I probably already know the answer here, but looking for more insight. I'm planning to take the Sept LSAT and even though my BR is exactly where I want, I'm still struggling getting that on an actual timed section or PT. I wanted to apply as soon as possible, so planned to by early Oct as soon as I had my score.
But how much does applying early in the cycle actually give you a boost? Obviously it's better to have your best LSAT score possible, but if that takes me until even December, January etc to apply - how will that impact admissions outcomes?
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Unless you're sending your application in at the actual last minute, the benefits of applying earlier are negligible compared to the benefits of applying with a higher LSAT score. Higher score in January >> lower score in October every time!
@PhoebeHopp thank you!!
Chiming in after some vacation time away from the message boards, @EEC_517!
Per the thread below, is applying with a better score in January better than a lower score in October? It depends on the scores we're talking about and it depends on the school and it depends on a lot of other factors.
Here's an easy hypothetical. You're targeting the T14. You have a low GPA for their medians and your resume is totally fine (ie, it's competitive). You need an LSAT above their medians to help your chances. Then you get a 168 on the September LSAT. In this scenario, sure, getting a 171 or 172 in January will help you.
Here's a more complicated hypothetical. You're targeting the T30. You have a 4.0 GPA (ie, above everyone's medians). You get a 170 in September but would like to do better in January. You have a good resume. Do you HAVE to boost your score to compete for the T30 in this situation? While a higher score always helps for both admissions and scholarship, you already have a good GPA, you have a good resume, and you have a score that's at the medians for a lot of the schools you're targeting. This is more complicated.
But rather than worry about this, here's what I'd suggest:
You can only control the things in front of you right now. That's the September LSAT. Do your best, see how you're doing on PTs heading into it, say a prayer or two, and see if your score aligns with your goals. If it does - great! If it doesn't - reassess. Do you need to change your application strategy or retake the LSAT (or both)? Worry about that question in September.
Start working on your personal statement, resume, and all that now. The September LSAT is still six weeks away. You have time to multi-task. Why is this important? Because...
I'm not going to sugar coat it. National apps are at a 15-20 year high. They're likely to go up a little more this coming year, based on LSAT numbers from April and June. How big was this increase? Lawschooldata has a feature where you can see the percentage of LSD.law users who have received a decision from certain schools based on the time they submitted their apps. Using that feature back in April (ie, the time when many school have their deposit deadline - the deadline by which admitted students have to let schools know whether or not they're coming), there were schools like Notre Dame and USC who had barely touched any apps submitted at-and-after Christmas. Putting this in laymen's terms - they basically filled their incoming class with people who applied before they opened any presents. Granted, these are T30 type schools. If you aren't focused on that cohort, this is less of an issue. But if you ARE focused on that cohort, I'm just telling you the lay of the land.
I hope that helps!
@JacobBaska Thank you!! Yes this helps a TON! Your last bullet point was my main fear, knowing application numbers are at an all-time high. That's why I figured the early advantage is an asset.
I have an interesting situation in that I'm a mid-thirties non-traditional applicant. I've worked professionally in commercial insurance underwriting and project management for the last 12 years. My GPA is on the lower end for even T30 schools, but not crazy low (3.66) - which is why I do feel I need to focus on the LSAT score a lot. I'll see how September is tracking. If I had to do October or November because of a low score, I wanted that to be my 'cutoff' window for myself to submit by the end of 2026. But that seems to align a lot with what you're saying as a goal submission deadline. I live in NYC and have to stay there because of my kids, which means my targets are: NYU, Columbia, Fordham or Cardozo.
@EEC_517 And I can tell you point blank for NYU, Columbia, and Fordham - it's not essential to apply before mid-October or November 1, but it was highly beneficial this year. NYU and Fordham - at least - have had a solid amount of waitlist activity and that's indicative of schools not hitting their numbers based purely on early apps.
If you find you're not hitting your score on the autumn LSATs and you have to take again in January or beyond, I'd suggest that the question you're facing is whether you just want to apply next cycle or if you want to enter "shoot your shot" mode.