If you are considering taking the LSAT in December, the great news is that there has never been a better time than now. In the past, taking the December LSAT was considered late in the game, and there was no question that your prospects were not as good as they would have been if you got your applications in sooner.
In the past few years the number of applicants to law school has fallen drastically. This year marks year 3 of a double digit percentage drop in the number of students applying to law school. That means there are plenty of seats open when schools consider applications for December LSAT takers. I wrote about this in some detail in our post on rolling admissions, but the general idea is that an applicant with good numbers is likely to suffer almost no handicap by applying in December this year.
December is a fine time to take the LSAT. Depending on where you live, it’s often cold and rainy in late fall/early winter, so you won’t mind being indoors studying as much as you might for the June or the October LSAT. That said, December LSAT takers don’t quite have the luxury afforded June or even October takers of being able to complete the LSAT and then worry about applications later on.
The December LSAT is administered on Saturday, December 7th this year (2013). Here we give you a timeline to make it easy to get those apps out the door as soon as you get your score, which will put you in the best shape to get into your dream law school. Bookmark this timeline and refer back to it as needed. We have a lot of resources in here that will help you along the way, so you’ll be glad to have one place to find it all later on.
Timeline For December LSAT Takers:
JULY
Absorb as much information as you can about law school in general. The decision to pursue law school is serious business. Don’t go just because it’s a default option or because your parents pressure you to (unless they are paying for it, in which case you can let them pressure you a little). First, read this post which discusses how hard law school is likely to be. Note I wrote this from my perspective as a UChicago Law student. U Chicago is a notoriously rigorous place, but the piece will give you a good idea of what 1L entails).
If you have done your homework and still think you want to give law school a shot, sign up for the December LSAT. Once you sign up, it feels really real: you are now locked and loaded. Remember, one of the disadvantages of the December LSAT is that you can’t bail as easily and take it at a later date. The February LSAT isn’t much of an option, so it might be a little easier to stay motivated to get it right now. This is good for some people, but may stress out others. Remember that you won’t die if you don’t take the LSAT this year. It’s looking very likely that law schools will still be open next year if you have to apply then.
Also, sign up for CAS, LSAC’s data assembly service. This is how you will submit your transcript and letters of recommendation to schools.
Request transcripts from each undergrad and grad school you attended. It’s not hard so get it out of the way now. Wires get crossed in the mail all all the time, so you don’t want to be frantically calling schools later when you should be passing in your applications.
Start talking with professors or bosses who can write your recommendations. Anyone who you think liked you will probably fit the bill. Letters of recommendation are best if they are from someone who knows you well rather than from some famous judge your father knows from college. The good old boy days are largely over and thankfully, nepotism is on the decline. Act accordingly.
Decide whether to self-study or take a course. If you plan on taking an LSAT prep course, sign up now. Sometimes they fill up. I’m not paid to say this so just trust me and everyone else in the LSAT prep business: do not take a class with Princeton Review or Kaplan. From talking to people, I think the online courses are the wave of the future. Tutoring is always another good option if you can afford it. Make sure you get in touch with a tutor now if you might do this, because they may not be able to accommodate you last minute. With all that said, I am a huge fan of self-study. LSAT courses are a good way to pre-commit to studying but there is absolutely nothing secret about the LSAT that can’t be learned from a book. Courses tend to help lower scorers see better results, but in my experience the high-scorers tend to set a rigorous schedule of self-study and stick with it. Click here to see what I did and what prep materials I used. Not all prep materials are created equal. Make sure you are getting the right stuff.
If you want to prep for more than 3 months, you will do best if you use some extra material. While most people read the Powerscore Bibles during their prep, they often overlook the workbooks that go with them. These books take you through many more real LSAT problems using Powerscore techniques, so you can solidify your skills.
Do them before you start drilling full preptests to make sure you have the techniques down.
Start drafting your personal statement. Advice about how to craft a truly stellar personal statement could fill a book. That’s why I’m going to recommend that you buy one: Get The Law School Admission Game by Ann Levine. This was my primary reference source when I successfully applied to several of the T6 law schools. It has advice on just about every aspect of your law school applications, so consider it $14.38 well spent. The new edition has more specific advice on applying now with law school applications down, so definitely get this book before you start working on your applications.
