LSAT Diary: LSAT Test Day Tips

This installment of LSAT Diaries comes from Xavier, who improved from the 150s to a 162 on his first actual test, to a 171 on his February LSAT retake after using LSAT Blog and reading other LSAT Diaries. (See his previous LSAT Diary.)

If you want to be in LSAT Diaries, please email me at LSATUnplugged@gmail.com. (You can be in LSAT Diaries whether you've taken the exam already or not.)

Thanks to Xavier for sharing his experience and advice!

Xavier's LSAT Test Day Prep Tips:

1. Remove all unnecessary obstacles. 

Get everything in order long before the test. Having your passport photos, #2 pencils, sharpener, snacks and gallon ziploc in order leaves you one less thing to worry about. Consider picking out an outfit the night before, and be sure to familiarize yourself with the testing site beforehand. Luckily, our site was at my old undergrad, so I knew exactly where we needed to go beforehand. Plot your route out beforehand making sure there will be no traffic, etc. All these little things add up, and you don't want to have to deal with any unnecessary headaches on this important day.


2. Adjust your sleeping schedule accordingly.

This goes without saying unless you're taking the June exam, or already accustomed to being fully alert and away by 8 30. Note: although the official starting time is 8:30, the exam most likely wont start for at least an hour later due to test administration procedure and whatnot, so don't go crazy with this. Personally, I don't see any need in making any drastic changes to your sleep schedule (aka waking up at 1 am). If you can change it gradually over the course of a few weeks, even better.


3. Adjust your habits in the weeks leading up to the exam.

Routine is key here. Start taking fully timed, 5-section tests at the scheduled time and day of the week of the actual exam. Minimize distractions the weeks and days leading up to the test. This goes without saying. The night before the lsat is not the time to be fighting with your girlfriend, arguing with parents or dealing with any other potentially stressful situations. I also gave up drinking and smoking the week before. I'm not sure if this impacted my score or not, but it gave me the confidence to know that if i did badly, it wasn't because of my own hedonism.


4. Expect to be nervous, and take measures against it. 

I really can't stress this enough. I'm not an anxious person by nature, and somewhat of an adrenaline junkie, but on test day I felt a constant state of adrenaline unlike anything I've ever experienced. When you read about people PTing 10-15 points above their actual exam score, this is most likely what killed them. Do whatever you need to do to ensure you are as relaxed as possible leading up to, and on the actual day of the exam. For me, this meant taking the week leading up to the exam off from work, exercising vigorously, meditating, eating healthy, playing video games and getting a massage the night before to help me sleep.

Even after taking all these measures, I still only managed about four hours of sleep. It didn't kill me though, because i'd gotten a full night of sleep every night leading up to test day. I truly believe this step was instrumental in helping me score several points higher on the actual exam than my PT average. A final word of caution: my study partner who i'd been PTing with since may was averaging 173-176, and never scored below a 170. He took very few measures to minimize test day anxiety, and ended up with a 166, his lowest score ever. When i drove to his house the morning of to pick him up on the way to our testing site, he looked sick and clearly hadn't been sleeping. My point is that the test is both a physical and mental challenge, and if you neglect either, you run the risk of damaging your score in a serious way.


5. Enjoy the test.

This probably sounds stupid and unlikely but it helped me, so here it is. Try to look forward to the exam; you're getting the opportunity to sit in a room with a bunch of really bright people and think as hard as you can for 3 1/2 hours. Test day doesn't have to be the worst day of your life, and with the right attitude it can be a rewarding experience. Use the adrenaline to your favor, and do your best not to let it overwhelm and scare you. I managed to finish every section with at least five minutes left, which had never happened on any of my PTs, and attribute this to increased focus from having so much adrenaline. Plus, you have the whole rest of the day to celebrate afterwards.

Photo by bobaubuchon