LSAT Retaker Chances? Forum

[Ritzhe]

Hey everyone, I plan on retaking the LSAT in June for the third time. My first two scores, 152/158 are mainly due to a lack of prudence, as well as working a full time job. Right now I'm consistently averaging in the 17X range.

I am aware of schools like Columbia, Harvard and some others, who average your three scores. Are my chances close to zero for these schools? Is there a significant disparity between say, Columbia vs Cornell if my goal is to work in BigLaw? Thanks

[cavalier1138]

I am aware of schools like Columbia, Harvard and some others, who average your three scores.

They don't.

Yale might average LSATs, but there is nothing to suggest that any other school does. Your highest score will be the one schools report to LSAC and USNWR, so that's the one that counts.

[Ritzhe]

That is great news. Thank you for clarifying this for me, really made my day.

[obamalaw]

Do you want to retake? A 158 LSAT is not a bad score, depending on what you want out of your law degree. If you want to go the Ivy League route with plans for big city big law, retake. If you want to have a law degree and work at a smaller firm, you will be perfectly fine. It all depends on what you want out of your legal education.

Granted, the higher the LSAT score, the more money you will get. Law school is expensive. You could maximize your LSAT score, go to a decent school, and graduate with minimal debt. Again, it all depends on what you want out of your legal education. There are a plethora of opportunities.

[ManhattanElitePrep]

Hello!

Although there is no “cutoff” LSAT score that you need to get into Harvard Law School, Harvard only offers admission to a small percentage of its applicants. Therefore, in order to gain admission to Harvard Law School, you are likely to need an LSAT score in the 170+ range. And LSAT score in the 170s tied with a GPA over 3.75 will make you a competitive applicant. So your chances are not very high.

Retaking the LSAT is a good idea. Admissions committees may change their rules and make exceptions based on the application pools each year. So getting a high score on the retest is never a bad idea.

Becoming a first-year associate at a large corporate law firm isn't easy. With full-time, first-year associate positions at large law firms typically paying six-figure salaries, the competition for these entry-level legal jobs is intense. But aspiring lawyers who attend highly ranked law schools usually have better odds of finding work at large law firms than their peers at lower-ranked schools. Cornell and Columbia law schools are both very good schools so not much of a disparity.