What to do

[jem]

Hello, I just got back July LSAT score and got a 159. I took the on demand course leading up to the July test. I studied for 10 weeks straight for 30-35 hrs per week with around 20 practice tests. Anyways my average for my last 10 practice tests was 157.8. So I did outperform my recent average, but I did manage to score in the low 160s a few times. I am registered for the August test but am unsure to take it or not. On one hand, I feel like it might be worth a shot to sneak into the 160s. But then i find it hard to justify considering I did beat my average and haven’t done any LSAT work since taking the July test. I would just appreciate any advice on whether to take the August one.

Also, I was planning on applying the first day applications open since I would be a splitter/a little bit of a reach for some of the schools I’m applying to, so would taking the August exam be detrimental to that since the scores won’t be in in time? I do realize that I will be out of my registration fee no matter what I decide to do. What are your thoughts? I really appreciate any help. Thank you.

[Luke Haqq]

Hi jem!

Happy to offer some thoughts about where you're at with regard to the LSAT and preparing your applications.

With respect to the LSAT, an important question to consider is whether or not you can dedicate at least the same amount of energy to studying for this August test as you did for the July one. With 30-35+ hours a week between now and test day, you could certainly make considerable progress. I would highly prioritize taking full, timed practice LSATs, which you could potentially fit 20 or so more of in between now and test day. If you've been consistently scoring in the upper 150s and occasionally low 160s, then I think that with a plan like that, rather than hoping for the off chance of "sneaking in" to the 160s, taking a test every day for the next month would hopefully give you some confidence on test day that you would be in that range. That is, the practice tests are useful for gaining experience on the LSAT (with reviewing your mistakes afterwards being just as important), but they also help as a predictor of your test-day score--if you're not finding that you're reaching into the 160s on practice tests, then you always have the option of canceling the test score/not taking the test.

As a final point on the LSAT, if you don't anticipate being able to dedicate an equal or greater amount of time and energy on studying, then I would recommend not trying to take it cold. While there are always counterexamples, in general, it's the sort of test that (especially because it is timed) that someone who has taken previously probably won't improve if taking it cold a second time without studying considerably beforehand. Even if they were familiar with all the concepts, strategies, trap answers, etc., the rigorous studying is important for getting to all those right answers within the very limited time given.

To your question about your applications, taking the August LSAT probably wouldn't be "detrimental" (though if you took the second route of taking it cold and did much worse, that's at least a score that admissions committees would see when they otherwise would not). You already have an LSAT score from the July test, so you could still submit complete applications once the cycle opens; if you decided to take the August one as well, you might also attach a one- or two-sentence addendum to your applications asking schools to withhold making a decision on your application until the new score is released. This would let you get your applications to schools as early as possible, and pretty soon after that they would also be receiving your score from the August test administration, if you take it. The risk that spots would fill up in schools because of the extra couple weeks they'd have to wait for the score is probably negligible.

Hope those thoughts help!