Take September & December LSAT or just postpone?

_oshun1_

I haven't had any score improvement from ~3 months of studying. I just took a prep test after going through ~50% of the 7sage curriculum in the past 2 months and my score actually got worse. I got a 157 a few days ago, my last PT (2 months ago) I got a 160. I feel more confident in answering the questions, finished almost all of the logic games (before I wouldn't be able to finish them), but I still got pretty much the same amount of questions wrong. I took PrepTest 52, the logic games were kind of different than what I've encountered so far. My wrong answers in LR are now more concentrated in the "hard" questions instead of all over the place, so I guess I'm happy with that.

Do I just hope for improvement in the next month and take the September test and then take December if I don't like my score?
I would like at least a 160.

I know the pretty obvious answer would be that taking the test shouldn't be based on hoping for the best and of course I should postpone. The problem is the December LSAT is the Saturday before my finals (I'm on quarter system at a UC). I can definitely handle studying for the LSAT along with studying for my finals and just showing up to take the test on that day, but I really doubt I'll be in peak mental condition. I get pretty bad test anxiety even though I do always end up getting good grades.

Maybe my GPA & personal statement will be strong enough that if I get a bit under a 160 I'll still get into my TC ?

Sprinkles

Why are you taking PTs when you haven't finished the curriculum yet?

Cant Get Right

Yeah don't PT until you've finished the curriculum!

And yeah, hope isn't the best strategy, lol. I've been there and it doesn't work. Your PS won't do anything to offset a bad LSAT, but a strong GPA might depending on how far off the medians you are.

_oshun1_

@can'tgetright so if I'm still stuck under a 160 should I not take the LSAT in September? I have a 3.95 gpa.

_oshun1_

@"Cant Get Right"

Cant Get Right

I mean, your target score is only a few points above your diagnostic. It's too late in the game to make major improvements before September, but you don't need major improvements. 30 days out, I really like to see people already averaging at or above their target scores, but if you'll be happy with a 160, I dunno. You could get there, just not by hoping to improve. You need a specific strategy for how you're going to do it, or yes, you definitely need to withdraw.

Will a 160 basically ensure you get a full ride at your top school? With that GPA there's no reason you couldn't set your sights on HYS. So if a 160 is all you need, I'm assuming the schools you're looking at are going to be salivating over that GPA. So, you know, make sure you don't give them any outs as far as it concerns them throwing embarrassing amounts of money at you.

_oshun1_

I don't have much of a plan other than trying to do 5-8hrs a day of trying to finish the 7sage curriculum, do lots of logic games, and only take one day off a week to surf and relax. 5-8hrs bc some days I just can't focus for the full 8 hrs.
I'm really not expecting to get any sort of scholarship money, but I'd like to get into UCLA.
UCLA 2016 incoming class stats: 25th percentile LSAT score is 163, and 75th percentile is 168. GPA 25th percentile: 3.49. 75th percentile: 3.84.
My goal is just at least a 160 bc I figure my GPA can do the rest of the work.
I'm leaning towards withdrawing from September and taking it in December, but I'm reading a lot of articles saying that it puts you at a disadvantage if you take it in December and apply for the coming Fall bc most people have already applied by that time ?

Alex

@"surfy surf" said:

I know the pretty obvious answer would be that taking the test shouldn't be based on hoping for the best and of course I should postpone.

I think you already got some good feedback, especially from @"Cant Get Right"

My .02 is to postpone. And aim higher than a 160. If you are capable of a 3.95 GPA you are capable of a 170s score! Heck, even if you don't want to go to HYS, you should still always do your best and reach your potential in life!

I think you could hit a 160 if you are only a few points from that, but I don't think it would be worth risking a take. I think you've convinced yourself of a false dichotomy; that you either have to take in Sept or Dec. What about next June or nest September? I know this isn't a possibility for everyone.....
I know that is a long way away, but maybe it is worth it?

Even if you are 100% set on going to a law school where you will just need a 160 to get in, I would still postpone.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

ETA: Oh, I see you are targeting UCLA. In that case, definitely postpone! You'll want a scholarship and you should be aiming for a 168-170+ for a good chance to go debt free!

And applying in December does not put you at a big advantage at all. Always better to apply with a higher score than early EVERY TIME.

Cant Get Right

So with those stats, your GPA and LSAT will kinda cancel each other out. You will up their GPA median but lower their LSAT median, so it's kind of a wash for them. If you hit their median then you'd enormously increase your odds of getting accepted. With a 160 you're a super splitter, and your admittance will largely depend on the strength of your softs and even more so on the particulars of the cycle's applicant pool.

And there are very small advantages to applying earlier, but nothing that even comes close to the importance of your LSAT score. Applying with a 161 in December is far better than applying with a 160 in September.

_oshun1_

Thank you so much both of you! I'm def going to postpone to December and may even retake next September and aim for a high 160/170. I didn't realize law schools gave scholarships out based on merit! It's a huge relief to postpone. I felt kind of like a failure thinking about doing so but I feel good about it knowing that it's really worth it to work towards scholarships. Hopefully my finals won't be too rough this quarter so I can handle taking the LSAT right before.

Honestly I never thought I was good enough for HYS, but looking at the LSAT/GPA stats, I could take a year off and aim for that 170+ and apply. Seeing that my GPA is in the 75th percentile for the T15s is def encouraging me to have more confidence and aim bigger.

On the other hand I do like that 80% scholarship rate at UCLA and it'd be nice to stay close to my fam.

Either way thanks to both of you for making me feel better about postponing!