Do your law school resume. I can’t think of anything I like less in the world than making a resume but it has to be done. Again, Ann Levine’s book has great stuff on how to do a proper law school resume. There are also other great admissions resources available that cover this subject and more. This stuff is generally cheap compared to the LSAT resources and can give you the peace of mind that comes from knowing you are doing everything right.
START STUDYING FOR THE LSAT. You’ll want to start studying about 3-4 months before the test in order to be sufficiently prepared by test day. Here is your self-study schedule to prep the best you can for the LSAT.
OCTOBER
Work towards the final draft of your personal statement. You want a lot of smart people to read it before it’s done so pass it around. Take criticism gracefully and improve and redraft it. When I think back on it, my personal statement wasn’t what it could have been. Sitting on it a couple weeks and rereading it can lend you perspective. I suggest revisiting a couple of times over the month until you (and any close writer friends you know) are totally satisfied with it.
Check to make sure your transcripts and letters of recommendation got through to CAS. It’s far better to make sure your house is in order now than in December. Politely ask anyone who has not turned in a recommendation to speed it up. Also check that your Dean’s certifications went through.
NOVEMBER
Now we get into the the final month of your LSAT study. Stay intense. It’s not too late to see significant improvements in your score, so don’t despair if your practice scores aren’t all they could be yet. Look back at the schedule and follow our tips, especially the parts about eating, sleeping, and exercising. The last week is especially important. We’ve got tips for managing it here. Other stuff can take a back seat for a while. Focus on the LSAT and let us know if you have any questions at all here or our twitter @onlawschool.
DECEMBER
CRUSH THE LSAT. I’m not normally one for hyperbole and pep-talks but seriously, destroy that test. Here’s what to do the day before the LSAT. Here are some problems that you might encounter on test day and some solutions: handling test day.
What do after the test. First off, just chill for a week. Rejoin the living and connect with friends that you have been neglecting well you were in the prep cave. Do some nice stuff for yourself because you definitely deserve it.
Now, it’s time to finalize your apps. Entering all your information doesn’t take all that long. Just make sure that there are no typos on anything that will be sent to law schools. Check and double check. A common mistake that people make is putting the wrong school name on documents. If you have targeted personal statements for different schools, make sure you don’t screw up the name.
Do any additional essays that schools may require. Again, no typos please. Once you send anything to a law school you can’t take it back. Most everything is electronic now so it’s not even possible like it once was to break into the school and steal your app back. Just make sure everything is right the first time.
SCORES ARE OUT!!! We hope everything went well. Follow our advice about studying really, really hard and chances are good you’ll like what you see in your inbox.
Send off those applications. Now it’s time to relax and enjoy the holidays stress free. Best of luck and use the comments if you questions on this timeline or anything at all.
I have registered for the September 24th LSAT and have been using Blueprint to prep. I am only on Chapter 5 out of 16 chapters and am still familiarizing myself with the exam. Do you think that it is realistic to take this exam on 9/24 and or do you think that a 12/3 test would be better. I have been studying about 8 hours everyday for the past two weeks.
My GPA is a 3.93 and I really need a great score in order to get into my dream schools.
Wish I had stumbled onto this earlier, but I just took the LSAT last weekend and have absolutely done little to no work on my applications. What would be your advice in terms of timetable and getting things done quickly to have my applications turned in in time?
No need to panic. Still, I would shoot to have your stuff in as close to Christmas as possible. If you haven’t done anything about LORs, do that right away as you have to give people at least a week to write a recommendation. Anything less would be impolite. Then turn to your PS. You can do that in a week or less if you are willing to put the time in on some redrafts. If it’s helps, remember that no personal statement is perfect. You just have to write something good.
I took the LSAT in October and got a 151 which is below my practice test scores. I want to retake the test in December and I have a few questions:
1. Will it look bad to potential law schools that I originally scored a 151 before improving with the December LSAT (assuming that I improve)?
2. If I go ahead and start applying to law schools now with my current score, will they receive my updated December score and take that into consideration?
3. Going along with question #2, should I even start applying now? Or, should I wait until my December LSAT score arrives?
