What to Do: Someone Tapping Pencil During LSAT??? Forum

[scifiguy]

Hey, so I'm curious what to do if someone starts tapping their pencil during the LSAT?

Or, similarly, has some annoying/distracting habit (or maybe just bad body odor, lol)?

Could you work through it if the guy next to you was tapping their pencil? Can you complain? But if you do, would that just waste time? And what could be done (if anything)?

[rinkrat19]

When I took the LSAT, I'd prepped in every condition imaginable and was completely distraction-proof. I could score my PT average with a cat sitting on my book, the TV on and my dad asking me what kind of pizza I wanted.

If you only prep in dead silence, you are going to be disappointed.

If someone is making a truly distracting noise that they can control (like tapping a pencil), hopefully the proctors would make them quit it. But there's a non-negligible chance that they won't.

[cc.celina]

Yeah, take a bunch of tests in a Starbucks. Just train yourself to shut anything else out. In my experience, on test day the adrenaline was so high and I was so scared shitless that it was impossible to concentrate on anything but the test and how fucked I'd be if I flunked it. I wouldn't have noticed a jet plane flying through the room.

If it's a really serious distraction that significantly affects your score, chances are LSAC will get involved.

[DCDuck]

People take themselves and this test too seriously. Noises and distractions happen. You just deal with it. Distractions can happen during the LSAT, during law school finals, and even during the bar. Or in court. I took the LSAT while a marching band warmed up next door. I had to take a final in a separate building and the janitor vacuumed and a woman left her nightmare of a toddler shrieking in my room on a time out. I got an A. Practice with distractions; they happen.

[ephemeral.bete.noire]

Hey, so I'm curious what to do if someone starts tapping their pencil during the LSAT?

Or, similarly, has some annoying/distracting habit (or maybe just bad body odor, lol)?

Could you work through it if the guy next to you was tapping their pencil? Can you complain? But if you do, would that just waste time? And what could be done (if anything)?

This actually happened to me when I was taking the LSAT a couple of years ago. I suggest that you do as I did: calmly stand up from your desk, walk over to the annoyance.. and slap the shit out of them. Make sure it's loud and hard across the face so that others understand the repercussions of noise-making.

Worked like a charm for me. After the laughing and utter shock dissipated it was nothing but peace and quiet for the remainder of the administration.

Best of luck!

[bp shinners]

Hey, so I'm curious what to do if when someone starts tapping their pencil during the LSAT?

FTFY.

As others have said, prep in noisy conditions. Short of walking out and canceling (not recommended), there's not much you can do if the proctor won't stop the controllable stuff, and there's nothing else you can do if the person just smells or is a mouth breather.

[objection_your_honor]

If you only prep in dead silence, you are going to be disappointed.

[CyanIdes Of March]

It's odd, when I was prepping I had a really hard time with distractions. Whether it be birds chirping, people turning pages, or foot steps behind me (and don't get me start on people on phones or having passing conversations, I almost made a scene numerous times), it really bugged me. I would change seats or halt the section because of how flustered/distracted I was. However, on test day, nothing distracted me at all. Proctors walked behind me, people flipped pages, muttered "fuck" under their breath, nothing. I think the urgency/serious focus you get on test day helps drown out all the distractions around you and they are amplified by the "what if this happens on test day" mentality while you're prepping.

[iShotFirst]

This

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KX3OriDpgg

[Cerebro]

You could always just join in until the proctor cuts it off.