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I've done well in college (philosophy/political science major, nominated by my university for the Rhodes/Marshall scholarships), but, disturbingly, scored only a 158 on the June 2008 LSAT when I took it cold two weeks ago. I've been taking a prep course since, but I am nonetheless concerned that I won't be able to elevate my LSAT much higher than a 170--and even that portends to be a challenge.

I had been hoping to be competitive at HLS/YLS...Are those pipedreams unless I can score well into the mid-170s? I don't know many people who have taken the LSAT/are familiar with law school admissions, so I appreciate any wisdom anyone might have. Thank you.

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It's an EXTREMELY learnable test. You seem smart, there's no reason you shouldn't score a 170+ if you put in the time to study.

Pull your head out of your ass and get prepping for the LSAT. Anyone in your situation should go for a 20 point improvement and don't rest till that is the case. Try to resist posting back here till you get an actual LSAT score.

Casey2889 wrote:I've done well in college (philosophy/political science major, nominated by my university for the Rhodes/Marshall scholarships), but, disturbingly, scored only a 158 on the June 2008 LSAT when I took it cold two weeks ago. I've been taking a prep course since, but I am nonetheless concerned that I won't be able to elevate my LSAT much higher than a 170--and even that portends to be a challenge.

I had been hoping to be competitive at HLS/YLS...Are those pipedreams unless I can score well into the mid-170s? I don't know many people who have taken the LSAT/are familiar with law school admissions, so I appreciate any wisdom anyone might have. Thank you.

My diagnostic was a 158. At the time I had a 3.98 GPA. I scored 170+, and you can too.

Study

Harvard and Yale occasionally take 169s with near-4.0's from elite undergrads. Low 170's would make you competitive.

What part of the test is giving you trouble? Many people who have trouble with games eventually break through and put up high scores. I would venture to guess that most people who break 170 start in the low 160's. 158 isn't far off.

It seems to be a matter of patience with the LSAT. I missed 9 of 23 logic game questions on the diagnostic, but after working at it for almost two weeks now, I can tell I'm gradually improving. Reading comp isn't a problem, and LR appears learnable. I should be able to land a 170, though my original 175+ aspirations may be pushing it (but, hopefully, perhaps also superfluous).

Thanks to all for their comments, I genuinely appreciate them.

As an aside, I have heard that Stanford--another program that interested me--is known to emphasize GPAs above LSATs. Any wisdom here?