Hey all! So I’ve run into a bit of a dilemma. I’m in the Peace Corps and I took the April LSAT remotely here in my host country. It was my second time taking it, I originally took it back in 2023 and got a 169. I consistently PT between 173 and 176 and so I was hoping for somewhere in there this time around, obviously the higher the better! Got my score back and got a 171. Although this is a great score, I’m definitely disappointed because it’s an underperformance and based on my goals, I believe I would benefit a LOT from even 2 extra points. I’m hoping for a T14 (I am absolutely open minded, but it is my goal). I am also 100% committed to public interest, which means scholarship money will be a massive player in my decision making process. So, I was hoping to apply in September/October in order to maximize scholarship potential, especially at the more elite schools.
Here’s where the problem comes in. To be honest, I kind of expected to get the score I wanted since I’d been PTing so consistently (obviously my bad, owning up to that lol) but I didn’t even look at future test dates/registrations. So I didn’t realize registration for June closed 8 days before April scores were released. And as I said, I’m in the Peace Corps so am testing internationally, which means the next available test for me isn’t until October. Obviously that pushes my applications back to at least early November. On top of that, I need them to give me remote accommodations because there are no prometric testing centers in the country I am in. So question 1: I feel like that would qualify me for extreme hardship in getting to a testing center, but wondering if you all think that’s actually the case? As a note, the desire for remote has nothing to do with preference, in fact I would prefer in-person if I could. I took my 2023 test in person even though remote was available.
And then question 2. Do you think I am better off taking the October LSAT (assuming I can even get remote accommodations), hopefully getting a better score, and applying later, or applying as early as possible and just sending the 171? I’m thinking a better LSAT is worth it from my understanding of scholarship money and especially because I’m working with a 3.79 undergrad GPA, which I know is decent but not great at the top. My softs are strong and I’m a strong writer so my application materials will hopefully be strong as well. Anyways, I’m probably massively overthinking this but would appreciate any insight you all have!!