First of all, congratulations to everyone who took the LSAT on Monday - you made it!For the most part, it sounds like most of you did well. However, some of you had difficulty with one Logic Game in particular - the "dinosaur game." After the exam, many of you emailed me to ask my advice about whether or not you should cancel.
This post is primarily for June 2009 test-takers, but it'll apply to anyone who takes the LSAT and is stressed about a particular question.
Anyone who didn't take the June 2009 LSAT probably thinks the dinosaur on the right looks cute and cuddly. I understand your skepticism.
However, you'll know why many June test-takers were intimidated by the dinosaur game when you finally look at PrepTest 57 (June 2009 LSAT).
LSAC has rules prohibiting the discussion of LSAT questions prior to their publication. As such, I won't post any specifics about it for the next few weeks.
Until then, here are some tips for June test-takers about the decision of whether or not to cancel their scores.
Reasons to cancel your LSAT score:
If the dinosaur game threw you off for the rest of the exam, I would cancel the score to avoid blemishes.
It looks better to have a cancellation and a high score than to have a low score and a high score.
Cancellations are ambiguous. Low scores aren't.
You don't need a low score on your record to motivate yourself. You can motivate yourself with the goal of getting into the law schools you want.
It's much better to cancel than to let a low score remain on your record.
Many students canceled or were absent simply because of the early postponement deadline. If you cancel, you'll be part of the "silver lining" group I described. Enjoy.
Reasons not to cancel your LSAT score:
Most test-takers didn't like the "dinosaur game." If that game was the only thing that gave you an unusual degree of difficulty, and everything else went as usual (or better), I wouldn't cancel the score.
Keep in mind that most LSAT-takers are in your shoes. It all comes down to how LSAC makes the curve. I wouldn't be surprised if the curve (LSAC prefers to call it a "test-equating process" since the LSAT is not technically curved) were more generous than usual in order to account for the fact that so many test-takers found the dinosaur game difficult.
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You have 6 calendar days from the exam date to cancel.
For advice on retaking the LSAT, please see Should You Retake the LSAT? and How to Study for a Retake.
If you're concerned about running out of material, please see How Many (Free) LSAT PrepTests Are There? for some exams you may have missed.
