Managing Test Stress Before and During the LSAT

I recommend devoting at least 3 months to build the skills and confidence needed to master the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). although the time needed can vary widely between applicants. If you follow my advice to develop a strong study plan through a regular cadence of practice and review, you should be ready for the test no matter what comes your way.

What about test day itself and the week leading up to it? By that point, it’s too late for practice tests. What can you do to put yourself in the right mental state? How can you deal with sudden challenges like an ill-timed illness or a wickedly difficult experimental section? Read on for advice from last-minute studying to dealing with distraction.

Consolidate Your Notes

Putting things in writing helps your brain integrate and remember information. In the week prior to the test, consolidate everything you’ve learned about the LSAT on a fresh document or big sheet of poster board. Create colorful flow charts, mind maps and elegant outlines to organize and link together all this information. 

Outlining will help to visualize where there are gaps in your knowledge and allow you time to address them. While the LSAT does not require a lot of memorization, there may be certain points or techniques that resist sticking in your mind. Use flash cards to drill them until they become second nature.

Review Completed Practice Tests

Despite what you may read on online forums, taking new practice tests in the last few days before the LSAT is the opposite of helpful. It is risky. You are going to exhaust yourself without learning anything new. And you may read too much into the results. If you happen to get more questions wrong than usual, panic will sabotage your test-day performance.

This is no time for stress or suspense. Go over questions from practice tests you have already taken. Remember what it feels like to get questions right. Remind yourself how you reached correct answers while keeping your cool. Review the questions you got wrong and how to avoid repeating those mistakes. This review will help wire your brain to counter some of the stress once test day arrives.

Remember What Motivates You

The LSAT is a means to your end goal: admission to a law school of your choice. When you find your energy flagging and your stress levels rising, it helps to remind yourself why you are putting yourself through all this effort. It’s not because you’re a masochist, it’s because going to a good law school will open doors to the life you want to lead!

Imagine how you will feel when you get your acceptance letter. Go over your list of dream schools, visit their websites, and imagine how it will feel to be a student there. When your brain starts drifting towards fears and negative thoughts, redirect your attention to your goals and your positive vision for your future.

Plan For Surprises and Prep Your Space

Prepare for every contingency—you never know what test day will bring. But rather than worrying about what could happen, do your best to ensure your test conditions are ideal. 

If you are taking the test remotely, make sure you have a stable internet connection in a quiet, well-lit, and uncluttered workspace. Adjust the lighting and room temperature. Lay out your refreshments to eat or drink during breaks, because there won’t be much time to rummage through the fridge.

Be sure to only have the allowed items around you: tissues, earplugs, a small beverage, and five blank pieces of scratch paper. Test your webcam to ensure that your face, items, and the room around you are in full view. If you move your head out of the camera frame, the proctors may interrupt the test.

Distractions are inevitable during the test, but you can try to minimize them ahead of time. If you are taking the test at home, ask those around you to be quiet. Anticipate any potential interruptions beyond your control, such as passing traffic, nearby conversations, construction noise or landscaping, or an uncooperative proctor. If you think distraction will be an issue, get earplugs and practice using them.

If your test center is outside your home, familiarize yourself with the route you will take and consider visiting the location ahead of time to get a sense of the space. Review the rules for what you may bring and pack identification, a sweater, a snack, and anything else you might need.

Adjust Your Mindset to Manage Stress

It is important to carefully manage your energy and time as exam day approaches, because the onslaught of new advice and information can easily overwhelm your brain.

It may not feel like it, but test anxiety really is all in your head. Feeling a surge of nervous energy before a test is natural. Rather than fight that energy surge, or let racing anxious thoughts burn through it like rocket fuel, you need to channel that energy productively. 

Keeping a cool head and engaged mind will help you stay alert during the test. Use mindfulness techniques like meditation, breathing exercises, or drawing attention to physical sensations.

Nothing drives a human brain haywire like uncertainty, so it’s natural that your thoughts will run through every possible what-if scenario. Try visualization exercises to remind your brain that you are not actually facing anything unexpected. You have been through this before. Due to all the prep work and practice tests you successfully completed, you know exactly what the test will bring even if you don’t know the specific questions that will be asked. 

[Next Read: When Should I Take the LSAT?]

Start Your Test Day Right

The day before the test, let your brain recharge. Get to bed early, so you feel rested and not rushed. Nervous energy may still send your brain into overdrive, but there are things you can do to feel centered, ready, and attentive for the test. 

Allow yourself plenty of time for morning routines. In the hours before the test, ensure you are properly hydrated and eat a good, protein-rich breakfast. The LSAT is physically exhausting, so treat it like an athletic contest.

Listen to music that helps you focus, go back over your past visualizations to remind yourself of why you are taking this test, and get excited! The test will be behind you soon, and you will be one step closer to your legal career. 

Overcome Self-Doubt During the Test

Under pressure, your fight-or-flight instincts may surface, as thoughts and impulses flood your mind. The endless chatter in your own brain may very well be the noisiest distraction during the test, so be prepared for three types of doubts.

First, you may second guess yourself. To clear those doubts before they spiral out of control, remind yourself how well you did on practice tests that also felt daunting at first. Trust your preparation and the hard evidence you have that you will succeed. 

Second, you may feel confused, frustrated, and indecisive when tackling difficult problems. Be aware of when this happens so you can flag those questions and move on! You can return to flagged questions easily at the end of the section when you know how much time you have left. On first pass, it is more important to stay confident and on track.

Third, you may ricochet between strong emotions like hope, dread, or panic. If overwhelmed by emotion, calm yourself down and think of one step you can take to improve your test score. Move on to the next question, eliminate one answer choice, focus on the conclusion, or break down the reasoning in the question. Focus on the task ahead, not the whole test. 

It’s impossible to avoid stress completely. The LSAT is designed to be high-pressure, just like practicing law. Stay focused, energetic, and positive! Remember that successful test-takers are not robots, they also experience distractions and emotions like everybody else. The only difference is that they manage their attention to stay on pace.

[Next Read: How to Study (and Not Study) for the LSAT]