The Dinosaur Game and Whether to Cancel Your LSAT Score

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.

Law School Admission Game | Interview

Law school admission consultant Ann Levine just came out with The Law School Admission Game. I recently interviewed Ann about her new book. Our discussion follows.

1. You have special tips for students applying to law schools that are far away from where they currently live. You suggest that they give specific reasons why they would want to move across the country for law school, such as family members or a fiancé.

I agree that it's important to convince each school of one's seriousness about attending if accepted. How can students work these details into their essays while maintaining the essay's flow?

Sometimes it’s easy to express sincere interest in a school within a personal statement. For example, it can be persuasive when showing an applicant is drawn to a certain area of law (hard to study maritime law in Iowa, for example) or wanting to continue volunteer work with respect to gay rights and what better way to be on the forefront of the political war in California than to be in San Francisco during law school, etc. Reasons for attending a certain school (or being in a certain location) actually fit in nicely with many personal statement topics, but I do understand it can be hard to avoid the seemingly inevitable “Why X Law School” concluding paragraph. Other options would be including this information in an addendum or in a separate letter to the law school. For example, it can be worked in with an addendum explaining inconsistent undergraduate grades. “I learned that I perform better academically when surrounded by a support system. My brother and his wife live in Boston and I would save money during law school by living with them. As a result, I would not have to work during law school as I did during college and my grades would therefore not be hampered by my financial obligations.” The important thing is that the reason be sincere and persuasive, rather than a platitude. Telling a law school “New York is the hub of the financial world and an exciting city” is a waste of space and not going to get you anywhere.


2. You write that students can increase the number and amount of scholarship offers by telling one law school about a competing school's scholarship offer. What are some ways to increase financial aid without an initial scholarship in the first place?

First, I want to clarify the difference between “scholarship” and “financial aid.” Financial aid includes loans. If an admitted student does not have any scholarship offers, she could still mention another school would be cheaper to attend because she could live at home or because it’s a public school. There are also private scholarship sources (not restricted to a particular school) for resourceful students.


3. In your book, you mention that you're often viewed as the champion of applicants shooting for 4th-tier "regional law schools." When I interviewed admission consultant Anna Ivey, she suggested these law schools aren't worth the investment of time and money. How would you respond?

Oh, I have responded to Anna’s opinions on this subject! I have a lot of respect for Anna but this is one point on which we agree to disagree. I stand by my response (originally posted in September 2007 on my blog).

If someone is going to law school for the sole purpose of going to BigLaw, then Anna’s theory carries quite a bit of weight in normal economic circumstances. However, in today’s world, BigLaw is no longer a security blanket with a promise of $160k right out of school. These firms are turning away people they’ve hired and firing associates! It could actually be argued that the economic impact of the current recession will be worse on law students at Top-14 schools because many of them were depending on these high paying jobs and may be unwilling to consider (or might appear overqualified for) jobs that graduates of lower ranked schools might accept.

Putting that aside, I stand by the following: the value of a legal education directly relates to the effort a law student puts in – not just to grades and law review, but to networking and marketing. I interviewed Kevin Houchin, Esq., author of “Fuel the Spark: 5 Guiding Values for Success in Law School and Beyond” on BlogTalkRadio.com. We spent a lot of time talking about the “Other 90%” – those not planning to go to BigLaw – and how they can build careers while still in law school. There are so many examples of people who succeed in life and in law without a “brand name” law school – I would never say to someone that only a certain kind of legal education is worthwhile. The key is to be smart about the debt you’re taking on and having reasonable salary expectations. It’s very possible to build connections and a brand for yourself while still a law student. Finding a job/career might take a little more creativity now that BigLaw jobs are drying up; self-motivated students face no limits on what they might earn after law school.


4. At 168 pages, your book is shorter than many other law school admission books. For example, I've reviewed How to Get Into the Top Law Schools by Richard Montauk, which is over 600 pages. What do you think are some of the advantages that applicants gain from a more concise book?

Brevity is underrated! I love to take a client’s 4 page personal statement and turn it into one that’s 500 words –and it’s usually stronger as a result. I actually say in my book, “Cutting a personal statement to size shouldn’t mean sacrificing content; it should require you to really think about your message and what is essential to include for you to prove that message.” I think the same applies to law school admission guidebooks.

