Top Law Schools

Hello Everyone,

My first ever LSAT score from December '13 is a 143..
I studied for a month and managed to even get a 162 in one of my PTs. I was sick and had test anxiety, but that's not even an excuse, I feel like an idiot.

I plan on re-taking in June, and will aim for a 160+ no matter what the cost.

From what I understand, schools no longer average, but will that 143 cause any potential problems? I feel it's so low of a score, it'll severely turn off ad-coms. I'm trying to aim for a top 25 school, I have a 3.6 GPA.

So as long as I get a 160+ plus score, will I be fine? Or should I be worried about that 143 even though schools no longer tend to average?

Thanks a lot everyone.

jsk14 wrote:Hello Everyone,

My first ever LSAT score from December '13 is a 143..
I studied for a month and managed to even get a 162 in one of my PTs. I was sick and had test anxiety, but that's not even an excuse, I feel like an idiot.

I plan on re-taking in June, and will aim for a 160+ no matter what the cost.

From what I understand, schools no longer average, but will that 143 cause any potential problems? I feel it's so low of a score, it'll severely turn off ad-coms. I'm trying to aim for a top 25 school, I have a 3.6 GPA.

So as long as I get a 160+ plus score, will I be fine? Or should I be worried about that 143 even though schools no longer tend to average?

Thanks a lot everyone.

Just write an addendum that you were sick on the day of the exam. It won't hurt you. Studying for a month is nothing. If you are going to retake, read the threads here that advise you how to study.

Thank you for your reply NYstate!

I'm already looking into the guides, I'm really gonna put in the effort. I'm just worried about how that 143 will impact me in the long run. In hindsight, I should've cancelled, even though I really wanted to apply this cycle..

jsk14 wrote:Thank you for your reply NYstate!

I'm already looking into the guides, I'm really gonna put in the effort. I'm just worried about how that 143 will impact me in the long run. In hindsight, I should've cancelled, even though I really wanted to apply this cycle..

It really won't impact you. Just focus on killing it this time around. Stressing about that 143 is completely wasted energy.

isuperserial wrote:

jsk14 wrote:Thank you for your reply NYstate!

I'm already looking into the guides, I'm really gonna put in the effort. I'm just worried about how that 143 will impact me in the long run. In hindsight, I should've cancelled, even though I really wanted to apply this cycle..

It really won't impact you. Just focus on killing it this time around. Stressing about that 143 is completely wasted energy.

This is all true. I went from high 140s to low 160s in a year. You can do it mang.

jsk14 wrote:I'm trying to aim for a top 25 school

The low score won't hold you back. It's worth pointing out, though, that "top 25" is a meaningless distinction. Unless you mean there's a specific top 25 school you're aiming for, you should be aiming for strong (as defined by employment outcomes) regional schools in a market where you have ties and could see yourself spending your career. Outside of the T14, rankings don't matter.

isuperserial wrote:

jsk14 wrote:Thank you for your reply NYstate!

I'm already looking into the guides, I'm really gonna put in the effort. I'm just worried about how that 143 will impact me in the long run. In hindsight, I should've cancelled, even though I really wanted to apply this cycle..

It really won't impact you. Just focus on killing it this time around. Stressing about that 143 is completely wasted energy.

Thanks for your reply superserial, I'm glad to hear that! I was thinking perhaps the 143 would really hurt me, even if I got a pretty good score next time around.

IgosduIkana wrote:

isuperserial wrote:

jsk14 wrote:Thank you for your reply NYstate!

I'm already looking into the guides, I'm really gonna put in the effort. I'm just worried about how that 143 will impact me in the long run. In hindsight, I should've cancelled, even though I really wanted to apply this cycle..

It really won't impact you. Just focus on killing it this time around. Stressing about that 143 is completely wasted energy.

This is all true. I went from high 140s to low 160s in a year. You can do it mang.

That's really encouraging to hear, gosdulkana. Thanks for the reply! Is there a particular guide you used btw?

midwest17 wrote:

jsk14 wrote:I'm trying to aim for a top 25 school

The low score won't hold you back. It's worth pointing out, though, that "top 25" is a meaningless distinction. Unless you mean there's a specific top 25 school you're aiming for, you should be aiming for strong (as defined by employment outcomes) regional schools in a market where you have ties and could see yourself spending your career. Outside of the T14, rankings don't matter.

Thanks for the reply midwest. I'm really glad to hear the 143 won't hold me back. I wish to attend USC, since it's my undergrad school, but yeah I'll study religiously for the next 6 months and see how it goes. Thanks again.

Fellow USC student here! Don't be too hard on yourself, as you said you were sick and that can really affect your score. Study hard and get that 160+! It'll open a lot of doors. Good luck!