Study Plan for Retake/Potentially Delaying Until Next Cycle

drbrown2

So I scored 3-4 points lower than my average on the November LSAT, but still have a score that is worth applying to some schools in the T20-40 range. My plan is to move forward with applications, but I am studying for a retake because I know I can do better. I won't write the January test because I would like to have more time to study and reach my full potential, so I suppose the goal is March. If I get some great offers with my current score, I can decide after receiving my March score whether or not to accept those offers. The upside is that I will go to law school knowing I did my best on the LSAT, and won't have to struggle with the fact that I did not reach my target score in November. If I commit to delaying a cycle, I have March, June, and the digital July with a free score cancellation to work with and I'll be able to apply the day that applications open up.

My plan for studying: One section with thorough BR each day during the workweek, plus drills, and one timed full length PT on Saturday mornings with thorough BR for the rest of the weekend. I will use old PTs, including those which are used for the core curriculum, for the single sections. I still have a ton of fresh new PTs that I can take every Saturday too, and I can use those as a reasonably accurate indicator of my scoring range.

I reviewed every PT I took before scoring, but not as thoroughly as I could have. After taking a single section, I find that BR is less daunting and I have been writing out my explanations of circled questions and rewriting answer choices/stimuli to make wrong answers into right answers. Basically, I'm committed to doing BR better.

I guess my goal with this study plan is to increase the amount of quality studying I do each week. Before November, I only took 17 PTs and averaged way less than 2 per week because I had trouble finding time for multiple full length PTs around my work schedule. If I score close to my previous average score in March, I would consider delaying until next cycle and taking advantage of the benefit of applying early and a 3-4 point increase. At the same time, I feel I could score even higher than my current average by sticking to this study plan. I am confident that with 20-30 extra PTs under my belt, and more mastery/consistency in LG/RC, my score range will jump to the top few percentiles. That's where I want to be. Any thoughts or comments are welcome

Ohnoeshalpme

You have to ask yourself whether you would attend the schools where you are applying if you got accepted without a scholarship. If the answer is yes, and you would be happy to attend, then you accomplished all that you needed to for this test. If the answer is no, then applying this cycle doesn't make sense.

Even if you get a $20,000 annual scholarship for 20-40 ranked schools, you will still have significant debt. Minimizing that debt by $60,000 is significant, but I don't think that it's enough to justify skipping a year. For one, the salary that you earn by an extra year in the legal profession will likely wash out the cost of the debt from waiting a cycle (depending on post-law employment and current employment). You will essentially be a year ahead in your legal career - potentially a year ahead in making partner, or an extra year before retirement. This could be a huge amount of money left on the table.

The real reason to postpone is if you aren't happy going to a 20-40 ranked school. If you absolutely need to attend in the T14 to accomplish your goals (federal clerkship, prestigious Big Law firm), then waiting is your only option. Just remember that you won't be able to guarantee acceptance to these schools and there's no guarantee that you will be able to score in the 95th-99th percentile. You might blow it on test day or get sick. Any number of unpredictable events could throw off your goal. This is why applying this cycle is so important; if need be, you can always attend the schools that accept you this cycle.

I think that it's of crucial importance to realize why we are taking this test and what our goals for law school and a legal career are. If we want to attend a top rated law school merely for the prestige associated with that school, or so we can post on our Facebook and Instagram that we got into Princeton Law School, then I think we are fundamentally betraying ourselves. Be sure that your true career goals and aspirations align with the school that you pick and whether waiting a year to attend a higher ranked school is worth it. This is totally subjective, but I felt i'd throw these comments out there just to help you to rehash them for yourself.

drbrown2

@Ohnoeshalpme Thanks for the comment! I have been balancing a lot of the financial factors that you mentioned and will be making this decision largely on how strong my offers are this cycle relative to my expected LSAT improvement after 3 months. I’ve always wanted to keep my options open after graduation regarding clerkship opportunities and big law opportunities. Part of the calculus in post graduation career trajectory is debt load. I think the pressure of student loans would be a limiting factor in options available to me. Just have to keep working hard and I’m sure it will work out for the best!

Ohnoeshalpme

@drbrown2 said:
@Ohnoeshalpme Thanks for the comment! I have been balancing a lot of the financial factors that you mentioned and will be making this decision largely on how strong my offers are this cycle relative to my expected LSAT improvement after 3 months. I’ve always wanted to keep my options open after graduation regarding clerkship opportunities and big law opportunities. Part of the calculus in post graduation career trajectory is debt load. I think the pressure of student loans would be a limiting factor in options available to me. Just have to keep working hard and I’m sure it will work out for the best!

Also keep in mind that most top schools have generous loan repayment programs for students who choose to go into civil service work or public interest work! Often they will only make you pay 10%-20% of your salary for 10 years and you're done paying forever. This could mean you only end up having to pay $60,000ish for all your loans. This makes the scholarship less valuable.