It should be noted that I include no sample personal statements in my book – they are great page fillers, but I don’t believe in giving people personal statement examples. I want each personal statement to be unique, and so many law school admission books include really trite and unimpressive personal statements. Instead, I share an entire chapter of specific “do’s and don’ts” regarding personal statements. I also include four “Case Studies” of applicant profiles and suggestions of how each could use the personal statement as an opportunity to highlight a particular strength or overcome a weakness or concern a law school admission officer might have based on his background. Instead of showing people essays that don’t apply to their lives, such as the “I overcame a brain injury” and “I spent all day talking to Homeless Mary at the shelter” I wanted to show the backgrounds of four potential applicants that almost everyone can relate to and provide several ideas for effective personal statement topics in each case.

For example, here’s the first case study in the book (from page 93):

I am three years out of college and I’ve held a few jobs. I worked as a mortgage broker’s assistant, then as a publishing assistant, then sold classified ads for an online magazine. What do I write my personal statement about?

For those of you a few years out of college who have held 2-3 jobs that weren’t promotions within the same company or industry, then applying to law school can appear insincere. It can look like you’re floundering and still trying to find yourself. When objectively analyzing your resume, consider the impact of this trend and consider ways to overcome it, perhaps by emphasizing a volunteer position or thinking about ways the jobs actually have more in common with each other than meets the eye, or considering how each ob has actually allowed you to come closer to the conclusion that law school is the right next step for you. You might also consider this theme by sharing a story from your personal life about the impact a lawyer had on your family’s situation, even if the impact was negative.

In your review of Mr. Montauk’s book, you actually said much of it would only apply to applicants seeking admission to a Top-10 school. My book is concise but the advice within it is intended to apply to all law school applicants, no matter their aspirations. It’s about how to best present yourself – whoever YOU are – and you don’t present different versions of yourself to different schools based on that school’s ranking. Besides, one person’s reach school might be Columbia, but another person’s reach school might be CUNY – both applicants benefit from the advice in my book.

About the LSAT PDF by LSAC

This PDF is no longer available and has been replaced by LSAC's About the LSAT Video.

While digging through the Law School Admission Council's (LSAC) website the other day, I discovered a great overview of the LSAT.

It's called, appropriately enough, "About the LSAT" (PDF). It was originally given as a PowerPoint presentation by Lily Knezevich, a Senior Test Developer at LSAC.

Luckily for us, LSAC was kind enough to make it available for download as a PDF for anyone who couldn't make it.

A few quick notes on the LSAT questions used in the PDF:

The jury trial passage (on page 9 of the PDF) is from PrepTest 37 (June 2002), Section 1.

The Comparative Reading passages (on page 12 of the PDF) are from LSAC's "Preparing for the LSAT" PDF. They're not from any PrepTest.

The Logical Reasoning question (on page 19 of the PDF) is PrepTest 22 (June 1997), Section 4, Question 5.

The partial Logic Game (on page 24 of the PDF) is not from any PrepTest or document I've ever seen.

This PDF was a presentation given at an LSAC Law School Forum in October 2007, so it doesn't reference any of the PrepTests after PrepTest 51 (December 2006). I've listed all the PrepTests you'll need in the Best LSAT Prep Books post.

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How to Cancel Your LSAT Score

If you intend to cancel your LSAT score or to be absent, please my post on canceling or being absent.

After your test, please submit your LSAT test center reviews to help future test-takers.

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This post includes excerpts from LSAC's website explaining how to cancel your LSAT score. It also includes info from LSAC about how score cancellations and absences appear on your score report. Here the LSAT score cancellation form (PDF).

Canceling Your LSAT Score
LSAC says:

We must receive a signed fax or overnight letter with your request within six calendar days of the test. If you do not receive confirmation of receipt of your request within four calendar days after your request was submitted, contact LSAC immediately. If your request has not been processed, you may submit proof that your request was received at LSAC within the required period. Documentation of proof of receipt will not be accepted beyond 14 calendar days after the test. You can also cancel your score at the test center if you are absolutely certain you want to cancel your score.

How Cancellations and Absences Appear on Your Score Report

Both score cancellations and absences do appear on your LSAC score report. This means they're reported to law schools.

LSAC says:

The score report that is displayed online or mailed to you will show your current test results, along with the results of all tests—up to 12—...including absences and cancellations. An average score is also calculated and reported when you have more than one reportable score.

However, test date postponements and registration cancellations made by LSAC's deadline (3 weeks before the exam date) do not appear on score reports.

Photo by mag3737

5 Hardest LSAT Reading Comprehension Passages

I've already listed the 10 Hardest Logic Games, but a list of the 5 Hardest Reading Comprehension Passages is long overdue.

This list is focused on exams published 2000-2010. (See the list of every LSAT PrepTest.)

