Take the Dec LSAT or not?

[has]

I am trying to decide if I should go ahead and take the Dec LSAT even though I'm about 16 points away from a good shot at my dream school. I started out at a 141 on my first practice test, but with the help of my PowerScore instructor my score has increased 10 points. I know that with my GPA 3.72 and a 151 I can get into law school it just won't be either of my top two schools. I'm wondering if I should go ahead and take the test even though I know that I will not score high enough or if I should wait until Feb. I really want to get started ASAP because I'm a little bit older of a student than the average law school student. I know that there is no guarantee that I will ever reach my goal of a 167 on my LSAT, but I kind of feel like getting a 151 is like giving up part of my dream.

[Nikki Siclunov]

If you are 16 points away from a shot at your dream school, how many points do you need to get into a target school? How about a safety school?

You need to balance the relatively high risk of getting a low score in December against the disadvantage of applying late with a February score. There are no guarantees you will ever reach the high-160's, of course, but there is a clear and proven correlation between practicing and increasing one's score. You yourself admit to having improved by 10 points already. Provided you have the resources, time, stamina, and dedication to spend another two months practicing, I'd say you are better off applying late with a higher score than applying now, but with a score that is virtually guaranteed to fall under the 25th percentile of most schools you'd like to attend.

In an ideal world, you will take the test in February (or June, or whenever you feel 100% ready), and wait until next year to apply. I realize, however, that few of us live in an ideal world, so there are other factors that come into play. If you think a full year is too long to wait, however, you simply need to choose the lesser evil.

Good luck!