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Hey guys,

I'm kind of new here and I was wondering whether someone can help answer my questions. I intend to apply to law school for the Fall 2011 cycle. I am currently getting scores in the 149-151 range after about a month of studying with a full time job and I feel that i'm not ready for the Dec 2010 lsat. In the past, I've been absent for two lsats, (the dec 09 and oct 10 lsats) so if I miss the Dec lsat, it will be my third.Do you think its a good idea to take the february lsat and bump up my score by studying for 2 months from now until feb. --Will my chances of getting into law school greatly decrease because Im applying so late in the game? Also, do you think it's a realistic goal to want to get a in the 156/158 range? Basically I wanted to know if its possible to get that 8-9 point increase in two months of studying while working full time?

Lastly, does anyone have any knowledge about how law school admissions assess your absences and cancellations? How negatively do they affect your chances?

I would not recommend taking the test with your current score range. Since you've only been studying for a month it seems likely that you could increase your score further. However, many schools will not even accept February scores, so be sure to do your homework before you make your decision. And even if they do, keep in mind that most schools have rolling admissions and it is generally more difficult to gain acceptance to a school the later in the cycle you apply. Waiting until the deadline to submit will almost always result in a rejection or WL, unless your numbers are outstanding.

This may not be what you want to hear, but I think you would be well served to apply for the 2012 cycle and have time to get your score up. Otherwise there's a very good chance you could wind up at a much lower tiered law school and generally have a much harder time starting your career.

Good luck!

absences are not a very big deal, but do not take the december test. a 149-151 is not going to get you in anywhere above TTTT where you will struggle to find a job that will pay you >50k (unless you have a family connection). planning to get your best score on the day of the test is a bad plan.

oscodasa wrote:I would not recommend taking the test with your current score range. Since you've only been studying for a month it seems likely that you could increase your score further. However, many schools will not even accept February scores, so be sure to do your homework before you make your decision. And even if they do, keep in mind that most schools have rolling admissions and it is generally more difficult to gain acceptance to a school the later in the cycle you apply. Waiting until the deadline to submit will almost always result in a rejection or WL, unless your numbers are outstanding.

This may not be what you want to hear, but I think you would be well served to apply for the 2012 cycle and have time to get your score up. Otherwise there's a very good chance you could wind up at a much lower tiered law school and generally have a much harder time starting your career.

Good luck!

I concur completely.

Edited: And yes, it is completely possible to improve your score by 7-8 points, or even by much more, given enough time. Your chances of admission to good schools will be highest if you wait both because you will improve your LSAT score and because you will be able to apply early in the next cycle, which really does make a big difference.

I'll be able to put in an average of 20+ hours per week and Im pretty motivated so I'm hoping for a significant jump...also, Im applying for sept 2011 so I wont be having an early advantage, its more like a late finish.