These make for great bathroom/beach reading. Enjoy!

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1. PrepTest 35 (October 2001), Passage 4 - Ronald Dworkin and Legal Positivism vs. Moralism (p234 in Next 10)

2. PrepTest 49 (June 2006), Passage 4 - Maize

3. PrepTest 50 (October 2006), Passage 4 - Riddled Basins of Attraction

4. PrepTest 55 (October 2008), Passage 3 - Maxine Kingston and the Chinese talk-story

5. PrepTest 59 (December 2009), Passage 3 - Isamu Noguchi and Sculpture

Also, here are some Difficult LSAT Logical Reasoning Questions.

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How to Challenge a Flawed or Unfair LSAT Question

Even the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) makes mistakes.

Occasionally, a flawed LSAT question (a question that has no clearly correct answer) slips through the cracks and makes it onto a scored section of an actual administered LSAT exam.

Fortunately, like any bureaucracy worth its salt, LSAC has a set of rules in place just in case a clever (or stubborn) test-taker decides that his/her logic surpasses LSAC's. You can find these rules in "Policies and Procedures Governing Challenges to Law School Admission Test Questions."

Blog reader Jamie recently emailed me about "withdrawn" LSAT questions (questions that students have successfully challenged). Because LSAC doesn't want to confuse students with ambiguous or poorly-written questions in the published versions of its exams (and because it doesn't want its mistakes to live on in published form), these questions are not reprinted. Instead, the space where they appear is simply noted as "withdrawn."

Jamie writes:

I sometimes come across a "withdrawn" question on a released test: you know, "withdrawn from scoring." I imagine a number of different situations: LSAC scores the exams and realizes that a certain question threw off the difficulty of the test, or two angry LSAC philosophers break into arm wrestling match over a question only to realize there are multiple acceptable solutions as presented, or perhaps a heroic test candidate catches a flaw the LSAC glossed over, reports it to Newtown (Ed: the town in Pennsylvania where LSAC's headquarters are located - Steve), gets a 181 and a ticker-tape parade.

Whatever the cause, what are the implications? If LSAC withdraws a question, and your answer was the credited answer, do you lose out on a point? If you're certain that a test question has an error, do you have a recourse? I just wonder if it's detrimental to note "withdrawn" on the released test, since the released version is no longer an accurate specimen of what you would have sat through for that particular test.

LSAC calculates the scale (translation of raw scores to scores out of 180) before each administration, and it pre-tests questions in previous exams' experimental sections. For this reason, it's not due to the exam's difficulty. (LSAC occasionally recalibrates the scale if an exam turns out to be harder or easier than expected. However, it doesn't withdraw questions for this reason.)

It's also not the philosophers' arm-wrestling match, as amusing as that would be. LSAC philosophers do all their arm-wrestling before the exam is ever administered.

Withdrawn questions only result from the efforts of heroic flaw-catching test candidates.

Yes, if they withdraw a question, but you answered it "correctly," you lose out on the point.

If you're certain that a question is wrong, you can email LSAC afterwards. If they decide in your favor, they'll withdraw the question.

However, under test day pressure, it's better to attempt every question than to puzzle over one you believe to be poorly-written. While you'd live on in the test-takers' hall of fame for your efforts, it's to your advantage to prioritize the other questions instead of getting bogged-down.

If you take a practice exam that contains a withdrawn question, your experience won't be perfectly similar to that of the people who actually took that test, but it'll be pretty darn close, just one fewer question out of approximately 100 questions. It's negligible in the larger scheme of things.

LSAC recalibrates the scale when this happens, so you'll still get an accurate result.

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Read on for Withdrawn LSAT Questions | Item Removed From Scoring.

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Withdrawn LSAT Questions | Item Removed from Scoring

After answering Jamie's question in How to Challenge a Flawed or Unfair LSAT Question, I became curious and looked through every PrepTest to determine how many questions have been withdrawn in LSAT history.

I've listed below all the withdrawn questions I found. If you flip to the appropriate page, all you'll see is a blank space with the words "Item Removed From Scoring" or "Question withheld from scoring." In the answer key, you'll see an asterisk (*) where the credited response would've been listed. As I said, LSAC doesn't publish withdrawn questions.

