If you take the June, October, or December LSAT, you'll be able to see (and download) the exam you took by logging into your LSAC account once you receive your score via email.You'll also be able to see exactly which questions you answered incorrectly and what you chose for each.
(This assumes, among other things, you're not taking the LSAT outside North America, or taking a special Sabbath observers' administration.)
However, none of you who take the February LSAT will ever get to see the exam once you've taken it, nor will you get to see how many questions you answered incorrectly.
All you'll get is your score out of 180, and your percentile.
Why?
LSAC's Director of Communications, Wendy Margolis, explained via email:
The reason the February LSAT is nondisclosed is because it is important for LSAC to have some nondisclosed test forms and questions available in reserve for emergencies and special uses. The nondisclosed February test forms play this role. This has been LSAC practice since 1996. In case you need to point your students to information about test disclosure, the following language and link appears on the LSAC.org page for the February LSAT:Basically, LSAC needs to have unreleased exams on file in case of inclement weather, and perhaps for use in overseas administrations (those outside the Americas) and Sabbath observers' administrations.
NOTE: Not every LSAT is disclosed.
A lot of work goes into creating a single LSAT, and LSAC doesn't want to have to create a new exam for a relatively-small number of test-takers.
That's just the way it is, folks. Sorry.
(Some details on LSAC's website.)
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It's a shame that Feb test is undisclosed.. So Steve, in your point of view, if I don't hit my target score (170+) by the test date in February, would you say that taking the test in February is too risky and perhaps not that beneficial? Because well, normally I might get a score below my expectation but at least I will get an access to the exam and some feedback on which questions I got wrong. I already have one cancel in my record, and wouldn't want to cancel the test again... meaning if I take it, I get the score, period. I'm studying for the Feb test but I am not hitting my target score yet. Thank you in advance for your help!
ReplyDeleteSteve- Would you say the newest exams show a trend away from the default guess answer of B or E or are those still be best guess answers when you run out of time?
ReplyDeleteI've been studying using the tests from (next actual) the late 90s up to 2002 and B seems correct. Thanks for your blog!!
I'm also studying for the February exam since about July of this year. I had no idea the results were undisclosed for the Feb test. I also have one cancellation on my record so I'm not going to cancel another score. I'm doing well and should be ready by February. Does not having the results really make that much of a difference? Something about never seeing my results annoys me enough to consider waiting until the June test. What are the pros and cons of waiting until June? Thanks for your study schedule and blog.
ReplyDeleteAlso, can you study too much for the LSAT? If I were to wait until June, I would have spent almost a year studying for the exam. Is that crazy?
ReplyDeleteWhy can't they at least release the Raw Score, and Curve? That provides no useful information to someone taking the test in the future.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly, how can you call a test that's been issued a viable lsat...Someone may sit for it twice. I sat for last Feb, and am taking a blizzard-delayed Feb test this year. Granted they won't use a test that's one year old, but lets say of the 30 canceled test centers, at least one student has sat for each of the last 5-6 Feb's...They will either issue a test a student has already taken, or issue a test without comparative reading?
With the understanding that this is an old post, the February test is coming around again, so I figured commenting might be alright :)
ReplyDeleteI personally can't see any reason why it being undisclosed would dissuade anyone from taking it; if you've been going through the practice tests, you should be getting a great deal of feedback with respect to what question types you need to focus on; chances are, getting additional feedback from your first (and hopefully only) official LSAT won't be any more helpful than feedback on any of the immediately preceeding practice tests :)
I might say, too, that the concept makes good sense to me with respect to saving some questions back; I see the risk of someone getting the same exam as being practically zero, for three reasons:
1. Obviously, they don't release where and when a test will be re-used
2. With certainty, they wouldn ever use the same test in the same center -- let alone city, state, or country
3. LSAC -- again, with certainty -- cross-checks all of the registered examinees with those examinees who took the exam in its' original. Thus, in the truly impossible scenario of an individual taking, say, the U.S. February 2014 LSAT, then months or years later discovering in what country and when it will be re-used, registers for that test in that location, LSAC will know it immediately, and adjust.
P.S. If any of you December 2013'ers read this, best of luck to you :)