necessary and sufficient
June 15, 2008 12:22 PM
Taking the LSAT tomorrow. Any last-minute advice?
I've studied like crazy, but I'm beginning to freak out.
I've studied like crazy, but I'm beginning to freak out.
Well, then, my advice would be: stop freaking out :-)
Seriously. Tell yourself you've studied well and you're going to do well, and do some things that help you to feel calm. At this point you'll probably get better results from making sure you arrive at the exam well-rested, calm, and confident (and that includes: on time) than from any further study or practice.
posted by winston at 12:32 PM on June 15, 2008
Seriously. Tell yourself you've studied well and you're going to do well, and do some things that help you to feel calm. At this point you'll probably get better results from making sure you arrive at the exam well-rested, calm, and confident (and that includes: on time) than from any further study or practice.
posted by winston at 12:32 PM on June 15, 2008
You have done your part by studying, your head will reward you. Be calm :)
Plan for every possible contingency tomorrow.
Eat a light breakfast low on refined sugars, processed flours, and high in protein and brain empowering healthy fats.
This has worked for me.
Good luck!
posted by bradly at 12:47 PM on June 15, 2008
Plan for every possible contingency tomorrow.
Eat a light breakfast low on refined sugars, processed flours, and high in protein and brain empowering healthy fats.
This has worked for me.
Good luck!
posted by bradly at 12:47 PM on June 15, 2008
WEAR SPECIAL UNDERWEAR.
I used to teach LSAT prep and the day before you should be chilling out and getting your head together. It's a test, it's important and you would like to do well, but don't let it become the laser like pinpoint entire focus of your life and personal self-worth. You are more than the LSAT and your ability to do well on the LSAT. That said, try to do well. Make sure you know where the test is and go there today if you haven't been there aready. Don't do anything nuts tonight but don't try going to bed at 8 pm either. Eat what you usually eat tomorrow. Bring a snack that you can eat in the hallway for brain food. Do a little reading, don't do a bunch of timed tests today.
Put on your lucky shirt and your special underwear that is your little secret personal thing that keeps you from being a cog in the silly educational testing machine. Thrive, do well and don't let the bastards get you down. good luck.
posted by jessamyn at 12:52 PM on June 15, 2008
I used to teach LSAT prep and the day before you should be chilling out and getting your head together. It's a test, it's important and you would like to do well, but don't let it become the laser like pinpoint entire focus of your life and personal self-worth. You are more than the LSAT and your ability to do well on the LSAT. That said, try to do well. Make sure you know where the test is and go there today if you haven't been there aready. Don't do anything nuts tonight but don't try going to bed at 8 pm either. Eat what you usually eat tomorrow. Bring a snack that you can eat in the hallway for brain food. Do a little reading, don't do a bunch of timed tests today.
Put on your lucky shirt and your special underwear that is your little secret personal thing that keeps you from being a cog in the silly educational testing machine. Thrive, do well and don't let the bastards get you down. good luck.
posted by jessamyn at 12:52 PM on June 15, 2008
Pack your bag tonight so you won't have to worry about forgetting things in the morning.
Take a hot bath with aromatherapy stuff, and go to bed at a decent hour.
Seconding the protein-rich breakfast. My mum took me out for steak and eggs, if I recall.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 12:53 PM on June 15, 2008
Take a hot bath with aromatherapy stuff, and go to bed at a decent hour.
Seconding the protein-rich breakfast. My mum took me out for steak and eggs, if I recall.
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 12:53 PM on June 15, 2008
Space your caffeine and make sure you have something caffeinated and something high protein and maybe sugar (depending how you react to sugar) to quickly eat/drink during the break. It's a marathon, not a sprint, 6 hours is a very long time to stay that focused. Also, make sure you have aspirin handy, a sweater it can be cold in those testing rooms, and plenty of water, it's amazing how stupid you can get when you are dehydrated.
Also, watch the clock and walk away from any question that is eating up way too much of your time. I always finish tests early and I barely finished the LSAT, a lot of people don't finish it. The chances of you being able to make up time you wasted early on is low.
Good luck!
posted by whoaali at 12:59 PM on June 15, 2008
Also, watch the clock and walk away from any question that is eating up way too much of your time. I always finish tests early and I barely finished the LSAT, a lot of people don't finish it. The chances of you being able to make up time you wasted early on is low.
Good luck!
posted by whoaali at 12:59 PM on June 15, 2008
This sounds silly (and like your Mom is talking), but - seriously - bring a sweater. I took it in June and the venue was so over-air-conditioned that it actually distracted people -- and the monitors had no control over the temp of the auditorium. Also, a snack and a drink, for sure. Just get ready tonight so you don'thave to run around in the morning looking for stuff. Get there a little early so you don't worry about traffic and getting lost, etc.
