June vs September LSAT Q

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• 1 Like

  Sami Live Member Sage ⭐ 7Sage Tutor

  January 2018 edited January 2018 10789 karma

  @aburk3 said:
  Hey everyone!

  I started 7sage in late December 2017 and have just recently started the Core Curriculum Reading Comp section (I used the 7sage's "create schedule feature" for the June 2018 LSAT). My diagnostic was a 149 and a167 blind review. The reason for the drastic jump is undoubtedly that I went very slow and left tons of unanswered questions in each section.

  I am shooting for a 175 LSAT due to my low GPA (3.1). 149 to a 175 is a huge jump, but given that my BR was167 on the diagnostic I'm hoping it's achievable with hard work. Now for the question - should I sign up for the June LSAT and just cancel it for a partial refund if my PT's are looking grim? How far out can you cancel with a refund? I'm working a part-time job and have already graduated college also. The alternative is to not even think about June and just chug along until the September LSAT. Thoughts?

  You should register for June and if you happen to not be ready you can move it till September. But just in case you are, you now have a seat for June. The alternative like you said is not register for June and just take it in September, but it would kind of suck if you are ready to take it in June.

  I do think you can jump to a 175 and the blind review score for a diagnostic is very encouraging. Make sure to go through the core curriculum thoroughly and take PT 35 after to figure out what to focus on after that.
• 1 Like

  Leah M B Alum Member ⭐

  January 2018 edited January 2018 8392 karma

  Here's a link to all the dates for the the June LSAT: https://www.lsac.org/jd/lsat/test-dates-deadlines/2018-2019/us-canada-june

  You'd need to withdraw by May 15 to receive a refund. However, you only get $50 back so you would still be out $130. I think a better plan would be to do a date change. It's the same deadline. That fee is $100 but you wouldn't have to re-register.

  • If you withdraw and re-register, you would pay $180 for June, then get $50 back, then pay another $180 for September. That means you ultimately pay $310.
  • If you register for June then change date to September, you would pay $180 for June registration and then $100 change fee for a total of $280.

  Both situations suck haha. So, it might depend on your financial situation. It will probably be tough to get where you want to be by June. But, it would be good to be able to take it in June and then re-take in September if you need to. Otherwise, you could take in September and be closer to being ready but if you end up lower than you need, you'd have to re-take in December and then it's getting kind of late for applications.

  The good news is that since the 3 test limit has now been lifted and you can take an unlimited number of times, it's more flexible. Also, bear in mind that basically all law schools (except for Yale, to my knowledge) will only look at whatever your highest score is. I believe Yale averages them, but I don't know of any other school that does. So basically, if you bomb one test but then knock the next one out of the park, schools will only look at your highest score. So, there's limited risk in taking it before you're ready. It's still a good rule of thumb to only take the test once you feel you're ready and near or at your highest potential, but there is a lot of grace for re-takes.

  Good luck!
• 1 Like

  Ohnoeshalpme Alum Member ⭐

  January 2018 2531 karma

  I started with the same diagnostic score as you, and only a slightly higher BR. I was in your same shoes essentially. I've been studying for 4 months now and, though I have improved, I still have a LONG way to go to reach the 170's. I think that the extra 3 months are going to be crucial - people who start with low 150 diagnostic scores often spend a year or more before scoring in the 170's on test day. My advice? Play it safe, take in September.
• 2 Likes

  tylerdschreur10 Alum Member

  January 2018 1465 karma

  Gotta agree with @Ohnoeshalpme
  Getting your score up to 175 in 4 months is about as likely as getting hit by a shark or getting attacked by lightning, it can happen, but it's not going to. I don't mean to discourage you, it's achievable, but that timeline isn't realistic. I think based on my memory of last year, that the June registration deadline is in April? So if somehow you superhero your way to consistent 170+ PTs by then, then go for it! Or if you really don't mind throwing away 130 bucks, because that's what it probably amounts to.
• Mindful Monkey Member

  January 2018 136 karma

  @tylerdschreur10 thank you for the advice. I did start the CC in December, so i figured 6 months isn't an unreasonable time to get to 175 if I commit myself to studying.. But the more stories I hear of other that have achieved 170+, it does seem that September is more realistic.