Is the September LSAT too late?
People have finally gotten the memo that you need to apply to law school earlier, but where does that leave you if you have a lower LSAT score? If you are worried about taking the August or September LSAT, let’s talk about where that puts you in the law school application process.
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First off, let me just say that it is completely fine to take the August or September LSAT if you need to. You need to prioritize taking the LSAT when you’re ready for the LSAT. If taking it in August or September means your score is going to go up, then that is a no-brainer.
It is absolutely true that law school operates on a rolling admissions cycle. Because of that, you do need to try to apply as early as possible. What I want to stress is that any time you apply between September 1 and Halloween, it’s basically all the same.
Why? For one, not every law school actually opens their application on September 1. There are legitimate law schools whose applications don’t even open until October 1. Some schools won’t even read applications starting in September even if they are submitted, so up to Halloween is pretty negligible.
If you’re taking the LSAT in September, your scores will come out in October, which means you can still absolutely apply before Halloween or even the first week of November.
Avoiding a scarcity mindset
This conversation is completely nuanced, which is important to remember. You’re going to be a lawyer, and as a lawyer there is no black and white. Everything is in the gray. The best lawerly answer is: “Its depends.”
You need to approach the law school application process with some of that nuance. If you are a student applying truly underneath the medians, you want to try to get your application in as early as possible. If you’re a person applying way above the medians, you can apply by October or November.
What is the most important is making sure that you are not rushing any part of your application. You still have time to properly plan, and you want to prepare properly. You want to perfect your planning, and you cannot operate when you’re operating from a space of lack or rush. When you have a scarcity mindset, then you don’t do things well.
Sometimes people rush because they legitimately do not have enough time, but some people feel rushed because of an artificial sense of stress. The latter is lot of what I see in applicants right now. We have an artificial sense of stress because you feel like you don’t have enough time, but in reality there are four months between now and Halloween. That is enough time for you to work on everything in a relaxed and organized process.
Some people do need more than three or four months, especially to study for the LSAT. If you haven’t taken a diagnostic exam, today is a really good day to do that. This is the time, and then you have time to come up with a study plan. Taking this time to study is going to increase your scholarship and merit aid. You don’t want to rush that for no reason.
Recognizing the costs and benefits of waiting
You always have to do a cost-benefit analysis. What are the harms of waiting a month to submit your application? Next, what are the benefits of me waiting one more month?
The harm of waiting one month from September to October could be a little harm, but not much. The potential benefits of you having more time to get your score up and your essays together is huge. In this instance, there is way more benefit in waiting one more month than there is harm.
As a lawyer, I’m always trying to mitigate risk. This is a risk I would be willing to take, because the benefits are so much better and potentially so much higher than the harm.
If you’re having this discussion about waiting from January to March, there is big harm there. The potential benefit may be pretty low, especially if you don’t have an active plan to change your study habits or workshop your application materials. In this instance, I would advise against applying in March and make look at the next cycle instead.
What can I do right now?
If you’re planning to delay until October so you can take the September LSAT, you should take advantage of the time that you have now.
One place to start is looking at LSAT prep. If you’re not using prep, that is a place you should definitely start. Some of you need lessons from a tutor, class, or other resources, and you want to take this time to invest in yourself.
I usually tell students to plan for September, because that way if you’re not ready you can push to October. If you plan for October, then you’re pushing to November. It’s better to have a backup plan that makes you feel good.
You will probably end up registering for two different LSAT exams at the same time. You will not get your September LSAT score before the October registration deadline, meaning you will have to register for both if you want that backup to be an option.
Waiting to apply until October may also mean more time to workshop your essays, which is time you should absolutely take advantage of as well. Overall, if waiting until October means a stronger overall application, it is worth the wait.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, you want to make sure that you are taking the LSAT exam when you are ready. If your ready is in September, that’s perfectly fine for you to still apply early. If your ready is in February, let’s talk about applying next cycle instead.
Remember that you are not alone throughout this process. We are always here to answer your questions, and we even have a Facebook group with over 600 members for you to share your experiences and get the support you need.
The team at S. Montgomery Admissions Consulting is here to support you through this law school application cycle! Whether it's through personalized one-on-one counseling, our Essay Editing Combo Plans, or just downloading our free Essential Guide to Applying to Law School, there is definitely something we can do for you to help make this process a little bit easier.
As always, feel free to reach out to us at hello@smontgomeryconsulting.com with any of your questions! You can also submit a question to be answered on our weekly Break Into Law School® Podcast, streaming wherever your favorite podcast service is.