Tonight, just relax, forget about studying and get a good night's sleep. Good luck.
posted by mmf at 1:13 PM on June 15, 2008
Tonight, just relax, forget about studying and get a good night's sleep. Good luck.
posted by mmf at 1:13 PM on June 15, 2008
The most important thing you can do right now is stay relaxed. You can only focus on exactly what is in front of you. Every second you spend worrying about how badly you did on the last section, or whether or not this is the experimental, or about the guy in front of you who is coughing, is a second you're not focusing on what you need to be focusing on. If your mind starts to wander, stop, close your eyes, take a deep breath, and get back to focusing. You've got three weeks to analyze and worry about the test. While you're taking it, analyze the argument or passage or game in front of you and that's it. Good luck tomorrow.
posted by JakeWalker at 1:15 PM on June 15, 2008
posted by JakeWalker at 1:15 PM on June 15, 2008
Breathe deeply during the test.
Lots of people stress out during tests. Deep breathing calms you and helps you focus. It gets your brain the oxygen it needs for maximum function.
And remember - it's just one test, you've taken gobs and gobs of tests.
posted by 26.2 at 1:46 PM on June 15, 2008
Lots of people stress out during tests. Deep breathing calms you and helps you focus. It gets your brain the oxygen it needs for maximum function.
And remember - it's just one test, you've taken gobs and gobs of tests.
posted by 26.2 at 1:46 PM on June 15, 2008
I'm taking it tomorrow too so I know what you're going through.
What has been suggested to me:
- No caffeine for the rest of the day
- No more studying. Period. You've prepared as much as you need to/can at this point and any more is just gonna raise your stress and anxiety levels.
- Spend the rest of the day relaxing and doing something that doesn't let you think too much about the test. Go see a movie, watch the Celtics game, chill out at home, whatever.
- Read the LSAC's Day of the Test handout and go ahead and pack your ziploc bag tonight so you don't forget anything. Dress in layers or take a light sweater in case the climate control is weird.
- Go to bed at your normal bedtime and stick to your regular routine in the morning as much as possible.
- Also in the morning get some protein, hydration and sunlight. Can't hurt to get your brain moving by reading the paper or doing a crossword or something too.
- Remember, no bathroom break until after section 3 so don't go too crazy with the caffeine.
- Meditate or do breathing exercises before bed, in the morning, at the testing site, and between test sections to stay calm and focused.
You'll do fine, don't worry.
posted by doppleradar at 2:16 PM on June 15, 2008
What has been suggested to me:
- No caffeine for the rest of the day
- No more studying. Period. You've prepared as much as you need to/can at this point and any more is just gonna raise your stress and anxiety levels.
- Spend the rest of the day relaxing and doing something that doesn't let you think too much about the test. Go see a movie, watch the Celtics game, chill out at home, whatever.
- Read the LSAC's Day of the Test handout and go ahead and pack your ziploc bag tonight so you don't forget anything. Dress in layers or take a light sweater in case the climate control is weird.
- Go to bed at your normal bedtime and stick to your regular routine in the morning as much as possible.
- Also in the morning get some protein, hydration and sunlight. Can't hurt to get your brain moving by reading the paper or doing a crossword or something too.
- Remember, no bathroom break until after section 3 so don't go too crazy with the caffeine.
- Meditate or do breathing exercises before bed, in the morning, at the testing site, and between test sections to stay calm and focused.
You'll do fine, don't worry.
posted by doppleradar at 2:16 PM on June 15, 2008
Do all of the things above, but remember: this may be the biggest thing you've done so far, but it's far from the biggest thing you'll need to do if you want to become a lawyer, and the next step (your first day of law school) you'll likely take with far less prep than you have this.
So just chill out and go take the test tomorrow. "OMG SIX HOURS OF TESTING!" Is not an effective coping strategy. Think about it like this: "Six hours? That's it? Hell... the bar is 8 hours a day over two or three days. Six hours in one day is going to be cake."
posted by toomuchpete at 2:37 PM on June 15, 2008
So just chill out and go take the test tomorrow. "OMG SIX HOURS OF TESTING!" Is not an effective coping strategy. Think about it like this: "Six hours? That's it? Hell... the bar is 8 hours a day over two or three days. Six hours in one day is going to be cake."
posted by toomuchpete at 2:37 PM on June 15, 2008
Take consolation in my war story: when I sat for the LSAT, I developed a tiny distracting headache during section 2. I took exedrin (sp) offered by a by colleague. Mistake. I don't usually take pills and exedrin contains caffeine, so I was buzzing and heavily distracted by the time I got the section 4- the second round of those damn logic games. IIRC, I blew about half of the games in that section, managing by sheer chance to a get few right in the games I'd set up incorrectly with my caffeine-addled brain. Nevertheless, I scored in the 94th percentile. So it's possible to have a totally bad patch during your testing and still come out winning. As the others have said here, it's a marathon. Pace yourself. Tackle only what you're reading when you're reading it. It's the stress and anxiety that can do real damage to your performance, so remind yourself all evening how much you've prepared and how damn capable you are. Good luck!
posted by Jezebella at 3:01 PM on June 15, 2008
posted by Jezebella at 3:01 PM on June 15, 2008
Make a checklist for everything you have to do tomorrow AM (pack back, bring sweater, etc.) Do everything you can do in advance right now and check them off. Do the rest in the morning.
