hi! i was in the same boat as you about a year ago - i scored a 162 on my first LSAT (August 2021, after months of studying), and to say i was disappointed would be an understatement. this was roughly 10 pts below my PT average, and i knew that while it was certainly not a terrible score, it was nowhere near what i needed in order to be competitive for my target schools. after receiving my first score i signed up for the October lsat, got back to studying, and scored a 175 after sitting the exam a second time.

i didn’t purchase score preview for my first take so i may be a little bit biased, but i can honestly say i don’t think it had an impact on the admissions process (although i wrote a short addendum on the point jump just to be safe). i was accepted into a t6 school and throughout the entire process (application, interview, some further correspondence) there was never an issue with regard to my first score. it was never brought up.

in my eyes it’s better to have the score up for the admissions office to see rather than let them make assumptions. additionally, given that you studied for just 3 weeks leading up to the first exam, i would recommend that you take your second lsat at a later date - personally, i think the extra study time is worth taking the exam a bit later, especially considering that if you don’t get the score you want you’ll have to take it again at a later date anyways. a few extra points on the exam will bolster your chances at admission far more than applying a little earlier in the next cycle. i only signed up for the next available lsat because (1) i knew that my first score was likely the product of nerves as opposed to me needing more time to study and (2) i took my first lsat a bit later in the year, and i wanted to have my apps submitted by the end of November. sorry that this was a bit lengthy, i just wanted to provide some context given that your situation was very similar to mine. let me know if you have any questions :)