few questions about lsat test day for previous test-takers Forum

[law's cool]

how early did you get to the test center/ how early would you recommend getting there? (one hour before test starts? half-hour?)

when people say they did practice problems at the test center for 20 mins or however long...do you mean in the actual testing room or outside of the room somewhere? (are you allowed to bring test problems into the room? i'm assuming no)

are you allowed to pick your seat in the testing room?

[confusedlawyer]

I would like to know all of this to. I am going about an hour and a half early. Going to do questions for an hour in the corner then go in at 12 for registration

[honestabe84]

how early did you get to the test center/ how early would you recommend getting there? (one hour before test starts? half-hour?)

I got there about 10 minutes before we were supposed to be there. Why in the world would you want to get there an hour early and just sit around making yourself nervous?

when people say they did practice problems at the test center for 20 mins or however long...do you mean in the actual testing room or outside of the room somewhere? (are you allowed to bring test problems into the room? i'm assuming no)

No, you can't bring any prep material into the testing room. I just did an easy RC passage in my car that I had aced in the past.

are you allowed to pick your seat in the testing room?

Not at my location.

[shock259]

In my location, they sat you every other seat in the order that you came in.

As per timing, I really don't see a reason in getting there THAT early just to freak yourself out. Don't be late at all costs, so be there as early as you need to be to ensure that. But don't get there and go to the room one hour early to just twiddle your thumbs.

[TheBigMediocre]

20 minutes early is on time; On time is 20 minutes late.

[confusedlawyer]

I didn't mean go in the room an hour early, i meant be in the vicinity of the test area an hour early so I can do questions before going in. (I'm driving from toronto to buffalo)

[superflush]

how early did you get to the test center/ how early would you recommend getting there? (one hour before test starts? half-hour?)

Get there when they tell you to get there. Do a test run at least once so you know how long it takes you to get there and park (unless you are taking public transit in a big city) and walk to where you need to go. Make sure you know exactly where you need to go (especially if this is on a big campus), and make sure you've walked around the area before.

when people say they did practice problems at the test center for 20 mins or however long...do you mean in the actual testing room or outside of the room somewhere? (are you allowed to bring test problems into the room? i'm assuming no)

I just did a few problems in my car. I wouldn't bring anything in except for your plastic bag.

are you allowed to pick your seat in the testing room?

It depends. Some test centers will have a specific seating chart for the entire room. Others will split testers up into different rooms and you may get to pick from the seats that are open.

[traehekat]

how early did you get to the test center/ how early would you recommend getting there? (one hour before test starts? half-hour?)

I took the test three times and each time I got there anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour early. I am paranoid about traffic/accidents so that is the reason for that. Honestly, there is a ton of waiting you have to do before you actually look at a problem, even if you get there at the last minute, so there is plenty opportunity to get nervous/psych yourself out before the test. Thus, I don't think getting there a little earlier really makes that any worse/better. I would get there at least 20 minutes early, just so you have time to go to the bathroom if you need to, or whatever. I like to read.

when people say they did practice problems at the test center for 20 mins or however long...do you mean in the actual testing room or outside of the room somewhere? (are you allowed to bring test problems into the room? i'm assuming no)

Every time I took the test I brought something with me to do, which I worked on outside the testing room. I was at two different sites, and at both locations we gathered in a larger auditorium/area before dispersing to separate rooms to take the test. It was at this point, when we were instructed to move to the other room, that I just tossed whatever material I was working on. You are not allowed to bring test problems into the room. I brought a magazine with me to read while I waited, and one of the test proctors just held on to it for me until the test was finished.

As a side note, I really recommend reading something before you take the test. Don't let the LSAT be the first thing you read that day. Whether it is a reading comprehension passage, magazine, newspaper, etc. is up to you, but I would read something.

are you allowed to pick your seat in the testing room?

No.

[ClifBars]

I brought a newspaper with me and it was a huge relief. My center had us wait outside until about 20 minutes to the test, so there were over 100 of us just hanging out and not talking. The paper was a nice distraction, and the person behind even asked for a few sections that I had finished reading.

If you're the type who feels better studying until the last minute, you can just bring some copies of practice tests and go over them before you go in. They can be thrown away when you're let into the room.

[StrictlyLiable]

I guess that's a pretty good idea to not let the LSAT be the first thing you read all day, but do a lot of people actually run through passages or other questions in their car before they actually take the test?

[Cupidity]

Full hour before,

and I know no one says to do this, but I did 2 games before the test that morning as a mental warm up. really helped me.

[4102011]

I got there about 30 minutes before they said to because I was paranoid about being late.

Before I left I did some LG sections I had done before (this part is key) and that I did well so I wouldn't get too freaked out/it would warm my brain up.

I just people-watched when I got there. The number of people there who were like, "Hmm should I have studied for this? Damn!" made me feel a lot more calm about the whole process. And we were seated by alphabetical order.

I took mine in NYC so the whole no-car-thing led some people to believe that they could bring actual bags in. And the proctor did not agree, and they had to leave them unwatched in the hallway which probably screwed up their concentration. So...don't do that.

[forty-two]

I got there about 45 minutes early to make sure I got a good parking spot. I probably spent about 20 minutes working through problems in the car (problems that I had already done, by the way...I think this is important). Also, my testing center seated us as we arrived, but there wasn't a formal seating chart or anything. The proctors even let me move after they seated me because I didn't want to sit next to a friend of mine, but I don't know if other proctors would have been as chill.

Good luck!

[bostonlawchick]

what is the check in process like? or is it different at every center? when do they fingerprint you? I feel like knowing what to expect will make me a little calmer come test day. Not to mention it might help stop the nightmares about taking the LSAT in the middle of a frat party.

[honestabe84]

I got there about 45 minutes early to make sure I got a good parking spot. I probably spent about 20 minutes working through problems in the car (problems that I had already done, by the way...I think this is important). Also, my testing center seated us as we arrived, but there wasn't a formal seating chart or anything. The proctors even let me move after they seated me because I didn't want to sit next to a friend of mine, but I don't know if other proctors would have been as chill.

Good luck!

+1 You don't want to to do a game/LR question/RC passage you've never done before, because if you randomly bomb it, it may adversely impact your confidence.