Should I take LSAT again after scoring 167?

[stuckinmylife]

I scored 167 in December.  It was better than I expected because when took LSAT back in June 05 I only scored 161.  I got 167 only after one month of full time preparation.  I did not do any prep work since my 05 test until about one month before the test.  This score will definitely get into the school that I was planning to apply in the first place.  But I'm a greedy person.  Annoying thing is that my GPA is 3.87.  LSAT 167 and GPA 3.87 are putting me in "reach" of many schools with single digit rankings.  Should I take it again and try to go for 170+ in June '11 so I can have a definite shot of the top 10?

[Thane Messinger]

I scored 167 in December.  It was better than I expected because when took LSAT back in June 05 I only scored 161.  I got 167 only after one month of full time preparation.  I did not do any prep work since my 05 test until about one month before the test.  This score will definitely get into the school that I was planning to apply in the first place.  But I'm a greedy person.  Annoying thing is that my GPA is 3.87.  LSAT 167 and GPA 3.87 are putting me in "reach" of many schools with single digit rankings.  Should I take it again and try to go for 170+ in June '11 so I can have a definite shot of the top 10?

Dear Stuck -

Greed isn't quite the main ingredient.  What would you like to do to unstick your life?  (i.e., are you prepared to spend three months studying full time, which is pretty much one-third what you'll need to do to compete at a top law school?)  And, perhaps more importantly, what are you looking for after law school?

Thane.

[haus]

...Should I take it again and try to go for 170+ ...

What were you trying for the first time?

What is the trade off worth?

I suspect with your scores you could likely receive reasonable offers at many fine schools across the country, and be in a 1L class in the Fall. You can of course double down and study really hard trying to get a better score on the LSAT. Perhaps you will get a 170+, and change the list of schools that will send you invites for the '12 school year, or maybe a shot at larger merit scholarships at schools that would have gained admissions to anyway. On the other hand,  you may have a bad day at the testing center, your studies may simply not manage to get you over the hump and into the rarefied air of a 170+.

Do you have plans on what to do with a year of your life should you take the gamble and go for a higher score? Try to imagine yourself a decade from now, how do you think you would view this theoretical year if you got the score you would like. How do you think you would feel about the year if you did not get the score?

[if it pleases the court]

If you are asking me, I would take it again. I took the LSAT four times. I cancelled my scores until I had time to do a standard LSAT prep class. My base was 144. I got it all the way up to a 153 in a few weeks. If I had scored a 167 on the LSAT, or had scored a 160 or more on a practice LSAT, then, I would have done the Kaplan LSAT summer intensive in Boston, and tried to earn a perfect score.

[stuckinmylife]

Right now I'm applying to schools with my current stats.  I will start fall '11 semester if I get into the school that I was originally applying to in the first place accepts me.  I really don't see myself waiting for another year.  Thanks for all the thoughtful comments. 

[Graeme]

Does your school accept highest score, or average LSAT?  If it's highest score, it wouldn't be a bad idea to write again in February.  That way, if you get a higher score you get a better chance at admission/scholarship.  If you get a lower score, you've lost nothing but prep time.  You wouldn't have to prep too hard, since you already have a pretty good score to go on.