To withdraw or not to withdraw

Legally_Speaking

I'm in a bit of a conundrum and could use some advice. Although I began studying for the September LSAT in late May, my progress, particularly within the realm of Logic Games, was slow. At the time, I was solely using PowerScore and it was not until two weeks ago that I began 7sage's Core Curriculum. Since then, I feel like I've finally broken through in terms of my understanding of Logic Games and the more difficult analytical reasoning questions. Unfortunately, the time window to withdraw from the September lsat date and receive a refund passed right before I discovered 7sage. With all of this in mind, it seems I have two options:
(1) take the test (I'm halfway through the Core Curriculum and have scored 164 and 163 on the only practice tests I've taken) with the very real risk that I blow up on test day but could later take the December test
(2) withdraw from the test and take the December 3rd LSAT (I realize I'd need to explain somewhere in my application letter the legitimate reason for doing this)
I'd really appreciate any guidance that could be offered.

Tom_Tango

Why would you explain the withdraw? If you withdraw your registration before midnight the day before your test it as if you didn't sign up for it at all...
There will be no record of it on your LSAT report.

If you cancel, there is a record. If you no-show, there is a record.

kjsmith914

In the same boat. But just a note - withdrawing won't show up on your application so there's no need to write an addendum - only if you get a terrible score or fail to show up for the exam. If you feel like you could do better in December, then take the December test. That's what I'm leaning towards, given that I'm stuck at a 164-165 and I feel that with two more months, I could make some more progress.

Everyone says that schools only consider the highest score because that's what is reported to the ABA, but most of the top schools' websites say that they consider all LSAT scores in a "holistic" review process. I don't know what to believe and I don't want to take any chances. Most of the guidance that I've received has pointed to the fact that a higher LSAT score would outweigh any boost you'd get from submitting your application earlier. Plus, I know quite a few people who submitted their apps in December and January and still got into schools like Columbia, NYU, etc.

Let me know what you end up deciding.