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Should I take the LSAT again?

band_director_2014band_director_2014 Core Member
in General 19 karma

Backstory: I got a 152 on my first LSAT in October and was very fortunate to improve my score to a 159 on the November LSAT. I am primarily looking at regional schools as my top choices that have medians around 155 or 156. Although a couple of other schools I am applying (that I am a little less interested in due to location, but would still consider) have medians around 160.

I have studied pretty consistently (around 25 hours a week also working a full-time job) for around 3-4 months. While I have some confidence that I can get better on LR and probably get close to perfect on LG by the January LSAT, I also know the holidays and traveling will make it difficult to get the same study habits I had before the November LSAT.

The decision also gets a little harder because if I decide to retake in January, do I wait to submit my applications to those 160ish median schools until February when scores come in? I feel like the two months of waiting might outweigh the benefit of getting a slightly higher score.

Any advice on whether to retake or just let it go and move on?

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Comments

  • yeet.gifyeet.gif Member
    36 karma

    yes retake. i have a friend who applied in March and got in schools

  • megzy217megzy217 Core Member
    67 karma

    You can apply with a retake pending. One school said they’ll see if and just applicants after those post but it doesn’t put you as far down in the queue.

  • RaphaelPRaphaelP Member Sage 7Sage Tutor
    1121 karma

    Do you think you can perform better? I know this seems like an obvious question, so I'd ask more specifically if (1) You're not at -0 yet in LG (low hanging fruit); (2) Your PT running average over 5-10 tests was higher than a 159. If either of those are true, you can absolutely improve. If not, then this becomes more about how you feel - do you feel like you've reached your ceiling? Do you sense you can do better? It sounds like you do think so, due to your comments about LR and LG.

    Whether or not this is worth the effort wholly depends on the schools you want. If it's just the regionals with high 150 medians, then this might not be worth it unless you're angling for scholarships. If you do think the schools in the 160s are very appealing, this might make sense.

    You're right that applying anytime after December is getting late, and the penalty for February/March is certainly greater than for January. But if you apply with your existing scores, the school can review you but see that you have a future test pending (and hold you for review or make a decision if they think the score wouldn't change things in either direction). Are you 100% set on going this cycle? If not, the strategy of retaking until you get your ideal score and applying in September could be prudent.

  • band_director_2014band_director_2014 Core Member
    19 karma

    I do think the potential is there to improve. To be honest, I'd say the only rationale for not retaking was feeling some burnout. I am not at -0 on LG yet consistently and while my PT's have not been averaging over the 159, my scores continue to trend up with each PT, so I have a "feeling" and some evidence that I can achieve better with continued studying.

    I do want to apply this cycle and the regional schools, because of location, are very important to me. I am proud of my score and my goal had always been a 160. I can complain about one more point, but I feel grateful and confident in my score. As you said, to me, retaking is about scholarship. I am almost a decade into another career and I am not looking to take on a lot of debt.

    Thank you very much for the in depth response, it was very helpful!

  • andrew.rsnandrew.rsn Alum Member
    831 karma

    I think if you are content with your score and it makes you competitive at the schools you are applying to then why bother putting yourself through another 6 weeks of LSAT? Especially if your UGPA is also competitive. But of course if you are hoping to get as much money as possible, then shooting for a higher score to put you above the 75th percentiles may be a good idea.

    Personally, I would only retake if I've been consistently PT'ing at the score range that I would hope to get in January. I ended up scoring a few points less than I wanted, but it was on par if not slightly above my most recent PT'is (this is back in June). So I ultimately decided not to retake as I felt the chances of me scoring higher were not strong enough.

    I take it you're a band director? props to you and your decision to pivot! I'm a fellow music teacher, so I understand your position.

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