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Things learned after 1st test experience.

if you have taken it before you may gain nothing from this, if you haven't you might possibly find something in here.
bathroom
Of course I had the "damn I gotta pee" moment.

Like a fool I didn't remember that the bathroom was only 30 ft from the door to the test room. Agonized over losing 1-3 minutes and totally blew 2nd section b/c of it. Every minute counts but if you have to go, run like hell and handle it. Don't hold it. Just my two cents. Of course it depends on what sections you are stronger on, if you can grab an extra 3-5 minutes after completing a section and how they are lined up,etc...I didn't prepare enough for the test as is so every minute did count but my lack of confidence in sacrificing 3 minutes blew the whole thing. It was just miserable, lesson learned. Better to give up 2-3 questions vs. allowing it to totally blow the ENTIRE test.

my daily intake 1 pack of amer. spirits and apx. 10 cups of coffee between 7am-1am to give you a baseline.

smokes
The cigarette thing had me noided out on break. For all the smokers I suggest scoping the facilities in advance, might not be able to pull it off but certain places just make it very doable. Nicotine gum is disgusting but worst comes to worst get the 2mg generic stuff and do what you gotta do. I say use it during practice tests though, I used to have a smoke during every section when PT'ing that didn't help my confidence going in...fear of nic fit. During those first 3 sections I didn't even think about it though, was zoned out. After smoking for 15 yrs. a pack a day, I think that shows you that the test can make that "need" disappear.

water/coffee
There is a fine line between being properly hydrated to keep the mind/body in an optimal state vs. ODing on the h2o. Coffee, similar thing. next time I will opt for caffeine pills maybe 2 quarts of water within 2 hrs of the exam, etc...


bagged items
I was so worked up about the entire exam I had like 20 pencils, 2 sharpeners, 30 snack bars (left in the car although I purchased them to give to others if they didn't have anything...same with pencils, erasers etc) totally cool going into it, didn't even break a sweat and it was like 80 plus out on way over with no a/c...I was chillin. On some level I feel that my bringing all this "extra" shit was just my subconscious attempting to overcompensate for my lack of study etc...

3-4 pencils an eraser, snack bar or two depending on what you eat before and your normal feeding habits, ID, water or juice should be go to. Just my dos centavos, may not work for everyone. I feel that the more you carry, the more stress you are carrying with you. Travel light, stay focused, be confident.

If you allow doubt/fear to exist it could ruin all your hard work and dedication. There is no good reason for you to work hard only to allow this "thoughts" to disrupt you executing on test day. If you are ill prepared no worries, own it and see how you do. If you are prepared, act accordingly. It may not seem easy, but with practice you can master it just as you can master the LSAT if you choose to put in the time and effort.

I know I performed poorly but it is a reflection on my weak preparation and lack of self confidence. I knew the test could shake you up, I have made it through plenty of stressful moments in life and kept my shit together...always more to learn. The next two times I sit for the exam I will be prepared and my performance will indeed reflect the amount of preparation I put in up to that point in time.

I would love to say this test is one of those things where you get out what you put in, but without having your head on that may not be the case.


Just throwing that out there.

goawaybee, thanks for sharing valuable insights!
do you plan to cancel June and retake it in Oct?

goawaybee wrote:Things learned after 1st test experience]
If you allow doubt/fear to exist it could ruin all your hard work and dedication. There is no good reason for you to work hard only to allow this "thoughts" to disrupt you executing on test day. If you are ill prepared no worries, own it and see how you do. If you are prepared, act accordingly. It may not seem easy, but with practice you can master it just as you can master the LSAT if you choose to put in the time and effort.

This is spot on. I was so prepared going into the test, but after just one section of potentially screwing up on a few questions (LG, of course. fuck Tuscany) i began to question myself and it all went downhill from there. Once I began to fret, I couldn't stop fretting and thinking about how I might've blown it. Don't let performance concerns from one section carry over to another; that was my fatal flaw, and is why I'll be retaking in October.

goawaybee wrote: my daily intake 1 pack of amer. spirits and apx. 10 cups of coffee between 7am-1am to give you a baseline.

you gonna die.

Death is on its way, no fear in regards to that.

No interest in canceling my score. I am not planning on applying nor attending any school that would be concerned with a low score on the boards or anything other than the best out of 3. Throw a 147 up there and I wouldn't miss out on a single moment of sleep. I will own whatever comes across the computer screen, shake it off and start studying from scratch for the next round. The reasons to cancel may be many but I feel that a poor performance is very easy to explain. I paid hard earned dollars for it, let me have it. 3 shots, one of them will get me to up where I want to be even if it takes 250 hrs of studying and PT's to get me there.

Like they say, you can learn this test, just gotta be willing to put in the time. If you want a 163 handle it, you want a 178 knock it out....or beast out like a psycho and do the best you can. Don't ever beat yourself over a few points though. You can always make up for a few points by shaking hands, meeting people, stacking your softs, LOR's,etc...Granted the LSAT/GPA are the numbers they want but there is room to play in the sandbox and the tools are already laying in there, just have to uncover them and figure out if they want you to build a sandcastle or a dragon.

I think many people get so fixated that they forget about the total package, including their own quality of life, sanity, mental/emotional health etc...Eyes on the prize, be good to yourself.