Thank you in advance for the help. I’m panicking after not receiving what I consider a “good” score in October.
1. No it won’t look bad. Except for a few top schools, everyone basically disregards any lower scores you receive.
2. Yes they will reconsider.
3. I would wait. Frankly there aren’t good options for low 151 scorers. I recommend anyone who is paying for school themselves to get at least a high 150s score before they consider law school. This might change in the future, but right now the outcomes are just not good. You will typically get into a very large program at full price and face rough competition to get jobs (right now, less than half the students get jobs requiring a JD at such schools).
I was wondering if I should retake for December. I got a 165, which was well below my practice test average of 171. Should I retake in December? I would probably not be able to devote as much study time as I did on my October lsat, being that it is a month away. Any advice is appreciated. I want upenn, and I currently have a 4.0
Yes, retake. There’s really no reason not to try. You don’t need to improve much or at all, you just need to maintain the skills you have. Just keep them sharp with bi-weekly practice tests and maybe a couple sections on in between days.
You shouldn’t let that beautiful GPA go to waste on an LSAT score that is below your potential.
Do you have any thoughts/advice on application waivers from schools if you are taking the Dec test? I am not sure if it is too late to even hope for those… is it worth trying to get? With that being said, I am a teacher in NC, where we make nothing, so money is a real concern for me going through this process.
Thanks for any advice you have! Your blog has been invaluable!
Waivers usually start rolling in after you take your LSAT. Don’t worry, they will come. Law schools are doing anything they can to get a lot of applicants right now. If you don’t get a waiver from a school you want to apply to, there is generally a way to request one because of financial hardship.
Glad you like the blog! Any time you have a question we’ll get back to you!
Thank you for the helpful information. I took the October LSAT yesterday and felt like I could have done significantly better on the test. LG and RC sections, which caused a lot of trouble for many people, felt like a breeze for me while the two LR sections, which I normally do pretty well on, left me hardly anytime when I finish. I think part of the reason was that I was a little too complacent after the hard LG section and relaxed too much during LRs and ran out of time.
I’m currently thinking about re-taking the test this December, based on what my score will be. Would you say it’s a good idea to submit my application BEFORE Thanksgiving with my October score and update them with my December score should I decide to retake the test? I feel like my score wasn’t quite what I expected but should still be solid. Are there any disadvantages of submitting an application with a score and updating them with a new score?
Hopefully those LR sections went better than you thought. If the score you get is in your range of acceptable scores, definitely apply before December. Even if they make a decision on your app before the Dec LSAT, I am sure they will reconsider if you subsequently score higher on the LSAT. Schools aren’t in a position to be turning down qualified applicants right now. There should be no disadvantage in doing that. If you wait there are some potential downsides: say you get a lower score in December for some reason, you would be in a worse position then if that’s when you are first applying.
Let us know how it went! Try to get your mind off the LSAT for a couple weeks and have some fun, but do work a little towards finishing up those apps.
I noticed that the December LSAT scores don’t get released until January 7. Would it be a good idea to send in apps ahead of the score release so the file is completed faster? Or would I still be fine applying mid-January?
Also, would you consider posting an article about the various law school admissions predictor websites, (e.g., lawschoolpredictor.com) and discuss which is the most accurate one?
Sure Bob, that’s a great idea. Just first thoughts on that: law school numbers takes the most time to look at, but it’s always going to give you the best information at least for the top schools. It doesn’t have as much data on lower ranked schools.
I wouldn’t bother with sending it early. They aren’t going to review it until they have your score and you may wish to apply to a different range of schools based on your score. Just have your apps mostly ready to go when you get your score. Remember that the actual December score release date is almost always a few days in advance of the official date.
I have a question regarding how to re-tailor prep. I had originally planned to do the the October LSAT, but upon evaluation where I want to be and where I currently, and with only a little more than 4 weeks to go, I think it’s in my best interest with a full time job commitment to take the December if I want to maximize my score. That being said, based on the schedule written here, I’m around week 4.5 or so, having completed the diagnostic, gone through the power score LR and LG bibles, and taken now 3 more additional prep tests since my Diagnostic 3 weeks ago. I’ve been dedicating a solid 25-30 hours a week in the last 3 weeks of studying, so how would you modify this schedule for someone who would have already had a big head start?
