174 LSAT, 3.7 GPA - Retake LSAT? Apply to top schools? Forum

[WhiskeynCoke]

What do you really mean by "no prep?" Do you mean that you never looked at a single test question before you sat for the real thing? If so a 174 is ridiculous. How did you dominate the Logic Games if it was your first time seeing that shit?

Anyway, if you really didn't prep I would definitely recommend retaking, even though you already have a solid chance at H with your current numbers. Being an apparent genius, if you study for a few months (at least 3) you could likely bump it to a 178+, which would greatly increase your admissions chances and $$$ offers. You don't have much to lose either because schools focus on your higher score, and you could always cancel if you know you bombed it for sure.

Retake.

[Rahviveh]

Definitely not a genius. I have historically just been a good test taker. Rereading my post I recognize that sounds obnoxious and I did not mean it to come across that way. Just thought it would be useful maybe in evaluating whether I should retake. If I had studied intensely for a few months the first time the easy answer for me would be don't retake, but here I think there may be room for improvement.

Anyone willing to give honest thoughts? Apologize if the question didn't come off well.

Those were honest thoughts of mine. Sorry if it came off as sarcastic or disingenuous. Many people study for months and never crack 170. You owe it to yourself to do even better.

[beautyistruth]

Apps are down, and from the experience of posters on this site, it seems like even schools that claim to average GPAs don't really seem to be averaging GPAs, or giving much weight to anything but the highest LSAT score. Your 174 will get reported to the ABA and schools will love that for maintaining their LSAT medians, even if your second score is lower. (Though I guess if you utterly bomb it, like 150s, that might raise some eyebrows. Doesn't sound too likely to happen, though). And if it's higher, you're looking at substantial scholarship money. I'd say to retake, simply because it's a relatively small investment ($166 and time) for virtually no consequences and potentially a serious amount of rewards. Also, you've got plenty of time before the next cycle's apps start anyways.

Also, kudos on the fantastic score

[JWalker]

Work hard, nail a 180, get into HYS, then profit.

[donmincho]

OP, here's the deal. I have a 3.7, took first time got a 174. Retook Dec '12, got a 179. Look at the stats on mylsn.info--with our GPA, a 174 will give you a strong shot at CCN. Only a 177+ will give you good odds at H, and $75k+ at CCN. So you have to ask yourself whether another year, and some serious studying, is worth the possibility of H or $75k.

Feel free to PM me.

Edit: It's really just about H or the $$$. Even 3.7/180 has long odds at SLS (~25%) and virtually no shot at YLS.

[eleemosynary2]

+1 on all the above. I'm in the same range as what you're talking about (179, ~3.7), and I think that LSAT got me H and $$ in the T-10. 3.7/174 would need to have serious softs for H, whereas 3.7/179 can be pretty normal.

It's one of the easiest effort vs. reward trade-offs you'll find, and I think you'll kick yourself if you don't.

[emilyy664]

Thanks again everyone. Some helpful insights.

For clarification, by not really study I meant I reviewed basics on the test for ~1 hour to become familiar with what the test sections were and the types of questions to expect. While definitely helpful, it seems to me based on looking at other posts and hearing others' experiences that I can solidly classify this as not preparing extensively for the test.

I plan to look into whether scholarship money is realistic with my GPA at Columbia/Chicago even with a high LSAT since there seem to be some different experiences with this, but it definitely seems like I'll be leaning towards a retake. Thanks for all the helpful information!

[twinkletoes16]

with these identical stats i'm half-tempted to sit out a year and retake to try and bump up my LSAT a few more. already in at my dream school but there's always that "what if"...

[beautyistruth]

And I think what makes the choice to retake so compelling is that at this point, you're waiting a cycle anyways. I can understand getting a 174 at the beginning of the cycle and not wanting to take a year off, but if you've already got the time before the next app cycle starts, and two possible test administrations to boot, then retaking makes a lot of sense.

[leo2013]

I think you should definitely retake. It may not increase your chance to HYS, but will definitely help you with other T14 schools.

Besides, for a good test taker, it is a self-proving contest to see if you can get a perfect 180. I say invest 2 months of time and take a shot at 180.

[leo2013]

OP, here's the deal. I have a 3.7, took first time got a 174. Retook Dec '12, got a 179. Look at the stats on mylsn.info--with our GPA, a 174 will give you a strong shot at CCN. Only a 177+ will give you good odds at H, and $75k+ at CCN. So you have to ask yourself whether another year, and some serious studying, is worth the possibility of H or $75k.

Feel free to PM me.

Edit: It's really just about H or the $$$. Even 3.7/180 has long odds at SLS (~25%) and virtually no shot at YLS.

sounds so sad. It sux that no one told me that uGPA is that important until my 3rd year in college. I was born with testing gene and could have easily got a 4.0. oh well

[donmincho]

sounds so sad. It sux that no one told me that uGPA is that important until my 3rd year in college. I was born with testing gene and could have easily got a 4.0. oh well

Ditto. Didn't understand this till halfway through. So it goes.