Should I retake a 167? Forum

[christinalsat]

I was scoring in the low 170s on my PTs. My lowest score was a 167 (which happened to be what I scored on the real thing) and my highest was a 180 (for some reason I found December 05 insanely easy). I totally bombed the LG section of June 2010. At first I was relieved when I got a 167 because I was actually expecting something much worse. I did bomb the LG, but made up for it by only getting 1-3 wrong on the other sections. Now that the dust has settled though, I'm considering a re-take. When I looked over the test, I realized the only reason I got "stuck" on the third game is because I misread "in between" as "after." Because I got "stuck" I had to guess all Ds on the last game and still got a bunch wrong on the third. Pains me to realize I could've broken the 170s had I not suffered from temporary dyslexia.

In other words, assuming that I don't make another careless mistake, I feel like I can improve at least a few points -- which seems to count for a lot in this range. My dream school is NYU or Berkeley, but I'd also be happy with UCLA, UT, or Georgetown. My gpa is in the 3.8-3.9 range (not sure where it's gonna fall when LSAC computes it) and I have four years of work experience. I'm Latina (Central American though). Advice?

[D. H2Oman]

Retake it. No lose situation, if you can get into the 170's you'll have a substantially better cycle.

[nycparalegal]

Retake. You have nothing to lose.

[Teoeo]

I would retake, you can always cancel the retake if you think you bombed it (I am sure you will be able to tell how you did after you take it but before the score comes out).

edit: just saw your GPA, you HAVE to retake it, it will make a huge difference in your cycle.

[Grizz]

Almost exact same situation as me; 167 retaker here. Nothing to lose. Only got 1 point more, but that point likely snagged me money at the school I'm going to now.

[romothesavior]

Retake it. No lose situation, if you can get into the 170's you'll have a substantially better cycle.

[christinalsat]

I would retake, you can always cancel the retake if you think you bombed it (I am sure you will be able to tell how you did after you take it but before the score comes out).

edit: just saw your GPA, you HAVE to retake it, it will make a huge difference in your cycle.

What's wrong with my gpa?

[romothesavior]

I would retake, you can always cancel the retake if you think you bombed it (I am sure you will be able to tell how you did after you take it but before the score comes out).

edit: just saw your GPA, you HAVE to retake it, it will make a huge difference in your cycle.

What's wrong with my gpa?

It is really good. A 170+ will open up a lot of doors.

[christinalsat]

I would retake, you can always cancel the retake if you think you bombed it (I am sure you will be able to tell how you did after you take it but before the score comes out).

edit: just saw your GPA, you HAVE to retake it, it will make a huge difference in your cycle.

What's wrong with my gpa?

It is really good. A 170+ will open up a lot of doors.

Oh! Just making sure, I thought you were going to say I needed a 4.0. You never know with TLS.

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking since I just need to maintain my skill set, studying won't be too painful. Do you think it's okay if I start up in August doing one test every weekend until Oct and maybe a couple practice sections during the week? The lsat is really wearing on a 3 yr relationship for me and I'm not sure it's worth destroying it further just break the 170s. Ah, priorities.

[D. H2Oman]

Thanks for the advice. I'm thinking since I just need to maintain my skill set, studying won't be too painful. Do you think it's okay if I start up in August doing one test every weekend until Oct and maybe a couple practice sections during the week? The lsat is really wearing on a 3 yr relationship for me and I'm not sure it's worth destroying it further just break the 170s. Ah, priorities.

I would probably study throughout the summer. I'm sure you can find the time. Just lie, don't tell your BF you're studying for the test, telling him you're meeting with a male friend.

[jacosam]

Retake!! I'm in the same situation (same GPA and everything!)--I got a 167 on the June test, missed a LOT more than usual on LG, and did well on other sections. My PT average was a 174, and I got a 179 on one of them. Time was a big issue for me on the actual test, so I'm gonna focus primarily on getting faster. For the summer, I'm re-learning the basics (rereading LG and LR bibles) and will take a few 5-section practice tests. Then starting in August, I'll do 1-2 practice tests per week. If I can get at least a 173 in October, I'll feel so much better about my chances. The last thing I want is 4-5 months of absolute uncertainty.

Good luck to you!

[Thirteen]

Retake it. No lose situation, if you can get into the 170's you'll have a substantially better cycle.

Good luck!

[christinalsat]

Retake!! I'm in the same situation (same GPA and everything!)--I got a 167 on the June test, missed a LOT more than usual on LG, and did well on other sections. My PT average was a 174, and I got a 179 on one of them. Time was a big issue for me on the actual test, so I'm gonna focus primarily on getting faster. For the summer, I'm re-learning the basics (rereading LG and LR bibles) and will take a few 5-section practice tests. Then starting in August, I'll do 1-2 practice tests per week. If I can get at least a 173 in October, I'll feel so much better about my chances. The last thing I want is 4-5 months of absolute uncertainty.

Good luck to you!

Woah....that's way more intense than any studying I planned on doing! I was thinking at most I'd focus on LG in July since that has always been my weakness (though I pretty much thought I had mastered them until June 7) and then just do a practice test a week starting the first weekend of August. I'm not really trying to improve. Just want to maintain my skills. Do people think that's not enough?

Thanks for the advice everyone!