Hi Victor. What I would do is start again 3 months out from the Dec LSAT and proceed at a leisurely pace for the first month. Review those two bibles again and do all the rechallenges, do the RC bible, then do some untimed questions for the next couple weeks, maybe 2 hours a day four days a week. If untimed prep is not challenging enough, go on to timed individual question and timed section practice. As long as you don’t work so fast that you run out of material, you will be fine. If you want to work at a fast pace for the whole three months, get the very early preptests that aren’t used on the prep schedule. Here’s where to get those early tests: https://lawschooli.com/where-can-i-find-every-actual-official-lsat-preptest/
I’m planning to take the LSAT in December and hopefully have all my applications done by then. I work full time and go to school full time so I would really appreciate it you put together a checklist of things I need to do in order to have everything that needs to be completed done so I can actually enjoy my Christmas break. Anything that you can help out with saves me time I do not have to spare. All the information is awesome so far, glad I found this website
@Nilesh I think I remember seeing you around. 178.51 is pretty impressive good work.
Though applying in December is a disadvantage (only at those top schools) it is likely to be very, very slight right now. Even top schools are getting way fewer applications and are likely to have plenty of open spots come December. As such, take the LSAT in December and don’t worry about it.
I’m sorry but I don’t know anything about being an LLM and applying as a transfer. Does that let you go straight in to the J.D. program without taking the LSAT?
Don’t worry about not having a US GPA, that can actually be a good thing because they don’t have to report your GPA to the ABA, so other school will largely base a decision off your LLM GPA and your LSAT if you are still required to take it.
Hi thanks for the quick reply…you put my mind at rest both about testing in December and the GPA…for the LLMers at UC, if you apply for the transfer, you don’t have to give the LSAT..,which is a good thing but transfer seats are so few…I guess applying as an ED transfer might have its benefits..
Hi Evan and Josh… I had commented on your LSAT prep post but another query has come to mind…I read our post about the Dec LSAT putting ppl at a disadvantage when applying to UC and top law schools. Im kind of worried because 1. I don’t have a US GPA (mine is an international transcript which places me as “above average” .. below “superior” but above the other denominations) and if I get a good LSAT score, I guess Id be considered a splitter. I can’t take the LSAT before Dec as there is simply not enough time for me. Does this put me at a disadvantage while applying to top law schools this year…I’ll have all my apps ready by then…also I was an LLM student at UC and got a 178.51 …I applied for transfer but could not make it thru and was advised to apply ED as a transfer in 2014. Would it be tactically better to apply ED as a transfer or as a potential 1L with a (hopefully) good Dec LSAT score.
No problem, I will do a whole one. Short advice: October is a lot less stressful because you can push some of application stuff until after you take the LSAT and still be fine. The goal is simply to have apps in by early in November. Try to have your PS mostly done and your LORs in by the time you take the LSAT and then you are in good shape.
Start drafting your personal statement. Advice about how to craft a truly stellar personal statement could fill a book. That’s why I’m going to recommend that you buy one: Get The Law School Admission Game by Ann Levine. This was my primary reference source when I successfully applied to several of the T6 law schools. It has advice on just about every aspect of your law school applications, so consider it $14.38 well spent. The new edition has more specific advice on applying now with law school applications down, so definitely get this book before you start working on your applications.
23 Comments
I have registered for the September 24th LSAT and have been using Blueprint to prep. I am only on Chapter 5 out of 16 chapters and am still familiarizing myself with the exam. Do you think that it is realistic to take this exam on 9/24 and or do you think that a 12/3 test would be better. I have been studying about 8 hours everyday for the past two weeks.
My GPA is a 3.93 and I really need a great score in order to get into my dream schools.
Thank you!
Wish I had stumbled onto this earlier, but I just took the LSAT last weekend and have absolutely done little to no work on my applications. What would be your advice in terms of timetable and getting things done quickly to have my applications turned in in time?
