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Decided to take the LSAT, not in October but January. (November and December tests not administered where I am.) Posting this here rather than the LSAT prep forum because this is about admissions not the test itself.

Six weeks to get everything just right -- score as well as application -- was (is) unrealistic.

Law schools often say: Far more important to get the application in tip-top shape instead of applying early (October, November) for the sake of applying early. Some also admit, though, that applying earlier rather than later does give you a slight "edge." Are there data on just how much of an edge? I read somewhere that every calendar month you delay sending your application handicaps you by 34% -- a horrifying statistic if true (and also unfair on the part of the admissions office and professors).

I've never heard anyone assign a specific number to it, but yes, applying earlier can be helpful (regardless of how fair you think it is). I think the applicants most likely to get a boost from an early application are splitters, because schools might find in February that they don't need those high LSATs to keep up their numbers. But the other big consideration is scholarships: A late application might not go into consideration for scholarships until after a lot of money has already been given out. Additionally, a lot of named scholarships require you to submit earlier in the cycle.

This wouldn't be as much of an issue if you were in a location that offered the new test dates. The problem is that a January score is not likely to be reported until right at the application deadline, at which point you might find out that you didn't perform as well as you needed to.

There's no downside to taking the LSAT twice, and six weeks is plenty of time to prepare for the test. You don't need to have your applications ready to submit in October; pre-Thanksgiving break is considered "early." I'd strongly recommend registering for the October test.