Applying in February 2019 too late?

[matjr89]

So, I'm kind of in a tough spot and need help making a decision about whether I should apply to law school now or retake the LSAT in January 2019 and apply in late winter. I made the terrible mistake of assuming that the LSAT would be offered in December of this year, only to find out that the LSAC changed the schedule in 2018. Due to personal obligations beyond my control, taking the test this November isn't an option.

I've already taken the LSAT once. I scored a 168 (96%). My UGPA is 3.74 from a small private school. I have a number of notable extracurriculars (student government, academic journal editor, conference presentations, etc.).

Other relevant but not-as-important information. I have two graduate degrees with a GPA of 3.91 from a prominent Catholic university. I've been interning at a Fortune 50 company for over a year now. I also have one year of experience as an adjunct instructor.

The thing is, I want to get into a T10 school, preferably somewhere in the NE, such as Penn, NYU, or Columbia. But I think I can improve my score by 4-6 points if I retake the LSAT in January 2019. Should I apply now or wait to retake the LSAT and apply in February 2019? What are the pros and cons of waiting?

Oh yeah, I'll be 29 in October, which makes me feel like I'm running out of precious time. I feel like every year counts.

[Dave Killoran]

So, I'm kind of in a tough spot and need help making a decision about whether I should apply to law school now or retake the LSAT in January 2019 and apply in late winter. I made the terrible mistake of assuming that the LSAT would be offered in December of this year, only to find out that the LSAC changed the schedule in 2018. Due to personal obligations beyond my control, taking the test this November isn't an option.

I've already taken the LSAT once. I scored a 168 (96%). My UGPA is 3.74 from a small private school. I have a number of notable extracurriculars (student government, academic journal editor, conference presentations, etc.).

Other relevant but not-as-important information. I have two graduate degrees with a GPA of 3.91 from a prominent Catholic university. I've been interning at a Fortune 50 company for over a year now. I also have one year of experience as an adjunct instructor.

The thing is, I want to get into a T10 school, preferably somewhere in the NE, such as Penn, NYU, or Columbia. But I think I can improve my score by 4-6 points if I retake the LSAT in January 2019. Should I apply now or wait to retake the LSAT and apply in February 2019? What are the pros and cons of waiting?

Oh yeah, I'll be 29 in October, which makes me feel like I'm running out of precious time. I feel like every year counts.

Hey Mat,

Thanks for the question! The good news here is that this is an easier question than it might initially seem. When it comes to law school admissions, your LSAT score is by far the most important thing in your application folder, and thus if you can add 4-6 points to a 168, it is definitely worth taking it later.

In recent years, the application windows have been staying open later and later, and the old adage that you have to apply as early as possible has become less and less true. When a possible LSAT score increase is factored in, it's not even a question any more. Interestingly, this question comes up enough that we did a statistical analysis of available data, which can be found here: Does submitting an early law school application improve your chances?. In particular for the schools you reference, you are best served by taking January and bumping up that score.

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!