Do law schools care how many times you take the LSAT?

Matthew19941

I apologize since I know this question is probably asked alot.

I just received my July score back (149) and canceled it to sign up for the October test for free. Needless to say I'm very disappointed with my July score since my practice tests have been getting better. I've taken the March 2019 test and received a 148. As of right now I'm currently registered for September and October. However I am also thinking of signing up for the November exam which would bring my total test takes up to five and would show four scores and one cancellation on my law school report. If I take the November exam that would be the final LSAT I would take. So my law school report would look like this:

March 2019: 148
July 2019: Cancelled
September 2019: 1xx
October 2019: 1xx
November 2019: 1xx

So my overall question is: will law schools I apply to care about how many times I've taken the LSAT or will the admissions teams simply just care about my highest score? Would five times hurt my application?

MissChanandler

Remember that there are new restrictions on how many times you can test. It's honestly a really bad idea to plan on having to retake three more times. It would be much better to just study until you're ready, plan on taking it once more, and then retaking again as a last resort.

SuperMario929

So I'm in the "taking the LSAT too many times" boat now. I had some bad luck before with the tests, with just a host of things going wrong on test day, and knowing I never hit my stride. I cancelled post-test December of 2015 (had a bubble sheet error that cost me an entire section), then took the test again Feb 2016 and used that score that cycle to get into seven T14 schools with a 166. I declined those offers to pursue a PhD with the intention of going back to do the JD. I wanted more money though, so I took the test again in Dec 2016 (163--oops) and again Oct 2017 (166--I knew I could do better). I applied again to a T14 which had previously accepted me and where I was doing my PhD last March, on literally the last day of the cycle, and was re-accepted. I declined (they must want to kill me) to move with my partner to a different state so she could pursue med school. I just took the July 2019 LSAT and hit a 175, and am now applying to the local university as well as two that are about an hour away (all T14).

I know having multiple LSATs on your record isn't great, but on the other hand I've been accepted with two, four, and now hopefully five on my record, with some good scores mixed in there. I think that the weight schools put on your highest available LSAT score is the most important factor to consider, rather than the number of tries. You'll want to explain why you have so many on there, but at the end of the day the school only has to report your highest score for ranking, so they will always be happier if you have a higher rank. Just my two cents, but in the balance, if you KNOW you can do better, I would go for it.

However, to echo what @MissChanandler said, hold off until you're roughly where you want to be. There are now limits on how often you can take it that used to be less restrictive. Maximize those opportunities, and hopefully you'll only need to take the exam once.

lsatgodjk

JY's mentions that one of the biggest mistakes is to register ahead of time and study until the registered date. He suggests that students do the opposite, so study until you are ready, and THEN pick a date. I've done the former, and I can vouch that it's very stressful to register for an exam and realize you're not ready for it. This leads to a waste of an attempt because you feel obligated to go test, since its already registered.

I highly suggest studying until you're ready and then picking a date.

salonpapas

@lsatgodjk said:
JY's mentions that one of the biggest mistakes is to register ahead of time and study until the registered date. He suggests that students do the opposite, so study until you are ready, and THEN pick a date. I've done the former, and I can vouch that it's very stressful to register for an exam and realize you're not ready for it. This leads to a waste of an attempt because you feel obligated to go test, since its already registered.

I highly suggest studying until you're ready and then picking a date.

This is so true!!

Matthew19941

Thanks for the comments guys! I went ahead and submitted a Refund Request Form for the September 2019 test since they extended it to August 23rd. So hopefully that gets approved and I'm out from taking another LSAT in four weeks. Since I'm already signed up for the October test I'll see how I feel around September 25th so I know whether to pay the fee to change the date or not. And what JY said is right! Wish I had started my studies at first with 7Sage.

studyingandrestudying

For a situation with, say more than 3 takes or more than 1 cancel, an addendum, subject to an individual's situation they discuss with a good advisor, could be helpful. It seems these things are likely going to happen a fair amount this year and next, though now the take limits seem like they're going to impact more and more students. Another thing is can be good to have made attempts and stayed with it.

AudaciousRed

I researched what my choice school had to say about retakes. They said up to 6 -- assuming that it was positive increases over time and not huge up and down dips-- would probably be okay, but any more than 6 would raise red flags. That made me feel a lot better. July was #3 for me. I honestly should have cancelled #2, but didn't, thinking maybe I would have gotten lucky. You never "get lucky" with this damn test, and a lot can happen on test day (I developed a migraine towards the end of test #2).
Write an addendum explaining your situation. A 175 is a great score.