January LSAT too late?

MindyKale

Hi,

I am registered for the Oct 14th LSAT.
My plan is to apply with the Oct 14th score. (My current score range is mid to high 160s).
However, if I don't hit my target score(170+) I want to apply with the Oct 14th score and retake in January.
The exam date in January is Jan 27th. Expecting results in mid February(Feb 15) according to the LSAC website.

I want to know if 1.) I can ask schools to consider the Jan score if it is higher than my Oct score. 2.) ask them to hold off until they get Feb score? 3.) Will it be too late for any scholarship/merit-aid opportunities.

I'd preferably not want to sit a whole cycle out due to this.
These are the only test dates available to me.

My law school goal is to get into something within the t14 or t20 possibly with some scholarship.
I am an international student, so I don't think GPA is a hard constraint here.

CantStopWontStop

There is no hard line, but generally I would say that is probably too late. You would be having to fight an uphill battle, but if you crush it, then technically it is possible. But again, you are putting yourself at a significant disadvantage

cqas190517

I’ve seen 170 LSATS get rejected when they apply too late (last month of the application window). Best bet is to create a strong holistic application as early as possible.

Leah M B

As someone who applied last year in January and February, that is not technically too late, but I really believe it is too late in practice. I got waitlisted from a few schools that I otherwise don't think I would have if I'd applied earlier. You also miss out on December deadlines for many scholarships that require separate applications. If you absolutely want to go this coming year, I'd advise sending all applications with your October score. You can take it in January, and if it comes back higher then you could possibly use that in negotiating scholarships, or it might help to gain you acceptance if any school hasn't made a decision yet (and some probably won't have decided yet).

One thing you should keep in mind and may want to ask schools though is if they will process your application with a pending LSAT registration. I did a similar thing last year, took the LSAT in December and registered for February. Most schools won't automatically mark your application as complete if you are registered for an upcoming LSAT. I emailed each of them though to request that they mark as complete and review it with my December score. Most of them all complied with that request. However, one school (USC) told me that their policy is strictly that they will not review an application if you are registered for an upcoming LSAT. So I either had to withdraw from the February LSAT, or they would hold my application until that score came in. I ended up withdrawing since I was worried about having such a late application. So, you may want to check with the schools to find out their policies on that in advance.