When LSAT scores come out, many students are faced with the uncomfortable reality of a possible retake. With that in mind, let's consider two of the most common questions regarding law school admissions. “Should I retake the exam? And if I do, how will law schools interpret my scores?”In order to help you better understand your options, we have researched the policies of LSAC and top law schools. We've also spoken with many admissions … [Read more...]
Retaking the LSAT When You’ve Seen All of the Practice Questions
If you are thinking about retaking the LSAT and you’ve practiced so much that you’ve seen most of the questions (or at least all of the problems of one type, such as Logic Games), what should you do? This can be pretty tricky question, because once you’ve seen a question, you are more likely remember the correct answer, and that takes away the originality, surprise, and challenge of the question. The Teaching Test While I can’t produce a time … [Read more...]
Should You Take the LSAT in February?
Taking the LSAT in February isn’t necessarily ideal. It’s in the dead of winter and East Coast testing centers regularly close for snow! To add insult to injury, LSAC keeps the questions secret even after the fact. The cherry on top? You’re cutting it close with the admissions deadlines for most law schools. But, just because it's often a "last resort" doesn’t make it a terrible option. On the contrary! The February test may be your last and best … [Read more...]
Retaking the LSAT? What to Do Differently to Raise Your Score
Note: we talk in detail about retaking the LSAT on the PowerScore LSAT PodCast, in episodes 2 and 3. Access those episodes here on iTunes. Previously, I covered who should retake the LSAT. In this post, I'm covering how to properly prepare for your retake. First, I'm going to presume that the last time you did a fairly decent job of preparing. That is, you worked through a course or some self-study guides and you took a fair number of practice … [Read more...]
LSAT Podcast Episode 17: The New LSAT Retake Policy
Episode 17 of the podcast features some game-changing news from LSAC concerning their new retake policies, severely restricting the number of times test takers can sit for the LSAT despite it being administered 10 times each year. While this information hasn’t been made public by LSAC yet, we’ve got you covered with a detailed overview of precisely how these repeat limits will affect your prep plans.You can find the episode below, but make … [Read more...]
LSAT PodCast Episode 3: Retaking the LSAT Part II – How to Study
Continuing the retake discussion from Episode 2, Dave and Jon now explore study habits and techniques to help ensure your next attempt is the one that gets it done! They break it all down--from proper mindset (including time off) to identifying and tracking specific strengths and weaknesses to the ideal practice test approach. There’s also an in-depth look at Blind Review and tips for using an incredibly powerful learning tool,“The Teaching … [Read more...]
LSAT PodCast Episode 2: Retaking the LSAT Part I – Pros and Cons
Retaking the LSAT can be a big—and tricky—decision. Fortunately, Jon and Dave are here to help you make the right one. They discuss what it takes to justify a retake, outlining five key scenarios where a retake is the correct call. With that comes talk of rolling admissions and “late” applications, incomplete apps, waitlists, and even scholarships! They wrap up by looking at things from the other side. What might prevent a retake as you weigh the … [Read more...]
Submitting Your Law School Application if You’re Retaking the LSAT
We had an interesting question posed recently that we thought we would share. "When you submit an application to a law school (say, in November), but you are registered to take the test in January (or March), do law schools automatically see that and hold off on making a decision until they receive your score? Or do you have to "remind" them somewhere on the application form?" Heavy on the minds of many applicants is the need to submit … [Read more...]
Should You Take the January LSAT?
The short answer is: Yes, you probably should.True, there are some disadvantages. First, it's administered in the dead of winter and it's nondisclosed. This means that you won't see the test content until after the fact. But consider this: the January test may be your best—and last—chance to get the score you need and still apply for admission in the Fall. Virtually every law school will accept scores from this test as you'll see in our … [Read more...]
LSAT & Law School Admissions Q&A with PowerScore and Spivey Consulting!
We got together with our friends at Spivey Consulting and hosted a special, free webinar for students to do an LSAT and law school admissions Q&A with top experts.Dave Killoran and Jon Denning from PowerScore, plus Mike Spivey, Karen Buttenbaum, and Derek Meeker from Spivey Consulting covered a variety of topics relating to the LSAT and law school application best practices, while also fielding the attendee's individual questions about … [Read more...]
Do Law Schools Average LSAT Scores or Use the High Score?
To prospective law school applicants, few questions are as confusing as whether law schools use the average of all your LSAT scores or just the high score. The confusion exists because law schools will see an average score if you take the LSAT more than once. The all-important US News rankings, on the other hand, use only the high score. To top it off, some schools specifically state they take the high score whereas others talk about an average … [Read more...]
Your LSAT Scores Were Released… Now What?
A natural and somewhat obvious question arises once scores come out: what's next?The answer to that question largely depends on which of two, or possibly three, categories best describes your situation. Let's examine the scenarios below and discuss what might qualify you for each, and the appropriate actions to take moving forward (one of which inspired my picture choice for this post). 1. Retake The disappointing reality for a lot of … [Read more...]
Do Law Schools View Multiple LSAT Attempts as a Negative?
This blog is from special guest, Spivey Consulting Group. One of the most persistent law school admissions myths is the notion that schools consider every LSAT score – or the average score – for individual applicants when assessing their admissions profile. This is a particularly tough myth to counter because it often originates from the carefully crafted semantics law schools themselves use in describing how they view multiple tests. The High … [Read more...]
Considering an LSAT Retake? Here’s What the Experts Say!
Whenever scores release, we consistently get the same question. Should I retake the LSAT? And that's understandable. Some will receive their scores and know immediately that they need another shot. Others are fortunate enough to not have to take the test ever again. But, a large segment of students will be in the middle. The scores are solid, but not slam-dunk and give a chance at target schools, but do not guarantee admission. This leads to a … [Read more...]