-PrepTest 23 (October 1997), Section 3, Question 1 (page 164 in 10 More Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests) - Logical Reasoning

-PrepTest 32 (October 2000), Section 4, Question 22 (page 144 in The Next 10 Actual, Official LSAT PrepTests) - Logical Reasoning

- PrepTest 38 (October 2002), Section 4, Question 12 (page 345 in The Next 10...) - Logical Reasoning

- PrepTest 45 (December 2004), Section 1, Question 5 - Logical Reasoning

- PrepTest 46 (June 2005), Section 1, Question 9 - Reading Comprehension

- PrepTest 52 (September 2007), Section 4, Question 15 - Reading Comprehension

- PrepTest 60 (June 2010), Section 1, Question 19 - Logical Reasoning

Admittedly, it's difficult to make any predictions with a sample size of only 7 questions. However, if the distribution of flawed questions on previous exams is an indication of where future flawed questions will appear, then flawed questions may be more likely to appear on September / October exams in the future.

I'm only speculating, but I suspect that as LSAC has tried to include more difficult questions in recent years, it has become increasingly likely to "cross the line" by including questions that had no correct answer, which were later removed from scoring.

The fact that recent years are the first time we've seen Reading Comprehension questions withdrawn is an indication that the Reading Comprehension section is becoming more difficult.

If you spot any withdrawn questions in your PrepTests that I missed, please email me with your additions to the list above. Thanks!

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Cell Phones Not Allowed At The LSAT

Just a reminder that LSAC does not permit cell phones at the test center.

The rules require that you leave them at home.

Take another look at the LSAT test day tips for more on what you can and can't bring.

I'm just guessing here, but I think the cell phone ban might stem from a 12-year-old LSAT cheating scandal - back when people actually used pagers:

The Law School Admission Council, the official administrator of the Law School Admission Test, or LSAT, became intimately aware of the threat in 1997, when a University of Southern California test taker ran out of the exam room with his test book. A proctor chased him, but couldn't stop him from hopping into a getaway car.

Hours later, the thief sent the LSAT answers to two test takers at the University of Hawaii at Manoa -- where the test was just commencing -- via electronic pager. The proctor became suspicious when she noticed the test takers frequently looking at their pagers. She let them finish their exams, then contacted the LSAC, which turned the case over to the Los Angeles Police Department.

All three students were prosecuted in California Superior Court on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery. They were sentenced to a year in jail each and forced to pay $97,000 in restitution to the LSAC.

The LSAC retains experts in electronic surveillance equipment from Securitas Security Services USA Inc. to provide staff to administer tests, carry out security investigations and alert testing companies of the latest cheating gadgetry and trends.

But, for now, it doesn't use electronic detection devices. Jim Vaseleck, executive assistant to the president of the LSAC, notes that astute proctors, not gadgets, foiled the USC plot.

"We instruct test takers and train proctors that folks are not allowed to bring electronic devices into testing centers," he says.

Plus, he believes that low-tech cheating schemes, which can be combated only with astute proctors, remain a bigger problem. He notes incidents where test takers carved exam answers into No. 2 pencils, selling them on the black market for close to $1,000, or lined up different-colored M&Ms on a desk to correspond to answers of multiple- choice questions. "Electronic devices present more of a nuisance than a security problem," Mr. Vaseleck says.

(article from Wisconsin School of Journalism's website - link down- http://www.journalism.wisc.edu/crediteducation/WSJ%20art.htm):

I hope that LSAC learned its lesson and hires more physically-fit proctors these days.

Either way, the bottom line: don't try to cheat on the LSAT.

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LSAT Diaries: 20-Something College Student

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from "Bob" in Washington, D.C. "Bob" is a female college student who wishes to remain anonymous.

I'm including "Bob's" LSAT Diary below, followed by a few quick comments. My blog post on the Best LSAT Prep Books reviews all the books she mentions.

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Leave "Bob" some encouragement below in the comments or on her blog!

May 19, 2009 - SOME LIQ PROVIDED BUT BYOB
1PM: Today is my official first day of my nineteen weeks of studying. Since its summer, I don't wake up as early as I am supposed to, and go to the kitchen with my LSAT books. I began to cook my eggs and toast when a heard my iPhone chime "doodoodoup" it said, I glanced over and I received a text:

"FWD: ABC Presents*: A Shindig, come celebrate James Millers Bday TONIGHT @ 10 PM @ Something Something Something G ST. Some liq provided but BYOB"

The dying question that is going through my mind is do I study or party? This has never been an issue for me in college but it's summertime, c'mon MAN.

