WalterWhite (2012-2013)

I took the LSAT three times. The first time I scored a 158, the second time a 159 and the last time 169. I applied to schools with my first two scores in 2010 when I was still in undergrad. I got into some schools in the lower top 50 but all at sticker price, and some schools barley in the top 100 with decent scholarships. I decided to take time off and work abroad, retake the LSAT, and apply again. For me what made the difference in my LSAT score was taking practice tests under timed conditions. I think I did like 20 of them over the course of 2 months. It helped me get used to pacing and conditioned me for test day. The Powerscore Bibles helped a lot also because it explained strategies for specific question types. I almost didn't take the LSAT a third time because I was discouraged and thought that maybe that really was the best I could do, but I'm really glad I did because I have so many amazing opportunities now. Especially with the number of law school applicants down, even though schools see all of your scores, your best score is really what matters to them because that is what they report to the rankings, etc. And definitely apply early - like August or September. When I reapplied (though to all different schools than the first time) I was able to use the same letters of recommendation (two of them) that were dated two years prior and then just got an additional letter of recommendation that was more recent. I altered my personal statement only slightly. Good luck!

Hi, just saw your comment on my wall today :) I'm not sure how they define strong softs, but I have some decent work experiences, recommendation letters, and I put in my best for my personal statement.