Retake in November?

[danielle16]

Hi guys,
I wanted to get your opinion on retaking in November. I'm planning on doing public interest, so I'm focusing on DC-area schools. My top 3 choices are GW, Mason, and UMD, and possibly American or Catholic (so no T1 or Big Law goals). My undergrad GPA is not great (3.0) due to medical problems I had my last 2 semesters of college (I'll be adding an addendum to my application explaining this). I've been scoring in the high 160s timed, and the low 170s un-timed. LG is by far my worst section, usually -4 to -7, and I'm usually -2 to -4 in the other sections. I took the October LSAT, and I'm guessing my score will be around 165. I'm registered for the November LSAT, but I was wondering what you think my threshold for retaking it should be? I know Powerscore really emphasizes retaking if you think you can get even a couple of points higher, but I've already put in about 300 hours worth of studying and I think it would take at least 2 more months for me to see any significant improvement. I work full time, so I really do not want to do this because A) I'm feeling burnt out B) I want to get my applications in by the end of November and C) I'm not sure how much difference a 170 versus a 165 would make for the schools I' m applying to (in terms of admissions and financial aid), given that I'm not applying to T1 or planning on entering Big Law. Thoughts?

[Jeremy Press]

Hi Danielle,

Thanks for your very good questions!

To answer your last question first, a 170 versus a 165 could make a significant admission difference at George Washington (with a 165, 3.0, you're likely to be borderline, even with the explanatory addendum). For George Mason and Maryland, the 165/3.0 combination gives you pretty good chances of admission (I'd say slightly better than even odds), but a 170 would bump that up to the near-certainty level. The place where the 170 is likely to make the most difference is in scholarship decisions. It will give you a much better chance of a significant scholarship at all the schools you mentioned. Given the above, if I were in your shoes, I would strongly consider one more crack at the LSAT in November.

Here's the good news about one more retake: (as your timed practice test results in the high 160s show) you've put in the time and the effort, and you don't need to do all that much to put yourself in a good position to bump your score a few points into the high 160s or low 170s in November. A couple things you do need to do before then. First, you should take a few more regular practice tests (even just 1 per week would be sufficient). Second, drill logic games a few hours a week (3-4 practice sections on top of your full-length PTs, plus a detailed review of those practice sections) to get that 4-7 number down to 2-3. That's doable, even in three weeks time and on a very manageable (not overly time consuming) study schedule.

If I were you, I would also consider talking to a tutoring expert (even just a couple hours would be enough, with the right tutor) to shape a study plan for you that is reasonable, efficient, and highly likely to yield the few extra points that would really bump your scholarship and admission chances.

Please let me know if this triggers any more questions for you (feel free to post a public question or send me a private message!), but for now, I hope this helps!

Jeremy