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What score should I aim for (re-take)?


pink222

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pink222
  • Applicant

I will be re-taking the LSAT this August and would really appreciate it if anyone has any insight as to what score I should aim for. I took it last fall and got a 162 which I cancelled with first time score preview. 

I will be applying next cycle as a third-year applicant and UBC and UofT are my dream schools (as they are for many) but I'd also be happy with UofA. For reference, my GPA is at a 3.84(OLSAS), 85.6(UBC), and 3.9(UofA).

I know third-year acceptances are already super rare but I figured I would give it my best shot and I'll always have the score for 4th year. I was averaging around a 169ish so I'm hoping I can translate that into some results with another few months of studying. Does anyone have any advice for what I should be aiming for to be considered even remotely competitive for next year? I'll appreciate anything! Thanks!

Edited by pink222
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Busta
  • Law Student

Aim for 180 mate. 

As a side note, I was accepted to UofA with a 163 and 84% average as a 3rd year applicant. 

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pink222
  • Applicant
15 minutes ago, Ramesses said:

Why aim for a specific score? Just give it your all and accept the score you get. 

Sorry I think I could have worded it better. I'm mostly just looking for some insight into what score would be competitive given my situation. But, I take your point. Thanks! 

 

13 minutes ago, Busta said:

Aim for 180 mate. 

As a side note, I was accepted to UofA with a 163 and 84% average as a 3rd year applicant. 

Haha I will! And that's great to hear, gives me hope!!

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Byzantine
  • Law Student

Your GPA is better than mine and I got into UBC with a 167 (as a 4th year applicant) 

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pink222
  • Applicant
18 hours ago, Byzantine said:

Your GPA is better than mine and I got into UBC with a 167 (as a 4th year applicant) 

That's amazing! Congrats and thanks for the reply!

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luckycharm

why did you cancel your 162? My highest score was 161.

By the way, I would aim for 181 (not typo)and nothing less

Edited by luckycharm
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pink222
  • Applicant
On 5/14/2022 at 10:56 AM, luckycharm said:

why did you cancel your 162? My highest score was 161.

By the way, I would aim for 181 (not typo)and nothing less

Personally, I cancelled it for peace of mind. I called a bunch of admissions and they said they entirely ignore a cancelled score and because I knew I was definitely re-writing, I liked that idea. I know they only look at your highest score but this just gave me ease. I was also fairly confident I could get a higher score with some more studying because I was consistently scoring just below 170 in my PTs. Also, even if I got the same (or god forbid, lower) score the second time around, I would re-write it again a third time to have a shot for my dream schools so that score was essentially going to be useless. I'm not sure if it was the right decision but that was my thinking. 

Sorry for the long-winded answer but I quite like hearing other people's thought processes. And yes, a 181 it is!

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Lilbb19
  • Articling Student

Why would you cancel a 162 thats a fire score. Sometimes all you need is a sufficient score. I got into Osgoode, Queens, Western bunch of top schools few years ago with a 156.

Edited by Lilbb19
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Patient0L
  • Law Student
5 hours ago, Lilbb19 said:

Why would you cancel a 162 thats a fire score. Sometimes all you need is a sufficient score. I got into Osgoode, Queens, Western bunch of top schools few years ago with a 156.

I was thinking the same thing. Also, PTing at 169 and getting 162 is within the realm of typical test day score drop. There’s no guarantee of a higher score next time around.

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t3ctonics
  • Lawyer
47 minutes ago, Patient0L said:

I was thinking the same thing. Also, PTing at 169 and getting 162 is within the realm of typical test day score drop. There’s no guarantee of a higher score next time around.

Yeah it's pretty common to have a drop on the day of the actual test. I've heard that from a lot of people.

When I took the LSAT I dropped from PTing in the mid-170s (IIRC my highest in the week before the test was 178 and my lowest was 172) to a 164. I barely slept the night before due to nervousness and excitement, and on test day I drank too much coffee to compensate. So I had a roughly 11 point drop from average timed PTs.

I think people that study for longer usually have a smaller drop due to having more familiarity with the test, especially if they do practice tests as realistically as possible. I'd only studied for about a month during which I also moved, so I hadn't built up the familiarity necessary to be relaxed and confident in how I'd do. I don't recommend this - I only did because when I decided to apply to law school I only had a month before the last test I could use for my application that year. Anyways, my relatively short study time resulted in a big drop on test day even though I was doing quite well on PTs.

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Patient0L
  • Law Student
13 minutes ago, t3ctonics said:

Yeah it's pretty common to have a drop on the day of the actual test. I've heard that from a lot of people.

