3.2/167, should I apply now or wait until January 2021 LSAT?

alice0237

GPA 3.2, October LSAT Flex 167
I got 164 for the July LSAT Flex (my first exam), so I think I could score at least a point higher for the January exam.
Should I apply now (November) or take the January LSAT Flex hoping for a higher score?
My goal is top 30 law schools.

VerdantZephyr

@"Alice Chung" I honestly think that if your goal is just top 30 both paths can get you into a school you desire, but one is, in my mind, better. Looking over my spreadsheet, a 167 is above 75th at most of the 21st to 31st ranked law schools. Emory, Minnesota, Notre Dame, ASU, Florida, Iowa, UNC, William and Mary, Washington and Lee, and Georgia. It is also at 75th for GW. That is almost every school from 21 to 31 and the only reason I don't mention the others is that they simply are not on my spreadsheet. I bring up 31 even though it is technically outside top 30 because all three of the #31 schools this year are very strong in industry and frequently in the top 30 despite being just outside this year. You have a lot of geographic diversity there as well. Strong access to both the large DC and Atlanta markets as well as very strong regional/state schools in UNC, Iowa, and Florida among others. Check out Above the Law's rankings for more info on how schools' real degree value may differ from their US News ranking.

Because you are already at/above median for most 20-31 ranked schools, my inclination is that if you are only talking about a single point bump you might as well apply now. You are certainly a splitter but not an extreme one. Your 3.2 is below 25th percentile at all of those schools, but your LSAT above 75th for all but GW. Several of those schools have a uGPA 25th at 3.4ish.
Additionally, ASU in particular is the most splitter friendly school of all in the top 50 or so, so they are an excellent decision if you do not mind working in the rapidly growing Phoenix market. My inclination is that if you are mostly looking for admittance rather than scholarship you might be better off applying earlier if the rest of your application is strong. As a splitter your application will certainly be relevant, but unless you are talking about a several point improvement in LSAT I do not think scoring a 168 is going to significantly change your ability to gain admission to a top 30 school. It is probably also not going to change your scholarship odds dramatically. I think you would need to be confident of a 170+ to justify waiting, and unless your PT average is a 172 or something already I do not know that you can be strongly confident in improving enough to justify waiting. For some mid 20's schools you are already several points above median. You can always apply to those schools and then take the LSAT again to try and leverage scholarship aid later on. You could also apply to the late teens early 20's schools after a January test if you do improve. Then you could leverage the schools against each other to improve scholarship offers.

Bottom line, my recommendation is that since you are already decently competitive waiting will not significantly advantage you in getting in somewhere in the top 30 over turning in a slightly better score with the late in cycle disadvantage. Sign up for the January LSAT if you do think you can improve. If you are able to improve a few points, you can always expand that list to Boston U and Vanderbilt or whatever later on as well as negotiate for better aid. Your softs and how polished your app is will also be relevant.

martinxi679

My situation is very similar to you with a slightly lower GPA and higher LSAT. My suggestion would be to go ahead and apply to all of your target schools that have their 75th below 167, and you can always send more applications to other schools in January if you turn out to have a significant increase in your January flex.