Improved 9 points from my last time and 12 from my diagnostic. LG absolutely killed me -14 when I normally am only -3/-4. But it gives me a great opportunity to sit out and be able to test/drill more so I can hit that 175 dream score!

@rmgonder180 I believe they stay in your LSAC profile but I'm not 100% sure about that

@denis206 no problem glad to help!

The problem is that what happens if you don't do well in that semester? I know no one wants to think that way but if you get a B+ for that class then now your GPA is already lower then what you want it to be and will that put extra stress on you in your first 1L semester. The costs in my mind aren't the important thing especially if you transfer or have the high GPA. I know I for one would trade $5k-$10k to be in the top 10-15% of my 1L class!

1) Early decision definitely impacts your chances to get in but like everyone else has reiterated it is entirely dependent on the school and the school's program. For some schools (t-14) it will make it easier to get into but definitely isn't the end all be all for these schools. Admissions consulars will tell you that if they can make someone's dream come true by admitting them in they will, and it's true but most of those schools will be extremely hesitant to offer scholarship money afterwards. For other schools (NU) I actually think ED makes it harder because they are in consideration for a full-ride scholarship so obviously they can't offer that to everyone and have to be more competitive. For the 2nd-3rd-4th tier law schools it it's more yield protection than anything.

2) For all intensive purposes just assume that if you ED you won't get any scholarships. I know that this isn't the case but you've given any and all leverage away from a certain school to offer you scholarships by saying no matter what I'm coming.

ED is great if you're reaching for a dream school and you have a way financially of making it work out in the end. However, be extremely careful and do your due diligence before signing that doted line because yes it is binding, if the school says yes most will want you to withdraw all of your other apps and have legal cause to keep you from going to another school. I'm not sure if that has ever happened but a lawsuit probably won't be the best thing on your resume to start going into law school.

@denis206 the biggest advantage is getting acclimated early. Getting to know a group of people, establish a study group, and have a little bit more understanding ahead of the 1L's that normally come in. The theory is that if you can "learn law school" before the rest of the 1L class gets there then you and the people in the summer can set the curve. The problem is that I haven't seen any definitive statistics that support that people in those programs do significantly better in law school, doesn't mean they're not out there I just haven't seen it. But that's basically how they advertise it. A lot of times if people wait out a cycle and apply early to a future cycle then they would be able to start in the summer or the second half of the summer, I know Michigan does it and there are some others as well.

Hope this helps! :)

After thinking about this for a few minutes I'm honestly really torn about this. On the surface I agree with @denis206 that it's a great program for you given your aspirations and any advantage you can use to make 1L easier is definitely nothing to take lightly. Being able to get acclimated and "ease into" Law School is appealing.

However, my only caution to you would be burnout. I don't worry about it at the beginning because adrenaline will get you through the first couple weeks and probably through all of the Summer Program, it's really when the actual 1L starts that I would be concerned. That's 3 straight semesters of 1L and it can take a toll on people, especially with the mounting stress of trying to be in the top 5%. It's really a double edge sword but it sounds like you have an amazing opportunity either way!

@rmgonder180 I agree 100% with @gregoryalexanderdevine723 the one thing that you can't change is your GPA right now but if you truly want to go to law school then absolutely make the 3rd try on the LSAT count whether that be in February, June, or even September you can make it work out.

I know in this situation it's tough to be able to think about the things that are working for you but you do have some things to your advantage by applying next cycle and retaking.

1) Upward Trending GPA: You can be able to write an addendum and the fact that you have faculty that will talk about your character and you as a student can really help offset that.

2) Applying Early and showing interest to the schools that you want: The LSAT is a beast and the application process is difficult but by waiting until next cycle you have time to be able to get in contact with schools, visit them in person, and put a face to a name so that way you can increase your chances of getting in. But by waiting until next cycle and knocking out a killer LSAT score anything is possible! Law school will be there for you, it isn't going anywhere!

3) A Great LSAT Score: Even with your GPA if you were to knock out a ridiculous LSAT score then you'd be a splitter and any leverage that you can have to show schools that you're ready to take that next step is going to be huge. As for taking it 3 times it's okay the highest score is the only one that matters who knows even if you have to wait until September to take it but have the rest of your application done and apply with a mid 160's LSAT score you might be able to get in with a potential scholarship!

The main point is that if you want to go to law school there is nothing stopping you from going to those schools that you listed except a killer LSAT score. It is your life-saver right now so definitely take some time, knock it out and put together a killer application!

For your specific scenario my recommendation would be to cancel. If you've done enough tests to be able to range your score and its lower, and if you already got your goal score then I don't think it would look good to have a drop. In my opinion it shows better judgment on your part then keeping it based off a hope and a prayer that you got the same score.

