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How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:03 pm
by minnbills
On certain PTs, do things sort of "click" for you? Once every 5-6 tests I'll have one of these, and score a good 5-7 points above my average. Have other people experienced the same thing? I do the same routine before each test, and take tests under test-like conditions.

In short, how do you "get into the zone" more regularly? Is it even possible?

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:25 pm
by Sloth Hero
I've noticed that if the first LG I do comes really easily, the rest follow nicely as well. The first one seems to put me in the "zone".

And I've noticed an increase in concentration if I have been doing predicate/sentential derivations earlier in the day for my symbolic logic class.

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 3:35 pm
by coldshoulder
Do a warm-up section or two. It really gets your mind thinking in an Lsat way so you hit the ground running on the test.

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 4:31 pm
by minnbills
coldshoulder wrote:Do a warm-up section or two. It really gets your mind thinking in an Lsat way so you hit the ground running on the test.
I do warm-ups before each test, usually a section of LR or games. The crux of this problem is that I can't identify what puts me in this mindset or not.

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Sun Apr 17, 2011 4:43 pm
by NikaneOkie
I found that doing the exact same thing every time I take a practice test, along with ALWAYS forcing myself to focus completely on passages when I read including when I'm reading newspapers (daily, and you should be reading extensively from them), and when I'm challenging myself to read something outside of my usual interests (which constituted science journals for me)
This led me to be able to 'get in the zone' every single time, by the end of my studying- I then went form consistently averaging -3 on RC to -0

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:04 pm
by twairlines
Best way is to be honest with yourself and go into the test with no prep...for realz

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:14 pm
by Jeffort
twairlines wrote:Best way is to be honest with yourself and go into the test with no prep...for realz
As a kid were you the type that encouraged the other kids to lick frozen flagpoles?

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:25 pm
by twairlines
Jeffort wrote:
twairlines wrote:Best way is to be honest with yourself and go into the test with no prep...for realz
As a kid were you the type to encourage other kids to lick frozen flagpoles?
Nope, don't believe so. I mean, why put in more than 2-3 practice tests just to get used to the questions? Yes, I understand practice and using study materials can increase one's score, but that seems fake. Some kids just do well without any prep so when some put in months of studying just to get a similar score it doesn't seem to reflect one's own natural abilities. In law school you wont get 2-3 extra months to prep for a final as opposed to another student who may just have a better inclination to applying the law in an exam setting....If you encourage prep-tests that is absolutely fine as I'm never opposed to someone who is trying to better their future. I just like to step back every once in a while and ask myself if I have been honest in terms of what I can do.

Also I'm not saying someone who has to prep to obtain a high score is any less capable at doing well in law school, not at all.

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:11 pm
by EarlCat
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Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:13 pm
by quidprobono
Sleep. Scrambled eggs. Coffee. Confidence. Adequate test prep.

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:27 pm
by incompetentia
Personally:


I made sure not to eat anything before the test, and I had a mellow playlist to calm me down and allow me to take my time through the questions.


You have to do what works for you, though. Find what does it for you, and do that before EVERY test.

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:57 pm
by 510Chicken
incompetentia wrote:I had a mellow playlist to calm me down and allow me to take my time through the questions.
I had 30 minutes of "Girl Talk" before every PT.

Re: How do you "get in the zone?"

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2011 11:29 pm
by incompetentia
See, perfect example. I would be so wound up after listening to Girl Talk that I wouldn't be able to concentrate


I met Girl Talk a few times...we went to the same UG