Looking for advice on whether I should send GRE or LSAT. If I send GRE, I would cancel my LSAT score.

Me: I attended an Ivy League school and graduated magna cum laude. I work in a gov. job with name recognition. I have been out of school for five years. I think I have a compelling story and am a POC. Standardized testing has never been my strong suit, but I think my GPA/awards show I can succeed in a demanding academic environment. I also took a law course at the T-14 law school during my undergrad. Hoping to pursue a public interest law career.

LSAT: 158

GRE: Verbal (164, 94th), Quant (154, 47th), Writing: 5 (91st)

I'm open to retesting in January, but because I'm working full-time I want to be realistic about how much I can improve.

My read of recent news is that schools are starting to move away from weighing standardized test scores as highly as they have in the past. Seems like there is interest in recruiting more diverse candidates interested in public service. Wondering if these factors might also sway my calculus.

What would you do?

Thought I would share my story, if it's helpful to anyone, of how I navigated the LSAT and transferred into Georgetown.

I took the LSAT in Nov 2022 and scored a 158. I retook the LSAT in Jan 2023 and got a 163. Everything is relative, but at the time I was really disappointed (I hoped to break 170.)

I applied to law school but regularly debated delaying and reapplying the following year with higher scores. I applied and got a number of offers, including Davis, and got amazing scholarships from UC Hastings (UC Law SF), Brooklyn U, and a full ride at Seattle U. I took the advice of 7Sagers and was able to negotiate up these amazing scholarship offers. I, ultimately, accepted the offer at UC Hastings where I now pay 1/4 tuition. I knew in my heart that I'd be a better law student than a logic game player. I could have delayed another year, been a year older, and still not gotten the 170. I chose to start school.

How'd it go? I really enjoy law school. Seriously, I do. And I did pretty well in my classes (I ended approx. 30-40/400 students) despite a vicious curve. I also made great friends, worked really hard, and learned a lot. Despite the scare tactics, you don't need a 4.0 to transfer. My GPA was enough to transfer into Georgetown Law.

UC Law SF is interesting. Happy to speak with folks about it. The curve and conditional scholarships make it a very competitive place. The professors have been excellent, but the community is lacking. One of the biggest bummers for me is that in this fascinating, polarizing, confusing time in the law, you'd never know it from my school's events. Very few speakers or symposiums -- makes you feel like you're in a bubble, not the academic heart of it all. The new law building (333) is beautiful though and SF is an amazing city.

As I see it, I was able to secure two great options: a generous scholly at UC Law SF or a discounted Georgetown diploma (basically, 1 year "free"). So if you can't get your LSAT score where you want it, there still is hope that you can get where you want to go. I really think, in retrospect, there is value in just going. It's always possible you'll love your non-T14 school and also possible you'll hate law school so figuring that out sooner is helpful. I also think there is a misconception that transferring is really hard/impossible.

All of that is to say, I remember the panic and futility of not being able to get my score where I wanted it. Don't forget your "score" is not your identity, and it doesn't fully predict how well you'll do at law school or where you'll end up.

Any data out there about how many people ultimately get a 90th percentile LSAT score + after multiple attempts? If I'm understanding the percentile charts correctly, approximately only 10% of folks get a score higher than a 166 in each administration. But not aware of data out there about "ultimate" scores across multiple test attempts.

I applied to law school in late December and sent a January LSAT score (162). I was accepted to a #50 ranked law school with a ~30-40K/year conditional scholarship. I deposited and have been planning to attend in the fall. For context: this school was not my first choice school, and I have been secretly harboring a desire to transfer after my first year if I'm unhappy and do well with my coursework. I've been trying to suppress this "transfer fantasy" and start school with the intention of staying because from what I've read it's impossible to predict one's 1L grades.

Recently, I started to rethink my plans. I can't help but feel jealous of some of my friends who are starting law school at programs I'd love to attend. Shouldn't I feel more excited about the program I am planning to attend? Simultaneously, I love my new job and am in a happier and healthier place than I've been in a long time. As I think about moving, I can't help but feel like I'm giving up on my potential to attend a higher-ranked program that might be a better fit for my career aspirations. What if, I've been thinking, I defer my offer, work another year, and save up more money for school. I could also invest in LSAT tutoring (something I haven't tried yet) and retake the LSAT in the hopes of getting a higher score and reapply to some of my dream programs. For context: I previously applied for law school and studied for the LSAT alongside a very demanding job. I now have much more free time and bandwidth to study. I could also spend the year getting mentally prepared for school. For me this means, seeing friends and family, traveling, and pursuing personal goals.

I know it is very challenging to increase one's LSAT score, so as I weigh this decision I want to be realistic about how much I can improve. I would admittedly be disappointed if I didn't improve my score and ended up in a similar (or worse) position a year from now. And when looking at the numbers, the reality is only a small fraction of folks get above a 165. I do have a strong GPA and career experience working in my favor.

So... what would you do if you were me? Go? Or wait a year, retake the LSAT, and reapply?

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