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About to retake my 170 (2.8 gpa) in October and feeling pretty confident going in that I have improved on myself. But just wondering, how much it will hurt my already questionable chances if I come out with a score that is worse?

I'm curious about this too. Even anecdotal evidence would be great.

No reason to retake with that GPA if you don't have WE. Enjoy WUSTL

or NW with work experience

With your GPA, a retake with lower LSAT would hurt considerably since that is the only number that makes you competitive at some reach schools. Keep the 170.

TheThriller wrote:or NW with work experience

Hence my "without WE"

I've never heard of anybody being hurt by getting a worse score on a retake. School's only have to report your top score so if they were going to accept you with the 170, it's not like they wouldn't accept you with a 170 and a lower score. I could be wrong but I've literally never heard of or seen anyone hurt by a retake, even if its worse.

And I don't understand people saying not to retake, you should definitely retake.

WhiteyCakes wrote:With your GPA, a retake with lower LSAT would hurt considerably since that is the only number that makes you competitive at some reach schools. Keep the 170.

Eh, I don't know. It's my understanding schools really only care about the highest score, and that is probably especially true in the current admissions climate. Of course, if he were to get a 164 or something on the retake, that might look bad. If he gets a 168 or 169, I don't really think that would be a big deal. On the other hand, if his score goes up, it might help for a school like Northwestern as that would push him above median. I think he probably has more to gain than lose by retaking.

Betharl wrote:

WhiteyCakes wrote:With your GPA, a retake with lower LSAT would hurt considerably since that is the only number that makes you competitive at some reach schools. Keep the 170.

Eh, I don't know. It's my understanding schools really only care about the highest score, and that is probably especially true in the current admissions climate. Of course, if he were to get a 164 or something on the retake, that might look bad. If he gets a 168 or 169, I don't really think that would be a big deal. On the other hand, if his score goes up, it might help for a school like Northwestern as that would push him above median. I think he probably has more to gain than lose by retaking.

If you're a splitter, the high score only gives you credibility if you can show consistency or at least don't have any additional negatives to make them question it. If your LSAT goes down, then you're showing that your 2.8 GPA is more representative of your abilities than your 170

WhiteyCakes wrote:

Betharl wrote:

WhiteyCakes wrote:With your GPA, a retake with lower LSAT would hurt considerably since that is the only number that makes you competitive at some reach schools. Keep the 170.

Eh, I don't know. It's my understanding schools really only care about the highest score, and that is probably especially true in the current admissions climate. Of course, if he were to get a 164 or something on the retake, that might look bad. If he gets a 168 or 169, I don't really think that would be a big deal. On the other hand, if his score goes up, it might help for a school like Northwestern as that would push him above median. I think he probably has more to gain than lose by retaking.

If you're a splitter, the high score only gives you credibility if you can show consistency or at least don't have any additional negatives to make them question it. If your LSAT goes down, then you're showing that your 2.8 GPA is more representative of your abilities than your 170

I don't necessarily agree. How would a 2.8 be representative of their abilities if they are scoring in the 99th percentile and dip down to god forbid a 164 which is the 90th percentile. Just seems kind of silly to me to say that

specialsnowflake wrote:

WhiteyCakes wrote:

Betharl wrote:

WhiteyCakes wrote:With your GPA, a retake with lower LSAT would hurt considerably since that is the only number that makes you competitive at some reach schools. Keep the 170.

Eh, I don't know. It's my understanding schools really only care about the highest score, and that is probably especially true in the current admissions climate. Of course, if he were to get a 164 or something on the retake, that might look bad. If he gets a 168 or 169, I don't really think that would be a big deal. On the other hand, if his score goes up, it might help for a school like Northwestern as that would push him above median. I think he probably has more to gain than lose by retaking.

If you're a splitter, the high score only gives you credibility if you can show consistency or at least don't have any additional negatives to make them question it. If your LSAT goes down, then you're showing that your 2.8 GPA is more representative of your abilities than your 170

I don't necessarily agree. How would a 2.8 be representative of their abilities if they are scoring in the 99th percentile and dip down to god forbid a 164 which is the 90th percentile. Just seems kind of silly to me to say that

Fair point

WhiteyCakes wrote:

Betharl wrote:

WhiteyCakes wrote:With your GPA, a retake with lower LSAT would hurt considerably since that is the only number that makes you competitive at some reach schools. Keep the 170.

Eh, I don't know. It's my understanding schools really only care about the highest score, and that is probably especially true in the current admissions climate. Of course, if he were to get a 164 or something on the retake, that might look bad. If he gets a 168 or 169, I don't really think that would be a big deal. On the other hand, if his score goes up, it might help for a school like Northwestern as that would push him above median. I think he probably has more to gain than lose by retaking.

If you're a splitter, the high score only gives you credibility if you can show consistency or at least don't have any additional negatives to make them question it. If your LSAT goes down, then you're showing that your 2.8 GPA is more representative of your abilities than your 170

Yeah, I know what you're saying, but I still think if he has a shot at scoring higher he should go for it. If he really bombs for some reason, he can cancel.

Mind succesfully changed...retake. Balls to the wall to get >170

dietcoke0 wrote:No reason to retake with that GPA if you don't have WE. Enjoy WUSTL

well i have 4 years of WE, does that change your tune dietcoke!

WhiteyCakes wrote:Mind succesfully changed...retake. Balls to the wall to get >170

good luck man!

id say it depends on how much worse you do on the retake. The scoring system allows for a 3 point swing in each direction. so if you score on the retake between a 167 and a 173 then that is considered to be within the range, and your 170 is a better reflection of your abilities. ( I think this takes into consideration a bad test day, or having a cold or something). If you score lower than that, then it may raise a red flag.

But you can always look at it this way- you could score better. It really comes down to where do you want to go, and how likely are you at getting into that program as you stand at this very moment in time. Remember, the earelier you submit the application, the better.

good luck with whatever you decide ( although it seems as if you are going to retake).

yes, i'm going to retake and trust in my ability to do better, just get the jitters sometimes. thanks for everyone's input, especially about the 3 point range.

the fact of the matter is that i feel like schools like WUSTL would take me even if i scored much worse simply because my 170 would help their median, so there isn't a huge harm in retaking especially since LSN shows that a 170 with my gpa is unlikely at the splitter friendly UVA or NW even with my work experience. need to raise it to about 172 to have a fighting chance.

that's my perspective anyway

defdef wrote:

dietcoke0 wrote:No reason to retake with that GPA if you don't have WE. Enjoy WUSTL

well i have 4 years of WE, does that change your tune dietcoke!

Get 173+ and enjoy NW then. Unless there is a regional schools you're looking at, NW going to be your best bet.