Typical Testing Center Distractions Forum

[chia99]

Does anyone care to share of what some typical distractions on test day might include? I know some people may have some epic stories of what you have experienced or heard so I just wanted to get an idea of what to brace myself for.

Thanks all.

[tmon]

Does anyone care to share of what some typical distractions on test day might include? I know some people may have some epic stories of what you have experienced or heard so I just wanted to get an idea of what to brace myself for.

Thanks all.

Epic stories aren't typical...so not sure which you want. Typical are pretty obvious: page turning pencil scratching, coughing, sighing, talking outside the room, traffic if you're on a busy street, air turning on/off, etc.

[bball1997]

Does anyone care to share of what some typical distractions on test day might include? I know some people may have some epic stories of what you have experienced or heard so I just wanted to get an idea of what to brace myself for.

Thanks all.

Epic stories aren't typical...so not sure which you want. Typical are pretty obvious: page turning pencil scratching, coughing, sighing, talking outside the room, traffic if you're on a busy street, air turning on/off, etc.

I'd like to add proctors walking around to this list, especially if you have narrow rows/columns. Noise never really got to me but people moving around in my peripheral vision always bugged me.

[imjustjoking22]

I have been trying to PT in bad conditions... with children running around the kitchen after school, busy coffee shops, etc...anyone think that this type of thing will help? I guess I should mix in some super quiet settings so that the quiet doesn't throw me off

[minnbills]

Sometimes people psych each other out a bit too. If you prepared well this shouldn't be a problem. One guy asked me how many PTs I took. He told me he taken 2 and when I told him I took about 35 he looked like someone had walked over his grave.

The major distractions will be the novelty of being in that test center in that kind of an environment and your nerves, though.

[descartesb4thehorse]

Sometimes people psych each other out a bit too. If you prepared well this shouldn't be a problem. One guy asked me how many PTs I took. He told me he taken 2 and when I told him I took about 35 he looked like someone had walked over his grave.

The major distractions will be the novelty of being in that test center in that kind of an environment and your nerves, though.

Yea. I went with a childhood friend who got 147 on test day. He asked me for tutoring help with a week left to go, and we met twice. I knew he just wasn't getting it. It was totally CR to just talk about anything and everything that was not LSAT-related on test day, besides the practicals (how many pencils did you bring, oh remember to leave your phone in the car, that sort of stuff). It was better for both of us: I got a score I was pleased with, and he got a score that kept him from applying to law school. Now he has a cool 9-5 and won't be worried about crushing debt =)

[minnbills]

Now he has a cool 9-5 and won't be worried about crushing debt =)

I wouldn't be surprised if scambloggers start disrupting test centers at some point.

The people I feel for are the ones who never consider the possibility of scoring 160+ and going to a T1. They just take their 150s and go to the local TTT, debt be damned.

I was stunned at the people I talked to at the test center. Every single one of them took under 5 pts.

[Tiago Splitter]

Now he has a cool 9-5 and won't be worried about crushing debt =)

I wouldn't be surprised if scambloggers start disrupting test centers at some point.

The people I feel for are the ones who never consider the possibility of scoring 160+ and going to a T1. They just take their 150s and go to the local TTT, debt be damned.

I was stunned at the people I talked to at the test center. Every single one of them took under 5 pts.

You may have talked to me. I was at an even zero when I took the LSAT the first time. For some reason I thought full tests were not disclosed. Almost went to law school without a re-take.

[minnbills]

You may have talked to me. I was at an even zero when I took the LSAT the first time. For some reason I thought full tests were not disclosed. Almost went to law school without a re-take.

lol well this happened at the june test so I'm glad I didn't psych you out. Glad you saw the light though.

One of these guys said to me: "I'd be happy just to get into hamline, I'm not expecting a scholarship or anything."

I don't want to sound like a jerk disparaging Hamline, but come on man!

[Tiago Splitter]

You may have talked to me. I was at an even zero when I took the LSAT the first time. For some reason I thought full tests were not disclosed. Almost went to law school without a re-take.

lol well this happened at the june test so I'm glad I didn't psych you out. Glad you saw the light though.

One of these guys said to me: "I'd be happy just to get into hamline, I'm not expecting a scholarship or anything."

I don't want to sound like a jerk disparaging Hamline, but come on man!

I was in Minnesota a few weeks ago and my uncle was talking about how his future son-in-law had done well enough on the LSAT to "get into a good local school like Hamline."

Here in Phoenix we get plenty of people cool with settling on Phoenix College of Law. I need to find a friendly way to get them to visit TLS, but that's only half the battle. It took a lot of TLS surfing for me to get out of denial about the job situation for attorneys and actually re-take.

OP: Test center distractions aren't typical. It shouldn't be much different from taking a final exam in college in an auditorium/large classroom. I will say that the first time I took it I was close enough to people on either side of me to occasionally bump elbows, so watch out for that.

[minnbills]

I was in Minnesota a few weeks ago and my uncle was talking about how his future son-in-law had done well enough on the LSAT to "get into a good local school like Hamline."
Here in Phoenix we get plenty of people cool with settling on Phoenix College of Law. I need to find a friendly way to get them to visit TLS, but that's only half the battle. It took a lot of TLS surfing for me to get out of denial about the job situation for attorneys and actually re-take.

*shudders* Many people I meet seem to think everyone who goes to law school just rakes in the cash regardless of where they went. My dad was trying to convince me to go to a low-ranked school and "do trusts and wills to build up a practice before going to work for a big firm." And he's a smart guy he's just ignorant of the situation out there. I mean, unless you really do your research I could see how people can just miss the boat completely on these issues.

I've totally hijacked the OP's thread though... sorry OP!

[Moomoo2u]

people asking the proctor's questions is annoying too. or when people mutter under their breath next to you. tapping feet and other things happened in both of my tests.

[imjustjoking22]

people asking the proctor's questions is annoying too. or when people mutter under their breath next to you. tapping feet and other things happened in both of my tests.

oooh, under-breath-muttering = not cool.

[BackToTheOldHouse]

People pissing and crapping themselves, some dude puking in the back of the room near the only exit route, a blonde chick popping her gum every time she bubbles in a circle, and a dude that kinda reminds you of A.C. Slater from "Saved by the Bell" wearing a yale shirt and a baseball cap in the back of the room providing on-going commentary and laughing whilst all of this is happening (don't make eye-contact with him or he'll notice and give you a little head nod of camaraderie).

(some of the elements in the above statement are fictitious, while others are drawn from behavior I have witnessed first hand, but not necessarily at an LSAT test taking center.)

[Moomoo2u]

but honestly it's nothing that you wouldnt encounter in any University exam so don't worry about it.

Just get a good night's rest and try to relax before the exam. I'm sure you'll do well

[minnbills]

Just get a good night's rest

This is credited. Do whatever you have to to get a good night's sleep.

[jlhero]

stupid proctor wanted me to move my essay sheet from my desk's corner to under my test booklet... in the MIDDLE of a RC section!

wanted to punch her face