For those of you who got your best score ever on test day...

[enigma09]

How did you do it? Was your approach on test day different than on practice tests? And are there any tips that you employed that might be helpful to the rest of us?

[gdane]

How did you do it? Was your approach on test day different than on practice tests? And are there any tips that you employed that might be helpful to the rest of us?

Hahahaha! Want a little reassurance?

My advice to you would be to be confident in yourself. Concentrate on the test and the test only. Dont think of what schools youre going to apply to, dont think about the possibility of not doing as well as you could, dont worry what other people around you are doing, just take it easy. If youve prepared, then you should be fine. Use the "fear" of test day to your advantage. If a bear is chasing you, are you going to stand there? Hell no! Youre going to run (or fight it, but more than likely run) and youre going to use all that fear to help you get out of there. Same thing on the LSAT.

Youll be fine.

Good luck!

[2011Law]

Haven't taken the test yet, but my guess is that not too many people got their best score ever (or tied) on test day. If someone does do it, it's probably because they got a lot of questions they were good at and few questions they were bad at. People are probably also going to be more focused on test day than during any PT, so that will probably factor in too.

[lakers3peat]

I'm a firm believer in both karma and luck. If you studied, karma will be on your side. On the other hand, luck definetly comes into the picture. There have been times when I take practice tests that I get -1 or -2 on RC and likewise for LG. Other times, I can only do 3/4 games/passages. I realize that this inconsistency is not good but some passages are inherently more interesting and easier to get through just as some games are easier to get through. If you are lucky, on test day you will get passages that you are able to comprehend and you will get games that are engrained in your head. good luck amigo

[gdane]

I'm a firm believer in both karma and luck. If you studied, karma will be on your side. On the other hand, luck definetly comes into the picture. There have been times when I take practice tests that I get -1 or -2 on RC and likewise for LG. Other times, I can only do 3/4 games/passages. I realize that this inconsistency is not good but some passages are inherently more interesting and easier to get through just as some games are easier to get through. If you are lucky, on test day you will get passages that you are able to comprehend and you will get games that are engrained in your head. good luck amigo

This is what I was thinking about yesterday. There have been certain PT's that just seemed to be in my favor. Then there were ones that werent. Most are in between. Luck comes into play if you either get the a favorable test or if you avoid an unfavorable one.

[WeX11788]

At the very least, I think I'll get near my highest PT score. I know how I am with these things. Because it's test day, I'm going to have a maximum focus. I'm sure a lot is the same for the rest of you. Just get a good day of rest before the test and go in confidently.

[kpuc]

I think pressure can really force you to focus that PTs simply cannot duplicate. Even the most dedicated to PT takers are distracted by the little things. I doubt most people will think of anything else other than the LSAT when they're taking the real thing.

[lakers3peat]

yeah and don't dwell. dwellers are dummies. once you finish one section, as tough as it may be, get ready to move on to the next one. deep breath and forget about everything that has already happened. also, i've heard from other people that you should not talk to anyone during the break. hearing somone else's nervousness or anxiety can rub off onto you. find a place in solitude during your break, eat some grub, drink some drank, and do meditative practice.

[Adjudicator]

Just remember, every question is answerable. Every single question has a correct answer, and it is right there on the page. Take it one question at a time, read carefully, consider each answer, and trust your judgment.

[dabbadon8]

Thread title is me. Highest PT was 171 (twice) ended up with a 173 on test day in june. My last full PT before the test was a 166. I was scoring -1 or -2 on most sections but not consistently on full tests. Several factors made a difference on test day I think. Full attention and preparation: I was never as mentally and physically prepared as I was on test day. Most important though was luck. On logic games I took about 3 50/50 shots guess on the interns game and got 2/3. I am sure there were other instances of luck. Don't worry about your score, it will only psych you out.

[clevinger33]

Haven't taken the test yet, but my guess is that not too many people got their best score ever (or tied) on test day. If someone does do it, it's probably because they got a lot of questions they were good at and few questions they were bad at. People are probably also going to be more focused on test day than during any PT, so that will probably factor in too.

Highest practice test score: 173 (once. . .got a 171 twice and a 170 once... out of like 10 practice tests. I think I scored >170 5/10)
Test score: 175

Why did it happen?

I don't know, I really wasn't that focused during my practice tests. I just took them at random points during the day... I wasn't distracted, but at the same time it wasn't the only thing on my mind. I went into the test completely relaxed, it was the only thing I was concerned about, and I rocked it. Also helped that I got -0 on LG for the first time ever. Reading comp was my best section all through practice tests and it was my worst on test day... Kind of makes me think I could've gotten a 178 or something... oh well.

[cinephile]

This was the case for me. I scored 4 points higher on the real test than I had on any practice test.

I did what I could to take pressure off of myself: went to a movie the night before, went out to breakfast the day of the exam, etc. I didn't talk to the other test takers, which is unlike me. I also slowed down and tried to read each question carefully (I normally raced through the practice tests with 5-10 minutes to spare per section). This helped a lot on LR and LG, but with RC I missed 8 because I didn't finish a passage.

[iShotFirst]

Me too, five points higher than any practice test. I think when you do the practice tests, you are really thinking hard, just waiting to get the score at the end of the practice test, just waiting to see what you need to improve on, where you went wrong, etc. This was my case at least, I was more focused on the result of the practice test than just doing the test. Test day, I just went in and sat down and knew that I had to concentrate on the test, that I wouldnt get the score until much later and it wouldnt matter anyways because I wasnt going to take it again (due to admissions deadlines). Got a great score.

[IAFG]

it wasn't my best score ever, but it was near the top of my PT range...

i walked in and had a mental mantra, "this test is easy. it is so easy everyone in the room is going to get a perfect score. you need a perfect score to pass, but that's okay, it is so easy everyone is going to get that."

odd, i know, but it worked?

[longdaysjourney]

How did you do it? Was your approach on test day different than on practice tests? And are there any tips that you employed that might be helpful to the rest of us?

Go take a test this week at the test center, in the room that you'll be tested in. It will make you feel more confident.

[Hedwig]

How did you do it? Was your approach on test day different than on practice tests? And are there any tips that you employed that might be helpful to the rest of us?

Go take a test this week at the test center, in the room that you'll be tested in. It will make you feel more confident.

Since I'm taking the test at my undergrad university, the room is either one I've already taken a final in, or is so similar as to be indistinguishable. I'm hoping this helps. Plus, I'm going to head there and take my final prep tests in that building .

[kpuc]

Me too, five points higher than any practice test. I think when you do the practice tests, you are really thinking hard, just waiting to get the score at the end of the practice test, just waiting to see what you need to improve on, where you went wrong, etc. This was my case at least, I was more focused on the result of the practice test than just doing the test.

That is a great point. I think one of the problems with PTs is that you're so anxious to get to the end so that you can find out what your score is.