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Is there any downside to taking the test in December? I'm thinking of interning abroad this fall, and wouldn't be able to take the LSAT until December. Would I be better off by trying to take it in October? Whether or not I can take it while away depends on what country I'll be staying in. Advice? And June is out...I don't have time to study for it right now.

mpasi wrote:Is there any downside to taking the test in December? I'm thinking of interning abroad this fall, and wouldn't be able to take the LSAT until December. Would I be better off by trying to take it in October? Whether or not I can take it while away depends on what country I'll be staying in. Advice? And June is out...I don't have time to study for it right now.

You won't have your score report until Jan, and your apps will not go complete until maybe Feb and it will be very late in the cycle to get good offers. Acceptances turn into waitlists, it's like shaving points off of your LSAT. Look at all the still active school threats and see applicants with great numbers getting nowhere and half of them attribute to late apps.

Yes I would say it put me at a huge disadvantage. Applying as early as possible seems more important now than ever with so many more applications going out and more people taking multiple LSATs. If you have solid numbers you will still get some acceptances, but it is going to be unpredictable.

Lots of applicants apply with a December score. You'll want to send in all your applications, transcripts, and LORs before Christmas break, so that once your score is reported, you'll go complete in early January.

Seriously --- take the earliest test you can. I would shoot for June, honestly. Depending on where you original diagnostic is at and how well you can learn a test, it's pretty doable to study for a month and a half.

My original was a 159, studied lazy for 2 weeks and serious for a month while working and hit 170. If you start right away and get serious about it, June can be done, and then you should have all your apps ready to go by opening day. People with my numbers who applied in Nov. had much better cycles than I did applying in January. Don't underestimate the importance of an early application.

Thinking about it, October would probably be best for ya if you're worried about the studying. The LSAT is offered abroad in a lot of places, so keep that in mind.

Thanks guys. Chances are good that I'll just stay in the States this fall, anyway. The same kind of internships are here. And I just can't get my act together in time for the June test. It has to be October.

r6_philly wrote:

mpasi wrote:Is there any downside to taking the test in December? I'm thinking of interning abroad this fall, and wouldn't be able to take the LSAT until December. Would I be better off by trying to take it in October? Whether or not I can take it while away depends on what country I'll be staying in. Advice? And June is out...I don't have time to study for it right now.

You won't have your score report until Jan, and your apps will not go complete until maybe Feb and it will be very late in the cycle to get good offers. Acceptances turn into waitlists, it's like shaving points off of your LSAT. Look at all the still active school threats and see applicants with great numbers getting nowhere and half of them attribute to late apps.

He speaks the truth.

My cycle's poor results are a direct result of going complete so late. Don't put yourself at a disadvantage, especially with your target/reach schools.