*Names and places have been changed to protect the innocence from my 19-week insanity plea
5PM: I've decided that Harvard Law sounds better than "got-drunk-at-an-org-party and-had-to-wait-till-12PM-to-drive-back-home" As sad as that sounds. I am setting up my study space now; I drove to the convenience store and purchased fruit snacks, lemonade, ginger ale, chips, lemon-heads and some carrots. I am sure people would say that my junk food isn't brain food, but my brain is pretty active when I am chewing. (I really don't know what that's about.) Anyway, I am sitting down now in my newly-separated parents' living room, which is devoid of all furniture, when I get another text from my best-friend K, a socialite at my university:

"Are you coming?" "Nah, I am studying" "Studying? Its summertime!" "I know (sad face with tears streaming down) "Well, have fun I guess" "Oh I will logic games are so interesting!"

I can hear her laughing from the other side of the electronic texting device, I am sure she is telling friends how big of a dork her best-friend is. But really they are!

May 20, 2009 - CRABS, SUN and LOGIC GAMES

6PM: I started my LSAT studying again. Whew... I understand Bi-Conditionals and Conditionals because of Logic in college, but I am still wrapping my head around the games. I am going to continue doing that. It should NOT be impossible to learn. I went back to the beginning and started reading from page one. It's 6:00 now and I have to keep encouraging myself to make it through this section.

7PM: I live in Maryland and we're a BIG crab state. It's around 80 degrees outside. My dad, who is mysteriously moving back into our house (I feel like it's invading my privacy, you left homie!), purchased crabs. Yummy! I am going to sit out side for a bit and then come back in. My plan is 2-4 hours a-day for studying. 19 weeks whew!

May 21, 2009 - MY NEW BOYFRIEND (S)

I have a new boyfriend, well several; I am a player of hearts. What are their names you ask? Well one is Logic Games, he's the smart one with the thick glasses, the other is Logical Reasoning, I just call him LR, he's the sexy one, that I understand, and he understands me. Super Prep is the one I haven't taken a crack at yet. He’ll come around. Then my triplets: 10 Actual LSATs, 10 More, and the Next 10. They're sitting around on the rebound; I’ll start talking to them in a couple weeks. I have a mail order boyfriend coming soon his name is Reading Comp. I am not sure if I am going to use him yet. I may just keep him for a rainy day. Aside from my obvious boredom today wasn't very productive.

1PM: Had a job interview today with a Governmental Agency (what does Jeezy call them, the Alphabet Boys?) except she was a lady, a alphabet lady, anyway she was a Senior Trial attorney, and her cases had inspired movies, she was great! When I told her I was studying for the LSAT, she smiled and shook her head. "I know how that is," she said, reminiscent of her obvious LSAT studying.

7PM: Didn’t get any studying done, I brought my books with me, but I didn't get anything accomplished today.

FRIDAY May 22, 2009 - COOKOUTS, SUN, & LG

4PM: Woke up, and first thing I do is grab some LG, and I revised my LSAT schedule:

Remainder of May - Logic Games

1. Read Steve's Logic Games posts
2. Do problems that resemble actual LSAT problems
3. Keep doing problems over and over again until they are right and I understand how I got them right or why my answer was wrong

June - Logic Games

1. Logic Games
2. Continue LG
3. Start working on LR - Read LR posts in their entirety
4. Re-read for summary of points etc.
5. Do at least 10 problems a day
6. Find out what I did right, why it was right, and what I did wrong and why.

July – Reading Comprehension & Logical Reasoning

1. Skim through the Reading Comprehension posts
2. Read the Economist, and Historical monographs
3. Reading and doing Reading Comprehension questions
4. Practice Exams

August & September - Practice Exams

1. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
2. Taking AT LEAST 5 practice tests a week and going over my answers until the actual test
3. I don’t plan on being THERE for school and work until AFTER the LSAT is done so, I am going to be focusing on that instead of school.

DAY-to-DAY / STUDY NOTES

• Since it's Summer and I am not doing anything until the end of August, when school starts, I am focusing on the LSAT so, I plan on studying at least 3-4 hours a day
• I plan on taking at least 30 practice tests this study session. I really need a 170 or higher.
• 2:41 AM - Is it wrong to be at your BFF's rooftop party, at a high-rise apartment overlooking the beautiful city to be chatting it up with friends about the LSAT? I think so. I was going to pick up my book but I am going to go to sleep and start fresh in the morning.
• 
  
• SATURDAY May 23, 2009 - NOT PRODUCTIVE
• I haven't been as productive as I need to be, i may have to revise my schedule. I am not sure why i haven't been productive but i haven't. Sigh...I wrote my Diversity Statement today, that's as far as I've gotten. I really need to pick up my books. A couple of my friends who have taken the LSAT and scored high have told me about the journey of studying during the summer time. Its time for me to cut it all out.
  