Now, go for a walk, come home, and have a glass of wine and watch TV. Or go to the movies. Or call your best friend.
Good luck!
posted by footnote at 3:16 PM on June 15, 2008
Now, go for a walk, come home, and have a glass of wine and watch TV. Or go to the movies. Or call your best friend.
Good luck!
posted by footnote at 3:16 PM on June 15, 2008
Stop worrying. If worse comes to worse you can take it again.
Every school now accepts your top score, whereas up until 2 years ago they averaged them, so you really only had one shot. Not anymore.
So relax, and if you don't do as well as you want, just try again.
Also, I hate you new test takers. I'm still bitter about the rule change.
But seriously...unless you do as well as you possibly could have or better, take it again. And again after that until you get like 170+. The legal job market SUCKS right now for anyone not T14, top 1/3, etc etc etc. You really want to be one of those people, not somewhere in the middle with the rest of us.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:22 PM on June 15, 2008
Every school now accepts your top score, whereas up until 2 years ago they averaged them, so you really only had one shot. Not anymore.
So relax, and if you don't do as well as you want, just try again.
Also, I hate you new test takers. I'm still bitter about the rule change.
But seriously...unless you do as well as you possibly could have or better, take it again. And again after that until you get like 170+. The legal job market SUCKS right now for anyone not T14, top 1/3, etc etc etc. You really want to be one of those people, not somewhere in the middle with the rest of us.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:22 PM on June 15, 2008
Before and during the test (at the...break others have mentinoed?) avoid the stressed people, you know, the ones that are all jittery, or haven't studied, or just have that smell of failure/stress on them. Stress is infectious, and they'll bring you down.
Act confident and your brain will relax and release all the otherwise inaccessible information. As one of my law profs is fond of saying, the brain is just like any muscle and needs to be warmed up before it starts divesting itself off all the wisdom that you do know; therefore, don't panic when you get in there and think you don't know anything.
Try and have fun. It is possible.
posted by oxford blue at 7:13 PM on June 15, 2008
Act confident and your brain will relax and release all the otherwise inaccessible information. As one of my law profs is fond of saying, the brain is just like any muscle and needs to be warmed up before it starts divesting itself off all the wisdom that you do know; therefore, don't panic when you get in there and think you don't know anything.
Try and have fun. It is possible.
posted by oxford blue at 7:13 PM on June 15, 2008
Remember that you have about a week to cancel your score if you think that it went terribly wrong.
posted by k8t at 8:24 PM on June 15, 2008
posted by k8t at 8:24 PM on June 15, 2008
About 10 years ago I took a similarly demanding exam for engineers*. I was very prepared but nervous. By the end of the exam, 8 hours long as I recall, I was so drained I was actually shaking. But I aced it!
My Dad likes to tell a story about the college colleague who would go out to a movie the night before the big exam.
Relax, you'll be fine.
* it was the PE exam, and no not the EIT, that's easy; the PE exam is the one you get to take 5-10 years after the EIT
posted by intermod at 8:26 PM on June 15, 2008
My Dad likes to tell a story about the college colleague who would go out to a movie the night before the big exam.
Relax, you'll be fine.
* it was the PE exam, and no not the EIT, that's easy; the PE exam is the one you get to take 5-10 years after the EIT
posted by intermod at 8:26 PM on June 15, 2008
Make sure your sweater isn't a hoodie. They aren't allowed.
posted by k8t at 9:10 PM on June 15, 2008
posted by k8t at 9:10 PM on June 15, 2008
I fucked up the LSAT. I got into a lower ranked school. I graduated at the top of my class. I got a great job where I work alongside people who did well on the LSAT and got into good schools. We all make the same amount of money.
The test isn't going to determine your future success, but it just might alter the route you take to get there. I think I'm a better lawyer for having made the journey I did.
So do your best and then forget the damn thing ever happened.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 10:49 PM on June 15, 2008
The test isn't going to determine your future success, but it just might alter the route you take to get there. I think I'm a better lawyer for having made the journey I did.
So do your best and then forget the damn thing ever happened.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 10:49 PM on June 15, 2008
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by melissam at 12:28 PM on June 15, 2008