Re-Take 2-part question

[milkisforbabies]

I've been a long-time lurker on this site, but just joined b/c I could use some advice.

I'm 4 years out of undergrad (3.51 LSDAS gpa) and just took the LSAT in October for the first time. I ended up with a 170, which I'm a bit disappointed with. My last three PTs (#62-64, all taken under timed conditions) were 177, 178, and 179 respectively. I'd taken all the PTs in the 40's and 50's I could get my hands on, and hadn't scored under 175 since PT #45. I'm thinking about a re-take, but at this point my confidence is shot/ I'm not sure I can really get myself psyched up to jump back into studying. Plus, I feel like I've exhausted most of the official LSAT questions.

Should I re-take in December and apply as soon as I get my scores back? Or should I just apply now (I can have all my apps in by Nov. 15th) and hope for the best?

And if I just stick with my 3.5/170, should I even bother applying to CCN? (or MVP for that matter)

Hopefully the combined wisdom of TLS will guide me...

[Captain Rodeo]

Here's my opinion:

You were scoring great- congrats! That's awesome. Now, I am going to assume that you did this under honest, 35 minute timed conditions. If that is the case- then yes, I would retake.

Maybe it was test day nerves or something else that got to you. But, you have a good score, and you can do better. You're not crawling up from a 160-range.

Keep your apps going, and study and retake.

There's always a possibility of scoring lower, but I do not think that would be the case for you. A few points could help you get into CCNMVP, and maybe get you some $ or at least reduce stress during the waiting period.

You totally have the capability of scoring higher. So why not?

[milkisforbabies]

Thanks for the input, austinyo. It's nice to get some feedback.

I'd like to re-take since it's nice to have options (and for me, getting some money at a lower T-14 would be great). I think a lot of my drop was due to anxiety. I couldn't sleep the night before the test, felt super nervous, etc. But I also didn't walk out of the test feeling too much different from how I felt after finishing my PTs.

If I decide to re-take, would it make sense to submit a few apps to the lower part of the T-14 and ask them to evaluate my app without a new LSAT score? Provided I can get into one, it would be nice to have the security of submitting a few applications relatively early (especially if I don't significantly improve upon retaking the test). Is that even something they'll do?

I'd like to get some opinions on how I might fare if I don't re-take, so I think I'll throw out a "What are my chances?" thread in that forum.

[Tiago Splitter]

You can certainly apply and let them know you'll be retaking. But really I just came here to say great username. And good luck on the retake.