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Hey guys,

I was wondering if you would have any tips for staying calm and focused on test day. I took my first practice proctored exam yesterday with 30-40 people. I scored about 5 points lower than when I practice on my own (although I do try to practice in noisier locales, Starbucks, Panera, etc..). I do know I felt nervous and a little bit psyched out about other people doing the same exact thing as me (ie... "WE'RE COMPETING AHHHH MAYBE I'M NOT PREPARED ENOUGH OH NOOOOOO").

If any of you have experienced a similar feeling and might have some advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks!

If you can find a couple other people to take PTs with, that can be helpful as far as getting over the competitive aspect of test taking. Training yourself to block out and not worry about when other people are turning pages, writing a lot, erasing, etc is key to getting over those nerves. Also, if you have access to your testing location, taking a couple PTs there can be useful for day of jitters.

That's a good idea. The problem is I kind of live in the middle of nowhere and don't know anyone here taking the LSAT... :-/

Scoring a bit lower than your PTs on test day is normal. Don't worry about what others are doing.

Be confident, relish the challenge. Think of it as an opportunity to showcase your ability, rather than just another hurdle to achieve your goal.

Study like crazy and get great scores on PTs going into test day. Then when you sit down to take the test, smile as you realize there are people in that room who will score a 140. In short, get cocky.

I like that attitude, thinking of it as an opportunity to "showcase" ability. A lot of times I do think of the LSAT as another hurdle/roadblock to getting where I want to get so I will try thinking more as you suggested!