If you just finished taking the June LSAT, congratulations! No matter how it went, getting through the test is a big accomplishment and you should be proud of yourself.

Alright, enough back-patting. Let’s talk about the next steps. There are only two options at this point if you’re still planning on going to law school: either you will retake the LSAT, or you will use your score to apply to schools.

For those of you in the first boat, the first battle is going to be overcoming the apathy. I would recommend taking some time off to recharge your batteries; jumping right back into serious test preparation mode could lead to burnout. Once you’ve enjoyed some rest and relaxation, ease back into the LSAT—do a few practice questions, review the methods, and make sure that you keep everything in perspective. As long as you remember why you want to go to law school, restarting the process will not seem quite as daunting.

If you are comfortable with your performance and planning to apply to law school this cycle, there are a few things you can do while you’re waiting for your score. First, start gathering your application materials. Specifically, I would encourage you to sign up for the Credential Assembly Service through LSAC, and then collect your letters of recommendation and your transcript(s) as soon as possible. The process can be somewhat annoying, but the sooner you get it done, the sooner you don’t have to worry about it any more.

You can also start thinking about your personal statement. The hardest part of the application process, for me, was coming up with a topic for my essay. If you start thinking about it now, you’ll be under a lot less pressure when it’s time to actually send in your applications. Get a solid outline now, or at least a clear sense of what you’re going to write about, and you’ll have a huge head-start.

As for your application timeline, those of you who are happy with your LSAT performance should try to apply by late October or early November. Applications start opening up in September, so you won’t be able to complete the forms or anything until then. I would shoot for getting your other materials collected by August and then getting a draft of your personal statement done as soon as possible. If you’re planning on writing a diversity statement or application addendum, you can also start thinking about that now.

The application process isn’t a lot of fun. The sooner you get the ball rolling on it, the easier everything will be down the road. If you have to retake in September, don’t worry. You’ll still have your score in plenty of time to apply early in the cycle, and odds are your score will be better the second time around.