Applicant Question: I'm retaking the LSAT in Dec. Realistically, what's the most I can improve?

According to the LSAC, the average improvement upon retake of the LSAT is fairly nominal, not quite 3 points. Some scores actually decrease. But I have seen incidents of 15 or even 20 point improvements. These improvements are by no means typical and should not be expected. When evaluating your realistic chances of improvement on the LSAT, you should analyze three main factors: 1) your first score; 2) your level of preparation for the second test as compared to the first; and 3) circumstances surrounding your taking the first test.

Statistics show that the lower a person's score on the LSAT, the greater the possibility that the person will improve if the test is retaken. It's the age-old phenomenological concept called "regression to the mean". Thus, as a general rule, a test-taker with an initial score of 130 should show greater improvement than a test-taker with an initial score of 160.

Because the LSAT is a skills-based test, lack of preparation can be debilitating to a person's chances of realizing his or her full potential on the test. Thus, a markedly higher level of preparation for the second test increases your chances of improvement.

Lastly, to the chagrin of many unfortunate test-takers, "life happens" on test day-the car breaks down, a nasty virus decides to infect you, tragedy befalls, etc. Significant hassles on test day can negatively affect your test performance. Thus, if there is a tangible event to which you can attribute significant blame for your bad performance, chances are your score will improve on retake. But be careful not to blame a bad performance on innocuous inconveniences. Having a hard time finding your keys on the morning of the test probably had no effect on your performance if it took you only 10 minutes to find them; if it took an hour, that may be another story.

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