• 
  
• SUNDAY May 24, 2009 - MOJITO AND A GAME
• 8PM - Today was K's twenty-first birthday, went out to a cute little spot had a drink and did some Logic Games. I feel bad, but it was cool had a little drink and studied a little bit. I thought I was productive, but I am still on Linear Games. I think this upcoming week starting Wednesday I am going to spend more than a little time on it.
• 12 AM - URGG!!! I need to study!
• 
  
• TUESDAY May 26, 2009 BREAK
• Didn't update yesterday, it was Memorial Day. I think i am going to take a break because i feel like I should be studying every morning I wake up. Which i feel is true but instead I feel pressured. I am disgusted with myself, I am going to have to apply myself and I need help doing so. I am going to start making a daily schedule for myself. Attempting to study 4 hours a day. I need to catch up on the time i missed. I am going to start doing it like this:
• 
  
• 12PM - Wake Up
• 1230PM - Lunch/Breakfast/Food of some sort.
• 1PM - Study
• 2:30PM- Study Break
• 3PM - Study again
• 4PM - Stop studying and free time
• 5PM - 12PM (the next day) FREE TIME

***

Steve's comments:

You've got plenty of time to prepare, "Bob."

This means that you don't have to give up all partying and socializing this summer in order to study. I like your proposed daily schedule - you're very lucky to have several hours in the middle of the day to study. Many students have to fit in their studying around a work schedule. Instead, you can treat studying like your job and socialize in the evening.

As long as your partying/socializing doesn't negatively impact your studying, it's fine. Just make sure that the 3-4 hours/day you study are productive. Disconnect yourself from email/IM/phone during this time so that you won't be interrupted.

Good luck!

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Cancel, Postpone, or Absence? | June 2009 LSAT

UPDATE:

The below post is now outdated due to an LSAC policy change - please see New Option to Withdraw Your LSAT Registration From LSAC.

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If you're simply curious about former LSAC policy, see the now-outdated: Cancel LSAT If You Missed The Test Date Change Deadline?

***

This post is meant for anyone who registered for a particular LSAT date, then missed the deadline to postpone (and wishes they hadn't).

I initially wrote this post for June 2009 LSAT-takers, who were the first ones to deal with the earlier-than-usual test-date-change deadline. However, this post also applies to all future LSAT-takers.

As I previously mentioned on the blog, this deadline is earlier than ever before - 3 weeks prior to the test date. (See why LSAC decided to make the test-date-change deadline earlier.)

The early postponement deadline causes admissions-related dilemmas for anyone who wishes to postpone but missed the deadline.

This post will help you figure out what to do now that you've missed the deadline, and it will show you how to avoid any negative marks on your LSDAS report.

(Note: LSDAS is LSAC's Credential Assembly Service --- formerly known as the Law School Data Assembly Service. Like Prince, aka O(+> , they've rebranded. Who said LSAC wasn't hip?)

Here are excerpts from a couple of emails I've received in the past week about missing the postponement deadline:

"Although I've been preparing for a while I am not as far along as I need to be..i.e. I'm still working on the fundamentals- not taking timed tests.
Worse still, due to the "economic crisis" I have to take on a second job starting (you guessed it!) this week.
Having to manage these two jobs over the next two weeks will prevent me from gaining any real ground in my studies. In about a month they should level off and I will return to my 40hour work week.
So, given the new LSAC policies...what should I do? Take the test and cancel my score?
Take the absence?
To me an absence reveals that I am at least intelligent enough to assess myself.
How can an absence be seen as flaky when we now have two weeks for legitimate conflicts to arise? Its not as though I'm waking up the morning of with reservations.
To me a score cancellation reads as a bad performance or an expression of self-doubt.
How do you think admissions will read these two different labels in light of LSAC's new policy?"

"I just spoke to the LSAC people and they inform me that I can't cancel my date, just the score."

What you should do if you've missed the LSAT postponement deadline:
I feel your pain. You've missed the deadline, and LSAC won't let you cancel your "date" beforehand via email or phone.

In the dating world, refusal to take "no" for an answer is considered a sign of an abusive relationship.

However, it's perfectly acceptable in the world of law school admissions. Go figure. (That's just a joke, LSAC. I ♥ you guys.)


You have 4 main options:

Option #1: Just don't show up to the LSAT. Why miss work or school to run a pointless errand when you already told LSAC you weren't going?

Option #2: Show up to the LSAT and cancel without taking the exam.