Evan,
No need to panic. Still, I would shoot to have your stuff in as close to Christmas as possible. If you haven’t done anything about LORs, do that right away as you have to give people at least a week to write a recommendation. Anything less would be impolite. Then turn to your PS. You can do that in a week or less if you are willing to put the time in on some redrafts. If it’s helps, remember that no personal statement is perfect. You just have to write something good.
You might consider working with Peg Cheng over at Pre-Law Guru. She can guide you through process for creating the personal statement quickly http://www.prelaw-guru.com/about/law-school-help.html
Once you are done with the PS, the resume is the last important component. Still, that only takes a couple days at most. The rest is mostly paperwork.
I took the LSAT in October and got a 151 which is below my practice test scores. I want to retake the test in December and I have a few questions:
1. Will it look bad to potential law schools that I originally scored a 151 before improving with the December LSAT (assuming that I improve)?
2. If I go ahead and start applying to law schools now with my current score, will they receive my updated December score and take that into consideration?
3. Going along with question #2, should I even start applying now? Or, should I wait until my December LSAT score arrives?
Thank you in advance for the help. I’m panicking after not receiving what I consider a “good” score in October.
Hello Kate
let’s cover these:
1. No it won’t look bad. Except for a few top schools, everyone basically disregards any lower scores you receive.
2. Yes they will reconsider.
3. I would wait. Frankly there aren’t good options for low 151 scorers. I recommend anyone who is paying for school themselves to get at least a high 150s score before they consider law school. This might change in the future, but right now the outcomes are just not good. You will typically get into a very large program at full price and face rough competition to get jobs (right now, less than half the students get jobs requiring a JD at such schools).
I was wondering if I should retake for December. I got a 165, which was well below my practice test average of 171. Should I retake in December? I would probably not be able to devote as much study time as I did on my October lsat, being that it is a month away. Any advice is appreciated. I want upenn, and I currently have a 4.0
Yes, retake. There’s really no reason not to try. You don’t need to improve much or at all, you just need to maintain the skills you have. Just keep them sharp with bi-weekly practice tests and maybe a couple sections on in between days.
You shouldn’t let that beautiful GPA go to waste on an LSAT score that is below your potential.
Hi – I have a slightly random question.
Do you have any thoughts/advice on application waivers from schools if you are taking the Dec test? I am not sure if it is too late to even hope for those… is it worth trying to get? With that being said, I am a teacher in NC, where we make nothing, so money is a real concern for me going through this process.
Thanks for any advice you have! Your blog has been invaluable!
Anonymous,
Waivers usually start rolling in after you take your LSAT. Don’t worry, they will come. Law schools are doing anything they can to get a lot of applicants right now. If you don’t get a waiver from a school you want to apply to, there is generally a way to request one because of financial hardship.
Glad you like the blog! Any time you have a question we’ll get back to you!
Hey Josh and Evan,
Thank you for the helpful information. I took the October LSAT yesterday and felt like I could have done significantly better on the test. LG and RC sections, which caused a lot of trouble for many people, felt like a breeze for me while the two LR sections, which I normally do pretty well on, left me hardly anytime when I finish. I think part of the reason was that I was a little too complacent after the hard LG section and relaxed too much during LRs and ran out of time.
I’m currently thinking about re-taking the test this December, based on what my score will be. Would you say it’s a good idea to submit my application BEFORE Thanksgiving with my October score and update them with my December score should I decide to retake the test? I feel like my score wasn’t quite what I expected but should still be solid. Are there any disadvantages of submitting an application with a score and updating them with a new score?
Jon,
Hopefully those LR sections went better than you thought. If the score you get is in your range of acceptable scores, definitely apply before December. Even if they make a decision on your app before the Dec LSAT, I am sure they will reconsider if you subsequently score higher on the LSAT. Schools aren’t in a position to be turning down qualified applicants right now. There should be no disadvantage in doing that. If you wait there are some potential downsides: say you get a lower score in December for some reason, you would be in a worse position then if that’s when you are first applying.
Let us know how it went! Try to get your mind off the LSAT for a couple weeks and have some fun, but do work a little towards finishing up those apps.
Hey guys,
I noticed that the December LSAT scores don’t get released until January 7. Would it be a good idea to send in apps ahead of the score release so the file is completed faster? Or would I still be fine applying mid-January?
