should I register for November?

chicago234

I took the january LSAT and didn't do as well as I was hoping. I took the July test, but was just planning to cancel and use the free test voucher. I missed the September deadline, and there are currently no available spots in LA for October. I registered for the waitlist regardless. There is only one location that would be viable for November (anything else would be a 2+ hour uber drive, and I don't want to take my chances with LA traffic the morning of an LSAT).
Should I register for that spot in November now? Should I wait and hope that it is still available after I cancel the July score?
Should I be worried that if I register for November now, the total number of times I'd take the test could be 5?

Louislepauvre

How much of a refund will they give you if you register for November and then drop out (because, let's say you love your July score)? If you're willing to lose that money, then do it.

I wouldn't worry about 5 times. July was my 5th time. 5 is generally ok for most schools, but 6 is when a problem begins. Definitely don't take the LSAT unless you're consistently scoring in your desired range on timed, fully simulated PTs.

sillyquilly

I agree with @Louislepauvre. Do you feel ready ? Only sign up for the LSAT if you feel ready to crush it. Don't go in blind or hoping for the best. If not, it is better to hold off. If you take it in November, I think you should have the mindset that this is going to be your last time and you are confident that you are going to preform well.

Beast Mode

I couldn't agree more with the above comments. I think it's best to take the LSAT when your PT scores reflect your desired score. As @sillyquilly stated you should take the LSAT when you feel that this will be your last time taking it and you know that you'll be performing to the best of your ability.

chicago234

Thanks for the feedback! I think the mindset that the next test will be my last one is a very good point. the partial refund would be $50. All of my last three PTs (which is all I've done since the July test aside from drilling) are above my goal, but they're also earlier PTs which are a bit easier imo. I feel ready.
(I hadn't studied much between jan and july because I was studying abroad and wanted to focus on language acquisition. I took the test anyways bc I thought this free voucher would be easier to use earlier)
Follow up question: what would you do with the 2 free test vouchers if you got your target score (but not what you think could be your max) on the nov test? I read somewhere that law schools don't like it when you retake an already really high score (like if you retake a 174 to try to get a 180). Would this idea still apply if I could write an addendum saying that I had two vouchers and there was no point letting them go to waste)? Could it potentially be better to not use the vouchers if my next score might be less?