I'm not sure where to turn/what to do, except that I know I'm re-taking after scoring a 151 in December (first take). My highest PT was a 154 with a BR of 161, which was my target score. I made this score a few weeks leading up to the test, then in the last two weeks my scores fluctuated a few points.

I guess I'll start with my studying history which has been a little crazy (and probably why my score is what it is). My diagnostic was a 146 earlier this year. I initially planned to take the LSAT this past September. I studied late June-early August before I decided to postpone. I was using LSATblog and the bibles which didn't help at all, which led me to hire a tutor. While my tutor helped somewhat, I can no longer afford the drive/expense. I often used J.Y.'s LG explanations more than any other prep resources, but at that point I had learned LSATblog's curriculum, the bibles' curriculum, and my tutor's, which ultimately led to confusion and anxiety about how to handle LG. It's like I could figure it out when I did it untimed, but under timed conditions, I froze and everything I learned went out the window. Being the last section on the December test, I definitely knew I bombed it before I got my score back. My section breakdown is this: LR (-9), RC (-9), LR (-13), LG (-14).

This is all so frustrating because I have a 3.74 GPA. I know I can do better than a 151. There were times throughout prep that I scored (-6) on a section. My target school's median GPA is a 3.56 and their median LSAT is a 161, but I feel like I can manage to get into even better schools if I improve my LSAT score. I've also been trying to work on my PS and such, but I can't even articulate what I want to say because I'm so disappointed in myself. I've considered applying to unranked/4th tier schools in my area and transferring, but I feel like that's more unrealistic and stressful than postponing. I've told my parents about re-taking and possibly even delaying my apps by a year and they act like they'd rather be shot in the foot. I've taken a couple of gap years (Teach for America) and I have experience working in the legal field. My ultimate goal is to practice immigration law. I'm also a URM.

My target school's admission deadline is August 1st and I'm now planning to re-take in June. The question is...where do I go from here, especially when I feel so defeated? I've spent close to $1k on prep at this point. Wherever I invest my money this go around, I want to be sure it's worth it. I want to score in the 160s and maybe even hit 170. Is this even possible? Is it too late for this cycle? Should I wait and apply next year?

Thanks for reading!!