In regards to overcoming nerves and test day stress:

Bamboosprout

I just typed out this mass of text for a comment, and thought maybe it could help others as well. This response was in regards to a question about overcoming nerves and test day stress. Hope it can be useful for you:

Simulate the real experience, and induce even more pressure.
- So you should always use the 7sage proctor. For me, I turn it down to 32 minutes and max out the noise and distraction levels.
- Start every day 2 weeks leading up to the test as if you were going to take the test, and do your most difficult work early in the morning. Get use to waking up extremely early, and switching your brain to optimal capacity at 9AM.

Be realistic, and thus, relaxed
- Know your limits, because going over them is easy, and can be horrifically detrimental, but also practice so hard that you know there was nothing more to be done, and just embrace fate.
- You know your average score, and whether you took the PTs realistically or not, so you know where exactly you should be, and you should only expect to perform at or below average, and to expect otherwise is wishful thinking at best, and insane at worst.
- You can always retake, so what's the big deal. Life won't end because you didn't get into law school this year. Look around you, and appreciate everything you have, and make the most of what's around you.

Be healthy
- Know that science has proven an active and healthy lifestyle can contribute more to test taking than most other activities, so don't forego exercise and don't forego a healthy diet.
- Also try to sleep at least 8 hours a day.

Nerves only exist when there are contradictions in our own minds, such as: having deep desires to achieve things that we know we probably can't actually achieve, or placing overwhelming value for specific results even when we know some things are not within our control (I use to have these contradictions in my head, and they rocketed my stress). Reconciling with our own self, and having our expectations connect with reality is the best way of getting rid of nerves, but if that isn't possible right now, then try to simulate even more extreme stress, so that the stress on the test day seems more tolerable in comparison (Imagine going sky-diving to overcome the fear of heights).

Teaspoon

I feel you - and I appreciate this! I refuse to damage my score out of nerves and poor health conditions. If getting 8 hours of sleep at night and not sipping alcohol until test day gets me even 1 point - worth it.

Two things I've realized from this post:
1. It would be prudent to kick up my exam conditions with distractions and reduced time.
2. My nerves totally result from unrealistic expectations. And being realistic is easy. Problem solved.

Bamboosprout

@Teaspoon said:
I feel you - and I appreciate this! I refuse to damage my score out of nerves and poor health conditions. If getting 8 hours of sleep at night and not sipping alcohol until test day gets me even 1 point - worth it.

Two things I've realized from this post:
1. It would be prudent to kick up my exam conditions with distractions and reduced time.
2. My nerves totally result from unrealistic expectations. And being realistic is easy. Problem solved.

I hope it helps. But honestly, it wasn't easy to overcome the nerves, even though I understood what I needed to do. It took a long time to transform that understanding into a belief/mindset.

LCMama2017

thank you

devinstelter

I think the things that reduced my nerves the most were 1) Going to the testing site multiple times the week of the test and 2) Realizing that "the hay was in the barn" the week before the test.

A few times I got up the same time I would on test day, ate the same breakfast I would eat, and drove the same route to the test location. I knew I wanted to take a walk around the area before I would enter the building, so I mapped out a walking route and followed it on the mornings I visited the testing location. When test day came, there were definitely some nerves but going on the walk made me feel as though it was just another one of those days leading up to the test.

Understanding that you have done all you can to prepare also has a calming effect. Whether or not you feel you prepared as well as you could have, that doesn't matter a week before the test and worrying about it will only give you added stress which you most definitely won't need! Keep reassuring yourself that no matter how daunting you think actual test day will be, you have done your best to prepare and that this part of the journey is almost complete!

Bamboosprout

@devinstelter said:

Understanding that you have done all you can to prepare also has a calming effect. Whether or not you feel you prepared as well as you could have, that doesn't matter a week before the test and worrying about it will only give you added stress which you most definitely won't need! Keep reassuring yourself that no matter how daunting you think actual test day will be, you have done your best to prepare and that this part of the journey is almost complete!

Awesome advice. I think this really helps with tempering expectations and embracing fate. Nothing more can be done, so worrying won't help. Hahaha