Pros/Cons of December LSAT vs October LSAT Forum

[lawguy310]

I am in a bit of a dilemma between taking the October LSAT and taking the December LSAT. I am graduating from undergrad in spring 2013 and wish to enter law school in the fall of 2013.


As of right now I have finished reading Powerscore logic games bible and I am working on mastering this section.



What are the pros/cons of taking the December LSAT vs the October one?


I don't want my chances to decrease by taking the December LSAT, but I want to reach up into the 172-175 area.


Any help is appreciated.

[Oscar85]

Cons: It's going to be late in the cycle. Most T14 schools might have already accepted students whose spot would have otherwise been yours.

[bp shinners]

The ONLY benefit to the December exam is the extra time you'll have to study. However, you have plenty of time to study for October. Do that instead.

[JohnV]

I was/am in the same situation as you so maybe I can help some. My analysis so far:

Pros of taking October exam:
- Early Admissions, obviously, which makes your cycle much easier (less chance to be knocked out of the running because there are more spots, and even if you don't make early admissions you still get the same treatment you'd have gotten in the regular cycle)

- Still can take December test if you want/need to. If you feel ready in October you can take it but if you do badly and still really want to make the Class of 2015 you can take your second attempt in December. Some schools do average, some don't say, some claim to place most consideration on the highest score, something you should look at in the schools you want to attend. I believe there are a few post around the forum that have a list of T20 schools and their stated policy in this area.

- You have ample time to study between now and then so the time shouldn't be a huge concern.

- Personal one, but just getting the whole test out of the way, lets you focus on your other study/life. I don't know if you can tell but I'm getting a little burnt out, took a few days off from studying because there was just too much going on and studying with this level of sleep/focus probably wouldn't had been beneficial.

Con:
- However, obviously, a bit less time to study. Should only be considered (the strategy I plan on using) if you are not PTing where you want by early/mid September.
- Less time to get your LORs and PS together, but there is still a good amount of time. I don't have my LORs yet and I haven't started my PS but I'm hoping that soon I can secure my LORs and the 3 weeks between the LSAT test and the EA deadline I will have it all wrapped up.

For me, I work, have class, and a bunch of 'life' stuff going on right now that I can't avoid so it's made studying quite difficult but I'm still shooting for an October exam with the comfort of knowing that I have the option to take in December and, god forbid, postpone law school for a year and take sometime in 2013, but that's probably due more to personal circumstances than anything else.

Hope that insight helps some.

[totaltest.milan]

This may not apply, but is there any particular reason that you want to go to law school straight from college? I always advise potential students (if they're in college) to consider taking a year or two before law school. Neither the school nor future employers will penalize you for being a bit older (on the contrary it can only help) and if you spend the time intelligently (teaching english abroad, volunteering/interning at some place interesting, moving to another part of the country, etc) you can develop positively as a person and as a future lawyer. And of course it'll give you more time to study. Of course, this all depends on your individual circumstances.

That being said, the info in this thread is good and if you've already started studying then, depending on how much time you can devote to it, you should be able to put yourself in a good position to do well in October.

[bbobby12]

There isn't much time in between the two tests so improving a lot would be difficult. The other test dates are spanned out more which makes more sense to retake or wait longer. If you only increase your score by 1, it may be better to just stick with october and get better chance of getting in

[BillsFan9907]

Cons: It's going to be late in the cycle. Most T14 schools might have already accepted students whose spot would have otherwise been yours.

Has anyone ever came up with a reasonably estimated statistical advantage? I'm curious to know if there were some rule of them that translated applying with June or October LSAT scores to LSAT points. I've heard off hand that applying earlier can be viewed as 2 lsat points. Ie: someone with a 176 in December will be treated as if they had a 174.

[cloudhidden]

Just a friendly reminder that almost no schools average.