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Air Date
Length 01:00:58

LSAT Podcast Episode 62: Lost LSATs? Say It Ain't So LSAC

It’s been another week of breaking LSAC news, and Dave and Jon explore it all in the PodCast’s 62nd episode! Specifically, they provide details on the upcoming reinstatement of test retake limits, and offer a comprehensive analysis of the lost scores from the July LSAT-Flex, outlining precisely what occurred, what caused it, what it means for the integrity of the testing process itself, and what happens next, both for those whose scores were lost and for everyone else looking to take an LSAT in the future and fearful that this could happen again.


Episode Timestamps:

0:00 – Intro. “The Ghost In You” by The Psychedelic Furs hints at the discussion to come with phantom LSAT score disappearances occurring on July release day.

5:21 – This week in the LSAT world part 1. LSAC has just announced that beginning with the October 2020 LSAT they are reinstating the retake limits first established in September 2019, but that have been suspended for all tests from May through August of this year. For those unaware, here are the restrictions being resurrected for multiple attempts:

  • You can sit for the LSAT three times in a single testing year (LSAC's year goes from June 1 to May 31). This applies to cancellations as well as to kept scores. After three attempts you have to wait until the following June before you are permitted to test again.
  • You are allowed five attempts within any five year period (the period in which LSAC reports scores to law schools). After your fifth LSAT you must wait until five years have passed since your first test before being allowed to retake.
  • You can take the LSAT seven times in total. After that no further attempts are allowed.
  • These limits apply regardless of whether future tests are Flex or in-person, but will not be enacted retroactively: the May, June, July, and August 2020 LSATs do NOT count toward these limits, but tests from September 2019 through February 2020, and tests after August 2020 all will. So plan accordingly as you map out your testing timeline—taking the LSAT solely for experience now comes with additional consequences.

10:28 – This week in the LSAT world part 2. Unfortunately a small percentage of July test takers found out on score release day that their scores disappeared due to data not transferring properly. This happened to around 120 test takers out of the 14k that took the July exam. So far about 40 of the scores have been recovered, and we hope that this continues to grow.

18:07 – What is LSAC offering in light of this mistake? Free retests, refunds, free score reports, and more offered to affected students.

30:42 – How did this happen? The two primary theories are either a ProctorU upload failure or an LSAC data failure. Jon and Dave discuss how these scenarios could have taken place.

53:36 – What happens now? Jon and Dave discuss what LSAC should do with their system moving forward to avoid this issue, and how future LSAT-Flex takers should approach the test and their level of trust for accuracy.

1:00:16 – Outro