As with any exam, the LSAT has some myths that are circulated out there. I don’t know what you’ve heard about the exam, but I’m going to obliterate the 5 most common myths that I’ve come across, so that you don’t have to stress out about them.
LSAT Myth #1 – The Writing Sample Does Not Matter
Actually, this isn’t a myth.
Just kidding.
The writing portion of the LSAT does in fact matter. If the writing sample is not your strongest section, your LSAT score will get dropped below other students that took the LSAT and got the same score as you.
LSAT Myth #2 – You can not Improve your Reading Comprehension Score
This myth actually has some teeth. However, it is extremely misleading, especially since it has a superlative in it (definition of superlative). The fact is, improving your reading comprehension scores is much more difficult than improving your scores in the other sections. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Shoot, it doesn’t even mean it’s improbable.
All it means is that you’ll need to work a little bit harder to get better scores.
LSAT Myth #3 – If you get good grades, you don’t need to study as much for the LSAT
This is a myth propagated by the students with average grades. I’m not going to lie, I would have loved it if every student with a 3.6 or higher GPA thought this. It would have made my score look even more competitive.
The fact is, while there is a correlation between grades and LSAT scores, the correlation doesn’t come automatically because of the grades themselves. It’s more likely related to the fact that students with better grades tend to test better across the board than students with lower grades.
But, not studying, and taking the exam without having looked at it, will kill your score regardless of your GPA. It’s a tough test, and it’s not like any exam you’ve taken before.
LSAT Myth #4 – The LSAT is Graded on a Curve
I’m actually not 100 percent sure if this is a real myth. I have heard a couple of potential LSAT takers bring this up, but the fact is, it’s just not true. The test is just written in a way that the same percentage of people score the same scores every year, give or take 1 or 2 points. While the results look like a bell curve, it’s not because the scores are given based on how individual exam results compare to each other.
It just so happens that the majority of the LSAT takers score around 150.
LSAT Myth #5 – You get Penalized for Missing Questions
The last LSAT Myth is just as false as the first one. There is no penalty for missing a question. It says so on the test instructions. You just get points for correct answers. That means the worst thing that could happen to you is that you don’t get a point.
Just don’t leave a question blank. If you fill in the bubbles randomly, at least you’ll still have a 1 in 4 chance of scoring a point. That’s way better than ZERO chance, right?
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