you got a bad LSAT score. breathe. its okay. Forum

[Komaliie]

i promised myself i would do this after finals so here i am. [please excuse any grammatical mistakes]

looking through some of the topics it seems people are not as freaked out about their LSAT score [complaining about 171 because you were expecting a 180 is not freaking out, im talking about got a score between 150-155 and freaking out]. if you are freaking out i can tell you ive been there and it gets better.

last year, around this time, i retook my LSAT and completely bombed it. and when i mean i bombed it i mean i bombed it. i was completely stressed out. i didnt know what to do or who to talk to you so i came to this forum for advice. i was hoping that i would find someone who was in the same position as me or was in a similar position and would help me figure out what i should do next. i created a topic and the feedback i got was amazing [okay most of it was, okay some of it was]. people i didn't know were telling me things were going to be okay. telling me that if i really wanted to go to law school i shouldn't give up hope and it would all work out. some even offered to read my personal statement and give me their feedback. some messaged me privately and told me they were in a similar position and now they were in tier 1 schools. although i was unsure of my future, their feedback definitely put things in perceptive.

although i didn't get accepted to law schools immediately , i am now currently a 1L at GMU law school.

when you're reading some of these topics it may seem that if you score in the 150 range, regardless of your resume and GPA, you're not getting anywhere. im here to tell you i scored in the 150 range and i got accepted to GW [didn't go b/c it was too costly]. can i guarantee you that you will get in if you get a similar score as mine? no. but what i can tell you is if your application is strong [strong GPA, personal statement and resume] you have a good chance on getting on no matter what people say. yes your LSAT matters but its not everything. your LSAT score should not define you.

if you need advice or just need to vent, dont hesitate to contact me.

[joemoviebuff]

Aw shit that means you got to play with those puppies during finals huh!? I'm at UVA and I was fuckin jealous lemme tell you.

And just to clarify, nobody will tell you you won't get in anywhere with a score in the 150s. They'll say that generally most people can put in the effort and score at least in the 160s, and with this test every point matters. I for one know what it's like to bomb the LSAT, I got a 157 the first time I took it. I got sick the night before and didn't fall asleep until 3 AM. However I kept on studying, took it again three months later and scored a lovely 170. So, I agree with your point that people should relax if they bomb the test, but just because your admissions worked out delightfully for you doesn't mean others should just go ahead and apply anyway. They should follow the advice on this board, which will often be to retake the test. It's cliched here, but it's cliched for a reason. Just a few more points can mean the difference between an acceptance and a rejection, or sticker price and a scholarship.

[jeremydc]

Interesting

[Blessedassurance]

Thanks for doing this.

Spread the love, 'tis the season.

[emkay625]

You are lucky enough to have 2 things going for you that a lot of us weren't. Some of us have nothing to offer besides a high LSAT score, which is why some view it as all or nothing. For me, it WAS all or nothing.

**edited to fix grammatical error.

[Blessedassurance]

You are lucky enough to have 2 things going for you that a lot of us weren't. Some of had nothing to offer besides a high LSAT score, which is why some view it as all or nothing. For me, it WAS all or nothing.

On the bright side, there's more to life than Law School or worse, T14/T6/HYS.

Count your blessings, happy holidays.

[emkay625]

You are lucky enough to have 2 things going for you that a lot of us weren't. Some of had nothing to offer besides a high LSAT score, which is why some view it as all or nothing. For me, it WAS all or nothing.

On the bright side, there's more to life than Law School or worse, T14/T6/HYS.

Count your blessings, happy holidays.

I know. i'm not trying to berate the poster, just trying to maybe explain why some of us seem a little neurotic....

[Veyron]

Wait, the happy ending is that hes a 1L at GMU ...

Edit: Now if it was a JD/PHD in econ!

[Richie Tenenbaum]

1) URM status means your situation is not really applicable to most non-urm applicants.
2) If you end up getting a job that you want with a reasonable level of debt for you, congrats. I'm assuming you're in-state, so even without a scholarship your debt level is at least much better than what it would be at plenty of other schools. But schools like GMU don't offer the best job prospects. 99% of the time it's going to be a better choice to retake and get a higher score if a person really wants to be a lawyer.

