Top Law Schools

Hello all,

I'm currently heading into my senior year, so I'll be applying to law schools this fall. I currently have a 3.96 GPA, however my June LSAT performance was nowhere near where I needed it to be. Despite months of tutoring and studying, I performed eight points lower than my practice averages. I do have some extenuating circumstances to explain my 153 to include in my addendum, but I'm worried taking it again in September will mess with my early admissions plan. I'm definitely retaking because I can't picture myself doing as poorly as a I did this time around. Since I put so much time and effort into preparing for the June test and still choked, I'm not sure more effort will make much of a difference. I've never been a good standardized test taker. During my prep, I understand the concepts, but I can't execute on the real thing. My top choices are UVA, Georgetown, GW, UNC, and William & Mary. I'm not sure these are so realistic after getting my score back. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

Steeareckson wrote:Thank you!

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6
You're welcome

lymenheimer wrote:

Steeareckson wrote:Thank you!

http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6
You're welcome

Are you a moderator or just a douchebag?

To answer the OP question - it sounds like you need to take more PT under timed/realistic conditions. I know my UG school offered multiple simulated LSATs throughout the year. It's something you're going to have to get over to get into those schools.

joeycxxxx09 wrote:

lymenheimer wrote: http://top-law-schools.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=6
You're welcome

Are you a moderator or just a douchebag?

Neither, you prick. There's a load of helpful information in that subforum and if OP hasn't already looked through it (which is likely considering he posted here) then he can definitely get some help in there, even just by reading.

My apologies. Is there any way this could get moved to the sub-forum?

I know they linked you off to another place but since I saw this, I figured I'd respond.

I've read that people have been able to take the Sept. LSAT and make the early admissions deadlines by having everything else for their application already in order; therefore, as soon as they get that score back, they're basically ready to hit submit for their apps.

Regarding your LSAT score, don't give up! I'm not sure how you went about studying/what circumstances you believe led to the lower score, but maybe one thing you can try is taking PTs in different environments (such as coffee shops, the library, etc.). I didn't do that personally but I saw it mentioned in a post on here and thought it was a good way to get used to testing in less than ideal environments. If it's test anxiety, maybe try looking up different anxiety-reducing methods (such as breathing exercises, meditation, etc.) that you can utilize the day of the test both before and during. If you choose to do that, I'd suggest working on those things now that way you can work on lessening the amount of time you need to take to lessen your anxiety by test day. Slowing your breathing is actually a pretty good way to try to relax because it slows your heart rate as well. Also, (a hard, but important one) stop thinking of yourself as a bad standardized test taker! Part of it could be a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy that you expect to underperform on test day because you're bad at standardized tests which increases your anxiety or lessens your confidence and therefore weakens your performance. LSAT prep is important for a solid performance, but mental prep is important too! Since you were averaging low-160s but ended up with a 153, maybe mental prep should be part of your study focus this time around. I know that might sound silly, but since you can't picture yourself doing worse than the first time around, worth a try, right?