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3.7 at villanova, 156 on lsat

was looking to go to fordham, unc, wake, bu
any thoughts on my odds? should i retake?

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I usually disagree with the trend of thinking on here, but in this instance, due to your gpa, I agree. Change your study method and RETAKE.

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Thanks for the feedback. Do you say that just based on where they are located?

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Fair enough I do have ties to both ny and nc. bu and bc were added bc I thought they were similar in terms of difficulty to get into to both unc and Fordham. I also would not mind being in Boston area after I graduated.

Anyway, let me ask you this. Low 160s was my target range for the test and I hit around there on my last few PTs. Do you think that would do the trick? Or even just. 160?

Why not aim as high as you can? Your score is seriously limiting you right now, but plenty *of people have gone from a score similar to yours into the mid to upper 160s (and some have gone into the 170s). You need to buckle down, study, and retake. You have a very good GPA that you spent 4 years earning; it would be a shame to waste it.

This analogy would work better in the days of massive rookie contracts but in football terms, you're an all-american with great tape but you've deciding to skate through the combine and content to just be drafted. A guy who's just as good or even noticeably worse than you who shows up to the combine and blows your 40 time away will leapfrog you and cash in because of it - arguably unjustifiably so but the draft/admissions process is a numbers game.

pancakes and hoos-
I hear what your saying and appreciate the feedback. I think my problem is that im trying to be realistic. and I say that bc like most I spent the past few studying for the sept test, and i am now trying to figure out...well, guess really....how many points I could improve in just a month. I understand that some people only do use a month to study for the test and do great the first time. as you can see I needed a few months just to hit mid 150s.

That being said, I will definitely give it hell for the next month. Certainly not gonna give up now haha and see where im at in january. I always figured I should retake, but just wanted to hear what others had to say as well. thanks again.

I'm not sure you should plan on taking it next month. You do not need to attend this cycle. I would suggest holding out until at least the June administration so that you can have sufficient time to study without also killing yourself in the process.

cbennardo wrote:pancakes and hoos-
I hear what your saying and appreciate the feedback. I think my problem is that im trying to be realistic. and I say that bc like most I spent the past few studying for the sept test, and i am now trying to figure out...well, guess really....how many points I could improve in just a month. I understand that some people only do use a month to study for the test and do great the first time. as you can see I needed a few months just to hit mid 150s.

That being said, I will definitely give it hell for the next month. Certainly not gonna give up now haha and see where im at in january. I always figured I should retake, but just wanted to hear what others had to say as well. thanks again.

Key word there... idk what you're reading but the amount of people who barely study for this test and do great is not very high at all (unless to you great is like 163, then maybe) The LSAT is something that takes time, especially if you start with a lower diagnostic. most will say to give at least 3 months of prep, and many more would say to give more than that to get a good score

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cbennardo wrote:pancakes and hoos-
I hear what your saying and appreciate the feedback. I think my problem is that im trying to be realistic. and I say that bc like most I spent the past few studying for the sept test, and i am now trying to figure out...well, guess really....how many points I could improve in just a month. I understand that some people only do use a month to study for the test and do great the first time. as you can see I needed a few months just to hit mid 150s.

That being said, I will definitely give it hell for the next month. Certainly not gonna give up now haha and see where im at in january. I always figured I should retake, but just wanted to hear what others had to say as well. thanks again.

Are you a K-JD? If you are for the love of Buddha take more time to study, get a job and work for awhile before going to law school.

How did you study for those few months?

What's K-JD? I guess my problem is that I'm not really sure how much I can inprove my score. I took 13 PTs and jumped up a lot from my initial score. I was hitting my target range of low 160s and even though that may not be considered great, I think it's good enough to get me into the schools im interested in. I don't think I'm too far off on that but maybe I am? im not totally certain why my sept test did not go as well but I definitely feel that test day jitters got the best of me and I feel like I could hit my target the second time around. Again Maybe I'm totally wrong but personally I'd rather not take a year off

cbennardo wrote:What's K-JD? I guess my problem is that I'm not really sure how much I can inprove my score. I took 13 PTs and jumped up a lot from my initial score. I was hitting my target range of low 160s and even though that may not be considered great, I think it's good enough to get me into the schools im interested in. I don't think I'm too far off on that but maybe I am? im not totally certain why my sept test did not go as well but I definitely feel that test day jitters got the best of me and I feel like I could hit my target the second time around. Again Maybe I'm totally wrong but personally I'd rather not take a year off

yeah, we know, you wouldn't RATHER take a year off, but what is one year when you are making a decision that will have implications far into your future - and quite possibly - the rest of your working life... taking a year off and working would maybe help you to get some perspective.

K-jd = fresh out of school, no WE

Seriously: as much as you may think taking this year off and studying for the LSAT sucks, I can promise you that 1L sucks more. And what sucks even more than that is realizing that you can't get a job as a lawyer from the school you're attending, let alone one that will support the amount of debt you took on, and spending the rest of your life wondering what might have been if you had just taken one extra year before law school to study for the LSAT.


Maybe you won't get your score up, but you owe it to yourself to try. The potential payoff is enormous, and I would posit that if you don't improve your score at least into the mid 160s, you would most likely be better served not attending law school.

cbennardo wrote:What's K-JD? I guess my problem is that I'm not really sure how much I can inprove my score. I took 13 PTs and jumped up a lot from my initial score. I was hitting my target range of low 160s and even though that may not be considered great, I think it's good enough to get me into the schools im interested in. I don't think I'm too far off on that but maybe I am? im not totally certain why my sept test did not go as well but I definitely feel that test day jitters got the best of me and I feel like I could hit my target the second time around. Again Maybe I'm totally wrong but personally I'd rather not take a year off

My years off in between college and law school were awesome. I worked a job I didn't give a fuck about, hung out with friends every weekend, and had money to do stuff I enjoyed. Law school is fucking awful, and I imagine practice is gonna suck too. Enjoy your early-mid twenties not doing awful shit, take a year (or several, or don't go to law school at all and just find something you enjoy) off and study.

Also 13 PTs is far too few. Take a lot more and use LSatqa.com to track what problems you suck at and target those. You have a good GPA, don't wast that shit by rushing into being miserable

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you also never know when you are going to hit the point where you start to really understand the test.

Trust me, you will improve within time....my diag was 145 and it took me 3 months to get out of the mid 150's ....but in one month i went from 156 to 168 and then to consistently getting 01 to -2 on each section

A 156 LSAT is a waste of a 3.7 GPA in every imaginable sense. A score in the mid-160's should be the lowest that anybody with that GPA be willing to settle on, but obviously the higher the better. It's not just a matter of getting into a law school you think you might want to attend. You have to go to a law school with demonstrably strong job placement* at a price worth paying**. Do you know of a law school with strong job placement that would give a considerable scholarship to someone with your numbers?

Personally I can't think of one.

*Visit the website Law School Transparency

**Visit the website Law School Numbers

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sublime wrote:I was a 3.7/166 (not an amazing score by any means) and got a full ride plus at a T20.

TBF, c/o 2016 was kind of an anomaly cycle at WUSTL. That typically wouldn't garner a full ride at a T20.

Why can't you get a job with a 3.7?

Retake the LSAT. Consider taking a review course to learn a consistent approach to LSAT questions.