November too late for admissions?

[msirchia]

Hello,

Was curious to see how much of a hinderance it would be if I was to apply after the November LSat as opposed to after the September one.

I feel as if I take the time to prepare for November I can really dig in and find those extra 5-10 points thourgh hard work as opposed to maybe less in september.

Will it minimize my chances of admissions (in NYC to be specific)?
Or not have that much of an effect seeming as it is still would be applying in 2018.

[Adam Tyson]

November is still plenty early in the admissions cycle, msirchia! In the past, with the LSAT being offered in December, even that was considered plenty early for the bulk of admissions decisions, other than those very rare Early Decision options where you make a commitment to accept an offer if one is made (not a great option for the vast majority of students because of the loss of bargaining power for scholarship money). Meanwhile, an increase of 5 points, let alone 10, in that time frame is HUGE, and could mean a big, big difference in where you get accepted and how much financial aid gets thrown at you. If you feel that you will not be ready to get your best LSAT score in September, but that you can get it in November, then that is when you should take it.

Now keep in mind that there is no harm in taking the test more than once. None. Schools do not average your scores, but only care about the highest one, so if there is a chance you could knock it out of the park in September then you should take that opportunity at bat and give it all you've got. Even if you don't do as well as you would like, you can use that experience to help better prepare for November. So, a plan to take it in both September and November would be wise, IF you think you will be ready in September to at least do good enough (whatever that means to you and for the schools to which you wish to apply).

There's plenty of time, and no down side either way, so make the decision that's right for you and then buckle down and prepare to crush the test. Good luck!