Should I take the LSAT in two weeks or wait another year?

[justnicholas]

So I am in quite a predicament. I am signed up for the LSAT on June 6th and I don't plan on doing to hot on it. I have not given it the time it deserves due to the fact I am taking 18 credits right now and the LSAT is the first day of finals week for me (University of Washington).

I also cannot take the October or December ones due to the fact that I am studying abroad in the Netherlands and the closest LSAT center would be 5 hours away.

Should I take a year off and get a better score or should I take it now so I can go to law school when I graduate?

My GPA is around a 3.6, Econ Major at UW (US New's Ranks UW at 41).

[FalconJimmy]

So I am in quite a predicament. I am signed up for the LSAT on June 6th and I don't plan on doing to hot on it. I have not given it the time it deserves due to the fact I am taking 18 credits right now and the LSAT is the first day of finals week for me (University of Washington).

I also cannot take the October or December ones due to the fact that I am studying abroad in the Netherlands and the closest LSAT center would be 5 hours away.

Should I take a year off and get a better score or should I take it now so I can go to law school when I graduate?

My GPA is around a 3.6, Econ Major at UW (US New's Ranks UW at 41).

Depends on where you want to go to school.  If you want to get into the best school you can, you should probably wait until you're better prepared.  If you don't care that much, or you've already identified a not-very-competitive school you'd like to attend, just take the test and go for it.

Are you sure you won't do well? 

[John1990]

Without knowing exactly how well your doing on the lsat or what kind of law school you want ot get into, ill just assume that your not scoring high enough to get into your school of choice.  So i would recomend taking the lsat later, especially since you are going to be busy with finals. 
One option you would have for taking the lsat in october is renting out a motel or staying at a friends house for the night before the test.  It is kind of out there, and might set off your routine a little bit, but my bet is that youl still be able to score in your normal range.

[HYSHopeful]

If you aren't prepared, don't take the LSAT. Even a modest 5 point improvement in your score (eg 156 to 161) is huge in the eyes of law school admissions deans. You don't want to end up performing poorly and retaking the exam in a year anyway because you didn't get into the school that you wanted to get into.

The LSAT isn't a test that you can successfully sit for if you haven't adequately prepped.

BUT... I don't understand why you can't take the October or December LSAT. You'd rather risk underperforming in 2 weeks or wait 12 months to go to law school than spending 10 hours (round-trip) traveling? I think that you should consider reassessing those priorities.

On the other hand, taking a year off isn't a bad thing as long as you do something productive. If you can get a low-level job at a law firm or (w/ an econ background) a financial institution (esp. IBank, VC/PE/HF) or w/ the Fed, Treasury, IRS, etc. The experience will look good on apps and give you some real-world experience to draw from when/if you do attend law school.

[totaltest.milan]

Don't take the test.  For two reasons.

1)  You'll certainly do better with more preparation.  The LSAT's not the kind of test that you can cram for, it's more of a skill test, and like any other skill better performance is a product of time spent practicing. 
2)  There's no reason to go to law school right after college and can in fact be a bad idea.  A typical lawyer has to interact with clients who generally feel more comfortable around people they perceive to be older and more experienced.  Waiting 1 or even 2 - 5 years before going to law school will not be a setback for getting hired and will actually be something in your favor.  Doing something in between college and law school will look good on your application, but it will also give you a better idea of what you want to do with your life/career and my recommendation would be to work at the kind of law firm that you'd most likely work for after graduation and use that to figure out if that's something that sits with you.