I attended the NYC LSAC Forum this past weekend, and I stopped by the 7Sage table (for the merch wheel) and also to receive some tips on my LSAT test taking.
I have this issue of scoring relatively high in PTs (168-172) and then not scoring that high when I take the actual test (lower 160s). When I talked to one of the kind people behind the table, I received the advice that I should set a timer on my phone while I take the test and leave it in another room. So when doing practice tests, I leave my phone with a timer in a different room of my house. When the timer goes off, I have to force myself to stand up, turn off the timer, and return to my test. It takes away time from the test and I also have a sense of impending doom being held over my head because I don't know when the timer's going to go off. The anticipation at least for me translates to anxiety so I have a better gauge of how my performance will look like on the day of the test.
This way, I can better stimulate the anxiety of taking the actual LSAT (and impending doom) and figure out what I need to do in order to stay on top of it.
I took a practice test that way, and it has helped me to isolate what exactly I need to focus on so that I can be ready for my next test date. I don't know if this is helpful for anyone else, but I thought I'd put it out there into the ether.
Also, I unfortunately do not remember the name of the person who I talked to, but THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Edit: Explaining the tip further.
6 comments
Interesting.
How long of a timer are you setting?
Honestly, I'm really bad at deleting timers off my clock app and I have so many that were already at weird times (like 37 minutes, or an 1 hour and 26 minutes). I hit a couple of random ones and turned my phone around so I'd have no way of telling how many I hit or how much time was on any of them.
I don't really understand this tip - you would leave the timer in the locker and that's all?
It might have to do with access to technology and other coping mechanisms we have to self regulate ourselves between sections. We're kind of isolated when doing the real lsat so in my case taking off my watch, not touching my cell phone, and not browsing on my laptop would be my way of doing it. At least, that's what I think it's about.
Sorry, I don't think I explained this well at all. When doing practice tests, I leave my phone with a timer in a different room of my house. When the timer goes off, I have to force myself to stand up, turn off the timer, and return to my test. It takes away time from the test and I also have a sense of impending doom being held over my head because I don't know when the timer's going to go off. The anticipation at least for me translates to anxiety so I have a better gauge of how my performance will look like on the day of the test.
I suppose it could also help with access to tech. Please don't put a timer on your phone and leave it in your locker on the actual day of the test!
Makes sense, thanks for sharing!