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"my way makes more sense to me than the way you explain it"
When NOT to submit your law school application
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Law School Admissions Waitlist Advice
Waitlists will likely see a lot of movement - especially because law schools likely won't get as many seat deposits as expected -- many students will be more hesitant to make the law school commitment this cycle given how uncertain the world is right now.
The cancellation of the March LSAT (soon to be joined by April) means students who were relying on those tests to boost their odds for this cycle are disadvantaged, and those who were not planning on retaking the LSAT and currently on the waitlist will benefit as a result.
One thing you might do is send a Letter of Continued Interest right at the time of seat deposit deadlines - this way you'll be top of mind when they're looking to admit students from the waitlist.
Which LSAT prep course is best?
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how NOT to get kicked out of the LSAT
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LSAT Score Cancellations
"How do you decide whether to cancel your score, assuming that the LSAT does not go well for you on test day, or you think it didn't go well?"
How do we know? It's not always easy to tell. Especially when you are so close to the problem that you have tunnel vision and you can't see straight. Once you walk out of the LSAT your brain is going to be fried. If you've done a 5-section exam, or maybe even gone really nuts and done a 6-section exam, you know what that feels like. After the LSAT, you're not in the best situation to make an evaluation of where you stand.
So for that reason, don't make any sudden moves. You don't need to cancel your score right away. You've got six calendar days from the day of the exam to cancel your score, and there is no benefit to canceling the day of or the next day vs three days later.
You will always have the chance to come back later with a fresh perspective and see where you stand. So for that reason, I would say, first of all, just don't do anything drastic in the moment. What you can do is take a reasoned assessment of how the test went, and I want you to walk through the following questions.
First of all, were you fully prepared? Did you do everything that you reasonably could have done? Or did you suddenly realize that for the past 2-3 months, you've been doing everything wrong. You've been working out of some awful, off-the-shelf prep book that doesn't even use real LSAT questions.
If that's the book you've been using, and it was using fake questions, then yes, you've been doing it wrong. You could probably improve your score drastically by taking a wholly different course of prep.
But if, on the other hand, you've been prepping in a reasonably solid way, you've been using well-reviewed LSAT materials from trusted sources, you've been using actual LSAT problems, and you've been getting advice from people that you consider to be experts.
Maybe you've even been taking their courses or using their study plans and you found that it just fell apart for you for one vague reason or another.
Now, let’s define "fall apart." Is it that you suddenly forgot everything and were at a loss for the entire 35 minutes per section? Or is it that you encountered a couple of difficult problems and weren't entirely sure how to handle them? If you just have this vague sense of dread because you didn't answer everything 100% correctly, then you probably shouldn't.
Maybe you could take a couple of days and think, “It might not have gone perfectly. Maybe it's a couple of points lower than I wanted, but...honestly, I'm not sure. I'm not sure how it went.” If that's the case for you, then I wouldn't cancel.
The reason is, there are many people who have gotten great scores, but they had that vague sense of dread right afterwards. And it's because the test is scary. Your adrenaline is running, your heart's racing, and that fight or flight kicks in and it feels like it was 10 hours of agony.
And then it also feels like it went by in the flash of an instant, all at the same time. And you walk out of there sweaty and drained. That's the situation that everyone's in. Even when it doesn't count and it's just a practice run, then it can still happen. It's normal, but if that's all you're feeling, I would keep the score.
For more, I've got an entire LSAT Unplugged playlist focused on LSAT Test Day prep here -----> and several articles on LSAT Test Day prep here ----->
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LSAT Logic Games - How to diagram "or" conditional statements
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LSAT Prep During Coronavirus Pandemic
I know you’re all worried about a LOT of things, such as how the coronavirus will affect future LSAT test dates. The April LSAT will almost certainly be canceled. The June LSAT is uncertain.
*Everyone* is being affected in some way - it's a crazy time.
What we DO know is that you should take advantage of the downtime, if you have it.
Take advantage of the uncertainty and make the most of the time you have - even if you’re stuck at home. And with the LSAT being digital now and so many available resources online, you actually don't need books. You don't need to go anywhere. What you need to do is turn your home into a study oasis, where you can focus on getting things done.
If you have more free time, NOW is the perfect time to sit down and study. Even though it might feel like you’re in limbo, prepare yourself just to be ready. That way when the time comes and things start to clear up, you can take the next LSAT you want to.
