Canada Question! Should I use Nov or use upcoming Jan?

ajstephens93

Hello! Hope you all are having a nice holiday season and studying hard.

I recently wrote the Nov LSAT and earned a 159. I want to retake, but I am unsure if it is better to use my November score than wait until Jan, which might only be a marginal improvement. My overall GPA is a 2.93, but I was diagnosed with major depressive disorder during my second year. I came back and earned a 3.44 (last three years) with a 3.83 in my final year. It is a major part of my application and I was curious which score I should be using. I have applied to every Canadian school with the exception of Lakehead. I know that the vast majority of schools only keep a limited number of spots for January takers.

Love to get some feedback.

Thanks!

Guillaume

Are you applying under discretionary?

My understanding is that they would look at your application as long as you have a valid LSAT and if you are competitive they will admit you regardless whether you are registered for a future LSAT or not. So from my perspective it can't hurt to retake in January. If you are applying under discretionary, I assume it works similarly. Maybe you should call some of the admissions offices to see how they would evaluate it. They are generally really friendly and helpful.

bendrummond33

If your overall CGPA is 2.93, I would strongly recommend retaking. As far as I know, most Ontario schools release acceptances through till March-April. For example, Queen's doesn't even begin handing out any acceptances until mid-January. But yes, some schools look at your GPA in terms of L2 or B3 or B2, it really depends on the school. Also, Guillaume makes a good point, if you applied under access, the requirements to be competitive are much more lenient.

katrinagk

I don't think its true that they only leave a limited number of spots OPEN for January test takers. They just admit on a rolling basis, so some offers will already be out for those who have submitted final scores. The majority of people I know in Canadian schools across the country actually took in January and it didn't appear to hinder their success! I may also be biased since I am also writing in January for this cycle.

From my understanding, some schools will look at other parts of your application and wait for your final LSAT score, while others won't even open your file until you've reported your final score. So for the schools that begin the screening process, if they really like the rest of your application they are just sort of waiting on your confirmation with your LSAT. With schools like Osgoode they won't even look until you get your score in January, but because they take on a very holistic approach it sort of evens out that difference.

Either way, I don't think it would hinder your application to take in January unless you don't think you will be able to improve at all. I do understand the anxiety around this though, I have definitely felt it myself. Knowing that there are other people out there who took it and were admitted for that cycle makes me very confident that it won't hinder the process!

ajstephens93

Thanks guys! I guess I had some bad information and it for sure helps to know that it hasn't hindered others' success. That makes things a lot easier and I will be rewriting in Jan. Good luck to you all!

LSATisland

Hi @ajstephens93 I think I would apply with re-take as a score increase would likely improve application. I applied late to Canadian law schools (under the mistaken thought that the deadlines were the same as U.S.). Feel free to PM me if you would like to discuss this further, or if I could help with anything else related to Canadian law schools.