June 2016 LSAT Discussion Thread

[Dave Killoran]

Thanks for the question!

As little as 6-7 years ago, the answer would clearly have been to cancel. Law schools used to use your average, and so a low score was a huge detriment to your chances. But then the ABA changed one of their reporting rules, and schools were allowed to use the high score (and to report that to US News iirc), and so the whole situation changed dramatically. These days, it's thought that low scores aren't an issue at all (see http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/should- ... -agree-yes and http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/do-law- ... a-negative for the comments of some admissions professionals on the topic).

So, you can keep your score if you desire and it won't have a a negative effect. The benefit of keeping the score is that it does slightly reduce the pressure in September, mainly because if you cancel September, you still have a score on your record (if you cancelled June and September, the pressure in December would be significant due to LSAC's 3 times-in-2 years rule). On the other hand, I know it can be depressing to have a low score on your record (or, rather, a score that you know you can improve upon), and it's hard to shake the feeling that law school will see that score and judge you for it even if you have a later, higher score.

The bottom line is that there's no obvious reason to go either way. My personal advice has always been that if you absolutely know you can do better, then there's no reason to keep a score that you know is lower than you could score on an average to bad day. I italicized know in the previous sentence because you have to be certain; if you just hope or believe or need more practice, that's not enough. You have to be 100% confident that you could outdo that score even if things didn't go perfectly. From that perspective, the fact that you felt pretty good about the rest of the sections, and that you would need to practice to improve upon it suggests that you should probably keep this one. But only you know what you really want to do here, so follow your heart on this one—you won't be wrong either way

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

[emilysnoddon]

I just got my score back from the 2016 June LSAT and am considering retaking in September and would love any thoughts/advice on my situation.

I got a 170 - which I am thrilled about - however, I truly feel as though I can do better. This being the first time I took the LSAT, I was extremely nervous and freaked out on the Logic Games (my first section). I ended up getting 2 questions wrong on the first game (arguably the easiest), when I was not getting any wrong on the whole section on the practice tests. In the reading comprehension section I got all of the questions wrong (4 total) on just one passage - knowing the issue was I didnt read closely enough but didnt have time to correct this. My reading comp and LR sections were pretty typical of my practice scoring but I know I should not have gotten those 2 LG questions wrong, which would make my score a 172, which in my mind is a bit more competitive. I feel as though not only should I be able to get a 172 with just maintaining practice until Sept but I will be able to increase my score a few more points with the added months of study.

My practice average was a 168 - however, this includes two 156 scores I got when I first started studying. My average for the last 10 tests I took was a 173, which I know is not much above a 170. My issue was the reading comprehension section and I feel as though I can vastly improve my score in this section before October with some work. I was thinking about studying casually (not as crazy as I was before) and seeing if my score improves to an average of about 175 or so before the next test and retaking it if it is around that. I already registered for the test, being nervous that all the NYC locations would fill up immediately after the test release.

My GPA is a 3.83 and I have some pretty good work experience (internship with federal judge, DA, and 2 year work experience with plaintiff firm specializing in asbestos litigation). My dream schools are Stanford and Chicago. I feel as though my score is not good enough for these top schools and even for the other top 10 schools I'm still not a shoe-in given how competitive it is.

What are your thoughts on retaking the LSAT in September in my particular situation?

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Adam Tyson]

First, congratulations! A 170 is a great score, and you will have many options available to you. It's pretty typical, for a number of reasons (most commonly a touch of test anxiety) for your real score to be a little lower than your best practice scores.

That said, there's little down side to taking it again in September, especially if you are that confident that you will be able to improve. You will still have plenty of time to apply, and if your score goes up, all the better. If it doesn't, no harm - that 170 is still going to be very attractive, and when combined with your GPA and experience should make you a top candidate for many fine schools. Check with your top choices - give the admissions offices a call and tell them about your numbers and background and see what they say. While I don't have the same breadth of experience as some of my learned colleagues here in dealing with admissions issues, I have found every admissions officer I have spoken with to be helpful and friendly.

In the meantime, don't let your skills deteriorate - keep studying and practicing at a steady pace, avoiding burnout but keeping yourself sharp. Plan a few practice tests, and if you can, try taking them in distracting environments (a busy coffee shop, say) and/or with others who are also preparing for the September test (so you hear their pages turning, their chairs scraping, their coughs, etc.) Try to simulate the test environment - don't take tests at your kitchen table, but in a classroom or library with minor distractions (and sometimes major ones, to practice on your focus and tuning that stuff out).

Others may chime in here, but I say there's no harm in retaking to try to squeeze out those few extra points you want/need.

Good luck!

[LilyRose]

Hi, I would like to second the request for input/advice!

Throughout my course, my score steadily rose and I was on track to top 170, but 2 weeks before the test I had a major family emergency that seriously derailed my ability to maintain my studies. My final score from June ended up being a 167. I'm wondering if I should retake it in September, because I feel very confident in my ability to top 170 if I resume my previous study schedule (I'm pretty sure I would have done so if I hadn't had to deal with my emergency), but my real question is whether or not this would be 'worth it.' I know that there's no real harm that can come from retaking it, but I don't think it is worth the effort if won't have a high enough payoff...

A. I want to get into the best school that I can (knowing that this may come down to many different factors, but looking at rankings as a baseline, HSY have 50th percentile LSATs at 171 and 173).

B. If I end up only gaining 3 or 5 points: would a score of 170 or 172 be significantly 'better' than a score of 167 at the most competitive schools? (And is it true that they don't average scores anymore, because if they did, then I wouldn't be able to raise my score much at all?)

C. My GPA is 3.712, which is lower than the 25th percentile at HSY. I can't do anything about my GPA now. Considering this, would a slightly higher LSAT be enough to make me more competitive, or is it worth writing off the very top schools on the basis of not being in the 3.8+ range? (Related: Is there a way to have law schools look at my major GPA rather than total, and would that provide an actual advantage if that number were 3.8+ ?)

So I know this is in large part related to admissions, but it's based on my performance on the June 2016 LSAT, so I hope it's ok that I post this here. I'd appreciate any thoughts and/or advice!

[Clay Cooper]

Hi LilyRose,

Thanks for your post.

There is a lot going on in there, so I will try to take the questions as they occur.

First, would a 170 or 172 be significantly better for top-tier schools than a 167? I think so. The schools you mention have, obviously, the best and most accomplished pools of applicants from which to draw. I think that, if you are hoping to be admitted to Harvard, Stanford, or Yale, with the GPA you mentioned, you would be well-advised to try and max out your LSAT (especially if your confidence that you can do better than a 167 is well-founded).

Do the schools still average scores? I don't think so, unless the top-tier schools do it differently than most (perhaps another PS staff member can confirm this for me); cf Dave's mention above of the ABA rule change and the new way that schools take scores into account.

Should you keep trying to improve your application to the top-tier schools, or write them off because of your GPA? I don't know; perhaps one of my colleagues can weigh in. I don't think it will be easy for you to be admitted to these schools unless you surprise even yourself on the September LSAT, or the secondary factors in your application are particularly outstanding.

Can you make a school look at your major GPA, as opposed to your cumulative GPA? I don't think so (again, I am sure my colleagues know better than I), but I think some will regardless of what you would have them do. In other words, I think the short answer is no: some may look at your major GPA as a minor factor in addition to your cumulative GPA, but you have no say in the matter.

I hope that helps! I will mention your post to those who know better than I do.