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Advice for LSAT score drop

slesquireslesquire Core Member
in November 2021 LSAT 23 karma

Hey,

I apologize for the length of the post but would really appreciate if someone, anyone can share some advice for how to navigate a large LSAT score drop. My November 2020 score was a 166 and I just received my Nov 2021 score which was a 159, a 7 point decrease. I’ve been preparing for this retake for almost a year and I was PTing in the high 160s, breaking 170-172 one in every few tests. My last three PTs before the exam were all recent exams on which I scored 167-171 (even a 174 with BR). On test day, I felt decent after the exam. I noticed a relatively significant struggle with one RC passage and timing near the end of LG, but that’s not entirely uncommon, and usually places me toward the bottom of my range around a 165-167. I panicked a little at first when starting the test, but recognized the adrenaline rush and revisited those early questions that I felt were fogged by this response. As you can imagine, I am totally crushed about this score drop. I hadn’t scored a 159 on a single PT and was expecting mid to high 160s. It’s not the score itself (I am not looking to put down any scores!!) , but rather the work behind the retake and the look of this down trend. I really must have been off or out of it but I am honestly quite confused. Between work, burnout, and this score blow, I am not ready to jump into another administration, so while I could potentially retake in the spring, I am feeling far from up for it at this time and will need to carry on with the app cycle as it stands. At this time, the majority of my applications are in and I am hoping someone can advise on how to address this 7 point drop to the schools I have already submitted apps to. I’m sure there are reasons for the drop but I was genuinely shocked and confused; I don’t really know what to say. There is at least one school that requires I address this variance. Has anyone ever navigated a similar situation? Do I need to also submit an explanation to the schools that don’t explicitly ask for an explanation? I don’t want to search for false explanations or excuses. Can I give a more concise/cogent version of the above?

Apologies for the lengthy post. Many many many thanks for any input and I wish you all the scores and schools of your dreams. 🙏

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Comments

  • slesquireslesquire Core Member
    23 karma

    I am also already a re-applicant.

  • youssufkyoussufk Member
    31 karma

    Honestly, you have a variety of options. You can either 1. retake the lsat in January(sign up before December 3) and take it steady and easy or 2. stick to your highest score. Remember you have a lot of options where you will get into law schools with that score and get a scholarship. This whole situation does depend though. You can write like an addendum if you felt sick that day. I do not think the law school's admission will really care about the drop. They will take the highest score and probably think that maybe you had a sick day or something. I am not an admissions counselor or anything, but I spoke with many law school admissions. They say we look at all your lsat scores, but they really care about the highest score. In my opinion, no need to stress the whole situation. Remember, you want to make it as easy as possible for admissions. You do not want to have a 20 page application. You want to give them enough. My best advice is talk to one of the school's admission consultants at the school you really want to go to and see what their opinion is. All I can say is there are 200+ law schools and many of those will accept you with a scholarship. Best of luck on your journey!

  • slesquireslesquire Core Member
    23 karma

    @youssufk Thank you so much for responding and sharing your calming perspective. This is very helpful to consider with respect to reaching out to schools. I am truly appreciative that you took the time to offer support. Best of luck to you as well!

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