Retake with a 170 Forum

[colbarfran]

I scored a 170 on the June LSAT on my first attempt. I am ambitious in my selection of schools but have a 3.1 GPA around my neck. I think that I can raise my score by 2 to 6 points with a retake. It is of course a gamble but would it make a significant difference when applying to top schools?

a 176 is very optimistic of course I would realistically get a 172 to 174...

[bk1]

Check http://www.lawschoolnumbers.com but I doubt it.

Then again, you have nothing to lose.

[puppylaw]

I don't think you have too much to lose. If you're confident that you'll get a few more points, go for it.

[chucklesmcgee]

I was in the same boat as you. I retook a 170 and got a 175 on the second. I would consider where you typically score on the most recently released practiced tests under conditions which are as close to official as possible- timed, in a quiet academic setting, between section breaks only when specified, etc. Is a 170 on the high end? What's the lowest you've gotten recently? Also look at the questions you missed and consider why you missed them- misbubbling, running out of time, atypically difficult games and whether that will occur on the next test. If 170 was above your practice test mean, I'd be rather hesitant to retake because there's a reasonable possibility that you perform at your mean and get lumped into a different tier by the adcom.