I’ve gotten countless questions from people who had testing issues and are now scheduled to take next week’s make up exam, so for them and anyone else who’s curious here’s a consolidated version of my advice about the make up tests, the applicability of our latest Crystal Ball, and what to focus on prep-wise (I’d encourage you to read to the end as there’s a tip in the final lines):
The Nature of Make Up LSATS
Make up tests are offered as a routine part of every LSAT administration, providing a safety net of sorts for testers unable to complete their original exam as intended. Potentially qualifying issues include things like test center closures, severe proctor mistakes or absences, internet/power outages mid-test, and even on occasion glitches with LSAC’s platform.
If you qualify for a make up test you will be given a brand new exam that you must take in full. You won’t get to complete your original test no matter how far into it you were when disrupted/kicked out, nor will you get to start that original test over from the beginning. You will, however, receive your score on the scheduled release date alongside everyone else from the main administration, so a delayed test won’t mean a delayed result.
These retests have, to my knowledge, always been reuses of past, nondisclosed LSATs. LSAC has a huge library of previously-tested, unreleased content to choose from, and when it comes to make ups absolutely no qualms about using content for the fourth…sixth…ninth-plus time.
For instance, let’s say they choose February 2014 for the make up. That would be roughly the tenth time or so they’ve reused that test, so there’s no real limit or constraint on what LSAC considers available for use. Ditto Feb 15, or Feb 18, or some past Sabbath observer’s test, or something international: everything stays fair game for reuse until it’s disclosed (made available to the public).
February 2013, as another example, was used for at least ten different make ups from 2017-2023, as well as several international tests and a July 2020 main test, before finally being released as PT 94 last year. In 2019 alone they reused it at least five different times. Now that it’s been disclosed though it’s no longer a reuse candidate.
One more: for the November 2023 make ups, the test makers chose January 2019 (later reused in November 2021), which, coincidentally, was the same test some accommodated test takers got for this current January test and that we covered briefly in our latest podcast (https://www.powerscore.com/lsat/podcast/146). (Note: LSAC closely tracks who’s taken what and would never administer the same test to the same person more than once; if you happen to have taken the planned make up they’ll give you something else)
The takeaway then is that you’re going to see a real, past LSAT, but one that can come from just about anywhere.
The Crystal Ball and its Applicability
Given all of that, let’s consider the information in our latest Crystal Ball for Jan/Feb.
First, while we seem to have cracked the code for regular test dates and reuses, there doesn’t seem to be any real rhyme or reason to the selection of make up exams. Granted we’ve tracked every make up reuse for years so I can see exactly what they’ve done…but there’s no discernible pattern to it. And that affects how you need to treat the current Crystal Ball discussion.
Conceptually it will apply 100%. Everything we discuss in terms of test maker behavior, points of emphasis, and question/passage/game frequencies should still be accurate.
The Recommended Problem Sets will also remain highly valuable! Of course, we build them specifically for the exact tests we expect to be reused for the main administrations, not for make ups, but the content is still well worth your time to review.
Topically though, it’s a different story: as mentioned, we’ve gotten exceptionally good at predicting main test administrations, this one included thankfully, so we can speak with total confidence on the details we expect, but because make ups can be pulled from anywhere all bets are off when it comes to making specific predictions (source tests and topics). All we can say is it’ll be a reuse of something, and something different than what they’ve used for major administrations recently (including this one, obviously). But exactly what is anybody’s guess.
Put slightly differently, it’ll be a standard LSAT just like all the rest, and one loads of people have taken in the past, but that’s as much specific “predicting” as we can do I’m afraid.
Preparing for the Make Up Test
Since we can’t predict precisely what they’ll use, you should go into the make up the same way you would any other random test: trust that it will be a regular LSAT in line with the tests just administered, and in the case of make ups one that many people before you have taken. The key is that it will be standard—not harder to penalize you for a second try, not easier to compensate for the aggravations that qualified you, and not weirder because LSAC has a small enough group attending that they’ll take certain liberties.
So never hesitate to opt for the make up if your original exam went poorly; it’s just a regular ol’ LSAT, same as ever. Meaning if you’re comfortable with the released content of the past 6-7 years, and felt well-prepared for your original attempt last week, you’ll be in great shape for the make up no matter what test it turns out to be!
Final Note
Lastly, we don’t typically cover the make ups in podcast episodes because so few people take them and they’re almost always a repeat of content that we’ve already discussed in a past podcast. But if those of you who take it DM me afterwards I can very likely point you in the direction of a prior episode to listen to!
Oh, and on the off chance they reuse February 2014 do yourself a favor and read this https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/the-tenth-circle-of-lsat-hell-tiered-circular-games/
I hope that helps!
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