Apply with old LSAT score, retake, or both?

[ssmith87]

Hi guys, hoping to get some advice here on how best to proceed with my apps and testing.

I have an LSAT score (158) on file from 2016 that will expire at the end of this application cycle. I mistakenly believed it was expiring this summer rather than in 2022, so I jumped into test prep in May with the goal of sitting for the exam in October and then applying. Imagine my surprise when I opened my LSAC account last month to register for the exam and that old score was still there!

We’re under three weeks from the October admin, and I am all over the board with my PT scores, going between 155-163, with my average score at 158. The schools I’m applying to have 75th percentiles of 155 and 158, but I’d like to put my absolute best score out there to better both my admission and scholarship chances.

So, my questions are: should I go ahead and sit the October exam and take the chance of scoring lower than what I already have on file? Or, apply now with the old 158, and then sit for an exam or two early next year when I’m (hopefully) scoring higher and more consistently on my PTs? Maybe both? I feel like those 163s show I’m capable of doing well on this exam, I’m just not executing consistently yet for some reason.

Any advice would be very much appreciated!

[Beth Hayden]

Hi Smith,

You could definitely send in your materials now with the 158 and then supplement the application later with another score--I think that's really a question of how strong you think your application is right now, and it's hard to make that call without knowing more about your situation. But if you're concerned about the score being old or just want to have a stronger application from the start, why not take in November and give yourself an extra month? There is going to be a big difference timing wise in the cycle in taking November as opposed to January.

Hope that helps, and good luck with your applications!