Retaking with 170+

Comments

• 1 Like

  fmihalic2 Free Trial Member

  May 2017 266 karma

  What exactly do you want to do and where do you want to practice? You'd be looking at big money from UChi, NYU, etc and maybe yield wl'ed from some other t14 schools that don't offer you near full tuition. Seems like you want NYC biglaw given your interest in CLS.

  Unless you want to be POTUS or some other very high level position in politics, I'm not sure that HYS make much sense at that cost and the added benefits in comparison with a school like NYU or Penn for example. Again, it all depends on your goals.

  I know that with my goals (NYC biglaw (labor/employment/collective bargaining)), there's more value in a 6-13 at big money.
• AllezAllez21 Member Inactive Sage Inactive ⭐

  May 2017 1917 karma

  The key metric is whether or not your highest LSAT score is above the 75th percentile of a school. One score higher than the 75th is not going to make much difference than another score also higher than the 75th.

  Regarding retakes, here is definitive advice from an expert:
  http://blog.spiveyconsulting.com/mistake-5-oxymoronic-lsat-advice/

  The takeaway:
  1. Schools don't care about multiple takes.
  2. You're unlikely to score much higher unless something disastrous happened the first time or you did basically no prep at all for the first takes.
• shk12345 Alum Member

  May 2017 6 karma

  Thanks for the replies. To answer the question on what I want to do, I'm interested in public interest work/policy. Absolutely no interest in working at a firm. Which is why money at CCN (especially Root-Tilden and Hamilton) feels more appealing than HYS. It seems like some of these big-ticket scholarships tend to go to 175+ scorers, so if I can at least get myself in the consideration pool by retaking and scoring a few points higher, it seems like a good move. I just want to make sure schools don't get put off by someone with my scores taking it 3 times (I recognize I could come off as some hyper-competitive gunner who wants HYS and isn't satisfied with a 172 rather than someone who's just looking to maximize scholarship money)
• Mellow_Z Alum Member

  May 2017 1997 karma

  If you're performing at that level, another take won't hurt anything, unless of course you bomb it and get like a 150. That might raise some eyebrows.

  While a lot of people will say you're insane for retaking with a 172, I say go for it. Don't look back and enjoy that hammy money.
• 2 Likes

  ajcrowel Free Trial Member

  May 2017 207 karma

  Hi OP,

  I was in the exact same boat as you were last November with two lsat score's, the higher being a 172, and questions about retaking (although my GPA was about .2 lower than yours).
  I retook. I got above a 175 and I got big money at CCN (which I took). You will most likely be paying sticker at CC with your numbers, if you retake and score well (which I'm sure you can because you only need like 3 more questions or whatever) you'll win big. Don't leave the money on the table, in my opinion, retaking made the difference, it could very well do the same for you.

  P.S I only took like 3 more practice tests because I already knew all the material so I just had to display confidence in the test room and keep my brain LSAT active until test day. It worked.
• 1 Like

  Daniel.Sieradzki Member Sage ⭐

  May 2017 edited May 2017 2301 karma

  @shk12345 I think a retake makes a lot of sense. Your GPA is fantastic. A few more points would open up some amazing opportunities. You can get a full ride at Columbia (like you mentioned), Chicago (if they still offer the Ruby), or NYU. That would provide you with tremendous freedom when you graduate. All of that for just a few more points on a multiple choice test.

  I also think taking a long break away from the LSAT, like you did, gives you a fresh perspective and is a great cure for burnout. I always came back a lot stronger after a long break. I would just brush up on your LG (only section that really needs to be refreshed after a break), maybe tutor a little bit (best way to master concepts), take a few PTs, and crush the LSAT.

  As for HYS, Harvard does not seem to care about three takes. A quick look at Law School Numbers shows several people who took three times and got into Harvard. Stanford and Yale are black boxes, people get rejected even with a 176 on their first and only take. They might care about three takes, but I doubt it and would certainly not worry about it. You can never know for sure about them so why let that stop you from retaking and getting a score that gets you a full ride to CCN.

  If something bad happens on test day (fire alarm, meteor, etc.), you could always cancel and it should not hurt. Thus, I think you have a lot to gain and basically nothing to lose (besides $180). Retaking makes a lot of financial sense. I wish you all the best and an even higher LSAT score!