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Hey,

I preface this by saying answers may be hard to give considering I have no firm LSAT exam date in mind other than after I finish undergrad would be the earliest ( I graduate in December).

For the purpose of this I am considering taking one of the 2016 LSAT's ( June, Oct, or Dec) for Fall 2017 admissions

My two thoughts are.

1. With a current 3.5-3.6 GPA I should focus first on school since GPA is a one time thing- once you cross the stage it locks in- However with the LSAT you can take it as many times as needed and highest only counts....( I can graduate in the 3.6-3.7 range)

2. However, while the points in #! are valid.....I am somewhat taking a leap of faith in my LSAT score by postponing LSAT to work on GPA.....Since I would need a 170+ LSAT for there to be any tangible difference between a 3.5-3.6 range and in the 3.6-3.7 range ( with a 169 LSAT or below, the GPA differential would hardly matter, as the outcomes would be virtually the same)



i used to be very good at the LSAT PTing in the 168-172 range ....( I focused more so on individual PT sections instead of full tests when i prepped in Summer 2014, although I did take some full lengths.....my scores were consistently -2 in each section which makes me feel I could possibly pull off a 170)

The answer is clear to me, wait until you finish your last UG finals and stuff. You've got plenty of time after that for LSAT prep since you're applying next cycle. That gives you up to a year in case you end up needing to take the Dec. 2016 LSAT, plus your score range is already close to your target so you won't be starting from scratch or with a really big climb ahead.

Maximize GPA and finish UG, then re-start LSAT prep.

Yeah, +1. Focus on your GPA until you can't impact that anymore. If you start in January 2016 you should have plenty of time to get ready for the June LSAT, and even more time to get ready for a September retake and apply on time in the fall should you need it. You really don't need a whole year to study for the LSAT, especially since you've got the basics down. Taking another class over the summer to try to bring up that GPA a bit more would probably be a better use of your time.