You could write an addendum or if you have a meeting with an admissions counselor and they ask explain the situation exactly like you did just now. I got my goal score but I kept on trying to make myself as competitive as possible for XYZ law school so I decided to retake with the goal of improving 2-3 points, I've taken enough tests to have a fairly accurate range and after that test given the LG section I knew my score wasn't going to be indicative of my abilities.

Thank you so much for posting this! RC is my worst section primarily because of time and inconsistencies!

Also keep in mind that in the end it's your Final score that matters. Now I'm not going to say the others don't but if you were to knock out a 170 then admissions and write an addendum explaining a little bit of the situation you'll be fine. Just for reference I scored and got a 150 on my first exam (bad decision took it cold after not studying at all and before I found 7sage), and then just now which realistically I'm probably looking at a 170. I was thinking about cancelling but after talking to my admissions consultants they basically told me to keep the score and keep on preparing because in the end it truly is your highest score trumps all! So know that you still have an attempt left and if you knock it out of the party which I know you're capable of, all will end up working out!

I agree with @jclaridge202 because you don't actually have a score right now go ahead and keep the score just so you know how you did. I took in December as well and I had the same thing happen, scoring right around the same thing and quite honestly I could have gotten anything from the upper 150's to a 170 if by some stroke of luck all of my guesses were right. But get the score just so you know how you're doing.

Looking forward you have to ask yourself what is the goal, is your goal to apply this cycle and be a lawyer or is it to go to the school you want to/potentially go with money and get a score that is much more reflective of your abilities? If the former then go ahead and retake in February, if the latter then sign up for February and prepare for it but don't sit for the exam unless you're consistently scoring where you want to be on the actual test. You have June and September as backups and applying next cycle may seem terrible right now but when you look back 3 years and you have 50k less loans to pay back and you enjoyed your experience because you went to the school you wanted, you'll thank yourself. Overall though I wish you nothing but the best and we're here for you!

I agree with @stephencarpinello514 take some time to go through the curriculum and aim for June/September. Take a few months to go through it and then join in the BR groups for June/September when you're taking tests to supplement your studies. Gives you plenty of time to get your application ready so you can be at the early of nextyeanr's cycle.

@svjava23483 if it helps I'm aiming to take the LSAT in June and then go from there after I talk with my admissions team. I'm doing it for one main reason and if you're familiar with the movie Chasing Mavericks it makes a lot of sense. We all approach the LSAT like a normal test, how you do when everything goes right, but in actuality the LSAT tests you on how well you do when everything goes wrong. I know that right now I can get my dream score (170+) if everything goes right but when everything goes wrong I'm down lower. I understand that this is going to put me in the next cycle but I'd rather get to the school I want a year from now then go to a school I don't want just to say I'm in law school this cycle.

@jennilynn89537 I think that's a great idea to do you don't need to make a decision now. But if you do decide to take it again in June/September I HIGHLY recommend you join the BR group in here. With everything we've been through everyone needs motivation and inspiration.

Either one of you feel free to PM me and we can talk further if you want! Good Luck!

@jennilynn89537 I agree with Daniel! I'm in the same boat as you, I bombed this test and I took in October 2015. It's been a long/distracted road for me and I've been pulled in a bunch of different directions but I highly recommending trying in February especially if you want $$$. You will be applying later in the cycle but a few points could make the difference in being accepted and being a partial scholarships. I was told early on that absolutely applying early is a priority but if I had the difference in increasing my score 5 points and applying late vs. applying early to apply late every time. The money will be there for good scores this cycle, especially if the rest of your application is rock-solid!

Awesome! Looking forward to this!

@kingfisher23457 and @jennilynn89537 I feel you guys' pain. This was my second attempt and I had routinely been scoring in the mid/upper 160's with the occasional 170+. I did great up until the break, overall RC has been my worst section and the other passages I felt I was doing good on up until the last passage then it went downhill. I was so excited to see LG for the 4th section and was feeling like this is it, is all setting up for a 170+ but I completely bombed.

I'm still on the fence on whether to cancel or not because I know that this score isn't going to get me into my dream school (UVA) and more then likely is going to be at least 5 points below where I've been scoring. Jenni Lynn I know this is the toughest thing in the world to hear right now but take a couple days off before you make any final decision on settling and just starting law school. I'm in the same boat as you I took in October 2015 didn't do well at all and I started studying, I definitely got distracted and pulled in different directions and I know I didn't do well enough on my prep to deserve where I'm capable of scoring. This is just all part of our journey, I know that everyone in this group is destined for greatness and can slay this test and waiting another year for law school is easier said then done but that's what I'm going to do. Idk if you've joined the BR group but I highly recommend it to keep morale up and power through those days you don't want to do anything, I didn't take advantage of it before when I should have and I fully believe that could be the difference. Don't sell yourself short because the noise around you is saying "Go to Law School, are you ever going to move on with your career, so and so just graduated and you're still studying for that test, it's just a test how hard can it be... They have no idea what they're saying but you do, focus on you and what you want and deserve.

