You Just Underperformed on the LSAT- Now What?
Seeing your official LSAT score come in below your expected score is very painful. It happened to me twice. I scored a 167 and a 168 on my first two LSAT administrations after consistently practice testing in the mid-high 170s. I remember not just being sad, but also immediately having a million questions pop into my head. Should I retake? When should I plan to apply in the cycle now? Is it time to quit?
The first thing to do after seeing a disappointing score is to allow yourself to feel sad for at least a few hours. There will be plenty of time to strategize on big-picture questions. The LSAT is a highly stressful test that means a lot to students, not just in terms of scholarship dollars but in terms of their pride and oftentimes even in terms of their self-worth. If you underperformed, don’t lie to yourself and pretend that you don’t care. Allow yourself to feel sad and take the time necessary to come to grips with the fact that your score does not define who you are as a person.
Should you Retake?
Your practice test range is almost always wider than what you think it is. Most students either have not taken enough practice tests to sufficiently establish their range or only report their range using a limited sample of recent practice tests. Different students have different ranges, but unless you are truly a master of the test and consistently score in the high 170s, your range is likely between 10 and 15 points. For most students, this means that an underperformance on the official test represents a number well within their range. If this was you, then the most logical reaction is to continue studying and retake the test as soon as possible, assuming that you are practice testing in a range that you are comfortable with.
Also, remember that as the system is set up right now, law schools only care about your highest LSAT score. That is the score that they report to US News for the calculation of their ranking. Don’t be hesitant to take the test again. Address any mistakes that you made, accept that any official score is just one data point in your range, and give it another shot.
Diagnose What Went Wrong
Try to recap the occurrences of your test as objectively as possible. Did you do anything differently than you did when taking prep tests? This can take several different forms, including answering questions too slowly or quickly, second-guessing yourself more than usual, flagging too many questions, or checking the time too much. If you did alter your normal process, start formulating a plan to ensure that you do not make this same mistake on your next official attempt. Another question to ask yourself is if you were fully prepared. One critical mistake that students make is to take practice tests in a way that does not mimic test conditions. This can take the form of taking long breaks in between sections, repeatedly pausing the sections for various reasons, being in a distracting environment, and more. For example, because I am someone who eats a lot of meals during the day, when I first studied I would always take a 30-minute lunch break in between sections two and three. During my first real test, since we only received a 10-minute break and I was so stressed about returning to my seat in time, I barely had time to eat a snack. As a result, I was hungry and dehydrated during the second half of my test.
Application Timing
Many students also tend to worry about application timing. The highest number of test takers tend to be between August and November because students want to take the test, get a score that they are happy with, and then apply early in the cycle. But, if a score comes back in one of these months that is below expectations, then students start to question whether to apply with the score they already have or take the test again and apply later or even in a future cycle. The most important advice on this point is that by far the two most important factors in your application are your LSAT and your GPA. Raising your LSAT score would do far more for your application than would applying one month earlier.
Final Thoughts
An underperformance on the official LSAT is undoubtedly disappointing. But it happens to thousands of students in every administration, and it does not mean that your LSAT journey is over. Remember that the LSAT does not define you, learn from the mistakes you made, and retake the test again as a stronger and more confident student.
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