Option #3: Show up to the LSAT and take the exam to get a sense of what your "real" LSAT test center experience will be like in September (or December). Cancel after the exam.

Option #4: Show up and take the exam even though you don't feel ready. Don't cancel and let the score stay on your record, whatever it may be.


After hearing from a few admission officers, it turns out that Option #1 is fine, despite the fact that you might think it appears irresponsible. When I emailed Dean Edward Tom of UC Berkeley at Boalt Hall about a student who'd been an LSAT absentee, Dean Tom said, "No, it shouldn't prejudice her application. She may wish to provide a short explanation via an addendum."

Option #4 isn't a good idea because you also don't want a low LSAT score on your record. Even if the schools you're considering don't average scores, one high LSAT score still looks better than a low score and a high one. Take it once and get it done right the first time.

Option #2 is fine. You can show up and immediately cancel when the exam starts. Many other students will end up having to do the exact same thing.

However, Option #3 may be even better. You've already paid the full fee. Since you missed the postponement deadline, you won't get any of your money back anyway, and you'll already have a cancellation on your record.

Why not take the opportunity to get used to the test center experience? Just cancel your score at the very end of the exam. Doing this will make September seem much less scary.

However, there's one big reason that you might consider Option #1 over Option #3:

Score cancellations count towards the no-more-than-3-LSATs-per-2-years-rule, while absences don't.

I recently emailed LSAC to double-check this. LSAC replied, "An absentee does not count as one of the three times that you can take the test in the two year period."

If you suspect that you might end up needing all 3 LSATs over a 2-year period, being absent is probably the better choice.

How the earlier LSAT postponement deadline will affect admission officers' views on score cancellations:
As things currently stand, LSAC score reports will not distinguish between:

- Students who show up on test day and cancel their test registration because they couldn't do so after they missed the postponement deadline.
- Students who didn't decide to cancel until during or after the exam.

However, score reports do distinguish between score cancellations and absences.

Due to the earlier LSAT postponement deadline, increasing numbers of applicants will have score cancellations and absences on their records. For this reason, I suspect that score cancellations and absences will have fewer negative connotations than they previously did.

(This creates a silver lining for students who didn't plan to cancel their scores on test day, but then something unexpected occurred. These students will "luck out" due to this ambiguity on the score report.)

I asked Dean Tom to comment on how admissions deans will consider LSAT cancellations in light of the now-earlier postponement deadline:

"Things will become more relaxed. They will at Berkeley. I think it's always a good idea to provide an explanatory addendum, regardless of the reason. "

After I published this blog post on Thursday afternoon, Anna Ivey, former Dean of Admissions at University of Chicago Law School (and independent law school admission consultant) wrote:

I agree 100% with your advice. It may sound counter-intuitive, but a cancellation actually looks better than a no-show. I always tell applicants that one cancellation is not the end of the world -- everyone can have a bad day, and admissions officers know that. I don't think they look askance at one cancellation (or at least I never did when I was an admissions officer). More than one cancellation does start to make you look flaky, though, so if you cancel the June test, you've basically used up your one non-flaky-looking cancellation. Please don't wake up with the flu in September, and if you do, then that's a good reason to write an addendum (canceling more than once).

So if you need to physically show up at the test anyway just to be able to cancel it (and avoid a no-show on your record), why not stick around and get the upside of a practice LSAT in a real testing environment? Don't keep the score though. There's no point in having a score from a day when you aren't feeling in peak form. With the LSAT, it's best to take one bite at the apple. Do it once, and do it right.

Also be sure to see Anna Ivey's more recent thoughts at the end of this blog post.


Dean Sarah Zearfoss of the University of Michigan Law School emailed me on Friday afternoon:

Having a single "absence" show on a report is absolutely nothing from an admissions officer's perspective--unlike a cancellation, an absence means that you were never exposed to the test, and so it doesn't look like you got one free run-through before getting a score. (And to be clear, having a single cancellation doesn't look weird, either--although a pattern may.) Of course, having multiple absences does start looking a little flaky, so it is true that a candidate needs to be very careful to clear his/her calendar for October or December and be sure to show up for the test--or, at least, to postpone the test in accordance with LSAC's timeline.

