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That's an enormous gulf between PT and game day scores. What happens to you on test day?

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jettison63 wrote:It is!

First test, my parents divorce became official the day before
Second test, [sounds ridiculous] but I totally bombed LG even though I usually do pretty well. The desks were so tiny I had to constantly flip back and forth between my set up and the questions.

sounds like a test center change may help

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NA=Native American?

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jettison63 wrote:Thanks! Yes, it might.

But I am curious as to what people think regarding my current chances with my current stats, etc.

who cares what your current chances are when you are objectively not optimizing your chances at reduced debt, elite schools, and their job placement?

Browse the TLS LSAT guides and think seriously about your test day drops (seems like you just need a better LG approach/setting mostly, not a hard fix at all).

Drill, baby drill.

Then retake --> profit.

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You sound like a pretty smart person with great softs, and a URM to boot. Don't let the nagging, irrational "yeah but still" mantra ringing in the back of your head cost you Harvard and/or T14 full rides. If you get into a T14 with little-to-no scholarship money, the loss-avoidance part of your brain (irrational yet completely human) kicks in and you'll be even more committed/likely to follow through instead of doing it right and maxing out your LSAT.

Also, as for your softs - Masters degree, UN work experience, grandiose LORs - they get marginalized in the admissions process because the rankings are such a numbers game - even for the T14. They are very good softs but their value won't be realized until after you get into a school and are interviewing.

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jettison63 wrote: Thanks! Yes I will probably be doing that. Just wanted to apply earlier and see how the cycle went and was curious about insight into that. I also have no idea how compelling my softs are. Are they typical of every other applicant? I have no idea. Does everyone apply with an equivalent to those LORs? And how helpful are they anyway?

If it is true (which I'm sure it is) that numbers are above everything, your cycle will go very disappointingly. I applied last cycle with similar numbers and, needless to say, I wasn't very thrilled (acceptances to mid-lower T1 schools mostly). I retook in June and decided to sit out for a year when my score improved. Now I'm applying to T14 and expecting acceptances (likely gonna retake again for higher chances and $$). I'd suggest doing the same especially since your PTs are going really well and not even bothering to apply until you use up your retakes/hit your PT avg/convince yourself you can't score higher on the real thing (which you can).

jettison63 wrote: Thanks! Yes I will probably be doing that. Just wanted to apply earlier and see how the cycle went and was curious about insight into that. I also have no idea how compelling my softs are. Are they typical of every other applicant? I have no idea. Does everyone apply with an equivalent to those LORs? And how helpful are they anyway?

Ideally, take your time and nail this 3rd LSAT attempt and then focus on the 2016 app cycle. If you can commit to that, feel free to apply and see what happens this cycle experimentally. My fear is that you will be too tempted by options you may think are great but aren't if you do this though.

IMO: Your softs are above the "typical" for T14 students, but not atypical for HYS and a few more of the T14. That matters to an very small extent. There will be very little tangible boost in all likelihood, even if a professor was really impressed by you and you have had some broad experiences and admirable efforts.

On the other hand, NA status is a large boost. I wouldn't waste that if I were you. There are practically no NA applicants with 170+ or even 165+. If you put in the time and match your real LSAT with your potential from practice testing, you'll be killing the game. A 10 pt drop is unacceptable IMO. Try again, and you'll likely be able to pull off a more "normal" game day drop of 2-3 pts below PT avg. LG especially is the easiest one to flub up on so I totally understand your struggle that day, but don't let that change your life long term. Just retake.

Hell, if it's possible to sign up for October still and you feel sharp (PTs in that high range) then maybe you should retake in October. It'd be better than not retaking at all or being overly tempted by this cycle. I wouldn't recommend this generally, but like I said, better than some of the more common pitfalls I just mentioned.

Take a strictly timed PT this weekend and see where you're at. If you're in the 170s, you probably get the material enough to focus just on drilling/PTing your way into a better real score, which can be done in 4 weeks time.


Edit: scooped / agreed with pancakes3 in full

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pancakes3 wrote:You sound like a pretty smart person with great softs, and a URM to boot. Don't let the nagging, irrational "yeah but still" mantra ringing in the back of your head cost you Harvard and/or T14 full rides. If you get into a T14 with little-to-no scholarship money, the loss-avoidance part of your brain (irrational yet completely human) kicks in and you'll be even more committed/likely to follow through instead of doing it right and maxing out your LSAT.

Also, as for your softs - Masters degree, UN work experience, grandiose LORs - they get marginalized in the admissions process because the rankings are such a numbers game - even for the T14. They are very good softs but their value won't be realized until after you get into a school and are interviewing.

This is true for the most part, however, Y and S might care more about softs because they are so selective ( only 255 acceptances at Y each year).....not sure however if a NA boost can overcome a 3.5