preLaw - Back To School 2008 - (Page 29) “There is no penalty for guessing, so test takers should give an answer for every question, even if they have to guess,” Margolis recommends. 7. You can improve your score David Petersam, president of AdmissionsConsultants. com, said retaking the LSAT really depends on the person and how well they handle test-taking in general. “If you feel you really did poorly when the test comes out, you have up to nine calendar days to cancel the score,” he said. “One thing to keep in mind is that rarely does your actual score mirror your practice tests. Our consultants note that on average, your actual LSAT score ends up roughly 3-5 points lower than your practice average.” Brody said he and his colleagues define a good score as a score that can get you in the law school of your choice. So if you don’t get a good score on your first test, you might feel pressure when retaking the test, he said. “Setting realistic expectations and keeping in mind that there is a good law school match for almost any applicant can take off some of that pressure,” Brody said. 6. It's not an I.Q. test Steven Stein, director of educational development for PowerScore, said the biggest mistake students make is choosing to take the test without any preparation — based on the myth that the LSAT is like some sort of I.Q. test which measures only one’s innate ability. This is a convenient but misinformed belief. “If this were an accurate characterization of the LSAT, after all, there would be little reason to prepare,” Stein said. “The truth is that if the test makers are to be equitable from one administration to the next, the LSAT has to take on a fair degree of consistency, which makes it extremely predictable and vulnerable to an informed attack.” According to Lana, over-thinking is what gets students in trouble. “Any attempt to solve case law questions by ‘natural’ devices leads to inconsistent results, and the perception that the exam is arbitrary,” Lana said. “One must be indoctrinated and accept the language and values at the core of the LSAT in order to get a great score.” Back to School 2008 29 http://www.powerscore.com http://www.powerscore.com
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