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I took the November LSAT and scored a 156. This is pretty much on parr with what I was prep-testing and it was the highest score I had gotten on a prep-test, so I was mildly happy with it, until I saw the LSAT range for my top schools went up. I am having a hard time because although my GPA is a 3.68 and I have good recommendations, I still worry I wont get in. However, I entertained retaking the LSAT in January, but it would be after a long holiday break, and I work 2 jobs so the amount of studying I would get in before that time may not be worth waiting another month to apply. I need some advice on whether to use my current score and just hope for the best, making the rest of my applications stand out, or if I should retake in January and see what happens?
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Hey! I know the deadline for Jan. LSAT is today (December 3rd) but incase you're still on the fence about it, here's what I would say. Taking the LSAT in January based on your circumstances comes down to a few points the way I see it.
Firstly, it depends on the schools you intend on applying at. If most of the institutions have average LSAT scores that fall within the range where you actually scored, you may be okay with what you have. However, achieving a higher score is of course always a better option.
Second, and I know this is piggybacking off of previous comments, but consider the quantity and quality of study time you know you can dedicate to this. I mean, considering you just wrote the LSAT in November, you are likely fresh off of studying and could still pick up where you left off. But if you have not ever scored higher than ~156, the chance of increasing that more than a few points in about a month and a half is a tall task. Not impossible, but difficult for anyone.
I always have thought that where ever you are scoring on PTs is probably a fairly accurate benchmark for where you are capable of actually scoring at that point in your studying, barring any unusual circumstances when taking PTs.
Hope this helps and wasn't too redundant.
Adding on to this comment ^ It's a good idea to check the 25-50-75 score distribution. Median is usually what everyone focuses on (for a good reason), but also check out the range from 25-75.
it's impossible to say without knowing the schools you're applying to but doesn't seem that feasible to make much of a score increase and im not sure if any schools would care about the difference between a 156 and a couple points higher cause scores are a lot more similar at the mid ranges
You should retake in January only if you're confident that you can commit to studying. If you go into the next month knowing that you have limited time to study and no study plan to ensure that you're consistently and effectively studying with 2 jobs, then it is unrealistic to expect your score to increase. This is something only you can truly gauge.
With a score in the mid to high 150s, it's realistic to gain an extra couple of points in comparison to the amount of time studying (ie high marginal returns).
December is still considered on time for law school applications and the possibility of scholarship $$$. January is on the late end. Increasing your score is certainly possible within 1.5 months, but you need to be confident that you can hold yourself to a study plan.