Apply now or waiting till after Re-take in December? Forum

goddard24 · Post by **goddard24** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 1:58 pm

Guys, appreciate all of your help thus far. I've decided to do a retake this December--scored a 159 on my June LSAT.
I wanted to know if sending out my applications now and asking them to wait on my december score would suffice or is necessary? Or if there is something else that I should do to show my interest in the schools. Just to let you guys know Im applying top 10 this yr.

Hopefuly this thread benefits other re-takers

benwyatt · Post by **benwyatt** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 2:00 pm

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basedvulpes · Post by **basedvulpes** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 2:07 pm

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basedvulpes · Post by **basedvulpes** » Tue Sep 15, 2015 2:08 pm

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lpadr009 · Post by **lpadr009** » Wed Sep 16, 2015 2:59 pm

basedvulpes wrote:Also, I love how everyone who is studying for the LSAT uses the words "sufficient"" and "necessary" like 100x more than the average population.

lmaaaaaaao too true

Troianii · Post by **Troianii** » Thu Sep 17, 2015 8:18 pm

goddard24 wrote:Guys, appreciate all of your help thus far. I've decided to do a retake this December--scored a 159 on my June LSAT.
I wanted to know if sending out my applications now and asking them to wait on my december score would suffice or is necessary? Or if there is something else that I should do to show my interest in the schools. Just to let you guys know Im applying top 10 this yr.

Hopefuly this thread benefits other re-takers

Assuming you're planning on going to a "top law school", T-14, then re-take. As others have noted, unless you have a 4.0 and are a URM, you need a retake. To give you an idea, let's look at UTexas's admissions grid (it isn't T-14, but hell it was #15 USNEWs).

https://officialguide.lsac.org/Release/ ... lPage.aspx

You didn't share your GPA, but I'll just assume now for argument's sake that you have something in the range of 3.5-3.75. And you said you scored 159? Well, looking at UTexas, #15, 9/209 applicants in that range were admitted, or about 4%. And it's probably a fair bet that most of those in that category were URMs. And if you're actually interested in T-14, then your chances become even worse. Basically with a 159 LSAT, even a URM who grew up on the streets and went in the military and is LGBTQ etc. would have slim chances at a T-14 school with a 159LSAT.

goddard24 · Post by **goddard24** » Fri Sep 18, 2015 11:52 pm

^Thanks for taking the time to post thos stats. Definitely appreciate your feedback--just to let you know, my GPA is a 3.49.
Should I just wait till i take my December Lsat to apply or should I send out apps now and ask schools to wait?

benwyatt · Post by **benwyatt** » Fri Sep 18, 2015 11:58 pm

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goddard24 · Post by **goddard24** » Sat Sep 19, 2015 3:27 pm

^Seriously, thankyou for the advice and time. Currently at the library now mastering games. December re-take here I come!

Troianii · Post by **Troianii** » Sun Sep 20, 2015 10:32 pm

goddard24 wrote:^Seriously, thankyou for the advice and time. Currently at the library now mastering games. December re-take here I come!

You can definitely do better, anyone can improve some with the right studying, but not everyone will. Assuming you're "just a statistic", there is about a 2/3 chance your score will improve, and 1/3 chance it'll get worse. The average score change for re-takers is +2.1, and you can bet your butt that most people who bother with a retake study. I'm just saying be realistic. If you had a bad day on test day, definitely retake. If you were practice testing above 159 then you know you can do better, and this is just more time to prep. But if you were practicing lower than a 159, then I would be more skeptical of a retake. This is stuff you'll know better than the rest of us. If something ends up happening, and for whatever reason you don't have plenty of time to study and improve for December (or your scores aren't improving as you study), then you're better off applying before and dropping the retake. Obviously retakes are only worth it if you can improve your score and, statistically, you're looking at about a 2 point improvement.

https://www.manhattanprep.com/lsat/blog ... manifesto/

What I would recommend doing is to start the apps. Get most of the application process done, and then study. Bear in mind when is the latest date to sign up for the December LSAT w/o a late fee and, if by that date you're not seeing any improvement in your practice tests (which you should be taking at least weekly to re-evaluate yourself), then don't retake and just send in your apps. You're okay as it is you should be able to get into a damned school as it is, but there's nothing wrong with wanting better - a better scholarship or better school. So, if you can, study your butt off and seek guidance on study methods (there's a host of material on this site, but if it's not for you take a course - some people do better with a regimented schedule that they don't set) and you should see improvement and you should retake it.