By now, all applicants who took the October LSAT should have received their scores. Inevitably, some applicants who receive their LSAT scores and who are planning on applying this cycle will consider retaking the test in December.
This week, I’ll address the questions of whether to retake the LSAT and how to prepare for the December test if you do decide to retake, with a focus on advice for those applying during this admissions cycle.
[Understand how law schools evaluate LSAT scores.]
1. Should I retake the LSAT in December? Most people who take the October LSAT plan on using that score to apply to law schools during that admissions cycle, that is, for admission the following August or September. A common question surrounding the October LSAT, therefore, is whether the advantage of applying early in the admissions cycle outweighs a possible LSAT score increase in December.
The answer to that question is simply that even a three-point score increase will make up for the delay in submitting your applications. If you believe that you can increase your score by even a few points, you should strongly consider retaking the test in December.
The question then becomes whether one can realistically expect to improve at least three points on the December exam.
Those who scored more than three or four points lower on the actual exam than they did on the most recent practice tests they took should plan on retaking the test in December. In this situation, the October test is not an accurate representation of ability on the LSAT, and you should expect to score closer to your average score on a subsequent test.
[Know how to manage a drop in your LSAT score.]
The combination of underperformance and the potential to improve on the LSAT in the next several weeks means that retaking is the best option. Those whose preparation was incomplete should also retake the test as they will likely be able to improve their score with additional preparation.
Those who felt fully prepared for the October test and scored within three points of their most recent practice tests, however, should consider applying soon with their October score. Complete preparation and a real test score within a few points of recent practice tests is usually an indication that one shouldn’t expect to improve more than a couple of points on a subsequent test.
2. If I retake the LSAT, how should I prepare? Part of the difficulty of retaking the LSAT in December is that there are only approximately six weeks between the release of October scores and the December test date, leaving relatively little time to comprehensively prepare for the test.
On the other hand, people who have prepared for and taken the October test are not starting from scratch, and six weeks is generally enough time to get back into practice and address additional problem areas before the December exam.
[Know how to study effectively when retaking the LSAT.]
The first step in planning a preparation strategy for December is to evaluate what you did for the October exam and how you might improve your preparation. Some people take the LSAT with the knowledge that they were not as prepared as they could have been, either because they started their preparation late or because they didn’t avail themselves of all the resources they needed to prepare completely.
For those who prepared for the October test primarily by doing individual practice problems or groups of practice problems, the best preparation plan is to take many full, timed practice tests.
Retakers who have taken many full, timed practice tests are often reluctant to retake practice tests on the basis that they will remember the questions or bec ause they think that re -answering the same questions will be less beneficial to them. This is usually not the case, and retaking the most recent tests will still be the best form of preparation.
Are you retaking the LSAT? Let me know in an email or tweet me @stratusprep.
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Decide if Your October LSAT Score Is Too Low originally appeared on usnews.com
