For those who took the December LSAT and are planning to submit law school applications this cycle, the next two weeks are filled with uncertainty. When scores come out in the first week of January, many applicants will happily apply with their December scores, while others will feel that they can improve on their scores and might consider retaking the LSAT in February.
December LSAT takers face two challenges: registration for the February LSAT closes before December scores are released and law schools vary greatly in their treatment of February LSAT scores.
[Weigh retaking the LSAT in February, applying with a low December score.]
The first challenge is relatively straightforward to overcome: Register for the February LSAT by Dec. 21 at the regular registration fee of $180. If your December score meets or exceeds expectations, cancel registration and receive $50 back.
Taking this route is the equivalent of taking out a $130 insurance policy on your December LSAT score — the alternative of waiting to retake the LSAT in June means waiting another year to apply.
Navigating law schools’ policies regarding the February LSAT, on the other hand, is a more complicated challenge. Law schools generally fall into three camps: those that don’t accept the February LSAT for admission in the fall, those that accept February LSAT scores only when the applicant petitions to have this score considered and those with application deadlines late enough that the February LSAT is accepted.
Let’s look more closely at each of these categories and the policies of a few schools that fall within each.
[Decide if you should take the February LSAT.]
1. No February LSAT for fall admission: Very few schools categorically refuse to accept applications with a February LSAT score , though the University of California– Berkeley is among them.
Many schools, however, particularly those in the top 14, accept February scores with the caveat that applicants who wish to have their February scores considered will not be guaranteed full consideration by the admissions committee because the release of February scores is so far past their deadlines. Law schools that follow this policy include Harvard University, and the University of Michigan–Ann Arbor , for example.
2. By petition only: Columbia University and Stanford University both will consider a February LSAT score, but only if they approve an applicant’s written petition requesting that they do so.
Columbia is generally liberal in granting such requests, but those requests must be approved by Jan. . As such, 2017 applicants should submit petitions as soon as possible.
[Get answers about common February LSAT concerns.]
Stanford is much more conservative in granting such requests. The school review s petitions on a case-by-case basis and look s for significant hardship that prevented the applicant from taking the December LSAT. Such hardship includes significant illness or the death of a loved one.
Note that applications to schools in both of the above categories must be submitted by the applicable deadline, even if the deadline is before the February LSAT administration or before the February LSAT scores are released. Some schools require separate written confirmation that the applicant is registered for the February exam. Others have a place in the application that allows the applicant to report a plan to take the February LSAT. Still others will automatically hold review of an application if the applicant is registered for the February LSAT.
3. February LSAT accepted: Most schools, particularly those outside the top tier, accept the February LSAT without petition and without it creating a significant disadvantage to the applicant. In general, the earlier the application deadline, the more of a disadvantage submitting a February LSAT score will create.
Keep in mind that, as with many aspects of the law school admissions process, each school’s policies are a bit different. If you are planning to take the February LSAT, make sure to check the deadline for each school you are planning to apply to.
If any school has a deadline before March 2 — the day the Law School Admission Council plans to release February LSAT scores via email — make sure you know that school’s policy regarding the February LSAT and take any steps necessary to ensure that your application is submitted on time and will be reviewed with your February score.
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