It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
Charles Dickens put it best; the day you get your scores back can be the best time of your life, or it can be the worst. The first time I got mine back, I experienced more of the worst of times scenario. Allow me to elaborate.
142
That was my score, a dismal 142. I was devastated. I couldn't believe that all my hard work and countless practice tests had boiled down to this one number. I started questioning myself. How could everything I had worked for in the past 6 months be meaningless?
For most law schools, the magic number to hit for acceptance is 150. If you break 150, you basically get a golden ticket to law school. (I'm exaggerating of course, but a 150 and a decent GPA usually equal law school. It's basic law school math). For me, without that golden 150, I was out of luck.
So, I cried. I cried all morning. I laid in bed, boyfriend beside me, sobbing like a two year old. I was crushed and spent the next week sulking. By the end of the week, I had decided that my only option was to retake the LSAT. I signed up for the December test and spent that following weekend as far away from my LSAT prep materials as possible. I had to clear my mind.
The reason I did so poorly the first time around was because I had a mini panic attack in the middle of the test. I freaked out. I read the same question 15 times and still couldn't understand what it was saying. I couldn't relax and focus on the task at hand. All I could think about was that this test was the culmination of all my efforts and would dictate whether or not I would get into law school.
Take it from me -- this is not the way to go into the test.
So, I cried. I cried all morning. I laid in bed, boyfriend beside me, sobbing like a two year old. I was crushed and spent the next week sulking. By the end of the week, I had decided that my only option was to retake the LSAT. I signed up for the December test and spent that following weekend as far away from my LSAT prep materials as possible. I had to clear my mind.
The reason I did so poorly the first time around was because I had a mini panic attack in the middle of the test. I freaked out. I read the same question 15 times and still couldn't understand what it was saying. I couldn't relax and focus on the task at hand. All I could think about was that this test was the culmination of all my efforts and would dictate whether or not I would get into law school.
Take it from me -- this is not the way to go into the test.
My only solution was to recruit the campus psychologist and learn some relaxation techniques. It truly helped me.
So, if this happens to you -- you freak out, you are sick the day of test, or just not fully prepped -- and you get a bad score, allow yourself to spend that first week feeling bad. If you don't feel bad for awhile, you will never be able to move on. Taking one step back and relaxing, allows you to take two steps forward after the initial week and buckle down for the retake.
So, if this happens to you -- you freak out, you are sick the day of test, or just not fully prepped -- and you get a bad score, allow yourself to spend that first week feeling bad. If you don't feel bad for awhile, you will never be able to move on. Taking one step back and relaxing, allows you to take two steps forward after the initial week and buckle down for the retake.
(Image from www.chicagometroarearealestate.com)
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