*Suppressing the urge to freak out.*
Actually I'm pretty calm and cool about it. I think I've become emotionally detached about this whole admissions thing. I've met with so much rejection. Still waiting for the official rejection from Cambridge.
Tuesday 9 February 2010
Monday 1 February 2010
LNAT: Clarification
Hey, since people are still freaking out about their LNAT scores (one of the search terms that lead to this website was 'has anyone ever gotten an 11 on the LNAT') let me just clarify what I was saying before.
The LNAT is a bad exam. It's bad like Charles Manson. It doesn't do what it's supposed to do and it screws a lot of people.
The thing to remember is that the LNAT score is only one of many criteria used to assess you. It won't kill your application necessarily. The average is really low precisely for the reason that it's a poorly written test and that makes it extremely challenging to get the answer they want you to get.
Let me also caution future LNAT takers about one thing. When you practice LNAT, it is fine to start with the practice books, because they are very useful for learning the content and format of an unusual standardised exam; and they're good for learning strategies to tackle the exam, in a broad sense. When you want to really gauge how you're going to do on the actual exam, please, PleasE, PLEASE use official old exams from the LNAT website.
Here is a dirty little secret.
Prep books and prep book writers/publishers want you to think that they have helped you improve your performance on the test. They are always going to end their book by giving you practice tests that are either official but easier than the average exam, or tests that they have written themselves which are easier than the average real exam. I have used 3 or 4 prep books in my LSAT/LNAT career, from various publishers (including Kaplan). They all end by giving you practice exams which are easier than the actual exam. Do yourself a favour and don't get too excited when you get a 25 on your practice test. Go to the LNAT website and get the three official practice tests available there. They will give you a more accurate picture than anything else.
There, I've spoken my piece.
The LNAT is a bad exam. It's bad like Charles Manson. It doesn't do what it's supposed to do and it screws a lot of people.
The thing to remember is that the LNAT score is only one of many criteria used to assess you. It won't kill your application necessarily. The average is really low precisely for the reason that it's a poorly written test and that makes it extremely challenging to get the answer they want you to get.
Let me also caution future LNAT takers about one thing. When you practice LNAT, it is fine to start with the practice books, because they are very useful for learning the content and format of an unusual standardised exam; and they're good for learning strategies to tackle the exam, in a broad sense. When you want to really gauge how you're going to do on the actual exam, please, PleasE, PLEASE use official old exams from the LNAT website.
Here is a dirty little secret.
Prep books and prep book writers/publishers want you to think that they have helped you improve your performance on the test. They are always going to end their book by giving you practice tests that are either official but easier than the average exam, or tests that they have written themselves which are easier than the average real exam. I have used 3 or 4 prep books in my LSAT/LNAT career, from various publishers (including Kaplan). They all end by giving you practice exams which are easier than the actual exam. Do yourself a favour and don't get too excited when you get a 25 on your practice test. Go to the LNAT website and get the three official practice tests available there. They will give you a more accurate picture than anything else.
There, I've spoken my piece.
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