When to Give the LSAT In Terms of Admissions

[RRani]

Hi,

This question may be silly for most who are aware of the process, but I thought I'd confirm with the Powerscore family before I go nuts. I am scheduled currently for the December LSAT. With only a few weeks left, I am unfortunately very far away from my ideal score (I was honestly hoping from somewhere between 165-170 but my last prep-test two weeks ago was a disappointing 147, same as my diagnostic!).

My question is this - do I still have any option remaining, apart from the Dec. LSAT (which is already late in the process) to be enrolled for the upcoming fall, or is my admission pushed away to 2019? In general, I was going through certain sites and got confused which said some accept February, some schools don't accept, June, etc. After the December LSAT, if I end up postponing (which I feel so disheartened to think I'll probably be forced to do), what should my next aim be? February or June?

Any advice is appreciated! I think I just didn't grasp the concept of how/when each LSAT impacts admissions' year.

[nicholaspavic]

Hi Rani!

Great question! Upfront, let me say that it's almost always advisable to not take the LSAT until you're consistently scoring at a level with which you're satisfied. So if that means waiting until February to take it, then generally that's the way to go.

Also, the February exam is (for many schools) not too late for the fall of 2018. In fact, as long as you are diligently getting your applications submitted in February at the time of the exam, your chances of admission at many schools are quite reasonable. One of the downsides to taking the February exam is that you won't be able to get a copy of the test, so you won't know what you did well on and what you need improvement on. That is one annoying aspect of the February exam that you will just have to live with.

We also have a slightly dated post showing what schools generally accept the February LSAT here:

https://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/bid/15 ... SAT-scores

So, going forward, your best bet is to contact schools individually and ask. Every school is a little different--some schools don't accept it for that calendar year, some accept it but penalize you in their rolling admissions process, and some accept it without penalty. It's really something that has no general answer but is limited to the dictates of each school.

Thanks for the great question and let us know what resources you are using to prepare for the exam?
Nick

[RRani]

Thank you very much Nick! I feel less disheartened knowing there's at least some hope.

I am currently enrolled in Powerscore's 12 week online course, and am currently between Lesson 8-9. At the same time I use the Bibles to dedicate extra time to the things I need to focus on - mainly Logic Games. I saw an increase in Reading Comprehension, and for the past 2 weeks I feel a bit more confident on the LR too. Its the logic games that are most difficult for me at this time, because even though I feel I have a good grasp on the ideas, I tend to miss some inferences and sometimes get stuck on diagramming. Although I'm giving it my all, I'm nervous that I won't be where I need to be under timed restrictions by the end of this month, hence my concern.

Typically, is it wise to also work on applications at the same time as studying for the LSAT itself?

[Dave Killoran]

Typically, is it wise to also work on applications at the same time as studying for the LSAT itself?

Yes, most students do at least a little bit of work on applications, just to have a change of pace (and it helps keep the excitement alive, too!). Then, once they take the LSAT, they start working 100% on apps and finish them off in that time between the test and score release.

Keep working hard—you can do this!