I haven't taken the actual test yet, but for those who have - how did you handle your 1 week period before the exam? What types of final practice did you do?
What helped you the most? (For both the final week study prep or just how to avoid having a complete mental breakdown from pre-test anxiety? Looking for any tips.
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6 comments
The week before the exam, my priority was making sure that I felt confident and healthy!
I mostly focused on lifestyle factors—waking up at the same time I would on the day of the exam, eating the same breakfast and snacks everyday, consistently not drinking caffeine (it tends to make me more anxious, but you do what works for you), exercising, and spending time with friends (to remind me that the exam isn't everything). I also wore a mask when I was in crowds indoors because I didn't want to get sick.
A few days before, I packed everything that I planned on taking for test day (snacks, foam earplugs, water in a clear bottle, hair tie, ID, jacket, printed test confirmation number and Prometric address). I visited the testing center at around my testing time to get a sense of the conditions, asked a few questions I was anxious about, and made sure all of my items were allowed.
I also studied a little—mostly went through takeaways from my wrong answer journal and ran through some practice questions. I made sure to end my studying on a good note. The day before and day of, I practiced a few easy questions rather than reiterating questions that tripped me up in the past. At that point, confidence was more important to me than cramming.
Good luck on your exam! Try to be proud of your hard work, and remember that (1) the LSAT can be retaken and (2) a test does not define you. :)
@Rena12345 thank you!! this helps a lot - definitely agree with your point that confidence at the core is what you need (especially for me). The point about the mask to avoid getting sick definitely a good point too, I didn't even think about that!
@EEC_517 of course :) you got this!
I followed the 7Sage guide on what to do a week before the test. I found this helpful because honestly I was so lost on what to do. https://7sage.com/blog/your-final-week-before-the-lsat-a-day-by-day-strategy-guide
@MichaelWright Held a “Group Therapy” Session for us August Testers the week before and it was nice to be among other anxious test takers. He gave us really great advice and answered our questions honestly. I also really focused on my sleep for the week leading up to it. In the session he talked about how sleep debt actually takes more than a night or two of good sleep to be effective. It’s so nerve racking the weeks leading to test day but with the right tools it can help your confidence.
@niaxain So glad to hear it was useful to you AND THAT YOU SLEPT :D.
I'm gonna host another one first week of Sept too so keep an eye on the class schedule.
@MichaelWright Oh thank you!! I didn't know about this and like this idea! But will check out the blog post as well, thank you!