consistently underperforming on the first section

monika_p

Hey guys, wanted some insight into an issue I'm having with PT'ing. Long story short, I underperform on the first section because it takes at least 15 questions for my brain to warm up.

This doesn't even necessarily translate to getting those first 15 wrong - it simply takes me longer to understand and answer them correctly. Which then DOES lead to mistakes towards the end of the section, because I have less time to answer the harder ones.

This is especially an issue with LR. Normally I try to do the first 10 questions in 10 minutes or under, in fact usually 15 in 15 and (on a good day) 20 in 20. This is always do-able for me when it's the second section of LR. My brain is fired up and ready to go. But if it's the first section of the exam I'm just slow to adjust, don't hit those targets, and as aforementioned, it throws everything off balance.

I don't know how to get my brain to naturally be in that warmed-up stage from the get-go; in fact it seems almost natural that it would take your brain a second to adjust from "I'm just living my life" to "I'm doing hardcore logic for 4 hours"

I know meditation helps as a general thing with concentration (and I'm currently working on it), but I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and had advice for that FIRST section specifically. Take a timed 35 minute section every morning, perhaps? Some people even say they did a full section as warmup before sitting for the exam. Would love to know your thoughts.

AllezAllez21

I think you've already hinted at a two possible solutions:

1. Do warm up problems. I try to do at least one logic game and at least 5 LR questions before beginning a PT. If you know LR is especially your weakness in the 1st section, maybe do 8-10 LR questions. I wouldn't do more than 15 because you don't want to fatigue yourself. The point is just to do some fairly easy questions to get your mind thinking.

2. Adjust your schedule to be ready to go in the morning (assuming your taking the real test in the morning). That could mean waking up earlier, getting some exercise, getting a good breakfast, etc.

monika_p

Thanks @AllezAllez21! Appreciate the advice. The only problem I see with warm ups is that it seems like it wouldn't prove beneficial for the real thing - it can take like 2 hours for them to seat everyone into the testing room, read the directions, etc. so I wonder if a warm up would be relevant.

MapleSarahp

On top of the direct techniques that you could try (like warm-up sections before entering the testing center, adjusting to a regular or morning schedule), maybe visualization techniques are worth a shot? I'm not sure if that's the right term for it, but what I mean is, and for lack of a better term, "trick" your brain/yourself into thinking you are already well in the middle of a PT instead of just beginning one. Something along the lines of what the placebo effect trades on, I think. I'm no expert on this stuff, but it's worth a try in my opinion. Just my two cents.

monika_p

@MapleSarahp interesting! I might give that a go, thank you The problem is very much psychological, so tackling it with something psychological is a great idea. Thanks again!

twssmith

Calling @Sami - she has great advice about how to warm-up:)

On a few live videos in the more current PTs, JY actually says in his commentary that he is a little sluggish on the 1st section because he didn't warm-up before taking the PT

monika_p

Thanks @twssmith! That makes me feel a lot better if JY had this issue Did he say how much he warms up before the PT/what he does?

And yay, @Sami helped me with my last question too!! I'm starting to think she's my LSAT hero tbh

Mellow_Z

I think issue will resolve itself as time goes on. The more you get into a routine of doing LSAT earlier in the morning, the easier it will become. Many people harp on building a daily schedule weeks in advance that will mimic your "game day" schedule. This should help calm nerves (by not needing to think about anything or make decisions) and train your brain to know when it will need to work.

You mentioned that there is a (potential) 2 hour break in between a warm up section and the actual test. This probably also relates to building a routine. If you know you struggle after 2 hours of resting in the morning, maybe you could try taking a few practice sections, relaxing for 2 hours, and then taking a PT until you build up the necessary endurance.