Once they receive their LSAT scores, many test takers wonder, “Should I retake the LSAT?” These students typically either performed below their target score or performed well, but they believe their current scores are not accurate assessments of their peak potential.  That is an understandable point.

So goes the question: “Should I retake the LSAT?”

Should you retake the LSAT?  We’ve provided 7 reasons why you should not retake the LSAT.  But, like any other decision, retaking the LSAT has both potential positives and negatives. Here are the positives, i.e., 4 reasons why you should retake the LSAT.

1) Benefit of a Higher Score

It goes without saying that, if you put in the effort, study hard, and retake the LSAT, the possibility exists that you may achieve a higher score.

Nevertheless, just because you retake the LSAT does not mean your score will improve.  Indeed, statistics show that as many as 20% of re-takers either get the same score or actually get a lower score on their second or third time around.  Such a discrepancy will likely raise eyebrows among law school admission offices and can actually make the retake counterproductive.

However, when one factors in that many people don’t study as hard the second time around under the assumption that all they needed was to “first experience the LSAT,” it is likely that many of the 20% who stayed the same or went down in their scores did not take the retake as seriously as they took their initial exam.

The truth is that the vast majority of people who retake the LSAT achieve a better, but not significantly better, score than they did the first time with an average improvement of between two and three points on the LSAT’s 120-180 grading scale.

When we take into consideration that not all retakes are equal – namely that many people either bypass studying the second time thinking that stress alone was solely responsible for an underwhelming score, it is likely that the average score improvement on a retake by those committed to preparing for the LSAT is larger than this two to three point average. Because the current legal economy has made attending a well-respected law school all the more important, and the LSAT is the most important factor in getting into a given law school, it makes sense to achieve as high a score as one can obtain.

All factors being equal, though, the vast majority of law schools, and even many top fourteen law schools, place significantly more weight on an applicant’s highest LSAT score (i.e. a 170 and 150 is significantly better than one 165). Therefore, the risk of going down is not sufficient to discount a retake.  (Indeed, the only factor that may stop a retake from being the correct decision would be a serious delay in applications if a student absolutely needs to begin law school in a particular year and decides that beginning as soon as possible is more valuable than a hundred thousand dollars in guaranteed scholarship money.)

2) Admission Into a Higher-Ranked Law School

If you achieve a higher score, you have obviously increased your chances of getting admitted into a better law school.

A two- or three-point increase, as discussed above, doesn’t sound like that much. Is a 162 really so different from a 165? According to recent law school admissions data, this is the difference between attending a law school like Boston University and one like Northeastern, two schools that offer very different starting salaries for their graduates.

3) Possibility of a Merit Scholarship

A higher score also puts you in the running for an academic scholarship.  In addition to the long term benefits of an increased potential not only to secure a job, but a more advantageous one, an LSAT score of three points better can be worth up to $100,000 in scholarship funds at certain schools.

Believe it or not, there are law school students who graduate from law school with law degrees and very little debt because the merit scholarships they obtained helped them pay for their tuition.  A scholarship is and remains a distinct possibility, and so you should keep that in mind when deciding whether to retake the LSAT because a higher score can help you obtain one.

4) Skill Set Developed Through Studying

This point may go unmentioned, but it’s a legitimate point.  The more you study, particularly with your LSAT preparation and its many logical principles, the more skills you develop for the very similar material you will encounter in law school.  Believe us, this is worthwhile.  The more work you put in at this stage, the better off you will be in the future.

Retaking the LSAT may be the right choice for you . . . .

On the surface, there is no question that retaking the LSAT has more negatives than positives. At first glance, retaking the LSAT may seem to offer only the immediate benefit of a higher LSAT score.  While retaking the LSAT will take a lot of time, stress, may impede one’s ability to apply in a given year, and, depending on how one prepares, may be quite costly, getting into a great law school is not meant to come work-free.

If you feel that you did not get the best score you’re capable of obtaining, retaking the LSAT seems to make a lot of sense particularly when one considers that most law schools seem to put considerable emphasis on the superior score.

Ryan R. of Parliament Tutors contributed this post.  He offers LSAT tutoring with Parliament Tutors.  He is a New York Tutor.

After receiving your LSAT score, many test takers wonder, “Should I retake the LSAT?” These students typically either performed below their target score or performed well, but they believe their current score is not an accurate assessment of their peak potential.

Hence, the question: “Should I retake the LSAT?”

So, should you retake the LSAT? Like any other decision, retaking the LSAT has both potential positives and negatives.  (We’ve written about the positive, i.e., 4 reasons why you should retake the LSAT.)  Here are the negatives, i.e., 7 reasons why you should not retake the LSAT:

1) Delay in Applications

Schools typically refrain from considering a candidate until all scores are in, and a student’s application materials are complete. This will occur if you choose to retake the LSAT and wait to submit the score you receive the second time around taking the exam.

2) Risk of Non-Improvement or a Lower Score

This risk often goes unmentioned. Obviously, if you retake the LSAT, there is no guarantee you will achieve a higher score. You could always score the same or (gasp!) lower. Consider this possibility very seriously.

3) Study/Prep Time Required To Improve One’s Score

If you studied and prepared a certain amount of time and achieved a certain score, chances are your LSAT preparation the second time will require more time and effort in order to achieve a higher score.

4) Stress of Retaking the LSAT

Taking the LSAT once is stressful enough. Taking it twice? Bless your heart.

5) Cost to Retake the LSAT

Retaking the LSAT is definitely not a no-cost proposition. You have to register again and pay LSAC’s fee one more time. Consider this monetary cost in addition to the intangible negatives mentioned and discussed above.

Retaking the LSAT may not be for everyone . . . .

