Cancel or keep flex score?

nomomnom

I just got back my June flex score today (since I delayed completing the writing sample) and am unsure whether to keep or cancel my score. This is my first LSAT take. I got a 156 and while it is within the range of how I've scored leading up to the test, albeit on the very low end, I was hoping to score at least in the low 160s since I have been scoring there, my last two PTs leading up to the June flex were both 163. I will definitely be retaking as I cannot apply with this score, but not sure at this point whether keeping it on file is worse or a cancel is.

LSAT Lizard

Personally I think if the score is within your range, albeit low, it isn't too terrible to keep. If bad luck lightning strikes on your next test, it's a better position to be in thinking 'Do I try to apply with 156?' vs 'I have absolutely nothing I can even contemplate applying with.'

Even if 156 is so low for your goals that it might as well be a 0, it isn't so far from a goal score of ~163 that it would sully such a score just by being in your score report history. I wouldn't feel compelled to cancel.

JDream2025

Keep it. It’s above average.

Lattechoco

I canceled my 156. I am scoring much better now and I don't want to write an addendum explaining why there's such a big difference in my scores. From what I've read, schools don't care if you canceled a score. Plus, what happens if you actually do worse than a 156 the next time? Then you'd really have some explaining to do.

If you don't like your August score, you can take it again in October... but I'm guessing either way you'll get more than a 156.

nomomnom

I agree that 156 is not a terrible score, but unfortunately with my GPA which tends to be 0.1-0.2 below most schools' medians, I will be out of the majority if not all schools' reach, except for maybe 1-2 schools if I apply with a 156. So I know it is highly unlikely that I will be able to use the 156 even if kept on file. I live in Canada, and Canadian law schools are all reasonably competitive and expect a 160+ score for successful applicants, exception being if you have a very high gpa (~4.0).

nomomnom

Thank you all for all the feedback, it's greatly appreciated and has given me some stuff to think about as I make my decision