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Hi all - I've been lurking for a long time and was hoping not to have reason to panic today and post here - but here goes:

I'm a senior at an HYP ivy with a 3.82 and as of the September administration a 163 LSAT. Since that was a bit below how I'd been PTing, I studied more and retook today. I'd been PTing at something around 174/5, but during the test ended up mistiming myself and finished with six blanks on one of the LR sections.

Given that the rest of the test felt quite good (including the LG, which I had usually done weaker on), is there any wisdom in canceling if I'm interested in HYS, or is that more or less unattainable if I dump this score and wait a year or two. On a similar note, if I end up with a score in the high 160s/low 170s should I take what I can get in terms of other T-14 places this cycle, or wait for work experience and the chance to retake the test?

Thanks so much for all your help.

Six blank is pretty bad. You should NEVER leave questions blank on the LSAT. But keep the score if you didn't bomb any other sections.

If you were PTing at 174/5, don't settle for a high 160s score. Get some valuable WE and hit your potential next time around.

When you get a good score, apply broadly and negotiate scholarships. Gl.

Yeah, I guess I'm just concerned about what the impact would be with a second retake, given that I don't really want to postpone for the sake of scholarships. Would a couple years of work experience be enough to more or less nullify the stigma? Or does it not really matter once the score isn't your first?

You can take the test one more time without raising any eyebrows, though I think some distance from the test could help if you're not happy with your December score. From a former admissions officer at Harvard:

KarenButtenbaum wrote:

OVOXO wrote:Karen — How does Harvard look at 3+ takes? I took the LSAT 4 times and though my numbers themselves are competitive (4.03/171), I fear that my 4 takes will be a major knock against my candidacy at HLS.

It really depends on the situation, timing of the tests, and the rest of the application. In general (not just for HLS) when someone takes the test more than 3 times, there has to be a good reason for it (bad luck with cancelling, sickness, string of bad days, etc.)

HADC10 wrote:Yeah, I guess I'm just concerned about what the impact would be with a second retake, given that I don't really want to postpone for the sake of scholarships. Would a couple years of work experience be enough to more or less nullify the stigma? Or does it not really matter once the score isn't your first?

Eh, it's probably not great to have a second retake and Y and S may care, but most schools just say they take the highest score now.