Writing an Addendum for Large Score Increase

qiaowang

After reading through a lot of online resources regarding whether it is appropriate to write an addendum explaining a score difference I'm still unsure of what to do because of the mixed opinions on this topic.

I went from a 159 in December 2016 to a 179 in September 2017 (even I find this unbelievable) and I'm not sure if I should write an addendum or how I should go about explaining this and how it will affect my chances of admissions. The only explanation I have is that I didn't study adequately for the first take because I misjudged the time I needed to set aside for the test while juggling academics, an internship, and other personal problems (i.e. family illness). I was very close to cancelling the day before but I went ahead with the test anyways hoping for the best because I wanted to make the deadlines for that admissions cycle. Consequently, I had to pass on that cycle, and I stopped all LSAT studying and instead focused on school. It wasn't until July (after graduation) that I started preparing for the LSAT again, and this time I had set aside the summer to study so that I would have adequate time to prepare. I was expecting a score somewhere in the mid-170s according to my PT average but never expected to score 179 and so now I'm wondering how to go about explaining and applying with a 20 point increase (especially if I'm now aiming for the top law schools because I know they might be more skeptical about multiple scores and such a large gap)?

Any help is appreciated

TheMikey

Top schools won't be skeptical. I say don't submit one because having a lower score and then a high score shouldn't raise any eyebrows. Most likely all schools except Yale won't care about your 159 and they will want you for that 179. Just apply without the addendum and you should have a good cycle (assuming your GPA is fine)

Also, congrats on that jump. Very nice

AllezAllez21

I suppose you could write a short, matter-of-fact addendum that basically just says, "I didn't study at all on the first take. I took the LSAT more seriously, I studied, and I scored nearer to my ability on the second take."

But, as Mikey said, a lot of people on the internet will just tell you to not write an addendum. People improve their scores all the time and the schools only care about the highest score.

If I were you, I wouldn't write one. But I don't think it matters either way.