Retake or Not?

[xxfrancais]

Hello,

I got a 168 on the November LSAT (first take) and I have a lot of mixed emotions about it. I was PTing from 171-176 (173 avg) for 6 weeks prior to the exam so I was banking on breaking 170. However, I am black with a 3.89 GPA so I feel that I have pretty good odds at getting into many of the schools I want. I am applying to the T6, Berkeley, USC, UCLA, and everywhere in the T14 that sends a fee waiver. I really want Yale or Harvard so am considering registering for the January LSAT, but I want the others to consider me with my current LSAT score, so I can get my decision as early as possible.

My questions are:
1. Should I retake or just accept my current situation?
2. If I retake, can I ask the other schools to consider my file without the Jan. score?
3. Would getting a 170 boost my chances that much for HY given my other stats (GPA, URM, KJD)

Any help would be greatly appreciated! I could not have gotten this far without PowerScore in the first place!

[Malila Robinson]

Hi xxfrancais,
Trying to nail down admissions is a bit tricky. With your stats (and the assumption that your personal statement & recommendations are equally stellar) I would say that schools like Berkeley, USC, UCLA and other similarly tiered schools are a good match. For schools like Yale or Harvard it is usually a good idea to try to shoot for the 99th percentile, which shifts a bit from test to test, but is generally around a 172-174. This doesn't mean you wouldn't get in to those schools without that score, it just slightly negatively affects your chances if you do not.
Hope that helps, and congrats for getting an amazing score!!!
-Malila