Multiple LSATs

Comments

• 1 Like

  Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  January 2016 8021 karma

  Yale is the only school that really looks down on more than one take. Pretty much everyone else will take the highest score if you take it two or three times. Once you get into taking it four or more times it changes the perception a bit but depending on your circumstances getting a high enough score can often trump an excessive number of takes. Schools are biased in favor of people with higher LSAT scores. If it took you 3 tries to get to a 175 so you think they care that you had a 160 and 168 along the way? No! They just want that sweet sweet 175. You're fine.
• Aidoe Free Trial Member

  January 2016 edited January 2016 236 karma

  Yeah, but are you sure that's not just like your opinion, man? Just kidding. Thanks!
• mimimimi Free Trial Member

  January 2016 368 karma

  directly from the deans regarding retakes:
  yale: two are fine. three is bad.
  columbia: two are fine. three is bad.
  nyu: as many as you want.
  
  i have a feeling that more than three is probably not good for most T6.
  
  i do not doubt @Pacifico but i don't think yale really looks down on more than one take. i was told by their dean that no one does it these days but then he might not be telling the truth.
  
• Aidoe Free Trial Member

  January 2016 236 karma

  Where can I get specifics like that? It's a serious concern to me if some schools say things like "three is bad"
• Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  January 2016 8021 karma

  You can sometimes find specific deans talking about that kind of stuff on TLS or you could hire a consultant to advise you or at least do a free consult. I can't imagine it would cost a lot to help you build or revise a school list around this issue.
• mimimimi Free Trial Member

  January 2016 368 karma

  i attended the law school forum in new york city back in november last year and asked the reps from those schools in person. but hey just apply if you really want to go to a particular school!
• Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  January 2016 8021 karma

  @mimimimi said:
  just apply if you really want to go to a particular school!
  

  This.
  
  Even with all the caveats we've given none of them are actually hard and fast rules. In the end schools will always make room for the candidates they want.
• DaveH162 Alum Member

  January 2016 221 karma

  @Pacifico said:
  for the candidates they want
  

  and that will boost their statistics haha
  
• Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  January 2016 8021 karma

  @DaveH162 said:
  and that will boost their statistics
  

  Since we're talking medians and not means, as long as they get one person with each score they need to stabilize numbers then they can take a lot more people inside those upper and lower limits that they want for other reasons.
• Berrygold Member

  January 2016 9 karma

  @Pacifico Is a cancel and two scores equivalent to three scores in the eyes of most law schools? Or is one of those situations better than the other? Thanks for any advice!
• 1 Like

  Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  January 2016 8021 karma

  @Berrygold said:
  Is a cancel and two scores equivalent to three scores in the eyes of most law schools? Or is one of those situations better than the other?
  

  Generally speaking there isn't much difference in those two scenarios, but the cancel could be advantageous to cover up a score that is really off base. If you got a 162/144/166 it would probably look better as a 162/cancel/166. But a cancel/166/170 would basically be no different from a 162/166/170. Just like with grades, it's always great to show an upward trend but when all is said and done it's all about getting over a median or 75th and then only that number will matter. If you show up with the score they want they aren't really going to care too much about how you got there, especially if you can help them raise their median.
• Berrygold Member

  January 2016 9 karma

  Thank you @Pacifico! Very clear and helpful advice.
  
  Another question (and of course no problem at all if you don't have the time to answer!):
  
  It seems like there is a loose consensus that numbers above a school's 75% percentile give an applicant a very high chance of admission, and numbers at the median give an applicant an okay but not stellar chance of admission (barring serious misconduct issues, unpolished applications, terrible PS). But, re admissions, what happens at the top schools in the zones "around" the medians? (Assuming non-URM status, no large donations, etc)
  
  Scenario A - Your LSAT and GPA are both slightly below (1-2 LSAT points or .01-.03 GPA points) a school's medians.
  
  Scenario B - Your LSAT is exactly at the median and your GPA is slightly below the median.
  
  Scenario C - Your LSAT is exactly at the median and your GPA is slightly above the median.
  
  Scenario D - Your GPA is at the median and your LSAT is a point or two below.
  
  Are the differences in these scenarios significant? Or, given the fact that subjective factors and luck play a bigger role in admissions at top schools, do these scenarios essentially all look the same to an admissions committee? ("the same" meaning that, numbers wise, in A-D schools simply see a student "at the medians"?
• Pacifico Alum Inactive ⭐

  January 2016 8021 karma

  I would say all else being equal, these scenarios are definitely different to a law school. If I had to rank them I would say C>B>D>A. However, if all else was not equal, as @"Mike Spivey" discussed last night, as the cycle wears on the differences here will appear smaller and it will be all about the rest of the app differentiating these candidates. And as was noted, that starts with an excellent PS, but the entire application needs to be buttoned up so to speak.
• Berrygold Member

  January 2016 9 karma

  Thanks again!