June 27, 2016

Who Should Retake the LSAT?

Whether or not you should retake the LSAT is one of the most common questions we receive. Students want to know if they should and how they should approach it differently for the retake. In this post, we will cover who should retake the LSAT and why. Already know you’re going for a retake? Check out this post on how to properly prepare for a retake.

So… Who Should Retake the LSAT?

There are several different scenarios that should almost automatically trigger a retake.

You did worse than you had been practicing on the LSAT.
Next time around you know you can prepare harder or better for the next exam.
Your score isn’t high enough for your target schools.
A good score is already in your cards, but a higher score increases your admissions chances at top schools or to increase your financial aid offers.

Let’s look at each situation in more detail.

You Did Worse Than You’ve Been Practicing

This one is a no-brainer! If you’ve been practicing and receiving higher scores and then don’t do as well on the real thing, definitely retake the LSAT. The LSAT is the single most important factor in your application, law schools only care about the highest score. Make sure you’re smart about it, though. With the current retake limitations, you can’t afford to waste opportunities to improve your score.

You Can Prepare Harder/Better

Even if you did fairly well on the test, if you are certain you can do better, or if you know you could’ve prepared in a better or more comprehensive fashion, then retake the test. As mentioned above, the LSAT is the biggest single piece in your application. If there’s a chance you can increase your score with a little more effort, it’s worth it. Again, be mindful of the retake limitations and really take it seriously this time!

You Need a Higher Score for Target Schools

This one is also easy. If you have your heart set on a certain school or group of schools, and you see your LSAT score is below the median at those schools, you have very little choice but to seriously consider a retake. Yes, you might be a reverse splitter, and some schools are more friendly to reverse splitters than not, but why put yourself automatically into a high-risk category?

You Want to Increase Admissions Chances or Financial Offers

Most people know how a higher LSAT score increases your chances of admission, but not as many realize that a higher LSAT score can help obtain an even better financial aid offer. So, even if you’ve got a score that you think will get you in to a school, a higher score can help entice that school into giving you more money, which lowers your debt upon graduation. Unless you know you scores at your maximum, this factor alone makes it worth considering a retake.

Alicia Mendsey
March 15, 2018 at 4:43am
Thank you for this information. I plan to take the LSAT this summer.

Tayler Berlin
December 17, 2018 at 3:34pm
Hi Dave,
I am having difficulties deciding whether I should apply with my 162 LSAT and 3.9 GPA or retake the LSAT in January. My target school is UT but I am open to other Texas schools (A&M, Tech, Baylor, SMU) so long as I can get some kind of financial offer. I am worried that I am already late in the application process and don’t know that postponing my applications until February to retake the LSAT would be worth the slight chance that I have at boosting my LSAT. For reference, I have only taken the test once but I really want to attend Fall 2019. Do you have any thoughts?

Dave Killoran
December 17, 2018 at 6:10pm
Hi Tayler,
Thanks for the question! I write frequently about this very question, and have spoken to deans and admissions experts about this many times. The evidence is overwhelming that applying later is worth it if you can score even one point higher on the LSAT. This is because the LSAT is used as a numerical comparison and is also used in rankings whereas admissions dates are not. So, if you can use the extra time to score more highly, it’s worth it, without question.
That said, in your current situation, UT is about a 50% shot at admission, and it’s unlikely you’d get any type of financial offer for them. With the other schools, you’d likely get in and get an offer, although I can’t tell what it would be since the data tends to become thinner as we move lower in the rankings.
Your GPA is stellar, so this is all down to your LSAT score. you mention a “slight chance” of raising it, and if you truly believe you can’t raise it, then apply now. But if you think there’s a realistic and good possibility you can raise it even one point (yes, just one :), then it’s worth retaking.
Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!

Tayler Berlin
December 18, 2018 at 4:20pm
Yes, that helps so much! Thank you Dave.

Amy G
December 20, 2018 at 10:32pm
Hi Dave,
I have taken the LSAT 5 times. Unfortunately, my last run was well below my target score. I was hoping you could give me some advice regarding my particular situation.
Here is the breakdown of my LSAT runs:
Sep 2017: 161
Dec 2017: 160
July 2018: Cancel
Sep 2018: 159
Nov 2018: 164
As you can see it’s been a journey. The reason for my retakes is that I have been practice testing a lot higher then what my scores reflect. In July 2018 I canceled as the unexpected circular logic games in Sec1 threw me for a curve for the remainder of the test, in Sep 2018 I had a cold and mistakenly thought I could “power through” the test. November 2018 is more reflective of my abilities nevertheless it is below the median for a substantial portion of the schools I am interested in.
I am considering retaking in June 2019. I know that I can perform better, but at this point, I am not sure how much a higher score will help. I have been practice testing at a 169-173 range.
I am below the median GPA for the T15 schools, I double majored in Biology and Political Science. I am also an URM. I will be applying the next cycle, early in October or Late September.
Any advice you can give me would be much appreciated.
Best,
Amy Gomez

Dave Killoran
December 23, 2018 at 11:43pm
Hi Amy,
Thanks for the message! First, the good news here is that you’ve only taken the LSAT 4 times as far as law schools care. The cancellation doesn’t count, and won’t be held against you.
Second, you should take the test again. A higher score will be the one they use, and given your practice testing history it’s worth a shot. This has been discussed and decided multiple times at this point by admissions experts and deans, and the higher score is always worth a shot!
Last, I know the 5th score worries you, but a few weeks ago we did a seminar with Spivey Consulting and they talked about a student who used their 6th take to get into Columbia and NYU. See https://vimeo.com/301963638 (sorry, I don’t recall when it was, but I think it was Mike telling the story; regardless, the entire seminar is worth a listen given your concerns). The summary point is: if you can get the score, the number of takes won’t matter.
Please let me know if that helps. Thanks!