Top Law Schools

Gimme some advice peeps. Here is the deal. I normally PT at about 177 average, and lately before the test had been scoring 50% or so 180s. The test went poorly though, I ran out of time on the LG and guessed the last two, and was unsure on a few on the RC. I checked the questions on LR that I was unsure about and did get them right, so I believe I probably went about -5 overall. So....I can take my score now which will most likely be 177 or so, and not the 180 I was shooting for, OR I can retake in December....wut do? Note: I dun goofed a year of school so my GPA is 3.4ish, so I think I need 180 to have an outside chance at Harvard (my first choice) since I am not URM.

Godlike wrote:Gimme some advice peeps. Here is the deal. I normally PT at about 177 average, and lately before the test had been scoring 50% or so 180s. The test went poorly though, I ran out of time on the LG and guessed the last two, and was unsure on a few on the RC. I checked the questions on LR that I was unsure about and did get them right, so I believe I probably went about -5 overall. So....I can take my score now which will most likely be 177 or so, and not the 180 I was shooting for, OR I can retake in December....wut do? Note: I dun goofed a year of school so my GPA is 3.4ish, so I think I need 180 to have an outside chance at Harvard (my first choice) since I am not URM.

Although i am not applying to Harvard, i would not think a 177 would put you anywhere near the auto-reject pile.

You're not getting into Harvard. Accept it and move on. Don't cancel a 177.

It sounds like you know for sure that you didn't get your target score. Additionally I have a feeling that this test's curve will not be as forgiving as the previous two, so don't bank on a 177 either.

That being said it sounds like you still got a great score, so I it would likely be sufficient to give you a shot at most of the T14. Decide how much you want Harvard (which even with a 180 would be a toss up) vs. how much you want to get your apps in early and go from there.

St.Remy wrote:It sounds like you know for sure that you didn't get your target score. Additionally I have a feeling that this test's curve will not be as forgiving as the previous two, so don't bank on a 177 either.

That being said it sounds like you still got a great score, so I it would likely be sufficient to give you a shot at most of the T14. Decide how much you want Harvard (which even with a 180 would be a toss up) vs. how much you want to get your apps in early and go from there.

A toss up? It's a no go. According to LSN, last year, the lowest GPA accepted for a non-URM was 3.7, even with a 180. He is out.

Your poll might just end up looking like the NV-senate race. Hopefully political fans will get the joke.

Pretentious Asses don't have 3.4s... your just a lowly soul whose banking on a 3 hour test to boost you past those who have worked 4 years for their 3.9+'s

Definitely not.

While I was in a very similar situation pretest-wise, I wish my goof-up was half as good as yours. But the bottom line is: can you really live the rest of your life not knowing?

Simply for the sake of curiosity, go ahead and take the score. You can always retake in December, but having a 177 from October won't hurt you in the least. And you get to see just how badly you screwed up. Maybe you got really f'ing lucky, and still pulled a 180. .2^5 is still within the realm of probability!

I don't know if any schools would treat a 177 as significantly different than a 180.

I think 176 is the 75th percentile at Yale.

But with that GPA and a high LSAT, maybe Northwestern/UVA are a better bet?

Don't cancel, with that GPA you are definitely out at HYS. Therefore, you are looking at CCN, and the difference in acceptances and scholarship money between a 177 and a 180 will be almost non existent.

Don't cancel. Like someone said earlier Harvard is pretty much out of teh question even with a 180. 177+ should get you to CCN easily.

If you're waiting for a test where you can feel confident about a 180...you may be canceling a lot in the future.

180 is at best a -2. Considering real test pressures, where can you realistically expect not to be unsure on at least 2 questions?

People saying 180 is out at Harvard with that GPA are wrong. 3.4 179 non-URM got in last year without amazing softs. 180 gives him a look at Harvard, as only 51 people a year get that. Hundreds get 177, so it's impossible with that, yet a possibility (however small) with a 180. Also, the person above me is wrong, -3 is a 180. Don't cancel, you might have gotten lucky and gotten the 180, and even with a lower score like 176-178, your retaking will look better than retaking after a cancellation. Don't cancel

tazmolover wrote:If you're waiting for a test where you can feel confident about a 180...you may be canceling a lot in the future.

180 is at best a -2. Considering real test pressures, where can you realistically expect not to be unsure on at least 2 questions?

I think on 59, you could get a 180 with -3. I remember because I got -4, lol. But that curve was unreal.

Adjudicator wrote:

tazmolover wrote:If you're waiting for a test where you can feel confident about a 180...you may be canceling a lot in the future.

180 is at best a -2. Considering real test pressures, where can you realistically expect not to be unsure on at least 2 questions?

I think on 59, you could get a 180 with -3. I remember because I got -4, lol. But that curve was unreal.

I stand corrected. I hope this test will have a similarly insane curve as well

I hope so too.