Good Time to take the LSAT

[LSATjackie]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to take the Feb. 2017 LSAT but interested in applying for law school for Fall 2017. I know some school's application dead lines are a little after that and it is cutting it close. What do you guys suggest? Push to take the Dec 2016 LSAT or take the Feb 2017 LSAT?

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Jackie,

Thanks for the question! I think that first you should look at the schools you are considering. Do all of them accept the results of the February LSAT? Many law school will, but not all of them. If you know how your target schools stack up, that will make it easier for you to decide.

On a purely non-deadline basis, you typically want to take the test that gives you the best chance of producing a high score. The more time you have, then typically the more likely that becomes. But, have you taken an LSAT practice test yet? If not, take an exam and see how you do—that will give you a sense of how you are scoring and what, if anything, you need to do to increase your score.

Ultimately, you'll have to make a judgment call based on your practice test score and the schools that will accept that score vs the schools that won't. There's still time to prepare for December, so if you can look into this asap, you still have the ability to take the December LSAT (and that allows February to be held in reserve if needed). It may well be that you can take December and still gain entrance to the schools you want!

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!