I note that originally, it seemed a little unfair to me that someone would have an absence b/c it seemed wrong to treat someone who tried to alert LSAC to the forthcoming absence three weeks in advance with a candidate who, say, just didn't show up. But upon further reflection, I changed my mind, concluding that there's just no good way to make a distinction between "people who are behaving as responsibly as possible but who missed the applicable deadline" and "people who simply were blase and didn't show up." At least--I can think of a million hypotheticals where whatever distinction you make ends up being the wrong one (which may simply be the result of my law school training). After all, it is true that however excusably (for example, one candidate we've heard from is a paralegal who now has a trial scheduled for the week of the LSAT), the candidate hasn't satisfied the timeline posted and explained by LSAC. It's not a big deal at all, but a notation of absence seems to me to accurately reflect the situation.

UPDATE (December 4, 2009):

I've left some additional thoughts on the decision of whether to cancel or be absent in the comments on this blog post here.


UPDATE (February 2, 2010):

I received the following email from Anna Ivey (who is also quoted above):

I've been fielding some questions about what I said in this blog post. On reflection I'm thinking that applicants SHOULD go with a no-show rather than a cancellation after all if it's too late to reschedule the test. I talked to a number of admissions officers about this, and while there is some split in opinion, the no-show camp ended up persuading me.

Test Day Tips for the June 2009 LSAT

Taking the LSAT soon? Make sure to read my big list of LSAT Test Day Tips as well as LSAC's Test Day Rules.

I suspect that most of the Possible Test Center Violations in LSAC's rules are actually definite test center violations. Example:

6. Bringing a weapon or firearm into the test center.

Please save everyone at your test center a lot of trouble and don't bring your weapons and firearms. You can stop off at home after the test before going on that long-awaited hunting trip.

Also, under Items Prohibited at the Test Center (emphasis added):

IMPORTANT: Electronic devices, including cell phones, are not permitted in the test center, and the use of any electronic device is strictly prohibited. Any test taker discovered using or having in his or her possession an electronic device, including but not limited to cell phones, pay phones, pagers, iPods™ or other media players, or personal computers will be dismissed from the test...

Why did they add "pay phones" to the list? I'm just venturing a guess here, but back when people actually used pay phones, some not-too bright LSAT-taker must have ripped a pay phone out of the ground and brought it to a test center. I'm not sure that pay phones need a separate mention anyway, though, because I've never seen a pay phone that would fit inside a one-gallon "ziplock bag."

However, rules are rules. Don't bring phones of any kind, whether they're cell phones or pay phones.

***

This week, the webcomic XKCD demonstrates a practical application of Logic Games:



Photo by dwallick
(I believe that sign appears at Hard Rock Cafes around the world.)

Newer Logic Games: Conditional Sequencing | PrepTest 51

See explanations for other recent LSAT Logic Games.

This post is the first of a three-part series on sequencing rules in newer Logic Games.

Starting with PrepTest 51 (December 2006), LSAC threw a twist into sequencing games (a basic type of Logic Game). It added "conditional sequencing" rules. Conditional means "If...then."

This post will explain what I consider the easiest rule of this type.

Preptest 51, Game 2
Let's look at the 4th rule of the 2nd game in PrepTest 51. The game starts off, "Six hotel suites..."

4th rule of the game:
"F is more expensive than G, or else F is more expensive than H, but not both."

(Keep in mind one of the game's other limitations, which is that no two variables can occur simultaneously - they must all occur at different times.)

Although this doesn't appear to be a conditional rule at first, it actually is. If one of the two happens, the other one can't happen because the rule says "but not both."

It's difficult to hold a rule like this in your head, especially when there are other complex rules in the game.

Since there are only two possibilities, it makes sense to write them out. It's faster to look at the possibilities than to repeatedly translate what the rules actually mean.

Our letters in this rule are F, G, and H. Note that the game requires that no two variables (hotel suites) are the same price.


1st possibility:
Let's look at the first half (clause) of the rule: "F is more expensive than G."

Since the game ranks the hotel suites from most expensive to least expensive, we'll say that this means:

F - G

If F is more expensive than G, F can't also be more expensive than H (because it said "but not both").

This means H will have to be more expensive than F.

Therefore:

H - F - G

(H is more expensive than F, and F is more expensive than G)


2nd possibility:
Let's now look at the second half (clause) of the rule: "F is more expensive than H."

This means:

F - H

When F is more expensive than H, F can't also be more expensive than G (because it said "but not both"). This means G will have to be more expensive than F.

Therefore:

G - F - H

(G is more expensive than F, and F is more expensive than H)


The game will include either:
1. H - F - G

2. G - F - H

Write these at the bottom of the page.

Each valid scenario (ordering of the variables) will feature one of these possibilities or the other.

***
Read on for Part 2: Newer Logic Games: Before, After, But Not Both | PrepTest 52

Photo by aussiegall / CC BY 2.0