Top Law Schools

Im getting ready to take the February LSAT

I'm practicing in the mid 160's on practice tests but when I take the real test I suffer from test anxiety and nerves and my score dropes pretty signifigantly.

Can I get some tips on how to control my anxiety and nerves during the test?

Controlling nerves is a critical part of preparation. In this blog post (LinkRemoved), we discuss nerves and provide some links to some anti-anxiety exercises. It's ideal to work on the anti-anxiety exercises for at least several weeks, but start tonight and it WILL help a great deal. My top-scoring client used these and she says it is physically impossible to have an anxiety reaction if you get your breathing under control.

All the best for a great test experience!

EDIT: BROKEN LINK in the blog post to the anxiety reduction exercises fixed!

What really helped me was to wake up a little early and just do some quick runs over a previous prep test. It really worked well in reminding me that the test I was about to take contained the same types of questions I had been working on for quite some time, and for some reason this really helped me relax. Blast some tunes on the way too.

IBalcohol

It's all about attitude. Tell yourself that you're going to do your best, that's it. Don't tell yourself that you're going to beat your highest PT by ten points. Just be honest, wake up a bit early and eat some light breakfast (and drink coffee, if you drink coffee...totally key to my test taking strategy).

This topic may have been broached before...

Anxiety and the LSAT
LSAT Test Day Stress--Managing Test Anxiety??
LSAT Nerves
How to cope with test-day anxiety
Major anxiety...need help
Controlling nerves on the big day
test anxiety
HELP! urgent...help about nerves?
How can I reduce test anxiety? Serious issue for me
How to Stay Calm and Focused On Test Day?
How to deal with anxiety on the test day?
Test Anxiety
How to deal with extreme anxiety during the test?
Controlling nerves (even moderators have them)
How can I reduce test anxiety? Serious issue for me
How to combat the negativity that is infesting my brain?
I get really nervous...
Tips for stress?
Tips on how to deal with stress? Please help!

For the hypochondriacs:
What is your greatest test day fear?
Any tips to avoid getting sick before the LSAT?

And the insomniacs:
Solutions to Sleeping Before Test Day?
Cant sleep night before test day

And those in need of encouragement:
For those of you who got your best score ever on test day...
TEST DAY Strategies...What Did You Do?

And those who learn from horror stories:
Well, so much for that...

Kurst, you've outdone yourself.

Here's my - dare I say - "Kurst-style" compilation of the better general test-related anxiety-reduction tips I found on the web.

http://lsatblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/te ... s-mp3.html

Extremely useful post Kurst, tagged for future use when I'm in a complete and utter panic

Yikes! Broken link to the breathing exercises in my post above. Just what everyone needs when seeking answers about anxiety. Here's the proper link http://students.georgiasouthern.edu/cou ... elax07.htm

I've had a few PMs about anxiety, so I want to add something to the discussion. On another discussion board -- let's call it NOT-Top-Law-Schools -- I recall a snarky thread in which people reported silly behavior at their test center. Some guy actually brought FIVE sharpened pencils. The really, really cool test-takers knew they only needed one. There also was some (dim)witty banter about people who were doing deep breathing before the test began. WTF? We all know it's far more important to appear insouciant to a bunch of strangers than to use the tools we need to do our best on Game Day, right?

There's a reason you're on TLS. You've come to the right place. Bring all the pencils you want. Maybe the proctor will let you lend one to Ms. Cool when she breaks hers during the name bubbling. And don't forget to breathe.

Here's a thread that captures a lot of the behavior you will observe on test day from those who post on that "other" discussion board.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=132620

BTW, if you're wondering what snack to pack for the break, Peanut M&Ms FTW. Consider one of the larger bags to share with the inevitable few who either forgot or packed Red Bull and now can't look at it. +5 karma points.

fastforward wrote:Here's a thread that captures a lot of the behavior you will observe on test day from those who post on that "other" discussion board.

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 6&t=132620

BTW, if you're wondering what snack to pack for the break, Peanut M&Ms FTW. Consider one of the larger bags to share with the inevitable few who either forgot or packed Red Bull and now can't look at it. +5 karma points.

Just so you know, there are several other (5 major ones plus several small obscure/niche ones) LSAT and law school related discussion boards that have been around for a long time, not just one. You should be more specific when trying to act cool and fit in by making fun of 'the other people', especially since many of the frequent active users read and participate on several of the boards. Work on your attempts at snarky humor, it could use some improvement.

As for break time snack, peanut M&M's (as much as I do love those things) is a bad idea, as is any type of candy. The sugar rush from the simple sugars/carbs in candy spikes and then totally drops off a cliff really fast, somewhere around the time leading into or beginning section 5 which can lead to careless mistakes and poor section performance since its the last section and fatigue also plays a role.

Getting hopped up on a sugar rush with simple sugars/stuff loaded with HFCS before the test and during the break is a bad idea because of the roller coaster ups and downs of blood sugar levels it causes. The LSAT is partially an endurance test and you want your energy and concentration level to remain steady throughout the entire test in order to consistently perform at your best during all five sections.

Complex carbs are much better. Something like a powerbar or whatever brand energy bar (NOT protein bar - ENERGY BAR) is a much better way to go for a break snack. Complex carbs provide sustained blood sugar levels and energy for a much longer duration than do simple sugars and don't cause the rapid up and down spikes. (which by themselves can add to anxiety levels)

Jeffort wrote: Work on your attempts at snarky humor, it could use some improvement.

I'll work on it.

Jeffort wrote:As for break time snack, peanut M&M's (as much as I do love those things) is a bad idea, as is any type of candy. The sugar rush from the simple sugars/carbs in candy spikes and then totally drops off a cliff really fast, somewhere around the time leading into or beginning section 5 which can lead to careless mistakes and poor section performance since its the last section and fatigue also plays a role.

I stand by the Peanut M&Ms, which have the combination of protein, carbs and fat to sustain you through the last part of the day. http://books.google.com/books?id=h2MAb2 ... le&f=false

Peanut M&Ms have a relatively low glycemic index of 33 -- about the same as chickpeas or lentils. This means they do not produce the same blood sugar spike as a typical candy. By comparison, jelly beans have a glycemic index of 80 -- a guaranteed sugar rush/crash.
http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/carbs.html

All the best on Saturday whatever you decide to pack.

Jeffort wrote: As for break time snack, peanut M&M's (as much as I do love those things) is a bad idea, as is any type of candy. The sugar rush from the simple sugars/carbs in candy spikes and then totally drops off a cliff really fast, somewhere around the time leading into or beginning section 5 which can lead to careless mistakes and poor section performance since its the last section and fatigue also plays a role.

Getting hopped up on a sugar rush with simple sugars/stuff loaded with HFCS before the test and during the break is a bad idea because of the roller coaster ups and downs of blood sugar levels it causes. The LSAT is partially an endurance test and you want your energy and concentration level to remain steady throughout the entire test in order to consistently perform at your best during all five sections.

Complex carbs are much better. Something like a powerbar or whatever brand energy bar (NOT protein bar - ENERGY BAR) is a much better way to go for a break snack. Complex carbs provide sustained blood sugar levels and energy for a much longer duration than do simple sugars and don't cause the rapid up and down spikes. (which by themselves can add to anxiety levels)

I attribute my score entirely to slamming two Tropicanna Pure Premiums during the break.

tag.

So I'm outside of da club and you think I'm a puuuuuuunk, So I go to my loaded tech nine that's off in the truuuuuunk. I told that mfer, I ain't never scared! What? I ain't never scared! What? I ain't never scared!