3rd Lsat in June...AFTER acceptances? Forum

[bigmnstyle]

I am in the same boat but I only scored a 158 on my 2nd lsat. This will be the third shot and I am really hoping to get in the 160's although I haven't been there yet in practice. I have a 3.4 gpa, I only studied Kaplan material for the last test and am looking for advice on gaining 3 more points. My normal score is about 20 on games, 35 on reasoning, 16 on reading comp. Any advice on improving that reasoning and reading comp? I did order the reading comp bible by power score but not the logical reasoning one. I got 2 months that I could put in about an hour a day for 3 points? Think this will be good enough for the 3 extra points? Thanks guys!

[PlugInBaby]

Just got a fee waiver and signed up for the June LSAT. I also plan to use my tax refund toward self study materials. I have nothing to lose! I'm really starting to like the idea of having the initial admissions cycle being just a mulligan.

[DukeHopeful]

Also, is anybody else as confident as I am that the later test time will surely yield better results? I got about 4 hours of teeth-grinding partial sleep before the December LSAT because I was worrying about the test and its early time. I think I'll function way better at 12:30.

I agree with this completely. I just went back over my December test, and 7 of the 15 questions I got wrong were Logic Games, which was nearly the same as the 8 I had gotten wrong in Sept. If I can just get a couple more right, that'd put me in the 170s. Plus, they say logic games are the easiest to learn.

And the sleep? Ugh. Before both tests, I took one of those Tylenol SimplySleep sleep aids. Both times I tossed and turned relentlessly, unable to sleep. I got 2-3 hours of sleep max both nights. I'm definitely looking forward to a more relaxed full night of sleep.

[JohnWild]

Just a hypothetical situation: Student was accepted into law school under binding early decision process and takes June LSAT. If they were to score significantly better and decided to not attend said law school and apply again next cycle would they still be bound by the early decision agreement from the previous cycle?

[Moose Thompson]

Just a hypothetical situation: Student was accepted into law school under binding early decision process and takes June LSAT. If they were to score significantly better and decided to not attend said law school and apply again next cycle would they still be bound by the early decision agreement from the previous cycle?

I'll bet it depends on the school. There is probably something in the binding agreement that would explain how they handle a student that breaks the binding decision for any reason. But, if someone was willing to sign a binding early decision I would think they shouldn't find themselves in this situation. I don't know if you are asking for yourself or hypothetically, but if I liked a school enough to go binding early decision I probably wouldn't be considering an LSAT re-do, since I was already tied to the school I really wanted. If the hope was for the same school with $$$ I would just call admissions and ask.

Edit for reading comp fail (maybe I shouldn't re-take the LSAT ), you said it was hypothetical. I would hope that situation would never come up. To sign a binding agreement one would need to be pretty dead set on a school.

[whuts4lunch]

I was under the impression that early decision contracts generally have it so you are agreeing to not attend a different law school for the year you are applying, not that you are completely committing to attend the ED law school if accepted.

[JohnWild]

That is the impression I was under. That was kinda what I was getting at, what happens if you go ED, get accepted, then decide to not attend law school (any law school) that cycle. Seems like it would have happened before somewhere due to family reasons, taking a job, or just deciding not to go to law school in general.

[Ragged]

I'll be retaking my 170 if I don't get CLS this cycle. If I don't do well on the retake I'll have no reservations about retaking it again.

HTH

[clint4law]

part of me wishes i never read this thread.....

[philosoraptor]

I've been agonizing for a couple of weeks over the idea of a post-acceptance retake. In my first LSAT a year ago (long before I discovered TLS), I got the score I was aiming for. I aimed far too low, however, because I was relying on too-old info about where people from my UG were going with what scores. I don't really know why, but it hasn't hit me until recently what foolish assumptions I had going in.

Now that all but a couple of my decisions are set, I can't help but ponder constantly what might have happened if I had set my sights five points higher in February '09. And dammit, why couldn't this have sunk in earlier, in time for February '010?

My best options right now are Texas with presumably no $ (and one measly point shy of their 167 $ barrier) and Emory with $72K. Either way, I'd have to shell out a lot for a non-T14. On one hand, I like my job, I tend to do well on standardized tests, and I could get a promotion and save more money if I wait another year. I'm two years out of UG now. On the other hand, I dislike the town and region I'm living in, my pay is absurdly low for my company, I'm really looking forward to law school, and I'm sure I'd do fine at UT or Emory. (The South or Texas would be awesome.)

Maybe I should buy the Powerscore books, prep my ass off before June, and see what happens. If I can work my way up to 170-plus in practice -- something I never did before, but maybe because I wasn't trying hard enough -- then I could retake and either go all-in next cycle with the goal of getting $ from Duke/Vandy/UT, or get in off the Michigan wait list this summer. That might mean risking a deposit; upwards of $1,500 in app fees this year and next, plus money spent on prep books and test fees; and a third year in this crappy town. (So hard to overcome those sunk costs, amirite?) At the same time, I could hedge by going through the motions of picking a school for this fall.

Or maybe I should just be content with what my 166 was able to get me, work my ass off at UT or Emory instead of on a second LSAT, and somehow land a job that's awesome enough to make me forget about that soul-crushing debt.

Any thoughts?

[whuts4lunch]

I've been agonizing for a couple of weeks over the idea of a post-acceptance retake. In my first LSAT a year ago (long before I discovered TLS), I got the score I was aiming for. I aimed far too low, however, because I was relying on too-old info about where people from my UG were going with what scores. I don't really know why, but it hasn't hit me until recently what foolish assumptions I had going in.

Now that all but a couple of my decisions are set, I can't help but ponder constantly what might have happened if I had set my sights five points higher in February '09. And dammit, why couldn't this have sunk in earlier, in time for February '010?

