3

Comments

• Kateryna Alum Member

  September 2016 984 karma

  same spot as you are. i am gonna give it a chance, apply, and depending on acceptance will either wait till next cycle or go this year.
• nshamoon565 Alum Member

  September 2016 edited December 2021 36 karma

  3
• midna_twili Free Trial Member

  September 2016 56 karma

  barring some factors that necessitate a certain application timeframe, it is usually best to take the LSAT when your PTs are at or slightly above your goal level. IF you really want to go to a T14 with some $$, then I think those extra 3 months would really help.
  
  December is slightly later for the cycle, but if you score several points higher, which you probably would in December, it would be much better.
• 1 Like

  stepharizona Alum Member

  September 2016 3197 karma

  Yep, December is ok, its not too late and you will be ok. Just make sure your app is good to go when the scores get released. Most skills even accept Feb, but that would be late in the cycle.
  
  If you take now and you don't hit your score you will have to retest again anyway. You will have a hard time gaining 8 points in 17 days and RC is the hardest area to improve.
  
  Don't waste your awesome GPA with a subpar GPA if you need a 168 to go where you want.
• Seriousbird Alum Member

  September 2016 1278 karma

  @nshamoon565 I haven't even started taking PT's yet, but I will be soon and I decided to postpone to the December test. I wanted to make sure I thoroughly understood every aspect of the curriculum before moving forward.
  
  Like you, I am worried that a December score will be late in the game. While I have heard that as long as the application is complete, December is still a competitive timeline, I have also heard that it is considered late and if you are a splitter (which I am lol) you are more likely to be waitlisted.
  
  I think if you are not hitting around or above your target score than there is a good likelihood you will not make that score on test day. That said, you never know you could score really high, it could be a good fluctuation day. I know if I were in your shoes I would take the test in December.
  
  
• DEC_LSAT Alum Member

  September 2016 760 karma

  @sweetsecret a splitter?? what does that mean lol. please explain cause i'm wondering if i am a splitter now
• Seriousbird Alum Member

  September 2016 1278 karma

  @Nina_Lucas a splitter is if you don't have a good gpa but you have a great LSAT score, or if you don't have a good LSAT score but a great GPA (anyhow that's my perception from what people have posted, I could be wrong though..)
  
• Alex Alum Member ⭐

  September 2016 23929 karma

  @nshamoon565 said:
  I was wondering if you guys think I should postpone and take the December LSAT to have a chance at increasing my score. Additionally, I wanted to apply for the Fall 2017 cycle and I am worried that postponing until December will be too late and will hurt my chances at getting into a good school/ scholarship. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot!
  

  I think you should postpone until your PT average is where you want/need it to be. December is just another arbitrary date. I think you have a good chance at reaching your goal by then, but make sure you put your goals ahead of test dates. Never forget that YOU get to take the test when YOU are ready.
  
  December shouldn't have a big effect on admissions/scholarships. I would suggest getting your apps done and in before then though. I know this means applying without a score, but there tends to be a lot of apps that get backlogged after the holidays.
  
  Still, there is no doubt that even a point or two more in December is well worth the delay! Good luck!
• 1 Like

  Alex Alum Member ⭐

  September 2016 23929 karma

  @"Nina_Lucas" said:
  a splitter?? what does that mean lol. please explain cause i'm wondering if i am a splitter now
  

  A splitter is someone with a <25%-tile GPA and a 75%-tile> LSAT score.
• 2 Likes

  desire2learn Member

  September 2016 1171 karma

  The best advice I ever got was that the best date to take the LSAT is when you are READY to take the LSAT. Don't waste opportunities because of arbitrary deadlines when you are talking about the rest of your life. The December LSAT isn't as ideal as the September but is still fine for the current admission cycle. However, if you are not ready for the December LSAT don't be afraid to wait longer even if it means starting law school later than Fall 2017. It is just one year (which may seem like a lot now but 10 years from now you will be glad you did it the way that helped you maximize your dreams!).
• Kateryna Alum Member

  September 2016 984 karma

  i am just gonna go with september.
• nshamoon565 Alum Member

  September 2016 edited December 2021 36 karma

  3
• Artak Mamikonyan Member

  September 2016 308 karma

  So i just wanted to add what i think to the situation because I also want to apply this fall so I can start Fall 2017. I'm in a very similar situation as you. I have a 3.8 GPA with a goal score of about 164-166. I'm averaging around 162-163 right now with all my scores put together, which makes me feel like I'm so close to my target score. If you can take the test twice, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to take it in september and then retake in december. That's what I might end up doing only because i really want to apply for Fall 2017 and I'm so close to where I want to be that it may end up worth risking. I don't know for sure yet though. I'll find out in the next couple weeks. Hope this helped you a bit.
• 2 Likes

  _oshun1_ Alum Member

  September 2016 edited September 2016 3652 karma

  Postpone for sure. You don't want to apply hoping for the best. You want to apply with confidence knowing that you got the best score you possibly could. Don't waste a good GPA. With a high 160 score and that GPA you could get into a lot of the T15s and get a lot of your tuition paid off with a merit scholarship. You want to consistently get a few points above the score you're aiming for. If you take it in September, you might end up with a high 150, really f*cking you over for acceptance into top schools and making your GPA pretty much useless. You'll be rushing to study and up your score for the next couple weeks, likely not retain anything, and just burn out. It's also a total waste of 1/3 takes if you take it in September and then retake in December. If you wanna retake in December you'll be feeling disgruntled and also rushing through it. Just postpone to December and take your time studying now. You also don't want to be down to just 1 more test for 2 years.