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Stats: 2.8, 166/173, URM (PR)

Apps: ED to Mich then UVA if not accepted, hoping for at least GULC/Cornell if ED's don't work out. Will be sending apps within a few days of them being available (everything is in order except a possible retake).

PT's: Didn't study enough for the first test. Averaging 177-178 prior to the second one but who isn't a PT monster. Fairly sure I have good shot at a 175+ though who knows what would happen come test day.

Next LSAT would be October, thus my apps would not go complete until the end of October. Is it worth it worth it to retake considering I already have a 173 and the slight delay in my apps going complete?

boricua with a 173? I think you have done about as much for yourself as you possibly can. I mean a 173 in June was 9 questions wrong so unless you are confident that you are going to get less than 9 wrong why bother? Your gpa is not good but I really think you have put yourself in as good a position as possible unless you can get less than 5 wrong on the test. Plus with you gpa you want to make sure you app is complete as early as possible.

i would say good shot at Northwestern assuming you have some WE

WE probably not enough for Northwestern (summer jobs during college, 30 hr/week job I started in June that will only be a few months old when I apply and a little over a year at matriculation).

Bump. Looking for some more opinions on this.

Basically, sending apps in on the day they become available versus retaking in October and having them go complete late Oct or early Nov.

Well I see your point on why you would want to. However I honestly think you will be better of going complete as soon as possible. One suggestion would be to get your apps in early and sign up for the retake. This way your apps are still under review asap and you give yourself the chance to improve the app with a subsequent score. The obvious drawback here is if you do not improve (or get a lower score). good luck.

grobbelski wrote:Well I see your point on why you would want to. However I honestly think you will be better of going complete as soon as possible. One suggestion would be to get your apps in early and sign up for the retake. This way your apps are still under review asap and you give yourself the chance to improve the app with a subsequent score. The obvious drawback here is if you do not improve (or get a lower score). good luck.

If you send the apps in and are signed up for the retake, they still go complete or do they wait until the retake is sent out before going complete?

If they do go complete (and under review) while the new score is just added to an already complete file when it comes in, that seems like it is probably the best option.

bk187 wrote:

grobbelski wrote:Well I see your point on why you would want to. However I honestly think you will be better of going complete as soon as possible. One suggestion would be to get your apps in early and sign up for the retake. This way your apps are still under review asap and you give yourself the chance to improve the app with a subsequent score. The obvious drawback here is if you do not improve (or get a lower score). good luck.

If you send the apps in and are signed up for the retake, they still go complete or do they wait until the retake is sent out before going complete?

If they do go complete (and under review) while the new score is just added to an already complete file when it comes in, that seems like it is probably the best option.

I don't know. I assumed that with an LSAT score the file would be complete. Probably best to contact the schools.

I think in your case, I wouldn't retake. The possibility that you would score -173 is probably more likely than the possibility that you would score 174+. A 166/173 looks much better than a 166/173/169 or 166/173/cancel. Spend the rest of the summer trying to make the other components of your app. as strong as possible and write a good GPA addendum.

grobbelski wrote:

bk187 wrote:

grobbelski wrote:Well I see your point on why you would want to. However I honestly think you will be better of going complete as soon as possible. One suggestion would be to get your apps in early and sign up for the retake. This way your apps are still under review asap and you give yourself the chance to improve the app with a subsequent score. The obvious drawback here is if you do not improve (or get a lower score). good luck.

If you send the apps in and are signed up for the retake, they still go complete or do they wait until the retake is sent out before going complete?

If they do go complete (and under review) while the new score is just added to an already complete file when it comes in, that seems like it is probably the best option.

I don't know. I assumed that with an LSAT score the file would be complete. Probably best to contact the schools.

I thought about retaking this year so I looked into this quite a bit. Generally it looks like most schools put a hold on the application until the new score is received if you note it on the application that you will be retaking in the future. With that said, some will not wait for the new score and will make a decision without it if they get to your file before it's received. They all seem to have different policies so my suggestion is to call and ask each school you're interested in.

I'm generally in favor of most retakes, but I don't think you have a lot to gain from a retake, plus it'll be hard to improve upon a very good score. You are already well over the 75ths at your targets (Mich, UVA, NWU). But if you hit 172 or something, I think the 173 shines a little less brightly.

Also don't think there's much of anything to be gained by a retake. I'm under the impression that retaking a 173 is pretty much only going to make a difference if you're aiming at H/Y, and since your GPA dictates that you have a better shot elsewhere, you should look at whether those other places will give a damn if it's 166/173 vs 166/173/176. My guess is that they won't.

bk187 wrote:

grobbelski wrote:Well I see your point on why you would want to. However I honestly think you will be better of going complete as soon as possible. One suggestion would be to get your apps in early and sign up for the retake. This way your apps are still under review asap and you give yourself the chance to improve the app with a subsequent score. The obvious drawback here is if you do not improve (or get a lower score). good luck.

If you send the apps in and are signed up for the retake, they still go complete or do they wait until the retake is sent out before going complete?

If they do go complete (and under review) while the new score is just added to an already complete file when it comes in, that seems like it is probably the best option.

The file will NOT go complete on most schools if they know you will take the LSAT later. The ones that will just use your current LSAT, can make a decision before your score gets there. Honestly, if you can have everything ready by when the score comes out, you are still super early. As long as you can manage to have everything in before most Nov 15 early action deadlines you will be fine.

Unless you are 100% sure you can get at least 2+ points on the LSAT, dont bother.
It will be still be hard for you to get to YHS even with two more points, but your LSAT is already good enough for at least 1 top 14.

clintonius wrote:Also don't think there's much of anything to be gained by a retake. I'm under the impression that retaking a 173 is pretty much only going to make a difference if you're aiming at H/Y, and since your GPA dictates that you have a better shot elsewhere, you should look at whether those other places will give a damn if it's 166/173 vs 166/173/176. My guess is that they won't.

cr073137 wrote:The file will NOT go complete on most schools if they know you will take the LSAT later. The ones that will just use your current LSAT, can make a decision before your score gets there. Honestly, if you can have everything ready by when the score comes out, you are still super early. As long as you can manage to have everything in before most Nov 15 early action deadlines you will be fine.

Unless you are 100% sure you can get at least 2+ points on the LSAT, dont bother.
It will be still be hard for you to get to YHS even with two more points, but your LSAT is already good enough for at least 1 top 14.

Pretty much how I'm feeling. While I feel I have a decent shot at hitting 175+, I'm not necessarily sure it is going to change anything. I'm above the 75th LSAT at the places I am aiming at and my GPA pretty much locks me out of anything better barring a 180 and pigs flying. The chance of having a bad day on top of not going complete even a tad bit earlier just does not seem worth it despite the fact that a little bit earlier isn't that helpful.

Thanks for all the replies.

Still a little conflicted, gonna bump again for more replies. Would love to hear from the retake/reapply crew (read: rad law and Romo) where their answer might not be so obvious like it is in those other threads.

In general it seems not worth it. But considering my first LSAT wasn't really prepped for and the 178 average prior to the second LSAT, does that change anything?

I still feel like it doesn't considering I am already above the 75th LSAT score for the bottom half of the T14 (which is my only shot considering my GPA), it feels like there are minimal gains to be made here from a retake even if it is a 175+, whereas getting it in early seems like a slight edge (plus if rejected from Mich ED it gives me a faster turnaround to go ED at UVA).