When I took the LSAT I dropped from PTing in the mid-170s (IIRC my highest in the week before the test was 178 and my lowest was 172) to a 164. I barely slept the night before due to nervousness and excitement, and on test day I drank too much coffee to compensate. So I had a roughly 11 point drop from average timed PTs.

I think people that study for longer usually have a smaller drop due to having more familiarity with the test, especially if they do practice tests as realistically as possible. I'd only studied for about a month during which I also moved, so I hadn't built up the familiarity necessary to be relaxed and confident in how I'd do. I don't recommend this - I only did because when I decided to apply to law school I only had a month before the last test I could use for my application that year. Anyways, my relatively short study time resulted in a big drop on test day even though I was doing quite well on PTs.

Ouch! Ouch! 11pt is a rough one. I went from consistent 170-173PT for weeks to 167 test day. Took it again, because I was sure it was an anomaly, and didn’t raise my score. Very vexing, but when you get to a certain point every question matters and anxiety consumes brainpower. Glad I didn’t cancel 😬 

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lawandordermaker
  • Law Student

The two PT's I took before I got my 161 were 166 and 168. You may live to regret that score cancelation. 

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t3ctonics
  • Lawyer
23 minutes ago, Patient0L said:

Ouch! Ouch! 11pt is a rough one. I went from consistent 170-173PT for weeks to 167 test day. Took it again, because I was sure it was an anomaly, and didn’t raise my score. Very vexing, but when you get to a certain point every question matters and anxiety consumes brainpower. Glad I didn’t cancel 😬 

Bolded for emphasis. That's very true. With the way the LSAT is scored, the difference between scores in the 170s is usually a single question, then as you get into the 160s you start seeing more and more two-question scores. So the higher your PT score range, the bigger the difference every single wrong answer on test day makes.

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pink222
  • Applicant

Ah well, this would have been nice to read earlier lol but unfortunately what's done is done. Hoping to get a better score next time around though. Thanks for everyone's input 🙂 

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Patient0L
  • Law Student
1 hour ago, t3ctonics said:

Bolded for emphasis. That's very true. With the way the LSAT is scored, the difference between scores in the 170s is usually a single question, then as you get into the 160s you start seeing more and more two-question scores. So the higher your PT score range, the bigger the difference every single wrong answer on test day makes.

Don’t I know it 😢 😢 😢 

Now that the test is scored out of ~75 Q’s rather than ~100, one can expect even more volatility! 

Just now, pink222 said:

Ah well, this would have been nice to read earlier lol but unfortunately what's done is done. Hoping to get a better score next time around though. Thanks for everyone's input 🙂 

You’ll do great!

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Dad
  • Law Student

What is the point of this question? Are you going to limit yourself so that you hit but don't exceed your target score? 

Edit: Oops, you clarified your question above. Nevermind. Good luck! 

Edited by Dad
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  • 1 month later...

Personally, I just aimed for 160+. Would of cancelled anything below because I was ready to wait a year and improve the score. 

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TheAEGIS
  • Lawyer

OP's state of mind worries me and I can't quite put my finger on it...

OP, you'll get into law school very soon and by all accounts it'll be one of your target schools.
But if pre-emptively cancelling a competitive score that has zero negative impact on your admission chances for peace of mind is how you deal with (slight?) disappointment ... boy I hope you have better advice and some decent support around you for law school and the rest of legal practice generally.

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AllRise
  • Law Student
1 minute ago, TheAEGIS said:

OP's state of mind worries me and I can't quite put my finger on it...

OP, you'll get into law school very soon and by all accounts it'll be one of your target schools.
But if pre-emptively cancelling a competitive score that has zero negative impact on your admission chances for peace of mind is how you deal with (slight?) disappointment ... boy I hope you have better advice and some decent support around you for law school and the rest of legal practice generally.

Firstly, if your profile picture is The Great Mouse Detective... Win. 

Secondly, for OP, 162 is a competitive score, but I won't dwell on the cancellation because that is done. I would advise being cautious of tying expectations for admission to a specific score. It is true that a higher LSAT is more likely to gain you admission to the schools of your choice, and a 169 would certainly be considered highly competitive, but increasing a score from 162 to 169 in no mean feat. There are applicants that aren't offered admissions even with competitive scores, it's just the way it goes sometimes. I was admitted with a 157, though not to the schools that you listed. If those are your dream schools, I would shoot for over 160 but focus on the strength of your application package as a whole, because the LSAT is not considered in isolation. 

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