Taking the LSAT soon and trying to lock in my game plan for the day itself. Curious what actually helped you when it counted.
Main thing I keep thinking about is snacks. I was eyeing those Awake caffeine bars for a quick reset on the break, mostly for the caffeine hit without the jitters of a full coffee. Does something like that work for you, or does it backfire? What do you eat or drink to stay sharp through the back half?
Also a logistics question. Can you bring a coffee and leave it in your locker to grab on the break, or are they strict about that at the center? Not sure what's actually allowed.
Beyond that, drop the one piece of advice you wish someone had given you before test day. Or something you got that actually worked. Anything counts, from the small stuff to the big stuff.
7 comments
I ate a protein bar during the break. 10 minutes can go by pretty fast, and this was the quickest thing for me to snarf down. As someone who drinks some version of caffeine every day, I chose not to on test day because I am someone that can get jittery. But if this is what keeps you awake and going, then go for it absolutely. The adrenaline from being in the exam room was enough for me lol.
One piece of advice I wish someone had given me is that it isn't the end of the world if you don't get a good amount of sleep the night before. I think when you try too hard to sleep before a big day, it can backfire and make you think that you are already setting yourself up for an unideal scenario. Realistically, not getting what is considered a "good amount of sleep" is really not going to have an impact on you during the exam. You will have adrenaline going and your mind/body will know that it needs to lock in. If anything, the sleep deprivation might hit you the day after your exam, and by then you can just take a worry-free nap lol.
@nid07 Thanks! The sleep thing was definitely a worry!
I personally think the adrenaline rush of test day made me forget about half the things I thought would make or break my experience - like snacks, caffeinated bev, what I was wearing, etc. What I feel like made a huge difference was that I really slowed down the day before, cleaned my apartment, got my nails done lol, lit a candle, and got a good night of sleep. That morning I had so much adrenaline the test seriously felt 30 minutes long and I lowk felt like I blacked out after I walked out the testing center. Take a deep breath, BE CONFIDENT!!! (confidence is sooo underrated on test day I swear it can move you several points), and it really isn't as scary as it seems :) You'll probably walk out about be like "oh... that was it? the thing I was so stressed about??"
@Stacmay THANKS! I appreciate the advice :)
I brought snacks but didn't end up eating them on the break. 10 minutes is honestly not a lot of time because you have to check out of the testing room and then go through security coming back in. After going to the bathroom and dealing with the security stuff, I had used 9 minutes. The other reason that I didn't want to eat my snacks is because I was worried I'd have to touch my phone in the locker to access the snacks I packed. I should've taken the snacks out of my tote bag first, and hidden my phone well out of sight. Because if you're seen touching your phone for any reason, your score can get cancelled. And I was a little paranoid about that, lol. So I decided to just not open my locker at all on the break to avoid the risk entirely.
I personally can't/don't feel like eating anything around any exam, and I hate coffee. I usually have a cup of green tea in the morning. I was thinking of an energy drink to boost focus, but it makes me run to the bathroom a lot...
I discovered something called "Brain Bullet" chews (essentially a chewable caramel candy) on Amazon that have 80mg of caffeine and 120mg of L-Theanine in each chew. The L-theanine is supposed to ensure a more calm focus, i.e. neutralize the caffeine jitters, so they're sort of tailored to mental stamina not physical boost. I tried it on one PrepTest and it helped me quiet some intrusive thoughts/panic when I lose lack of focus, but it's certainly not a magic potion.
With that being said, I wouldn't try anything food/beverage on the actual test unless you tried it at least a couple of times during a PrepTest to see how you react to it.
I believe LSAC mentions you can eat/drink during your break, but I'm unsure if that means accessing your locker.
For my June test, I wish someone told me that you cannot move an inch from your seat without raising your hand to alert the proctor. At the end of my test, the screen showed I'm all done, so I just got up and left to the proctor's room. They told me I should have raised my hand and waited for someone to escort me back. But otherwise they were nice about it and didn't make a big fuss over it.
All the best of luck🍀 (I personally will need it lol 🥲)
@Pspspsps I actually have the L-Theanine supplements recommended by my doctor, glad to hear other people use L-Theanine too! Thanks for the advice! :)