Bad score on LSAT

janelleeng

Hey guys!

So I'm worried that I may have not done well on the June 2018 lsat, but I didn't cancel. I really do want to see how I did. If I study and significantly improve on the November 2018 LSAT, does anyone know of a really bad past test score negatively affecting admission into a tier 2 law school like St Johns or Brooklyn? I know a lot of people are saying that I should have canceled, but wouldn't the law schools like to see a significant improvement to showcase your willingness to work harder and not give up?

_oshun1_

@Rtwrtw8 said:
For T6, I'd say it might matter and even then barely. But for tier 2 schools definitely not.

Edit: I'd also check their websites to see if they have a FAQ on this. I know some t14 schools like Cornell and Berkeley do have policies when considering multiple scores.

All I see on Berk's site is "in general we consider the highest score." Is there something more to this?

ebalde1234

A low score is only a disadvantage if it consistently happens on the actual test day . Low score to a high score ? That’s what Law schools don’t mind seeing , in fact I would say that could work in someone’s favour. Everyone is going to have a different opinon ; but after looking at students accepted / rejected stats the points I discussed were a common trend. Best of luck and don’t panic

Tom_Tango

@"surfy surf" said:

@Rtwrtw8 said:
For T6, I'd say it might matter and even then barely. But for tier 2 schools definitely not.

Edit: I'd also check their websites to see if they have a FAQ on this. I know some t14 schools like Cornell and Berkeley do have policies when considering multiple scores.

All I see on Berk's site is "in general we consider the highest score." Is there something more to this?

yes. it means in general they consider the highest score

Ohnoeshalpme

For tier 2 it won't matter even a little bit.

LivingThatLSATdream

I don't know who "a lot of people" are, but they are probably misinformed. You should not have canceled your school. Schools only care about your top score, it is the only score they have to report which directly effects their rankings. Perhaps the only school I can imagine it making a difference in is Yale. NYU says that they average. Please. If one applicant has an lsat scores of 160 and 170 and another applicant has only one lsat score of 166, every thing else considered equal, they are not going to take the applicant with a166 because the average score of the other students is 165. They will take the 170 because that is the score they report. By not canceling, you can see how you did and review the test. Also, you may have surprised yourself and score better than you think.

eRetaker

Agree with all the other posters here. I don't know who told you to cancel, but this is not an issue. Pretty much NYU and Yale are the only two schools that MIGHT care about all the LSATs you've taken, but even then the highest score trumps all. Schools need to maintain medians and they would be at a competitive disadvantage in rankings to their peer schools if they were actually rejecting applicants with high LSATs because they did bad on a previous exam. The only instance I can think of in which it might affect your chances is in the unlikely scenario that everything else is equal and you are a borderline candidate competing with another candidate that has the same LSAT score but took it only once. So OP don't worry, you made the right decision to not cancel and good luck!

janelleeng

I am worried about taking it again as opposed to someone who only took it once. I'm not looking to go to a tier one school, tier 2 or even tier 3 is fine with me so I'm trying to not to stress myself too much

TheMikey

@janelleeng said:
I am worried about taking it again as opposed to someone who only took it once. I'm not looking to go to a tier one school, tier 2 or even tier 3 is fine with me so I'm trying to not to stress myself too much

Your highest score is what matters, trust me, 2 or 3 takes won't raise eyebrows. Take it again if you think you can do better.

Btw, i am going to PM you about my cycle and hopefully it makes you feel better!

JustDoIt

@LivingThatLSATdream said:
the only school I can imagine it making a difference in is Yale.

100% this. I have heard this many times, so unless you are shooting for Yale you probably have nothing to worry about. Try to spend this time relaxing. I know it is impossibly difficult, but there is nothing you can do and it is completely out of your hands.

I don't think NYU averages. If so I wouldn't have gotten in