Also, would you consider posting an article about the various law school admissions predictor websites, (e.g., lawschoolpredictor.com) and discuss which is the most accurate one?
Thank you!!
Sure Bob, that’s a great idea. Just first thoughts on that: law school numbers takes the most time to look at, but it’s always going to give you the best information at least for the top schools. It doesn’t have as much data on lower ranked schools.
I wouldn’t bother with sending it early. They aren’t going to review it until they have your score and you may wish to apply to a different range of schools based on your score. Just have your apps mostly ready to go when you get your score. Remember that the actual December score release date is almost always a few days in advance of the official date.
I have a question regarding how to re-tailor prep. I had originally planned to do the the October LSAT, but upon evaluation where I want to be and where I currently, and with only a little more than 4 weeks to go, I think it’s in my best interest with a full time job commitment to take the December if I want to maximize my score. That being said, based on the schedule written here, I’m around week 4.5 or so, having completed the diagnostic, gone through the power score LR and LG bibles, and taken now 3 more additional prep tests since my Diagnostic 3 weeks ago. I’ve been dedicating a solid 25-30 hours a week in the last 3 weeks of studying, so how would you modify this schedule for someone who would have already had a big head start?
Hi Victor. What I would do is start again 3 months out from the Dec LSAT and proceed at a leisurely pace for the first month. Review those two bibles again and do all the rechallenges, do the RC bible, then do some untimed questions for the next couple weeks, maybe 2 hours a day four days a week. If untimed prep is not challenging enough, go on to timed individual question and timed section practice. As long as you don’t work so fast that you run out of material, you will be fine. If you want to work at a fast pace for the whole three months, get the very early preptests that aren’t used on the prep schedule. Here’s where to get those early tests: https://lawschooli.com/where-can-i-find-every-actual-official-lsat-preptest/
I’m planning to take the LSAT in December and hopefully have all my applications done by then. I work full time and go to school full time so I would really appreciate it you put together a checklist of things I need to do in order to have everything that needs to be completed done so I can actually enjoy my Christmas break. Anything that you can help out with saves me time I do not have to spare. All the information is awesome so far, glad I found this website
No problem Arthur. We’ll post an admissions checklist soon 🙂
@Nilesh I think I remember seeing you around. 178.51 is pretty impressive good work.
Though applying in December is a disadvantage (only at those top schools) it is likely to be very, very slight right now. Even top schools are getting way fewer applications and are likely to have plenty of open spots come December. As such, take the LSAT in December and don’t worry about it.
I’m sorry but I don’t know anything about being an LLM and applying as a transfer. Does that let you go straight in to the J.D. program without taking the LSAT?
Don’t worry about not having a US GPA, that can actually be a good thing because they don’t have to report your GPA to the ABA, so other school will largely base a decision off your LLM GPA and your LSAT if you are still required to take it.
Hi thanks for the quick reply…you put my mind at rest both about testing in December and the GPA…for the LLMers at UC, if you apply for the transfer, you don’t have to give the LSAT..,which is a good thing but transfer seats are so few…I guess applying as an ED transfer might have its benefits..
Hi Evan and Josh… I had commented on your LSAT prep post but another query has come to mind…I read our post about the Dec LSAT putting ppl at a disadvantage when applying to UC and top law schools. Im kind of worried because 1. I don’t have a US GPA (mine is an international transcript which places me as “above average” .. below “superior” but above the other denominations) and if I get a good LSAT score, I guess Id be considered a splitter. I can’t take the LSAT before Dec as there is simply not enough time for me. Does this put me at a disadvantage while applying to top law schools this year…I’ll have all my apps ready by then…also I was an LLM student at UC and got a 178.51 …I applied for transfer but could not make it thru and was advised to apply ED as a transfer in 2014. Would it be tactically better to apply ED as a transfer or as a potential 1L with a (hopefully) good Dec LSAT score.
how about a timeline for October LSAT takers ?
No problem, I will do a whole one. Short advice: October is a lot less stressful because you can push some of application stuff until after you take the LSAT and still be fine. The goal is simply to have apps in by early in November. Try to have your PS mostly done and your LORs in by the time you take the LSAT and then you are in good shape.
Thanks! Love this site.