Top Law Schools

I took the LSAT in September 2017 and scored a 163. I knew that I could do way better, so I definitely wanted to retake. At the time, I had a terribly mislead boyfriend in law school (who did not study for the LSAT at all) and my parents didn't understand that you can take time off between UG and law school and it's actually an advantage, so I was sort of pressured into retaking in December. I got a 166, which I was happy about and was closer to my PT average. I used myLSN to show my parents that waiting a year would benefit admissions and scholarships, so they got on board, and I'd ditched the boyfriend. I'm confident now that I can take about two years off before law school, work, and probably study for the LSAT again.

My first question is with my current stats of 166/3.84, would retaking be worth it for the lower t14 (I don't know why I'm even asking I know what you're all going to say)? I plan to stay on the East Coast, so I'd be looking at Penn, maybe UVA, Duke, Cornell, Georgetown, and I'm not against Northwestern either.

Second, I felt like my fundamentals were shaky the first time around. I went through PowerScore, and I felt like especially for LR, the way they explained things just did not do much for me. What materials would you recommend? I'd plan to spend roughly about 6 months studying for this next take, probably starting in May after I graduate.

Yes, you should definitely retake. What was your PT average going into December?

I used PS and thought it did a good job. I'd either reread the PS books, do the 7Sage course, or get the Trainer. All seem to be helpful, but I can only speak to PowerScore's LR material.

genericapplicant2017 wrote:Yes, you should definitely retake. What was your PT average going into December?

I used PS and thought it did a good job. I'd either reread the PS books, do the 7Sage course, or get the Trainer. All seem to be helpful, but I can only speak to PowerScore's LR material.

It was honestly all over the place. My average was a 169, but it ranged from 165-176, 176 being an outlier, I think two 170s, most between 165 and 169, so I knew there were certain parts of the test I hadn't nailed down yet. I think I learned more about LR from doing, so anything with more examples would be helpful for me.

peege wrote:

genericapplicant2017 wrote:Yes, you should definitely retake. What was your PT average going into December?

I used PS and thought it did a good job. I'd either reread the PS books, do the 7Sage course, or get the Trainer. All seem to be helpful, but I can only speak to PowerScore's LR material.

It was honestly all over the place. My average was a 169, but it ranged from 165-176, 176 being an outlier, I think two 170s, most between 165 and 169, so I knew there were certain parts of the test I hadn't nailed down yet. I think I learned more about LR from doing, so anything with more examples would be helpful for me.

I can't speak to the quality of non-PS materials, but there are quite a few threads on this site where you can read about others' experiences with materials like the LSAT trainer, Manhattan LR book, 7Sage, etc. I recommend perusing a bit and seeing what others have to say before deciding on what you think will suit your style of learning.

That being said, the retake advice still stands. If you scored a 176 on a test (or even some 170s), there is no reason to settle for a 166. You don't want to settle before you even embark on your career, so it is worth it to do as well as you can on this test to set yourself up for the best law school options (and therefore, career options) possible.

Good luck!