Top Law Schools

Deleted. Thanks everyone.

If I were you I wouldn't retake, at least not right away.

- You're almost definitely already out at YHS, even if you score in the 177 - 180 band.

- You're already above the 75th percentile for every other school.

- If you do end up scoring worse in the retake, then you end up hurting your chances at $$ in the T14, and also waste a few months restudying for the test.

For me, the possible added value of a slight increase in $ earned from scoring somewhere above 177 isn't worth the risk of scoring worse and losing out on $. I would go ahead and apply with the 174 this cycle and see what offers you get. If none of the offers you receive feel good enough to you, then you can always take a year off, gain some work experience, and retake at a later date.

Of course, if you're really confident that you can score higher than a 174 then you might think differently, and it might be worth it to retake. This pretty much boils down to a risk v. reward scenario, and the "correct" answer will vary depending on personal preferences.

I will say that when you get into the 99th percentile like this, the difference between scoring better or worse than a 174 often comes down to just one or two questions, depending on the test's curve. You said that you would have scored a 176 on this test if it weren't for a chance bubbling mistake on your last LG answer. Can you be certain that something similar won't happen if you choose to retake?

I'd say don't retake because I assumed there was no meaningful difference between a 174 and a 180 for someone with your gpa. But if there is a meaningful difference then yeah, go for it. There's no downside even if you score lower.

I wouldn't. A 174 is a dream score and it doesn't seem like you underperformed relative to your PT average. I don't know how much help a few extra points would be given that you're already above everyone's 75th. That is, I don't think the numbers state that a 3.4 177 does better than a 3.4 174 anywhere there's a chance getting in.

I retook a 173 and scored a 170. Still got a t14 full scholly. Youre already scoring well without studying very efficiently, even if you score worse, schools only care about your highest score. I dont thing theres a huge difference between a 177 and a 174 but a higher score can only help, i dont think theres any downside.

Could OP create a poll? In any case I vote no retake, for the same reasons already said.

PDX4343 wrote:
- You're almost definitely already out at YHS, even if you score in the 177 - 180 band.

- You're already above the 75th percentile for every other school.

This.

In theory, from a rankings perspective your score shouldn't matter much once you're above a school's 75th. If the school's 75th is 173, it would make no difference for reporting purposes whether you scored a 174 or 180. Obviously the higher score would look a bit better, but I'd consider it more of a "soft" aspect at that point because anything above 173 serves the same purpose to them. You could make the argument that your application would stand out more with the higher score, but at the end of the day it won't make a difference to their rankings.

I think chances at HYS are slim to none with a 3.4, even if you had a 180. In the last two cycles on LSN, two were admitted to H with a GPA that low (1 URM and 1 non-URM), one to Y (URM), and none to S.

So in sum, it shouldn't make much of a difference to non-HYS, and you'd basically be working your butt off for a lottery ticket to H. I think you'd be better off using the time and energy to visit schools and/or improve your application in other ways. But that's just me (disclaimer: 0L).

pterodactyls wrote:

PDX4343 wrote:
- You're almost definitely already out at YHS, even if you score in the 177 - 180 band.

- You're already above the 75th percentile for every other school.

This.

In theory, from a rankings perspective your score shouldn't matter much once you're above a school's 75th. If the school's 75th is 173, it would make no difference for reporting purposes whether you scored a 174 or 180. Obviously the higher score would look a bit better, but I'd consider it more of a "soft" aspect at that point because anything above 173 serves the same purpose to them. You could make the argument that your application would stand out more with the higher score, but at the end of the day it won't make a difference to their rankings.

I think chances at HYS are slim to none with a 3.4, even if you had a 180. In the last two cycles on LSN, two were admitted to H with a GPA that low (1 URM and 1 non-URM), one to Y (URM), and none to S.

So in sum, it shouldn't make much of a difference to non-HYS, and you'd basically be working your butt off for a lottery ticket to H. I think you'd be better off using the time and energy to visit schools and/or improve your application in other ways. But that's just me (disclaimer: 0L).

I agree with these posts, op! You're above the 75%s for LSAT and not terribly below the GPA floors. You'll be ok, just get a stellar application package together and you the energy in other ways. Still try to apply to HYS, while your chances aren't good, you just never know.

Thanks for the responses all. I added a poll per request but it seems like there's a pretty strong consensus already.

I wouldn't retake. You're >75% and will have great options.

Use that energy on your application. (Plus it's not too late to do something like volunteering during the time you'd be studying for a retake.)


Congrats.