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Hey all,

I am debating whether to take the LSAT again in December. I scored a 173 in October and while I know that's a solid score, I was a bit disappointed with it. I was scoring 175+ on most of my PTs. I'm hoping to go to YHS or a top 10 school with a full ride, so I feel like a higher score might be helpful especially considering my relatively low GPA. I'm also worried about scoring lower on a retake- I've heard that it won't matter to schools if I do since they're mostly concerned with the highest LSAT score they can report for rankings purposes, but it still seems like I might do myself a disservice if I get a similar or lower score.

FWIW, I am AA and I have a 3.5X GPA from a top 10 UG. I have taken the LSAT 3 times now (but two of the times were 3 years ago, so I'm not at my limit). My other scores were in the 160s.

Given my goals and the rest of my profile, should I retake?

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dosto5 wrote:Are you applying this cycle?

Yeah, I am.

Personally, I'd sign up and go back to studying. If you feel confident as the test gets closer that you can score higher, retake. If not, I'm not sure that I would.

teampeeta wrote:Hey all,

I am debating whether to take the LSAT again in December. I scored a 173 in October and while I know that's a solid score, I was a bit disappointed with it. I was scoring 175+ on most of my PTs. I'm hoping to go to YHS or a top 10 school with a full ride, so I feel like a higher score might be helpful especially considering my relatively low GPA. I'm also worried about scoring lower on a retake- I've heard that it won't matter to schools if I do since they're mostly concerned with the highest LSAT score they can report for rankings purposes, but it still seems like I might do myself a disservice if I get a similar or lower score.

FWIW, I am AA and I have a 3.5X GPA from a top 10 UG. I have taken the LSAT 3 times now (but two of the times were 3 years ago, so I'm not at my limit). My other scores were in the 160s.

Given my goals and the rest of my profile, should I retake?

For an AA, isn't this an insanely rare LSAT? If so, I don't see the real need to increase your LSAT, because if anything were to hold you back, it would be your GPA. That being said, I'd imagine you'll get H.

SteelPenguin wrote: For an AA, isn't this an insanely rare LSAT? If so, I don't see the real need to increase your LSAT, because if anything were to hold you back, it would be your GPA. That being said, I'd imagine you'll get H.

Yes, that 173 prbly makes OP the highest scoring AA in the country this cycle. OP please take a look at this thread: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 4&t=195443

Also, OP if you feel like you can score even higher, then feel free to retake but I would argue there is no need to.

Dr.Zer0 wrote:Yes, that 173 prbly makes OP the highest scoring AA in the country this cycle. OP please take a look at this thread: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=195443

Also, OP if you feel like you can score even higher, then feel free to retake but I would argue there is no need to.

Whoa. Thanks for that info. I was fretting because I didn't quite get my PT average/ above the median for H and Y, but maybe I'll be okay for H in spite of that?

SteelPenguin wrote:For an AA, isn't this an insanely rare LSAT? If so, I don't see the real need to increase your LSAT, because if anything were to hold you back, it would be your GPA. That being said, I'd imagine you'll get H.

You make a good point about my GPA being what holds me back. I guess I figured that if I got 175+, schools might be willing to forgive the 3.5X. A glance at LSN seems to disprove that theory for Y, though.

Can anyone on here make a strong case for a retake? Do you think I'd do significantly better admissions-wise with a 176+? Will it make a difference if I have to wait until January to apply?

Two days ago, I was pretty gung-ho about making a final date with LSAC on December 7th, but now I'm thinking that might not be the best use of time. I can't pretend I don't love the idea of getting an exceptionally high score (A 177-180 is FLY- maybe it's just my vanity or my perfectionism talking), but expending time on the LSAT this month and getting a similar or worse score and not applying til Jan seems like bad news bears.

Thoughts?

You're probably in at H and S and no one can tell you if you're in at Y. Most top 10 schools are going to throw ridiculous cash at you.

If you think you can improve even by 2 points, then go ahead--most AAs tend not to hear back until later anyway. I'm not sure anyone is going to say anything that will convince you to retake--you're probably already a top 10-scoring AA.

I would retake. You don't have anything to lose except for the LSAT fee and even though I doubt it would significantly affect your cycle it could make a small difference and it might be a deal breaker at YS. A 175+ also could mean increased scholarship at CCN. It's certainly not worth delaying your cycle by a year or anything drastic but you might as well continue to casually study and PT and hope you get luckier in December. Just don't go crazy studying and sacrifice time on your PS and DS.