It's hard to study when you have uncertainty about when and where the next test is going to be and what law school is going to look like in the summer and fall. Is it going to be online? Is it going to go forward? A lot of unknowns are floating about; it feels like all these external forces are crashing down on you, whether it's the latest government lockdown or LSAC canceling the April LSAT, maybe even the June LSAT. There's no downside to being ready for the LSAT too early. These skills do not go away.
Right now is a good time to hone those study skills and just get it done.
And it's better to be safe than sorry. It's better to prepare now whether you're going to take it in two or six months. Just prepare as much as you can. At the end of the day, we don't know when this coronavirus pandemic is going to lift and when things are going to start opening again.
But it's best to do what you can to take advantage of the hiatus -- dedicate yourself to reaching your fullest potential.
*Everyone* is being affected in some way - it's a crazy time.
What we DO know is that you should take advantage of the downtime, if you have it.
Take advantage of the uncertainty and make the most of the time you have - even if you’re stuck at home. And with the LSAT being digital now and so many available resources online, you actually don't need books. You don't need to go anywhere. What you need to do is turn your home into a study oasis, where you can focus on getting things done.
If you have more free time, NOW is the perfect time to sit down and study. Even though it might feel like you’re in limbo, prepare yourself just to be ready. That way when the time comes and things start to clear up, you can take the next LSAT you want to.
It's hard to study when you have uncertainty about when and where the next test is going to be and what law school is going to look like in the summer and fall. Is it going to be online? Is it going to go forward? A lot of unknowns are floating about; it feels like all these external forces are crashing down on you, whether it's the latest government lockdown or LSAC canceling the April LSAT, maybe even the June LSAT. There's no downside to being ready for the LSAT too early. These skills do not go away.
Right now is a good time to hone those study skills and just get it done.
And it's better to be safe than sorry. It's better to prepare now whether you're going to take it in two or six months. Just prepare as much as you can. At the end of the day, we don't know when this coronavirus pandemic is going to lift and when things are going to start opening again.
But it's best to do what you can to take advantage of the hiatus -- dedicate yourself to reaching your fullest potential.
LSAC restoring canceled scores for test-takers who registered for March or April 2020 LSAT
From LSAC:
We hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy during this difficult time. Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected by the COVID-19 situation.
As you know, the COVID-19 outbreak forced cancellation of the March LSAT. The April LSAT in North America may also be canceled or postponed. We will continue to follow the guidance of public health authorities and will announce a final decision about the April test no later than April 10, so that April registrants have the opportunity to plan accordingly.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 situation, LSAC is working to provide testing alternatives for candidates, including candidates who need a score for admission this fall. We are looking at a number of options, including adding another test date in the late spring, secure remote-proctored testing, the possibility of in-person testing in smaller groups with appropriate social distancing and other safety measures, and more. We will continue to provide frequent updates on these efforts.
I wanted to make you aware of another step we are taking to help candidates get a reportable score in order to apply to law school during this difficult time. Any candidate who registered for the March 2020 or April 2020 LSAT, and who has a canceled score from a previous LSAT, will now have the opportunity to review their canceled score and restore that canceled score to their record if they choose.
Our records indicate that more than 3,000 of the candidates who registered for the March and April LSAT administrations have a previously canceled score. Many of these individuals do not currently have a non-canceled score, so allowing them to review and restore their canceled score could be an important step in enabling them to complete their application process for admission this fall.
Participation is completely optional, but given the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 emergency, we are strongly encouraging all candidates who had registered for the March and April LSATs to take advantage of this opportunity if they have a previously canceled score. We appreciate everything you are doing to support candidates during this time, and hope that you will encourage eligible candidates with whom you are in touch to take advantage of this opportunity as quickly as possible given where we are in the admission cycle.
We will be providing March and April registrants with their canceled scores over the next few days via confidential email. For candidates who choose to restore a previously canceled score, we will update their files within 2-3 business days, and new reports will be provided to any schools to which they have applied during this cycle.
This “Review and Restore” opportunity could help a significant number of candidates, but we know it won’t address the needs of everyone. We will continue our work to provide a variety of testing alternatives for the next several months. We also applaud the efforts of so many of our member law schools who have extended application deadlines and taken other steps to provide greater flexibility for candidates.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. You can also find the answers to commonly asked questions at our COVID-19 information page on LSAC.org.
