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TLS, I have a bit of a dilemma on my hands. I so wish I had found this website six months ago. I could have avoided so many mistakes. Anyway, here goes:

I have a 3.36 LSDAS GPA. Not great obviously. I have an upward trend (degree GPA is ~3.8 ) but probably not enough to make a huge difference. So with my weak GPA, the LSAT is particularly important. I got a 168 on the October test and was initially pleased with that, but now I'm not so sure. I am increasingly convinced that I want a T14, and I think my chances of getting that (especially this late in the cycle) are slim to none with my current numbers.

The thing is, I am confident that I can raise my LSAT score if I retake in June. I know, everybody says that. Please hear me out. My diagnostic test was 166 and I only beat that by 2 points. I truly believe I have room for improvement. Logic Games are my weakness. I don't know why, but RC and LR have always come easy to me; I typically score -0 or -1 on each section. My average LG is around -10. I didn't put enough time into LG study leading up to October (a mistake, I now realize), but the limited time I spent with the PowerScore bible did help me somewhat, which leads me to believe that I can do significantly better if I study LG intensively this Spring and take the June test.

As a side benefit, I will have all of my materials complete and submitted to LSDAS well ahead of time, so I will be able to send out applications on day one of the next cycle (maybe even ED somewhere, depending on circumstances) and increase my chances that way even if I can't raise my LSAT score.

My questions to you are these:

1. Now that I have almost definitely decided that I will be retaking in June and applying next Fall, should I just skip this cycle and focus on the next one?

2. Should I apply this year knowing that I am likely to withdraw from schools that accept me, but hoping for some amazing offer from a T25-ish school that might change my mind?

3. If I do the above, will it hurt me in the next cycle? Will schools think less of me knowing that I applied the year before and withdrew every acceptance?

4. Part of me says I should be happy with the 168, and no amount of studying will get me past 170. Should I just forget about retaking the LSAT and take what I can get this cycle?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I would just retake in June. You are going to need a very solid LSAT score to overcome a 3.3 GPA but I definitely think you can do it. You have the same issue as I did with the LSAT. While the Powerscore LGB is really good sometimes it wouldn't really help me much or would take too much time looking for inferences so I would suggest looking into other approaches as well. There are a couple good study guides on here.

Applying now would just be expensive and it won't help you to be accepted to a school you wont attend because you think you can do better.

AreJay711 wrote:I would just retake in June. You are going to need a very solid LSAT score to overcome a 3.3 GPA but I definitely think you can do it. You have the same issue as I did with the LSAT. While the Powerscore LGB is really good sometimes it wouldn't really help me much or would take too much time looking for inferences so I would suggest looking into other approaches as well. There are a couple good study guides on here.

Applying now would just be expensive and it won't help you to be accepted to a school you wont attend because you think you can do better.

+1. The logic games are a quick fix with a HUGE payoff in terms of scholarship money if you get that LSAT to a 170+.

If you want T14 your only option is to retake and score a 170+.

Edit: Also if you were averaging -10 on a LG you should retake no matter what. As above posters have pointed out getting that down to a consistent -0 is pretty easy.

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dood wrote:

whymeohgodno wrote:If you want T14 your only option is to retake and score a 170+.

yea i agree with this. i had a 3.3 ug gpa too, and even a 170+ LSAT didnt get me T14. sucks we cant time travel.

No love from Georgetown?

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Thanks for the advice, everybody. I wanted to make sure I wasn't making a huge mistake pulling the plug on this cycle, and your encouragement has made me feel a lot better about my decision.

Still, if anybody has a dissenting opinion, I would love to hear it. If TLS won't show me the error of my ways, nobody will.

I am in a similar position with you, though with a 3.58. TLS largely changed my view on things and made me wish I had spent way more time preparing, or at least taken the LSAT for the first time in June. Mainly, it has made me wish I could go back in time and not get my BA in two years, allowing myself two more years to boost my GPA. I was consistently PTing 174-178, and ended up with a 168. I debated holding off a year, not wanting to take it in December and apply late in the cycle. In the end, I decided that I was better off taking my chances this year. I don't know what your circumstances are, but I've been out of UG for three years, and don't want to put it off another year. If you would take a t-14 school for sticker, which with a 3.3 is likely what you will be looking at even with a better LSAT, then holding off might not be a bad idea. In the end I think it laregely depends how comfortable you are with waiting TWO years to start law school.

JenDarby wrote:I am in a similar position with you, though with a 3.58. TLS largely changed my view on things and made me wish I had spent way more time preparing, or at least taken the LSAT for the first time in June. Mainly, it has made me wish I could go back in time and not get my BA in two years, allowing myself two more years to boost my GPA. I was consistently PTing 174-178, and ended up with a 168. I debated holding off a year, not wanting to take it in December and apply late in the cycle. In the end, I decided that I was better off taking my chances this year. I don't know what your circumstances are, but I've been out of UG for three years, and don't want to put it off another year. If you would take a t-14 school for sticker, which with a 3.3 is likely what you will be looking at even with a better LSAT, then holding off might not be a bad idea. In the end I think it laregely depends how comfortable you are with waiting TWO years to start law school.

I see where you're coming from, not wanting to wait any longer. My situation is a little different. I have two semesters left to finish my BA (graduating in Spring 2011), so I would only have one year out of school if I wait another year to apply (hope that makes sense). That makes my decision a little bit easier.

That being the case, if I were you, I would definitely hold off and retake in June. You can absolutely improve your score, and now you are in an excellent position to get your apps submitted in September next year.