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Should You Reschedule Your March LSAT?

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Students signed up for the March 2019 LSAT have about 10 days left before the exam. I know this was the time before my own exam when the significance of the test really started to hit me, and by hit me, I mean I was panicking and thinking about rescheduling the exam for a later date. If you’re a March test taker tempted to push back your own exam, hold your horses and see if your situation fits one of the (relatively few) cases where rescheduling your exam actually makes sense.

To figure that out, ask yourself:

Are you ready to add an extra $190+ to your LSAT budget?

Since the deadline has passed to reschedule your March LSAT for June, rescheduling essentially means throwing away the $190 you paid for the March exam and paying the same for a future exam. You might also need to consider test prep resources, time off from work and other factors at play when you decide to prolong your test prep.

Did you study for this test at all?

There’s a big difference between those people who studied and feel like they still have room to improve on the LSAT (which, as it turns out, is basically all of us) and other people who have so little preparation that the test can’t possibly be representative of their abilities. If you’re in the second group, you might consider rescheduling, but even there, it may be worth your while to take the March LSAT as part of your preparation, along with planning to study more seriously so that you’ll be in better shape for a retake.

Are you planning to apply for law school in the 2019 cycle?

Top law schools are trending toward using the January LSAT as the last one they will consider from an applicant submitting their first and only LSAT score. And while many schools will still consider a single score from the March exam, your odds of acceptance with a March score may be lower, and they become especially slim for students submitting only a June score. In other words, your LSAT score is necessary for law schools to consider your application, and law schools will become more and more selective later in the year when they have fewer slots left to fill in their class. If you’re on the fence about rescheduling from March to June, and you need this score to submit your application for 2019, you’re probably better off taking the March exam. If you’re not happy with the results, you can always retake and reapply early in the next year’s application cycle.

Did something unexpected come up that would prevent you from taking the LSAT or from performing anything like you normally could?

If you come down with a debilitating illness or you have a personal issue that would severely impact your experience taking the LSAT, it could be a good idea to reschedule. Some of the reasons for this are the same as those relevant to someone who finds themselves very underprepared approaching test day, but people facing personal hardship in advance of the test have an additional reason to put the exam and law school applications on hold. The LSAT is important to your legal career, but your health, your wellbeing, and your commitment to your loved ones are always going to be more important. The LSAT and law school will still be waiting once you can get your life back to normal.

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Overall, a limited number of students would benefit from rescheduling their LSAT this late in the game. Keep in mind in these days leading up to the exam that law schools are increasingly concerned with your best overall test score, so this March LSAT is probably very well worth your time, whether it’s representative of your abilities or a stepping stone to reaching your LSAT goals.