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Does anyone do this in any way? Taking it in December was so different compared to my PTs because I got down on myself when I didn't do great in the initial LG section and that affected my confidence for the next two parts of the test. What strategies are there for overcoming either anxiety due to a bad section or learning to practice with 5 sections?

practice with 6 section tests and learn to forget after each question.

EvanC wrote:Does anyone do this in any way? Taking it in December was so different compared to my PTs because I got down on myself when I didn't do great in the initial LG section and that affected my confidence for the next two parts of the test. What strategies are there for overcoming either anxiety due to a bad section or learning to practice with 5 sections?

1: scored
2: EXP
3: scored
15 min break
4: scored
5: scored

Take 5 sections, with your 2nd section as the EXP. This way the 1st scored section will account for the jitters and your 3rd section (also scored) is taken with the least possible amount of energy among the first 3 sections.

I took tests in this manner because it helped me work on my weaknesses - just think about your weak spots and organize your test accordingly. Ideally, you'd have a friend help you make copies of the test & mix it up so you have no knowledge at all.

Also, to make sure that I cared about the EXP section, I'd total up the scores for that particular exam and keep track of it. On my Excel spreadsheet, I treated that score just like any other practice test I took.

Was this your first time writing it for real? This happened to me in October after my first RC I panicked. Unfortunately for your first time you don't know how it is so preparing for it is not easy. Next time you write you will be more mentally prepared than before. I would suggest do 5 section tests without checking answers until the entire thing is over. Just do anything that helps you avoid stress. I feel that stress coupled with the fact that there is so much riding on one test is what causes people to have minor or major panic attacks. Next itme if it happens on the real thing again you will be much more prepared.

Where do you get 5 section tests? And ya - first time for real. My biggest issue was that I pted with my iPhone and didn't think about having to use an analogue watch during the real thing. I lost my sense of time and had trouble finishing everything.

Use the same analog watch in PT's as you would on the real test. Cambridge LSAT has 5 section tests.

Take older tests that you don't want to do the full versions of and break them into sections. For example do PT 58 but throw in the 1st LR section from PT18.

Additionally if you dont' want to bother with that, you could just buy the PDFed practice tests from Cambridge, they put an experimental in for you.

EvanC wrote:Where do you get 5 section tests? And ya - first time for real. My biggest issue was that I pted with my iPhone and didn't think about having to use an analogue watch during the real thing. I lost my sense of time and had trouble finishing everything.

You can't actually get the 5th section that was used on XYZ test. What you'll need to do is take a random old test and use one of its sections in place of section #5.

glewz wrote:

EvanC wrote:Does anyone do this in any way? Taking it in December was so different compared to my PTs because I got down on myself when I didn't do great in the initial LG section and that affected my confidence for the next two parts of the test. What strategies are there for overcoming either anxiety due to a bad section or learning to practice with 5 sections?

1: scored
2: EXP
3: scored
15 min break
4: scored
5: scored

Take 5 sections, with your 2nd section as the EXP. This way the 1st scored section will account for the jitters and your 3rd section (also scored) is taken with the least possible amount of energy among the first 3 sections.

I took tests in this manner because it helped me work on my weaknesses - just think about your weak spots and organize your test accordingly. Ideally, you'd have a friend help you make copies of the test & mix it up so you have no knowledge at all.

Also, to make sure that I cared about the EXP section, I'd total up the scores for that particular exam and keep track of it. On my Excel spreadsheet, I treated that score just like any other practice test I took.

That's a great method, the one I used as well. Don't use the Exp as your first, because you might treat it like your warm-up. Don't do it third, because you want to test how you'll do on a section that matters after having done two sections in a row.

You should be self-motivated as it is on Exp's because on the real thing, you're not gonna know which on the Exp is and you have to do well on all sections to give yourself the best score possible.