On the surface, there is no question that retaking the LSAT has more negatives than positives. Frankly, by its nature, retaking the LSAT can only offer the immediate benefit of a higher LSAT score. As it is not fun, free, or valuable in any process other than admission into law school, it makes sense why there may be more negatives than positives. Therefore, the qualitative question transitions into whether the value of a higher LSAT score justifies the certain delay in applying to law school, and the risk of a lower score.

This is not a recommendation for you not to retake the LSAT. We are merely pointing out the oft-cited disadvantages of retaking it, and it’s helpful to look at and consider the issues above. As mentioned above, in another post, we’ve examined the positive reasons why you should retake the LSAT.

Ryan R. of Parliament Tutors contributed this post.  He offers LSAT tutoring with Parliament Tutors.  He is a New York Tutor.

In an effort to increase law school candidates’ awareness of LSAT test-day rules and LSAC‘s misconduct and irregularities process, LSAC is providing additional, specific information regarding misconduct and irregularities in law school admissions.

Often, people forget that the practice of law is an honor and a well-regarded, noble calling.  It is perhaps the most heavily self-regulated profession.  Indeed, that fact alone casts considerable irony on all those “lawyer jokes” that permeate society.

Lawyers play a crucial role in society by serving both their clients and the public good.  These two goals usually manifest themselves in what you will learn is a lawyer’s first and foremost duty–to the Court.  When law students study for the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE), they often are surprised to learn that a lawyer’s most important duty is not to his or her client or his or her opponent.  Rather, a lawyer’s most important obligation is to the Court and the promotion of justice.  When you think about it, that obligation furthers a lawyer’s service to clients and society.

So, it is always important, as LSAC suggests, to understand that the legal profession requires lawyers to behave ethically in the practice of law in order to protect the interests of their clients and society.  Your submission of an application for law school is considered the first step in becoming a lawyer.  So guess what??  LSAC and law schools view that first step as just as important as every other act you undertake as a lawyer, and they will scrutinize that step just as closely. In other words, your conduct when preparing and submitting your law school applications will be judged against the highest levels of ethical standards.

As part of its guidance, LSAC has provided some very concrete information regarding examples of “misconduct and irregularities” you should avoid.  These include, but are not limited to, submission of false, inconsistent, or misleading statements or omission of information requested online or on forms as part of registering for the LSAT or using LSAC’s Credential Assembly Service, or on individual law school application forms; submission of an altered or a non-authentic transcript; submission of an application containing false, inconsistent, or misleading information; falsification of records; switching LSAT answer sheets with another; taking the LSAT for purposes other than applying to law school; and cheating on the LSAT.

For the complete list, go here.

Remember: A charge of misconduct or irregularity may be made before a candidate’s admission to law school, after matriculation at a law school, or after admission to practice.

This is all very serious information, and, at LSAC’s insistence, you should take the time to review it and understand it.

Think you know about the LSAT?  You probably have your share of knowledge about the LSAT.  And, if you’re studying for it, you probably know A LOT about it.  Probably too much for your own comfort.  However, there are several interesting facts about the LSAT that you probably do not know.

Here are 5 things about the LSAT you may not be aware of . . . .

1) The LSAT wasn’t invented until 1945

Up until this point, there was no standardized exam to get into law school, and each school had its own requirements for getting in.  It wasn’t until 1945 when Frank H. Bowles at Columbia Law School wrote to the school’s president suggesting a more comprehensive law school exam.  That exam ultimately became the LSAT.

2) Tests were not mandatory

In the olden days before the LSAT, schools each had their own requirements for getting in.  This usually required a personal essay by each applicant outlining their life so far, college transcripts, and letters of recommendation.  After this was done satisfactorily, each law school would conduct its own exam, be it oral or written, along with faculty interviews to determine if the student could study there.

3) Diploma privilege

These were the names of the law schools whose graduates would automatically become members of the bar, with no exam or LSAT required.   It was more difficult to get these schools to administer the LSAT as there was no bar exam required for graduation.  However, by 1951, there were 22 law schools that were part of the LSAT-affiliated Law School Admission Council.

4) Time taking the LSAT

Did you know that over 100,000 students take the LSAT each year?  If you multiplied that by three and a half hours and added it all together, the students collectively spend about 45 years taking the exam.

And the last thing about the LSAT you may not know . . . .

5) Biggest fail

As noted by Gary Ryan Blair, the main reason people fail the LSAT is because they take it without planning hoping to get lucky.  As he points out, the LSAT is not a lottery, and only those who prepare properly have a chance of getting a good score.

Although more knowledge about the LSAT may not necessarily be a fun endeavor, these 5 things about the LSAT may include items you didn’t know and that may add some interest to the subject.

Shelby Crockett contributed this post.  She has been a Paralegal for 9 years and owns the site How to Become a Paralegal Resource.  Her site helps students find the right paralegal school.

We are often surprised when students ask us how our course can help them “pass” the LSAT.  These students don’t know that there is no “passing” score on the LSAT.  Rather, the LSAT is scored from 120 to 180, with the median LSAT score usually slightly over 150.  The LSAT score distribution is a bell curve, with the most competitive scores (in the top two or three percentile points) being those above 170.  A score of 160-170 is considered very competitive, and is frequently seen in applications to top ranking law schools.  A score of 150-160 is commonly seen in applications to second and third tier  law schools.  If your final LSAT score is below, 150, chances are you are applying to third tier schools, or non ABA-approved schools.

LSAT Students Beware

It is also very surprising how often we see claims that a particular LSAT course can help you “PASS THE LSAT.”  Students should be wary of any course that claims to do so.  At best, it shows a disconnect between a courses marketing materials and its subject matter and a lack of attention to detail.  At worse, it indicates that the offerings are a poor value.  Students should research which LSAT prep course they will take rigorously, and choose the best option for them based on quality of instruction, convenience, and cost.