This is killing me, so I had to share and see what others think. I got a 169 in October (with around 3 months of studying) and a 171 in June (a few more months of studying). My PT average going into the June test was around 173ish, with some 178/176 (BUT those tests were in the 70s, not 80s because I stupidly did most of those early; however, most of those early scores were also low 170s). LG was my worst section originally, but I've improved drastically (thanks, JY!).
I'm aiming for the best school that will give me a lot of money. (Like, a lot.) My GPA is lower than the median for all the T20, so I feel I need a higher LSAT to balance it out.
Final note: I messed up my alarms on the day of the June test (nightmarish, I know) and woke up literally five minutes before my test start time. No coffee, no food, no warm up or other prep. I had gotten the room ready the night before, thankfully.
I've been debating over the past few weeks whether I should just be happy with the 171 or take the August next week and risk a lower score if I have a bad day. I've done two PTs this week - one from the 60s (180) and a redo of 89 that I hadn't looked at since late last year (got a 171 this time, 168 originally). However, my drills have been going fairly poorly this week and I'm kind of freaking out. I'd appreciate any thoughts anyone has.
@kimmelsara198 Thank you for your insight. I actually saw your comment after the deadline for withdrawal, and did end up taking August - though to be honest I don't think I would have withdrawn regardless. I think that you were right and I was getting burnt out - I took a few days without much drilling or PTs before the test, and felt fairly good going in (much more relaxed than with the drills). I just don't think that I would get much funding with my GPA (3.7low) and a 171 (with no particularly interesting softs). I entirely understand that a lower score would look terrible, but I knew I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try.
@jordandieni403 - Thank you for the comment! Did end up taking - like I said above, couldn't have lived with myself otherwise. I didn't realize that the October deadline was so close, however, so thank you for that - I wish they had done like they did with August, making it after the June score return date. I'm seriously considering taking your advice and signing up now, just in case. LSAC has already taken so much of my money, why stop now?
My 7sage subscription expires in early September, and I probably won't renew for that month in case I do get a satisfactory score. So if I don't comment again after that, it turned out alright! I wish the absolute best of luck to both you on your journey.