Test day wake up time and routine

Legally_Speaking

What time would people recommend waking up for a 12:30 pm LSAT start time?

Return On Inference

Probably 9-10 a.m. depending on how far the test center is from you.

I woke up at 7 a.m. for last Monday's exam because I had to drive quite a ways out -- was thoroughly exhausted by the 4th and 5th sections.

JerryClarke242

I got up at 9:30am last Monday and was literally 3 minutes away from the testing center. It takes me a while to get dressed, so I had to factor that in. I also wanted to make sure I got as much sleep as possible the night before, so I went to bed early and ended up getting approximately 10 hours of sleep.

Habeas Porpoise

Like others have said, you'll need to consider the distance to your test center and if you have any routine you want to complete in the morning.

My test center was 1.5 hours away and I wanted to arrive with at least an hour or so to spare in case of traffic. I slept the night before at around 11:45pm and woke up around 7:45am (pretty much my normal schedule). Then I did everything I usually do with my morning routine (took a 35 minute walk, ate a light breakfast). I ended up getting to the center at 11:00am and used the extra time to scope the area and relax/meditate. I think it worked out pretty well for me.

JustDoIt

I woke up at 10am for my June take and made my way over around 11 (it was an hour away). I can't stress enough how important it is to not get there too early. I would say no more than 10 minutes early. There are going to be people there who are freaking out, overconfident, and everything in between. Getting there right before check in will help you to avoid these shenanigans

Legally_Speaking

Fantastic, thanks everyone for the suggestions!

_oshun1_

@JustDoIt said:
I woke up at 10am for my June take and made my way over around 11 (it was an hour away). I can't stress enough how important it is to not get there too early. I would say no more than 10 minutes early. There are going to be people there who are freaking out, overconfident, and everything in between. Getting there right before check in will help you to avoid these shenanigans

2nd this. It will take at least an hour for everyone to get inside. If you get there early, are the first person in line, and get into the testing center first, that just means you will be trapped and forced to sit a room for an hour+ (you’re already going to have to sit for the 4+ hr exam) while everyone else is probably waiting outside in the fresh air.

Habeas Porpoise

Just wanted to add that I totally agree with @JustDoIt and @"surfy surf". Even though I got to the center an hour and a half early, I went to a nearby Starbucks after confirming the location of the test and just relaxed. There's a bunch of nervous energy in the test center and I wanted to avoid all of that. Plus, I took the majority of my PTs in Starbucks so it was helpful in getting me in the "zone."

_oshun1_

@"Habeas Porpoise" said:
Just wanted to add that I totally agree with @JustDoIt and @"surfy surf". Even though I got to the center an hour and a half early, I went to a nearby Starbucks after confirming the location of the test and just relaxed. There's a bunch of nervous energy in the test center and I wanted to avoid all of that. Plus, I took the majority of my PTs in Starbucks so it was helpful in getting me in the "zone."

Did you drill any questions in Starbucks or you just totally relaxed that hour and a half?

Habeas Porpoise

@"surfy surf" said:

@"Habeas Porpoise" said:
Just wanted to add that I totally agree with @JustDoIt and @"surfy surf". Even though I got to the center an hour and a half early, I went to a nearby Starbucks after confirming the location of the test and just relaxed. There's a bunch of nervous energy in the test center and I wanted to avoid all of that. Plus, I took the majority of my PTs in Starbucks so it was helpful in getting me in the "zone."

Did you drill any questions in Starbucks or you just totally relaxed that hour and a half?

No, I didn't drill anything, just meditated for most of it. I actually had my logic flashcards (indicators and valid/invalid argument forms) with me but I forgot about them. I'd done them the night before though so it wasn't a big deal.
And I was only in Starbucks for about 35 minutes. I arrived at 11:00, found parking, checked the test center, found out I'd parked in a bad spot and had to re-park. Then it was a 10-minute walk to Starbucks. I just made sure to get back to the center by 12:15, in case they were strict about locking people out at 12:30. But those 35 minutes of rest were totally worth it, imo. I was pretty calm and clearheaded both before and during the exam, even though we started late at 1:30pm.

JustDoIt

I did my usual warm up. 4-8 easy LR, 1 passage, and one game. I did this before just about every PT so I wanted to keep it consistent. But most importantly I strategically picked all questions that would give me confidence. The last thing I wanted to do was to have my warm up effect my test.