Staying sharp in the morning Forum

[iwanta170]

When I take practice tests in the morning, I often have problems on the first section because I guess I'm not a morning person and I probably have to get into the groove of things until I can start to really start hammering questions. Does anyone have any advice on what to do when I wake up before starting a practice test to get in a sharper mindset quicker?

[tomwatts]

You could try some sort of warmup routine, something that you could do on test day, like doing a logic game before you fill out the scantron, or doing a short jog, or something.

[legalized]

When I take practice tests in the morning, I often have problems on the first section because I guess I'm not a morning person and I probably have to get into the groove of things until I can start to really start hammering questions. Does anyone have any advice on what to do when I wake up before starting a practice test to get in a sharper mindset quicker?

Ice cold shower?

Coffee?

Warmup by doing a practice section of the section you find hardest?

Jumping jacks to get the blood flowing around?

High energy music playing loudly the whole time you are awake before the exam both in the house and in the car?

[Leeroy Jenkins]

If you have an exam at 9, wake up at 5.

[sixburgher]

If you have an exam at 9, wake up at 5.

This. 5 might be extreme, but 6 should work. I'm in the same boat as you, slow-moving in the morning. My thinking is:

-Get up early, give yourself a chance to wake up
-Do something physical: push-ups, running, anything to get your heart rate up
-Eat, something decent, with protein. This starts up the engine room
-Coffee, but don't overdo it. One strong cup does it for me
-Do some practice questions during or after breakfast. Sudoku works as well

[Olive]

Going for a quick, intense run, showering and then reading an article or two in the paper or a few pages of a book helped me get in a sharper mindset quicker. And of course coffee helped, too.

[bp colin]

you have to wake up at 5 or 6, but that shouldn't be early. Get in a routine where you're going to bed at 10pm every night. Then waking up at 6 will feel normal. You should start doing this two weeks out from the test at least, if you can. It might sound like overkill, but the LSAT is more responsive to how tired you feel than any sort of test you've ever taken. And honestly, what do you really have to do after 10pm?