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I am planning on applying to law school this upcoming fall. I've only taken the LSAT once and scored a 172 in 2019 (pre-flex). The competitiveness of the recent cycles and corresponding LSAT inflation are making me consider another try to improve chances at HYS and money at the rest of the t-14.

Some information on my "softs" - ivy undergrad, president of several on campus organizations, 2 years of work experience at a well known PE fund. Non URM.

Looking forward to any thoughts. I have lofty goals (government, high-end public interest litigation, etc).

Retaking is probably unnecessary unless you’re dead set on Yale or want a full-ride scholarship to a non-HYS top 10 school.

Do you have reason to believe you have a good shot at a better score if you retake? Keep in mind that all scores above 175 are basically viewed as the same.

A 175 or higher appreciably increases your odds at receiving awesome scholarships at CCNPV and admission at HYS. If you are perfectly content with the awesome options you will already have in the rest of the T14 it's not necessary (and may not even be necessary with your current score), but if you are confident that you can improve your score you absolutely should try. With that GPA and the aptitude for the LSAT you have already shown, you shouldn't settle for anything less than a full scholarship at a T14 you're excited about or HYS. This is a numbers game, and you already won the GPA portion. You have nothing to lose, but plenty to gain, and with what I assume to be your goals, HYS seem to be your real targets. The 75th percentile LSAT scores at the schools you most want to attend are what should matter to you now.

Just keep in mind that not all UGPAs are equal. A 3.98 from Brown as an English major will be less impressive to most top law schools addcoms (esp. when they need to split hairs at places like HYS) than, say, a 3.72 from Princeton in economics. I say this not to discourage you, but to help keep expectations in perspective whatever your ultimate LSAT score.

Thanks for all of the helpful responses. I think the key takeaway is that retaking would likely be helpful, and that while I am positioned well I need to temper expectations regarding top outcomes barring a noticeable improvement to the score. Most likely I will apply this cycle, see what outcomes I get, and then consider retaking if I am unhappy

Retake if you have the time and energy to prepare well for the LSAT.

Another option would be to take the GRE if you are considering any other grad schoolprograms.