My best options right now are Texas with presumably no $ (and one measly point shy of their 167 $ barrier) and Emory with $72K. Either way, I'd have to shell out a lot for a non-T14. On one hand, I like my job, I tend to do well on standardized tests, and I could get a promotion and save more money if I wait another year. I'm two years out of UG now. On the other hand, I dislike the town and region I'm living in, my pay is absurdly low for my company, I'm really looking forward to law school, and I'm sure I'd do fine at UT or Emory. (The South or Texas would be awesome.)

Maybe I should buy the Powerscore books, prep my ass off before June, and see what happens. If I can work my way up to 170-plus in practice -- something I never did before, but maybe because I wasn't trying hard enough -- then I could retake and either go all-in next cycle with the goal of getting $ from Duke/Vandy/UT, or get in off the Michigan wait list this summer. That might mean risking a deposit; upwards of $1,500 in app fees this year and next, plus money spent on prep books and test fees; and a third year in this crappy town. (So hard to overcome those sunk costs, amirite?) At the same time, I could hedge by going through the motions of picking a school for this fall.

Or maybe I should just be content with what my 166 was able to get me, work my ass off at UT or Emory instead of on a second LSAT, and somehow land a job that's awesome enough to make me forget about that soul-crushing debt.

Any thoughts?

You said it yourself: one point away from $ at Texas. The right decision is obvious, but it does psychologically suck to have to deal with the sunk costs and put off something that you know you eventually want to do.

Edit: I was rejected by Texas with a 167+ so don't be too sure about $ with that score

[legalornot]

Also interested...


Let's say I scored 170+ and decided to apply again...will schools care about that one year down time?

What sorts of jobs can I get just to work for a year? Or can you just go travel the world and called that a learning experience?

[legalornot]

anyone???

[gwuorbust]

Also interested...


Let's say I scored 170+ and decided to apply again...will schools care about that one year down time?

What sorts of jobs can I get just to work for a year? Or can you just go travel the world and called that a learning experience?

it is a numbers game. put on your resume that you helped children, saved the rain forest, or just worked. they won't care.

[clint4law]

so what's the TLS consensus on taking the June LSAT to get off a T14 waitlist?

[Ford Prefect]

I'm not anywhere near t14, but I am retaking in June to see if it gets me off a waitlist or two. I already have a seat at a school I wouldn't mind attending, but I'd like to have choices. Plus, I have an LSAC fee waiver, and only took the February test. Can't let that spare test go to waste.

[los blancos]

If I put down a deposit at a school and then take June in an effort to crack CCN, are they going to get pissed?

[quadsixm]

As to the second part of the question, I doubt it will help if you are already at their 75th for LSAT, but I have no evidence that this is the case. It will probably have the most effect on reverse-splitters.

Damn, I'm sitting on a 168, which puts me right on the 75% at GW and WUSTL. I'm guessing it might be worth a shot to retake and try to get above the 75th. I really, really didn't want to see this test again...

[clint4law]

As to the second part of the question, I doubt it will help if you are already at their 75th for LSAT, but I have no evidence that this is the case. It will probably have the most effect on reverse-splitters.

Damn, I'm sitting on a 168, which puts me right on the 75% at GW and WUSTL. I'm guessing it might be worth a shot to retake and try to get above the 75th. I really, really didn't want to see this test again...

me too and it annoys the hell out of me...but I did score 5+ points below my average and am WL at 2 T10s.....I'm just worried I'm gonna get dinged from both before June scores are released.

[burtonrideclub]

I'm taking the LSAT in June to try to move off a couple of waitlists. It can't hurt me at this point, and I like to feel like I'm doing something proactive about the waitlist situation since people with stronger numbers than me are also on the waitlist at these schools

[quadsixm]

Yep, I was also averaging 173-175 for about 10 Preptests going into the December exam... bummer.

As to the second part of the question, I doubt it will help if you are already at their 75th for LSAT, but I have no evidence that this is the case. It will probably have the most effect on reverse-splitters.

Damn, I'm sitting on a 168, which puts me right on the 75% at GW and WUSTL. I'm guessing it might be worth a shot to retake and try to get above the 75th. I really, really didn't want to see this test again...

me too and it annoys the hell out of me...but I did score 5+ points below my average and am WL at 2 T10s.....I'm just worried I'm gonna get dinged from both before June scores are released.

[clint4law]

Yep, I was also averaging 173-175 for about 10 Preptests going into the December exam... bummer.

As to the second part of the question, I doubt it will help if you are already at their 75th for LSAT, but I have no evidence that this is the case. It will probably have the most effect on reverse-splitters.

Damn, I'm sitting on a 168, which puts me right on the 75% at GW and WUSTL. I'm guessing it might be worth a shot to retake and try to get above the 75th. I really, really didn't want to see this test again...

me too and it annoys the hell out of me...but I did score 5+ points below my average and am WL at 2 T10s.....I'm just worried I'm gonna get dinged from both before June scores are released.

so you retaking it? i have 0 motivation.

[quadsixm]

To be honest, I don't know if I can muster up the motivation to go through that again for the third time, either. I'm going to wait to see if my WLs move at all, first. My test center is still open.

so you retaking it? i have 0 motivation.

[violinst]

Would scoring lower in the June retake ruin my chance of transferring to YHS (even if I end up doing very well in a T-10 as 1L)?

[clint4law]

To be honest, I don't know if I can muster up the motivation to go through that again for the third time, either. I'm going to wait to see if my WLs move at all, first. My test center is still open.

so you retaking it? i have 0 motivation.

yea me too...although the chances of hearing back before may 15ish are real slim