Bruingirl1205 you're in a great position overall especially if it's your first take. Just take a deep breath and relax in the fact that if you scored 164+ you still scored better then 90% of people who take the test. My advice would be if this was your first keep the score and plan on taking in February, if you feel ready then. But do NOT take it if you're not consistently scoring where you want it to be at. I would be willing to bet if you apply late and have a 172+ like you say you are, you're going to get accepted into some great schools and the worst part is that if you don't get in you still have a great application for next cycle. Everything is done and handled and now you have a year to focus on you and preparing for law school/afterwards. Do some things non-related to the LSAT, travel, work, get mentally ready for the next 3 years. Everything happens for a reason and I can tell you that 5 years from now when you're graduating from law school you'll look back and say wow it all worked out right now.

But overall to both of you I know that you'll make the right decisions for you. Know that you're not alone in this the entire 7sage community is with you. For now just take a day or two and relax before you make any decisions on your future, I have no doubt whatever you decide will be right!

@tanes25413 I agree with @jhaldy10325 that BR is your biggest weapon in your arsenal right now for both LR and RC. As tedious as it sounds take the time to and "Fool Proof RC" as in your notation strategy and everything. Nicole Hopkins had a great webinar a while back about notation strategy but coming up with your own is key. Then going through and watching the passage done by @jhaldy10325 and go back and do it again just the passage. Idk about you but whenever I hear JY do it I'm like I understand it so much better but it just comes with repetition. Sometimes in a day I might just get through 1 section of RC going through each passage 2-3 times with notations and then going through the questions. Reading for structure, author's tone, and basic understanding is all you need.

As for LR what do you believe the problem is? Are you falling for traps, misreading the question/answer choices, down to 2 answer choices and then psychologically saying I'm wasting too much time and then picking an answer choice? Is it a particular question type that you're missing as well? All of these questions will dictate what you need to do, if it's a particular question type then spend a day or 2 and drill some of those question types but you can never go wrong with BR, if it's done correctly.

They're both dead on Pacifico's Fool Proof Method is incredible! Highly recommended!

I'm glad I'm not the only one. I didn't have an experimental LG I had an experimental LR but I was devastated. Normally LG is my best section but that was a disaster, really thinking about cancelling because I know I'm going to have to retake.

I got wrecked by those LG. Normally I do fairly well on them but between the watercolors and the trade buildings I'm definitely going to have to retake. Trying to figure out whether I should cancel or not. Nice to know I wasn't the only one who thought they were tough.

@pcoelho113 I'm in the same boat. I missed you guys too much! Count me in!

@jhaldy10325 that's terrible. Although RC is my worst section, I would LOVE to have 2 LG sections if possible but only time will tell!

Congrats! So happy for you!

@msami1010493 If it helps I did a couple of different things when going through the curriculum and it vastly helped me retain the information.

1) Go slow through the curriculum: This was probably the single most important thing that I did going through the second time. If you don't understand something it's okay to re-watch the video and actually its encouraged if you don't know something you learn that all of the questions are interconnected so shoring up a weak spot when you find it early rather than later is encouraged.

2) I typed notes in the notepad for every lesson that I went through. This for me allowed me to put them into my own words and helped me retain the information. Especially for the questions make sure you explain the thought process breaking down everything. This makes the curriculum go by extremely slow but when you do it you realize that you have really mastered the foundation and do it BEFORE you watch JY's explanation. Generally my rule of thumb is that I won't do this for the first question in the series because I want to establish the right way to do it that JY does but for the other ones I'll break down everything. If you can teach it then you understand it.

3) Do a review at the beginning and end of your study sessions. I would start and would basically verbally give a synopsis of everything that I learned. Go to the curriculum and give the key points on each topic, the traps that might unfold associated with the question, the thought process, and then I'd redo some of the quizzes. Sometimes I'd even do 1-2 of the questions if I had time but when you get to the end of the curriculum reviews would take like 30 minutes each time so I would normally limit that to 1 a week. But by reiterating it 3x and being able to say out loud how to go through the questions, all of the logic groupings, traps, all of the flaws, etc. you begin to retain the information MUCH MORE. I think this was the reason why I went from a 150-165 on my first test after going through the curriculum.

Hope this helps!

Great tip @ngir1293288!