Should I retake?!? Forum

[nolegirl22]

So I have been on this site for a while..always reading, but never posting..but now I am in a situation and I would like to know what you all think.

I currently go to FSU for undergrad with a 3.125UGPA and a 163 LSAT. I plan on applying to FSU, UF, Stetson, Miami(maybe), Loyola LA, and Pepperdine. My LSAT score was the highest I ever got, with reading comprehension being my weakest section. I am happy with my score, but think that if I could get just 2 or 3 points higher, I would be in a better place.

Please let me know what you think!! I really need some advice

[njgal]

If that is the highest you have gotten you need to seriously consider whether or not you could actually get higher. You would hate to retake it and not break 160. If you are confident and your PTs suggest you can constantly get above a 165, otherwise I would not advise.

[jackalope11]

If that is the highest you have gotten you need to seriously consider whether or not you could actually get higher. You would hate to retake it and not break 160. If you are confident and your PTs suggest you can constantly get above a 165, otherwise I would not advise.

I think njgal has a point... I feel like I could possibly go back, retake, and get a few more points too. However, I could just as easily go back, have a bad day, and slide a little. I don't know that the risk is worth the reward.

If you take the test and score lower, you'll certainly be explaining that in your applications.

Also, I would heartily encourage a retake if you were consistently scoring significantly higher on your PT's than you did on test day, under testing conditions, and had some lapse... but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

[defrutamadre]

I also agree with the above comments. Unless you anticipate enrolling in a test prep course or studying for the test intensively and differently, I think you should really weigh the risks of taking the LSAT again. If you say that your score is the highest you've ever gotten, really think about how you will perform the second time around. A person who takes it twice and gets a higher score the second time is viewed favorably in some way but a person who takes it twice and scores lower the second time only inspires a neutral or negative impression, I believe.

[romothesavior]

So I have been on this site for a while..always reading, but never posting..but now I am in a situation and I would like to know what you all think.

I currently go to FSU for undergrad with a 3.125UGPA and a 163 LSAT. I plan on applying to FSU, UF, Stetson, Miami(maybe), Loyola LA, and Pepperdine. My LSAT score was the highest I ever got, with reading comprehension being my weakest section. I am happy with my score, but think that if I could get just 2 or 3 points higher, I would be in a better place.

Please let me know what you think!! I really need some advice

Describe your LSAT preparation.

[Jeffort]

Describe your LSAT preparation.

This ^

Including:
- most recent practice test scores from fresh tests you took under rigid conditions to simulate test day conditions when it counts.
- how long did you prep?
- how did you prep? {details please}
- is the 163 the only reported score you have and have you only taken the real thing that once?
- anything else seemingly relevant, etc.

On first blush I would say stick with that score and don't take the chance of adding mud (a lower score) to your LSAC candidate report. 163 is a very respectable score.

However, the others factors are relevant to the question, especially given your GPA.

[nolegirl22]

Describe your LSAT preparation.

This ^

Including:
- most recent practice test scores from fresh tests you took under rigid conditions to simulate test day conditions when it counts.
- how long did you prep?
- how did you prep? {details please}
- is the 163 the only reported score you have and have you only taken the real thing that once?
- anything else seemingly relevant, etc.

On first blush I would say stick with that score and don't take the chance of adding mud (a lower score) to your LSAC candidate report. 163 is a very respectable score.

However, the others factors are relevant to the question, especially given your GPA.

I started off at a 149 cold diagnostic in January. I self studied up until the test. In the first few months I used the Princeton Review book to go through the basics and try to get some strategies. Once March started, I didn't feel that I was improving, got discouraged and didn't study too much. Starting in April I got the Logic Games Bible and my Games sections were close to perfect. A few weeks later I also got the Arguments Bible. I was also taking PTs. I took about 12 PTs total. My last PTs were 156, 157, 158. I took the last two of them the week before the LSAT and the first one about two weeks before the test. I took one of the PTs in the library, where there were some distractions, and the others in my room where it was dead silent.

The 163 is the only score I have had reported. I have never taken the LSAT before. I would be really happy getting into FSU law, and they weigh the LSAT higher than the GPA, and they also take the highest LSAT. I only got -2 on the LG section and they were 2 I guessed. My worst section was RC, which I got -9. I got -3 and -7 on LR. I think that if I go through the test in detail and see what kinds of questions I got wrong I should be able to correct them.

Thanks for all your advice. I really need it. Do you think I could get in to the schools I am looking at with my numbers? I am worried I can't.

[northwood]

I think FSU's minimum LSAT is a 161, so you're on the bubble ( but on the good side of it)

[romothesavior]

I only got -2 on the LG section and they were 2 I guessed. My worst section was RC, which I got -9. I got -3 and -7 on LR. I think that if I go through the test in detail and see what kinds of questions I got wrong I should be able to correct them.

If you really believe that you can correct those mistakes with hard work and studying, then a retake would be the best move you could make.

[nolegirl22]

Has anyone used the RC Bible? I am thinking about getting it because the other 2 Bibles helped my scores so much

[Nikrall]

Has anyone used the RC Bible? I am thinking about getting it because the other 2 Bibles helped my scores so much

Its mediocre, at best. Nowhere near as good as the other two.

[NU_Jet55]

Has anyone used the RC Bible? I am thinking about getting it because the other 2 Bibles helped my scores so much

Its mediocre, at best. Nowhere near as good as the other two.

TITCR

[Perch]

Has anyone used the RC Bible? I am thinking about getting it because the other 2 Bibles helped my scores so much

Its mediocre, at best. Nowhere near as good as the other two.

any suggestions for RC self-study?

[romothesavior]

Has anyone used the RC Bible? I am thinking about getting it because the other 2 Bibles helped my scores so much

Its mediocre, at best. Nowhere near as good as the other two.

any suggestions for RC self-study?

Get a tutor, preferably this guy:

[djjf39]

Get a tutor, preferably this guy:

I am forced to agree, but I would also consider whether you believe your RC strategy was savvy. If so, then I would stay with a 163. If not, then I would develop a good strategy that works for you and take some more PTs and timed RC sections. Would you mind posting your misses for the 163? (-LG, -LR, -RC)

Good luck.

[nolegirl22]

I honestly didn't have a strategy. i just read the questions first and then went through reading the passage with those questions in mind---underlining and starring as necessary.

Here's what I got
-2 on the LG section and they were 2 I guessed
RC: -9.
LR: -3 and -7

[Nikrall]

Has anyone used the RC Bible? I am thinking about getting it because the other 2 Bibles helped my scores so much

Its mediocre, at best. Nowhere near as good as the other two.

any suggestions for RC self-study?

Read philosophy books/the economist and other complicated articles.

Also do a ton of RC passages.

Sorry...theres a limited amount you can do for RC.

[TheOcho]

Has anyone used the RC Bible? I am thinking about getting it because the other 2 Bibles helped my scores so much

Its mediocre, at best. Nowhere near as good as the other two.

any suggestions for RC self-study?

Read philosophy books/the economist and other complicated articles.

Also do a ton of RC passages.

Sorry...theres a limited amount you can do for RC.

If you don't already "mark-up" the reading comprehension passages, this helps for some people. Marking important words and conclusions within the passage can help. This can also help you grab the main points of the passage and direct you to answers if need be. But don't go overboard, it doesn't do any good to molest the whole passage with a highlighter (don't use a highlighter on the LSAT, ever, IMO).

EDIT: Appears you already do that. RC fail.