How multiple LSATs can impact your chances

[RWC]

I've seen on many school's admission websites that although they use an applicant's best LSAT for admission purposes, they also may take into consideration all scores. I was wondering if anyone knows how much a worse score can hinder your chances, especially if it was the second of two attempts?

For context, my first score is a 162, and my second a 159. I feel like I regret re-writing at this point, and I'm trying to get an idea of how much a decline like that might impact my application. My GPA is on the strong side (3.96 from OLSAS), my ECs are pretty good (nothing extraordinary but certainly not a weakness - a few executive/leadership roles, community involvement & volunteering, summer and part time jobs, research positions etc), and I'm currently in grad school completing an MSc (although I'm not sure how much that will have an impact). 

I'm really just trying to figure out how I should feel about my chances (I'll be applying almost everywhere in Canada for 2022 admission - although Ontario schools are definitely my preference). Will a score drop like that after the second attempt look bad (especially since its right around the range quite a few schools consider competitive)?

Overall, I don't really know how high or low I should have my hopes and expectations...I really appreciate any advice and opinions! 🙂 

[kiamia]

I don't think schools will hold a slight decline agaisnt you. Most of them consider your application based on the top score. Sometimes people have bad days taking the LSAT and I'm sure admissions folks have seen that happen a lot. It's not like you've taken the LSAT 5 times or your second score was much lower than the first. They'll probably just take the 162 as your score without further consideration. 

The rest of your application is solid and you should get into at least some Ontario law schools. If you're determined to get into a specific school and they tend to accept people with higher LSAT scores, you can consider re-writing. Otherwise I wouldn't bother. 

[RWC]

Thanks kiamia! That all makes sense, and its kind of what I figured. Just wasn't sure if others had more experience or knowledge on how multiple scores can factor into anything. Again, I really appreciate the advice!

[nor626]

I don't think you should worry too much, most schools will take your highest LSAT mark anyways. I was similar to you, my second lsat re-write was slightly lower than my first score, but I still got multiple offers. Best of luck! 🙂

[RWC]

That's good to know, definitely eases my mind a bit. Thanks so much! 🙂