December Re-test?

[alicenrodolph]

Hello! I know since scores came out there's a lot of questions surrounding whether to re-take the LSAT again. I first took the test in February after very little self study and got a 143. I then took some time off to finish my bachelors, and decided to take a live online class with Powerscore this summer (June-August), and did a few hours of tutoring, and just scored a 155 on the September test. My husband is military stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC, so I'm trying to get into a school as close to NC as possible. A 155 is enough for a couple of the schools, but just under for UNC and Wake Forest. Is it worth me looking to take the test again in December? Do you think I can get into the 160's by then or should I just apply with this score and hope for the best? Thanks!

[Dave Killoran]

Hi Alice,

Thanks for the question! I definitely think it's worth retaking the exam, since I would imagine you still have questions you can do and learn from. And, since there's no harm in another score (since law schools use only the high score), any points you can gain increase your chances by that much more. This is especially the case since you have strong geographical preferences. So, as far as retake, I'd say yes.

Can you get into the 160s by then? That's also a yes. You're now at 155, and that's actually not too far away from the 160s. By focusing on those areas that troubled you most, and really diving deep into the ideas and question review, you can get better and better, and hopefully break that 160 barrier.

Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

[alicenrodolph]

Mr Killoran,

Yes it does! I guess my only concern with not applying until after the December test was that I may lose out on scholarship opportunities, do you think there's still a good possibility of receiving those with a December score? My undergrad GPA is 3.98 and my cumulative GPA is 3.85. Thanks again for your feedback, I appreciate it!

-Alicen

[nicholaspavic]

Hi Alicen,

I'm Nick, a colleague of Dave's here at PowerScore. I just wanted to jump in here because Dave's addressed these topics before. In this forum post which has a school-by-school breakdown from last year, Dave assembled a list of schools, many of which I think you are probably looking at:

http://blog.powerscore.com/lsat/law-sch ... -deadlines

Because not all schools are the same, some do tell students about their deadlines for scholarship consideration. And generally at many schools, a December retake and a prompt application will not be too late for scholarship consideration. The specific column that you will probably be concerned with is the "Soft/Priority Application Deadline." You see, law schools that have a “soft” or “priority” deadline will guarantee full consideration for all applications received by that date. These early applicants are sometimes notified of an admissions decision by a certain stated date, and they may be granted priority consideration for financial aid and scholarships.

Let us know if this list helps and best of luck to you this December!