Help with 15 point LSAT score jump addendum

rebecca.temkin

Hello! I have a 3.7 GPA from an Ivy League school, and I took the LSAT 3 times. The first time I got a 154, the second time a 164, and the third a 168. I was told by at least one school that I need to write an addendum, however, I'm struggling with the right language to explain my massive score jump. In reality, I was in a PhD program that I was planning on dropping out of, and I was trying to balance studying for the LSAT while also doing all of my normal grad school work, although I don't feel like this is a good enough "excuse." Another reason is that I just didn't give myself enough time to study, and the other scores are the result of many months of studying + a prep course. Can you help me figure out what kind of language to use for this problem? In addition, I was on the dean's list every semester of college except for 1 semester where my GPA dropped to a 3.2. I don't have much of an explanation here, except for the fact that I was taking really hard classes that were outside of my major. Do I need to write something about my GPA, or should I keep it to my LSAT? And what language should I use around the LSAT score?

Thank you!

dos_cool

I think your gradual improvement just shows that you learned the test and put the work in. I know some schools ask for an addendum, but I think it's ridiculous to have to explain "I studied and got a better score". My hunch is that the score jump addenda are for, say, a 14 point jump in 2 months, which would require some explanation as to why the lower score occurred. I think it's obvious that you just put in the work and got a great score!

rebecca.temkin

Yeah, that's what I'm hearing! I think I might get on the phone with the school who asked for one and get some clarification. Thanks!