pwilliamson wrote:Leading up to the June LSAT I was averaging a 163 on PT's with the last one before the actual test being a 166. I got my score for the June test back yesterday and got a 158, definitely lower than I was expecting and lower than my average on PT's. My target school is UNC, which has a median LSAT of 161 and GPA of 3.5. My LSAT is just above their 25th percentile and my GPA is right under their 75th percentile. Is it worth a retake to try to break into the 160's which I had been scoring on PT's?
If the answer to retaking is a yes, then what is the best way to go about studying for it? I have taken pretty much every PT from 52-75 and worked through all the LSAT bible books and the type training books for each section. Is taking more PT's beneficial or just working through drills to identify weaknesses?
Hi pwilliamson!
I think this article by our fearless leader, Jon Denning, may help
http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/should- ... e-the-lsat Ultimately, his advice that:
"Retaking the LSAT isn’t a decision to make lightly, as it will require time for continued preparation and further testing, and will undoubtedly cause some extra stress as you work to get the rest of your application in order. But if you know that your current best score isn’t sufficient to get you into the school(s) of your choice, and certainly if you think you can do significantly better, it’s generally worth the time and effort to give the LSAT another shot.
is well-founded and incredibly sensible.
I would add, that based on your numbers provided, I think it is worth your while to do a retake especially since you feel that you underperformed on the first one. Remember, most schools don't penalize you for the retake these days and just want to see your best score for reporting purposes to outside sources that comparatively rank the schools.
So if you decide to go forward, how to prepare? We think that our online or in-person courses really can give students the boost that they are looking for in the LSAT. Our instructors can directly aid students with identifying their particular problems and often they can give you, the student, the sort of attention required to boost your score. As an in-person instructor, I can confirm that oftentimes students who are only seeking to drill weaknesses sometimes miss greater strategy problems that an instructor can address quickly and efficiently. The in-person classes or online courses allow you to ask questions, reconsider misconceptions and clarify misunderstandings about this test. Additionally, one of our tutors may also be the fix for you, if you are more comfortable with a one-on-one situation.
I don't want to make this a commercial for PowerScore, but obviously, I strongly believe that Dave and Jon have made the absolute best courses for LSAT students (that's why I work for them.) We love this test and we love to help students get their best possible score. In your case, having gone through many study materials already, there may be also be issues with stamina and test mentality which our courses can also help you with.
Thank you so much for the great questions and let us know if you want to explore your class options with us.
