164 or retake?

[dudel59]

so here's my deal: I have a B.S. and M.S. in an engineering/physics discipline + 4 years experience as an engineer (several published papers, etc).  UGPA was only a 3.1 (with a steady upward trend), and i did well in grad school.  I got a 164 on the June 08 lsat after consistently getting 170+ on timed, realistic conditions practice tests.

1) What schools do I have a good shot at with these numbers and

2) Should I retake in Oct? 

[Go Gators]

I think thess links will help you a great deal.

http://www.ilrg.com/rankings/law/index.php/2/asc/LawSchool

http://www.bc.edu/offices/careers/gradschool/law/lawlocator.html#explanation

 

[Team Awesome]

so here's my deal: I have a B.S. and M.S. in an engineering/physics discipline + 4 years experience as an engineer (several published papers, etc).  UGPA was only a 3.1 (with a steady upward trend), and i did well in grad school.  I got a 164 on the June 08 lsat after consistently getting 170+ on timed, realistic conditions practice tests.

1) What schools do I have a good shot at with these numbers and

2) Should I retake in Oct? 

Why do you think your actual score was so much lower than your prep tests? Before you decide to retest, give some thought to whether you did your best and whether or not you think you could do better if given another chance. 

[betasteve]

so here's my deal: I have a B.S. and M.S. in an engineering/physics discipline + 4 years experience as an engineer (several published papers, etc).  UGPA was only a 3.1 (with a steady upward trend), and i did well in grad school.  I got a 164 on the June 08 lsat after consistently getting 170+ on timed, realistic conditions practice tests.

1) What schools do I have a good shot at with these numbers and

2) Should I retake in Oct? 

Obviously depends on what school you want to attend.  Also, with your background, I'm sure you will appreciate some data.
Based on LSAC's repeater data, at a 164, 168 individuals improved their score, 7 remained the same, and 54 had worse scores.  The average new score is a 166.7 with a STDEV of 4.4.

This information is available at http://members.lsacnet.org/ -> Roll Over Data -> Click on LSAT Repeater Data

[likeitmatters]

in my opinion, retakes aren't really worth the time, unless you HONESTLY think that you can get a waaaaay better score. a lot of schools average your scores, so you really have to consider if its worth all the time and effort of retaking.  164 is a good score, plus you're a non-trad student, with 2 difficult degrees already, which is an obvious plus. 

my recommendation is to look at the schools that you're hoping to get into, see what scores they require, and if they average your lsat scores if you take the test more than once.  if you're still unsure, reach out to an admissions counselor at your choice school and ask for their advice.

either way, good luck!   

[just Trev]

i'm in the same boat with my score (165) and really struggling with the idea of re-studying all over again and trying to retake in oct.  plus, i wanna have all my apps sent in by then, so i do wonder if a couple of extra points won't hurt me by delaying my apps as much as it will help.

[likeitmatters]

if its going to delay your applications, i wouldn't bother with it.  some schools do allow you to submit the rest of your ap, and then will receive your lsat score later. on the other hand, if you decide to do that, the school may not consider your ap as complete.  i'd say you're better off doing your applications as early as possible instead of retaking the test.  your LSAT score is only a small portion of the deciding factor.

[Kasserole]

if its going to delay your applications, i wouldn't bother with it.  some schools do allow you to submit the rest of your ap, and then will receive your lsat score later. on the other hand, if you decide to do that, the school may not consider your ap as complete.  i'd say you're better off doing your applications as early as possible instead of retaking the test.  your LSAT score is only a small portion of the deciding factor.

Actually, the LSAT is not only a small portion of the admissions process.  It is a huge chunk of it.  If you really think that taking the test will improve your score, then you should retake it.  Because of the new ABA policy, most schools are now taking the highest LSAT score.  This doesn't mean you should take it multiple times if your score is reflective of your practice tests, but it does mean if you usually do much better that there is no huge reason to not take it again. 

As far as turning in your application early, you can still have them in by the end of October, which is when a lot of schools start reviewing them, so you won't be too far behind.  In fact, this is still earlier then most people send in their applications.

[likeitmatters]

yes of course your lsat score is important, but i wouldn't say its a huge chunk.  a lot of schools (at least a lot that i applied to) used an index of some kind, usually factoring in your lsat + gpa and then whatever else they feel like tossing in there.  lol 

i wasn't aware of any new ABA policy where schools have to look at your highest score; it wasn't like that when i was applying.  if that's the case, then absolutely go ahead and retest, if you think you can do better!

i don't know if i agree that if you take the lsat in oct, you'll be able to finish your aps by end of oct.  the majority of schools will not consider your application completed until all information is received, which includes your new lsat score.  yes, you could get your results back that fast, but personally, my results took over 8 weeks to get over to me.  small disclaimer- i took the lsat a while ago, when you got your results by mail.  not sure if they still do it this way. 

i do believe very strongly that getting your applications in as early as possible is a great advantage.  that being said, i think as long as you get your aps in before the Dec lsat takers, i think you'll be ok.  personally, i submitted all my aps on the very first day possible, but i'm anal retentive.  lol

[Kasserole]

yes of course your lsat score is important, but i wouldn't say its a huge chunk.  a lot of schools (at least a lot that i applied to) used an index of some kind, usually factoring in your lsat + gpa and then whatever else they feel like tossing in there.  lol 

i wasn't aware of any new ABA policy where schools have to look at your highest score; it wasn't like that when i was applying.  if that's the case, then absolutely go ahead and retest, if you think you can do better!

i don't know if i agree that if you take the lsat in oct, you'll be able to finish your aps by end of oct.  the majority of schools will not consider your application completed until all information is received, which includes your new lsat score.  yes, you could get your results back that fast, but personally, my results took over 8 weeks to get over to me.  small disclaimer- i took the lsat a while ago, when you got your results by mail.  not sure if they still do it this way. 

i do believe very strongly that getting your applications in as early as possible is a great advantage.  that being said, i think as long as you get your aps in before the Dec lsat takers, i think you'll be ok.  personally, i submitted all my aps on the very first day possible, but i'm anal retentive.  lol

WIth the LSAC website, you now get your scores back much faster, in three weeks or less.  So if you get everything ready (application, recommendation, and Personal statement) by the middle of October you can have your applications completed by the end of October (since the October LSAT is in the beginning of the month).