3rd time taking LSAT. Should I cancel my score? Forum

[shmumush]

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[amkid100]

hey - sorry about your grandfather. i sympathize w you...i also have a 163, a cancel, and took the october test.

a couple of factors to consider:
- how much were you looking to improve on this test realistically? what were you PTing?
- how do you feel you did on this test. you said 160 was the worst case scenario, but what are your other feelings about the test?
- what is your GPA? if you did better on the test, how much would that affect your admissions prospects?

i personally would probably not cancel. most of the schools you are looking at right now will take the higher score, regardless of which came first. if you do score significantly lower, you can always write an addendum saying that there were mitigating circumstances as to why you did not score well.

alternatively, there is always the option of taking the LSAT one more time in december. it is LSAT's policy to only allow you to sit for three tests, but this is EASILY overrided. all you have to do is call an admissions office and have them call LSAC for you. a friend emailed UCLA saying that he wanted to take the test for a fourth time and UCLA called LSAC for him without even questioning why or what his stats were.

hope that helped a bit. let me know if you have other questions.

[hokie]

Depending on your GPA (granted it is at or above the median for the schools listed), I would say you have a decent shot at each of the schools listed with the exception of Fordham (possible PT though, I would check the stats on LSN). If you are completely confident that there is <1% chance that you got a 163 or better, I would cancel and go with the 163. However, as this is your "last chance", I would stick it out and see if you do better, which even 2-3 points would make a drastic difference. Pretty much every school outside of T14 will be looking at your best score, and do not average so I wouldn't sweat it even if you do end up with a lower score. But then again, I enjoy extreme sports and am not the most risk-averse person in the world....

[shmumush]

hey - sorry about your grandfather. i sympathize w you...i also have a 163, a cancel, and took the october test.

a couple of factors to consider:
- how much were you looking to improve on this test realistically? what were you PTing?
- how do you feel you did on this test. you said 160 was the worst case scenario, but what are your other feelings about the test?
- what is your GPA? if you did better on the test, how much would that affect your admissions prospects?

i personally would probably not cancel. most of the schools you are looking at right now will take the higher score, regardless of which came first. if you do score significantly lower, you can always write an addendum saying that there were mitigating circumstances as to why you did not score well.

alternatively, there is always the option of taking the LSAT one more time in december. it is LSAT's policy to only allow you to sit for three tests, but this is EASILY overrided. all you have to do is call an admissions office and have them call LSAC for you. a friend emailed UCLA saying that he wanted to take the test for a fourth time and UCLA called LSAC for him without even questioning why or what his stats were.

hope that helped a bit. let me know if you have other questions.

First of all, thanks for your prompt and detailed response. Here are some answers to your questions:

1) My last 5 PTs were 169,167,166,169,171 (all within the last 3 weeks)
2) I did not feel right on the test. I can't explain it but I felt rushed. This really doesn't happen to me when I take the PTs or my previous real LSAT. I think I got between a -18 and -23 on the test which I guess is around low 160s and sometimes even upper 150s. Needless to say, I am not confident. I do want to add though, that usually I am pretty accurate in my predictions of how I did. This test was a complete blur. I am scared of cancelling a score that may be a 164 or 165.
3) My GPA is a 3.61. I was aiming for an acceptance at Fordham or full scholarship at Cardozo but now I have to be realistic and aim for St. Johns with a full scholarship or acceptance to Cardozo.

The 4th time taking the LSAT doesn't interest me so much. Maybe that will change as time goes on; I am a bit discouraged these days.

Thanks again.

[LogicGamez]

Most schools will not render a decision if they see that you have a pending LSAT score. IMO if you think you have a reasonable chance of improving your 163, then you should not cancel. Schools in the 160s range really only care about your highest score, so if you end up scoring a bit lower on this test it probably won't hurt you.

[shmumush]

Most schools will not render a decision if they see that you have a pending LSAT score. IMO if you think you have a reasonable chance of improving your 163, then you should not cancel. Schools in the 160s range really only care about your highest score, so if you end up scoring a bit lower on this test it probably won't hurt you.

Really? I did not know that... That's good to know. Thanks.

[pppokerface]

Check out the posts on hardest questions, there are a bunch of them. Did you get those right/have a good feeling about them?

[btr77]

I find myself in a very similar situation...I too have a 163 and feel as if my range on this last test could be 158/9-166. Are we saying then that schools outside of the T14 take the highest REGARDLESS? For me, I jumped from a dreadful 154 early in 2008 to a 163 in June. Does a 154-163-159/160 really look okay? I tend to think they are going to look at an overally trend, despite simply "taking" the highest score. Am I wrong?

[shmumush]

I find myself in a very similar situation...I too have a 163 and feel as if my range on this last test could be 158/9-166. Are we saying then that schools outside of the T14 take the highest REGARDLESS? For me, I jumped from a dreadful 154 early in 2008 to a 163 in June. Does a 154-163-159/160 really look okay? I tend to think they are going to look at an overally trend, despite simply "taking" the highest score. Am I wrong?

I do think that many 2nd tier schools will take your highest score. Keep in mind that it is in the law school's best interest to have your 163 averaged into their LSAT mean. This score will be calculated in their numbers regardless of whether or not you have other, lower scores. For the higher level schools though, the lower scores will drag you down. They have so many applicants with great scores that they can afford to be nitpicky... just my thoughts. Either way, good luck!

[LogicGamez]

I find myself in a very similar situation...I too have a 163 and feel as if my range on this last test could be 158/9-166. Are we saying then that schools outside of the T14 take the highest REGARDLESS? For me, I jumped from a dreadful 154 early in 2008 to a 163 in June. Does a 154-163-159/160 really look okay? I tend to think they are going to look at an overally trend, despite simply "taking" the highest score. Am I wrong?

Yes all schools outside of HYS want to bump up their 25th and 75th LSAT percentile reported to USNews, because that is the single controllable-factor that weights the most on the rankings. The best way they could do this is obviously to just take the highest LSAT score.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7_xHsce57c

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