LSAT and Law School Admissions Forum

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General questions relating to law school or law school admissions.
 rhjones2691
  • Posts: 17
  • Joined: Feb 07, 2018
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#49485
Hello,

I am trying to decide whether I should retake the LSAT or continue to the application process with the score I have. I have looked at the LSAC percentage calculator and Law School Numbers with my credentials, and I am trying to get a better indicator of my chances, since both of those resources are probably accurate to some greater or lesser extent. I have an undergraduate GPA of 3.86 in Mechanical Engineering and a (best) LSAT score of 167. I am both pleased and a little disappointed with this score, as it is a good score, but it was on the lower end of my recent preptest range (consistently 167-172 with a June 2018 exam low outlier). Based on my current numbers alone, I believe I would be a competitive candidate at some T14 schools, but certainly, further up the rankings, things would become more difficult. I would ideally be targeting somewhere like The University of Michigan, UC-Berkeley, Northwestern, etc. (GPA at or slightly above 75th percentile with LSAT at or slightly below median) where my LSAT and GPA fall into line in accordance with some of the admitted class. What do you think the likelihood of acceptance based on my current scores? Am I correct in targeting those schools, or am I being too optimistic? I am willing to retake the LSAT to try to increase my score, but, if I am being honest, I am pretty burnt out and my work schedule is not looking conducive for studying in preparation for the September LSAT due to a fair amount of work travel scheduled. Thank you in advance for the help! Your prep materials are fantastic, and I am thankful to be in a pretty good position with my LSAT score coming around to be competitive with my GPA.
 Adam Tyson
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 5153
  • Joined: Apr 14, 2011
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#49659
Congratulations on your improvement so far, rhjones2691!

While those online calculators are good and fairly accurate, they only reflect likelihood, and they do not take into account the special circumstances of your particular application. Your Letters of Recommendation, your Personal Statement, and other factors will matter too. Even the fact that you come from an Engineering background will make you stand out some from the typical liberal arts applicant. The numbers are not decisive!

That said, better numbers mean better chances, and if you have the ability to score higher, you should try. Registration for September is already closed, so if you aren't registered for it you'll need to set your sights on November, which is still plenty early in the cycle. Even if you are registered for September, if you won't be ready for it then you should probably not take it, and you certainly don't want to burn yourself out. Perhaps resume your studies at a moderate pace, bringing your PT scores back up to and a little above where you were before, ramping things up as you get into mid-October with lots of practice tests and blind review. A higher score will absolutely help, and your targets are ambitious but reachable.

My advice is to retake. It can't hurt, and it can help. Just be sure not to overdo it and exhaust yourself. Good luck, keep us posted!
 rhjones2691
  • Posts: 17
  • Joined: Feb 07, 2018
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#49775
Hello,

Thank you for the reply, Adam! I have decided to sign up for the November LSAT. However, I have decided to take some time off before returning to study. I have read the blog post about how taking breaks could help with LSAT scoring, and, given my schedule and burnout issues, I think the break could help. I am planning on returning to studying in late September or early October. Do you think this is appropriate, or should I resume study earlier? I realize the answer to this question likely depends on personal preference and capabilities, but, since this is a new situation for me, I figure I could use the advice. Thanks!
 Adam Tyson
PowerScore Staff
  • PowerScore Staff
  • Posts: 5153
  • Joined: Apr 14, 2011
|
#49857
A break is good, but a long break is not, as you may get pretty rusty in that time and have to fight your way back to where you already are now before you make any improvements. A short break - a few days, a week - is good to rest and recover, and if you were taking the test again in March I might say a month off is okay, but I think that's too long a break right now if you are taking the test again in November.

You're coming up on a week off since your post, maybe longer than that if you had already set things aside before you asked. It's about time to start getting back into it, doing at least a little every day with maybe a day off every 10 days or so. You don't have to start putting in 8 hour days (and in fact I would never recommend putting in that many hours in a day), but at least do a game or two, some untimed RC perhaps, maybe bone up on certain LR question types. Retake a test you took a while back. Read the articles in our blog. Get your head back into the LSAT game and start preparing to move forward from where you were before. Rest is good, but you also need to stay on top of your game and in shape.

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