Taking the lsat a 3rd time? Worth it? Forum

[magz571]

So I took the lsat in December 2009, ended up canceling it because I was sick and really didn't feel like I did as well as I could. I took the test again in October and got a 162. I totally bombed the lg section..I usually get everything right on this section so I always count on it to get the score that I want...but i only finished 2 games with confidence...that stupid bike game got me flustered and then i just choked after that and my brain stopped functioning normally. Anyway, I'm trying to figure out if I should take the test again in December..I know I can score higher..but I'm afraid nerves will kick in again. I'm trying to get into Hastings and don't feel too good about applying with a 162 but I'm not sure if it's worth the risk to take the lsat again in December. Do I have a shot at getting into hastings with a 3.4 gpa and 162 lsat? Should I retake it? If I do, I'm shooting for a 167 (without nerves that is...)

[paulshortys10]

i'm pretty much in the same boat as you.

Retake it dude.

My question is how exactly do we approach it this time around?
I've done all the last 40 or so PT's, pretty much twice in the span of a year.

[bc023]

I feel your pain guys. I actually may have it worse than you. I have taken the test twice and scored 157 both times... First time I should have cancelled, but stupidly I decided to see what happened. I was unprepared and everything that could have gone wrong did. Took it in October this year, prepped my ass off. Did about 40 PTs and was scoring 165-167 very consistently. Now I am sitting here wondering if I should go back in and take it again in December. I'd be interested to hear what you guys have in mind... I am thinking of hitting the last few LSATs again and going with that. Taking tests that are 6+ years old was good to do at first, but I almost feel like it put me in the wrong mindset when i got into the more recent tests...

[magz571]

I'm leaning towards re-taking it...a part of me is thinking I might as well try my best to make my application stronger and a higher lsat score might do that (even if it's the 3rd time? =/ idk) but then another part of me is thinking, what if your crazy side takes over again and you go blank again and freak out after seeing one logic game that you can't diagram?!

If I do retake it, I think I'm just going to review all the PT's I've done.

I'm with you, paulshortys10, I've run out of PT's so my only option is just to review them...again.

I also think that older tests are different than the more recent ones..for me, they always seemed harder and I also scored lower on the older tests.

At least we have til halloween to register for the December test..hopefully we can figure it out by then. damn you, lsats, for ruining halloween for us. dammn youu!

[buckythebadger]

i'm pretty much in the same boat as you.

Retake it dude.

My question is how exactly do we approach it this time around?
I've done all the last 40 or so PT's, pretty much twice in the span of a year.

It kind of depends on memory ability. I consider myself to have an above average memory, but when I took PT's for the 2nd time around I didn't necessarily remember the question. Obviously there were some questions/games/passages that I remembered, but I chose the answer just because thats what I thought I did before. With 64 PT's, thats thousands of LR questions to remember specifically how you came up with your answer. As long as your making yourself go through the thought process of figuring the problem out, I would say that is beneficial.

For the October exam, I redid many of the PT's and there was about 3-4 that I had never taken. I spread those untaken ones out through my study period and the scores of the untaken ones were very similiar to the ones that I had previously taken.

[magz571]

so i decided not to take the December lsat!! I'm kind of taking a risk and seeing if I can get into the schools I want to with my numbers..and if not, I'll take it again next year and apply then. good decision? I'll find out in about 7 months... =/ good luck to you guys! I think as long as you review and shake off the nerves, you'll do just fine.. i mean, we know the test in and out you got this.

[hobojarpen]

I took the LSAT three times.. and honestly, unless your PT score was hovering around the low 160s even though you studied forever, you can definitely increase it to 167+. Like you the December 2009 was my first exam, but first time jitters killed me and I ended up scoring a 160. I tried studying again to retake it in December 2010, but the problem was I was working full time as a legal clerk.. the stress caught up with me and my December 2010 score was a 155. Following that, I quit my job shortly thereafter, moved back home, used the money I saved to enroll in Blueprint, studied hard and efficiently for 2-3 months, and I broke 170 on the October 2011 exam. How you decide to forge ahead is up to you, but you can definitely make big improvements if you put in the right time and effort.

[learntolift]

just took it for 3rd time in october. nailed a 177

[bartleby]

so i decided not to take the December lsat!! I'm kind of taking a risk and seeing if I can get into the schools I want to with my numbers..and if not, I'll take it again next year and apply then. good decision? I'll find out in about 7 months... =/ good luck to you guys! I think as long as you review and shake off the nerves, you'll do just fine.. i mean, we know the test in and out you got this.

Sorry, sign up if you can right now and take it a third time. 3.4 / 162 schools aren't going to care if you got a 150 on your third try (addendum: migraine headache, spitting up blood the night before)

For us stupid people, so much of LSAT is luck and a 3 point increase could result in...100k in savings? Think about that. I'm a huge proponent of retaking the LSAT as many times as you can before they did that LSAT re-take petition ban thing because it really is true: schools care about #'s.

I took the LSAT 5 times. I've said I only took it 4 times because I didn't want to out myself to the schools but at this point I don't really care. I scored a 160 on my first try, canceled my second try, a 163 on my third try, 165 on my third try, and when I honestly did not give a fuck and already got into 3 schools, I retook it again for shits and got a 174 (I was going to cancel too, cause I felt like I bombed it).

I don't say this to brag but to tell people that NOT retaking the LSAT when you have the option to is like throwing away a line that is $200 to pay out $100,000 in Las Vegas. Don't stress the fuck out and study balls to the walls for 8 hours a day for the next month. Just relax and review a week or two before.

Now, to really out myself, LSAT score is straight up cash money. When I applied with the 163, the school low balled me with a $2,500 a year scholarship ($28k for tuition per year). When I got a 165 that gave me a negotiation $10,000 a year put $5,000. In the last hour, with the 174, they bumped it to full for the first year and < 3k for the last two years.

Could I have sat out and waited for a possible shot at the T14 title if I waited a year? I probably should have done that and am writing this huge fucking Charlie Sheen post because I feel that way right now. Law school is so freakin' hard. The LSAT was a joke compared to this bullshit.

Retake that motherfucker.

[filomarbola]

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[bartleby]

Sorry, I only speak for lesser schools. Non-T14 schools. I don't know how elite schools will view 5 retakes or a substantially lower score.

[filomarbola]

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