Sept. test anxiety disaster Forum

[Joe47]

Hey everyone,

First post here but have been a lurker for a long time (thanks for all the tips!). Really on the fence on a decision and was hoping some of you had some suggestions on what I should do.

I wrote the LSAT for the first time yesterday. I was obviously nervous before the test started but hoped that it would go away once I was in full swing of the test - quite the opposite happened. To prepare, I did almost every single preptest out there, and by the end my scores ranged in the 170-178 range under timed conditions (177 on the Dec 2013 one).

And then there was yesterday... was skipping around too much on LR, couldn't focus on RC, and missed 1 and half games entirely. All of my strategies for tackling the test just went out of the window, with time running out each section.

Should I cancel? retake in Dec? I was really hoping to go for the T3 (my GPA is 4.17 - Canadian) with University of Toronto as my backup (even with its 165 25th percentile I feel I scored lower yesterday). My family and friends want me to keep it, they say that I probably won't do better in Dec and then I risk not being able to apply this cycle. I am completely on the fence, I know I can do better in general, but under the stressed conditions of the test - I don't know (perhaps someone has a magical way to relax during it haha).

Anyways, thanks for all the help! really appreciate it.

[cavalier2015]

We are in the exact same boat. I made a thread about it and got a few good responses. Check that out to see what others said.

[Skywalker001]

Hey,

I can't offer you any advice, but we are more or less in the same boat. I did exceptionally well on the first four sections yesterday, but
had anxiety issues while attempting the LG section. I filled out the two test ovals for cancelling the score and didn't even finish filling
in the bubbles for LG. Pretty sure I went -0, -1 on most if not all LR and RC sections, especially the RC was extremely easy in my opinion. If I had brute forced my way through the last section I would have ended up with a 165+ I believe. For me at least this was more of an anxiety issue. Totally sucks. I'm planning to rewrite & apply next year.

[smiles123]

I feel all of your pain. I'm retaker and goin into the test I was consistently beating my last score(166). But test day the pressure to beat that got to me, and after not finishing my first section I paniced on all the others. Didn't finish last RC passage, couldn't focus on a LR section, and guess on 2/4 LG.

Things are not looking good. The pressure got to me.

[Rigo]

(Disclaimer: I don't know a thing about Canadian Law Schools)
OP-I rarely suggest this, but I think canceling may be the right move here since it seems you completely dropped the ball and vastly underperformed.
Whether you cancel or not, I would definitely retake in December though.

[InPursuitOfaPassion]

I just want to offer my sympathy and say that the same thing happened to me yesterday. I told myself before the test that if the sections went as they did in practice, but I felt like I didnt do well simply because the real thing can have you doubting performance after the fact, then Id keep the score. If, however, it was blatantly obvious that things fell apart (I actually only got through two games too and LG is typically my strongest section. I tend to finish with ample remaning time and 1 wrong MAX.), then Id cancel. So, I canceled mine.

I would definitely retake. I went through self doubt yesterday. I wondered if I was cut out for it or not. Then realized that I shouldnt let anxiety hold me back. Instead, I should find a way to prevent it - maybe testing once will have helped for the second round. Maybe better relaxation techniques. Or, maybe seeing a doctor and figuring out medicinal options for the test.

[Joe47]

Thanks for all the support. Yea, it really seemed like everything that could go wrong, went wrong.

I think I am going to cancel and try these natural stress pills - maybe they will give me that focus I need.

[Clyde Frog]

Try taking l theanine to calm you down.

[dontdoitkid]

Definitely retake, but try to think about what factors caused you to lose focus and have that anxiety. I had that happen to me my first time around, and although it happened again this past weekend, I was prepared for it and snapped out of it after a minute. For some people it's a one time deal, for others it's a regular issue that you have to work to overcome. Stay positive, don't look down on yourself for what happened, and use it to take a stronger test next time.

[jw316]

Try taking l theanine to calm you down.

Any truth to this?

[Clyde Frog]

Try taking l theanine to calm you down.

Any truth to this?

Yeah. Taken with caffeine gives you insane focus. Will take away the jitters but still keep you locked in.