[Scuppers]

I liked this post until I clicked her profile and saw URM status and a 4.0 GPA. Leaving that information out of your post is a little like writing that you over-performed your numbers into University of Washington without mentioning that your name is Melinda Gates.

[Komaliie]

Aw shit that means you got to play with those puppies during finals huh!? I'm at UVA and I was fuckin jealous lemme tell you.

And just to clarify, nobody will tell you you won't get in anywhere with a score in the 150s. They'll say that generally most people can put in the effort and score at least in the 160s, and with this test every point matters. I for one know what it's like to bomb the LSAT, I got a 157 the first time I took it. I got sick the night before and didn't fall asleep until 3 AM. However I kept on studying, took it again three months later and scored a lovely 170. So, I agree with your point that people should relax if they bomb the test, but just because your admissions worked out delightfully for you doesn't mean others should just go ahead and apply anyway. They should follow the advice on this board, which will often be to retake the test. It's cliched here, but it's cliched for a reason. Just a few more points can mean the difference between an acceptance and a rejection, or sticker price and a scholarship.

yup, we had the puppies. it was pretty amazing.
i didnt have many people who told me i would get accepted with a score in the 150s. although, i completely agree with you about retaking the test; if you have a few months to study and retake it, go ahead and retake but if youve took it and aren't getting a high score dont give up hope.

yes my process worked out wonderfully but that doesnt mean others won't have a similar experience.

[Komaliie]

You are lucky enough to have 2 things going for you that a lot of us weren't. Some of us have nothing to offer besides a high LSAT score, which is why some view it as all or nothing. For me, it WAS all or nothing.

**edited to fix grammatical error.

i found out later that being an asian is actually not a URM so that part of my profile needs to be edited.
yes, my GPA was amazing [graduated with a 3.9] but i worked my ass off for that.

[Komaliie]

Wait, the happy ending is that hes a 1L at GMU ...

Edit: Now if it was a JD/PHD in econ!

i can't imagine taking another econ class. the mandatory econ class this semester was ridiculous.

[Komaliie]

1) URM status means your situation is not really applicable to most non-urm applicants.
2) If you end up getting a job that you want with a reasonable level of debt for you, congrats. I'm assuming you're in-state, so even without a scholarship your debt level is at least much better than what it would be at plenty of other schools. But schools like GMU don't offer the best job prospects. 99% of the time it's going to be a better choice to retake and get a higher score if a person really wants to be a lawyer.

**my URM status needs to be edited**

i definitely chose GMU over other law schools b/c of its tuition rate and i got a scholarship.

like i said previously i agree with the prospect of retaking the LSAT.

[Komaliie]

i wrote this topic for those who are stressed out about their admission status because of their LSAT score. to tell them that there is life beyond their LSAT score. yes i had a strong application [minus my LSAT score]. if your LSAT score is low and your GPA is low you're probably not in the same situation as mine but if you have a strong application and the only thing you're worried about is your LSAT score, know that you have a chance.

i agree with everyone who has posted about retaking the test. if you have the time to study some more then i think you should retake it. most law schools accept the higher score now a days anyways.

the purpose of this post was to help those worried about a low LSAT score. not to brag about my application.

[emkay625]

You are lucky enough to have 2 things going for you that a lot of us weren't. Some of us have nothing to offer besides a high LSAT score, which is why some view it as all or nothing. For me, it WAS all or nothing.

**edited to fix grammatical error.

i found out later that being an asian is actually not a URM so that part of my profile needs to be edited.
yes, my GPA was amazing [graduated with a 3.9] but i worked my ass off for that.

i know! i'm not trying to discredit that! you should be proud of that gpa. i was just trying to explain maybe why some of us are a little ocd about the test.

[JDizzle2015]

Are Dec scores back already? The Dec waiting thread looks pretty empty.