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Longtime lurker here, took the LSAT today for the second time. First time around (September 2014) I scored in the 165-167 range, it was a bit below what I was expecting, but was without a huge studying commitment and before I discovered TLS. Starting in the spring, I kicked my studying into high gear and was consistently scoring in the low to mid 170s on PTs, always with -0 to -2 on LG specifically, going into the June 2015 test. Today, the last logic game completely kicked my ass -- I'm virtually certain I went -5 on this section alone. I also found one of the reading passages very difficult, and am now second-guessing my performance on both LR sections (never really sure how I fare on these).

Basically, I'm convinced I scored lower, or at best the same, as my first take. So my question is, what looks worse in the eyes of law school admissions, a lower score the second time around or a second score canceled? If helpful for assessing my situation, I'm a few years out of undergrad with a 3.5-3.6 GPA. Really hoping I can get in somewhere in the T-14, also open to best NYC school I can get into. Thanks!

Calm down. They literally only care about the highest score. Ride it out and see if the curve is in your favor. If you got your ass kicked, more than likely others did too. You gain absolutely nothing by canceling.

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bklaw44 wrote:Longtime lurker here, took the LSAT today for the second time. First time around (September 2014) I scored in the 165-167 range, it was a bit below what I was expecting, but was without a huge studying commitment and before I discovered TLS. Starting in the spring, I kicked my studying into high gear and was consistently scoring in the low to mid 170s on PTs, always with -0 to -2 on LG specifically, going into the June 2015 test. Today, the last logic game completely kicked my ass -- I'm virtually certain I went -5 on this section alone. I also found one of the reading passages very difficult, and am now second-guessing my performance on both LR sections (never really sure how I fare on these).

Basically, I'm convinced I scored lower, or at best the same, as my first take. So my question is, what looks worse in the eyes of law school admissions, a lower score the second time around or a second score canceled? If helpful for assessing my situation, I'm a few years out of undergrad with a 3.5-3.6 GPA. Really hoping I can get in somewhere in the T-14, also open to best NYC school I can get into. Thanks!

Thanks for posting this OP. I had a similar experience with last LG yesterday , 167 on first LSAT, similar low to mid 170 PTs before coming in. I think I scored better than my 167 but not markedly so, certainly not the 173 that is my goal. However, I've also thought about cancelling.

I don't want to hi-jack your thread, but my question seemed relevant enough not to start a new one. Is there any real penalty for taking the test three times? Is 2 scores plus a cancellation any better than 3 scores? Conventional wisdom used to suggest 2 max or that some law schools averaged scores, but it seems this has shifted to "Law schools literally only care about your highest LSAT because that's all US News cares about."

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Anecdote. Considered canceling my third take because I felt I did so poorly. Turned out to be the best score I got, and aligned pretty much with my PTs. I wouldn't cancel unless you missed a section or something wild like that. There's no benefit to canceling, and obviously the potential for it to hurt you.