Will Scoring Lower on LSAT harm waitlist chances?

buffalochickenpizza

Waitlisted at a school where I'm 2 points above their median and I planned to retake the LSAT to show effort and submit an update but have not studied that much and am worried of scoring lower that my highest score. Could a low LSAT score harm my waitlist chances or could retaking it only help me?

Tajira McCoy

Hi @buffalochickenpizza! Thanks so much for your question. I'm a former admissions officer, and yes, performing at a lower level on the LSAT while on the waitlist can certainly impact admissions considerations. When AOs go to their waitlists to fill seats, they do look to see what updated information they have from their candidates when they are assessing whom they would like to contact with an offer. Your high score is, of course, what will be reported for accreditation and ranking purposes, but if your most recent performance is lower, you do run the risk of AOs considering the recent score as the most reflective of your true abilities. If you haven't studied and aren't feeling confident that you could improve your score, you may want to take a beat to consider whether you really want to retake the LSAT.