to school and work), which are all true, but what it comes down to is that I didn't prepare enough and I let those external forces interfere by making bad choices in how to allocate my time and in focusing on the test. If other people with equal circumstances or worse can do it, then so can I, right? I'm not depressed over my score or anything, because I know where I went wrong. If anything, I'll retake it. Just another lesson learned. So if you did bad, the world shouldn't come crashing down. You just need to stay positive. I am .

Now I just gotta tell my parents... now that's scary... doo bi doo...

How's that for a first post? hehe 

[ProfessorPlum]

Actually, sometimes the bigger your LSAT split, the more schools respect you for persevering.  Turn a 147 around into a 16x, include a strong addendum, and you'll be fine.  Even if you feel like you couldn't have scored worse on this test, there is a positive side to look at.

RobinSinghsDaddy is very wise.  Everyone should reread his post.

[ProfessorPlum]

There is an obvious answer to this question.

What you were referring to was not a question, so stop trying to be smart.