Very strange situation- Huge score discrepancy. Need help! Forum

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EpochNeed

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Very strange situation- Huge score discrepancy. Need help!

Post by EpochNeed » Fri Dec 01, 2017 4:32 am

Hiya!

Kinda strange question I have today. I'll try to keep this brief. So originally I was pting in the 170's and confident I could get around there on the actual test day.

So less than a week before the test and I get extremely sick. I mean like on deathbed fever here, haha.
Unfortunately, whether it was hubris or a fear that I'd lose all the time and energy I spent studying, I surmised I'd just white knuckle it and be fine. Well...I wasn't fine. I ended up getting an abysmal 143.

Originally, I planned on cancelling the score, but thought I couldn't have done THAT poorly. Obviously, I was wrong.

Here is where it gets interesting. I prep again, wait for the next test day, and this time (while I'm feeling great) take it again.

I ended up with a 171 which I'm very happy with.

Now, my question is- how are schools going to approach this? Will they see the drastic discrepancy in these scores as a sign I either got lucky or am attempting to cheat? I'm terrified I've hurt my chances at top schools because of my first score.

Does anyone know what the protocol is for a situation like this or have heard of a similar story?

Thank you so much for your time and help!

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april_ludgate

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Re: Very strange situation- Huge score discrepancy. Need help!

Post by april_ludgate » Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:11 am

There's like, mild anecdotal evidence that Yale and maybe Stanford care. Everywhere else, you're fine. If you were sick, an addendum is appropriate as well, but it won't really matter.

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rpupkin

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Re: Very strange situation- Huge score discrepancy. Need help!

Post by rpupkin » Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:22 am

This might be the first time I've typed these words on TLS: I think you should write an LSAT addendum.

Keep it short. Explain that you were very sick. If you were so compromised that you mis-bubbled an entire section (it almost seems like something like that had to happen in order to explain how a 170 scorer could get a 143), then say that. You should be fine.

EpochNeed

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Re: Very strange situation- Huge score discrepancy. Need help!

Post by EpochNeed » Fri Dec 01, 2017 5:45 pm

I've heard that the LSAC will sometimes ding high discrepancy scorers with a Misconduct and Irregularities report- as in, because of the startling difference in scores, they may suspect I cheated.

Obviously, this is not a road I would relish going down, but at the same time I'm not sure how to explain the difference other than I was sicker than I've ever been in my life.

Does anyone have any advice or knowledge about such scenarios?

KylawRen

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Re: Very strange situation- Huge score discrepancy. Need help!

Post by KylawRen » Sat Dec 02, 2017 8:28 am

i guess i would worry about a school assuming that i had accommodations (extra time, etc.) the second time around. i would maybe assure them otherwise (if that is the case). not sure if thats a great idea, but just a thought.

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Shemp

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Re: Very strange situation- Huge score discrepancy. Need help!

Post by Shemp » Sat Dec 02, 2017 9:13 am

EpochNeed wrote:Does anyone know what the protocol is for a situation like this or have heard of a similar story?
I have indeed heard of a similar story: https://www.reddit.com/r/LSAT/comments/ ... ecause_of/

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ilpsm

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Post by ilpsm » Sat Dec 02, 2017 11:33 am

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