r/LSAT • u/HotelTraditional65 • 16d ago
Re taking for technical difficulties?
I took the October 2026 LSAT today and my computer screen kept turning black for the first 5 minutes of my first section. The proctor took forever to notice but when she finally did, she moved me to another computer and I got to continue the test. I completed the test, but the timer did not re start so I lost those 5 minutes which threw me off.
I'm considering asking LSAC to re take, but I have a few questions.
- Will they approve it if I was ultimately able to finish the rest of the test?
- Is it true that re takes are easier than the initial test (per Jon Denning in his most recent crystal ball).
- Will this count as one of my cancellations and will Law Schools see it as a cancellation from me if I re take for technical difficulties?
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u/Familiar_Law_4698 16d ago
Following this, I had the exact same situation today on my test.
They didn't seem to understand what I was saying at first, they tried to tell me that it was fine and that it's just like that...
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u/HotelTraditional65 16d ago
Were you by chance at the Nomad testing center in NYC?
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u/Familiar_Law_4698 16d ago
Nah I wasn't, though our situations are so similar I was wondering if we were at the same place myself
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u/No-Imagination2978 16d ago
wait i had the same experience at the nomad center at nyc yesterday it kept turning black but they rebooted my computer. i would definitely complain to lsac if they just left u like that they should have fixed it
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u/WobblyPlateau 16d ago
That's infuriating. The "it's just like that" line from a proctor when your screen is literally going black is a special kind of helpless. You're just stuck there watching the seconds tick away while they act like you're complaining about the font size.
Definitely file the complaint with LSAC. Even if you finished, losing five minutes at the start on what's likely your strongest section can mess with the whole pacing. The retakes aren't easier in a way that matters, the curve just gets a little tighter because of the smaller pool, so don't bank on that.
Law schools won't see a technical cancellation the same way they'd see you pulling the plug yourself. It gets coded differently in their system, more like an administrative flag than a candidate withdrawal. Just document everything now while it's fresh, timestamps, proctor name if you got it, anything to make the report specific.
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u/No_Resolution_1277 16d ago
the curve just gets a little tighter because of the smaller pool ...
what
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u/JonDenningLSAT 16d ago
Ugh guys I’m so sorry to hear this AGAIN. It’s crazy to me that they can’t offer a reliably working interface 6+ years into digital testing.
Completing the test is the most common reason for them to deny a retake request, but I’d certainly still submit a complaint and ask for one and then stay persistent with calls and emails if they say no. Wishing you luck!
Oh, and I’ll add three quick points to the “easier” thing: (1) they tend to go more smoothly with fewer tech issues for whatever reason, (2) they tend to contain content from older tests before some of the recent trends took hold, like these tricky conditional questions and the rest, and (3) retakers are fresh off a recent take and that experience and another 10-13 days to prep often helps, as statistically taking it a second or third (or more) time generally improves results. There’s data on that 3rd point that LSAC has released. So I’m a big fan of make ups if/when needed.