Is it appropriate to direct message a partner at a big law firm on LinkedIn for an informational interview? Or should I stick to associates?

Hello 7sage community!

There have been quite a few threads similar to this one published in the last three years, so I apologize for any redundancy. My situation is complicated... or maybe it's not. Idk. You decide. But do read on if you have time.

I got a 162 (lower than my most recent PTs) on my October LSAT and plan to retake in two weeks. I'm trying to decide whether it would be better to apply now, or to wait until I get my next score in late November, which will ideally be 165 or better. I'm hoping to get into a top 25 school, my GPA is a 3.5 at a heavily grade-deflated school and I have a year of work experience at a top 5 bank, although I've been unemployed for most of this year due to an untimely injury and the pandemic.

Please let me know your thoughts.

*a brief note on grade deflation if anyone cares: looking at stats specific to my school, alumni get into the same grad programs as the avg student w/ a GPA that is +0.2 to +0.3 points higher

Hey guys! I noticed on my last exam that I had trouble differentiating between the logical indicators, "requires" and "is required by." Can anyone help me out?

I've done this problem twice on two separate occasions, and predicted the wrong assumption both times. When I read the stimulus, I see a gap between the speed of the animal and the info. we're given in the premises, which is the energy afforded by surface area and the energy needed to be overcome by the weight. Could someone please tell me why this isn't a relevant assumption?