How to overcome LSAT Panic/Anxiety

korokyahaha

Hi Everyone,

I'm going to keep it as short as I can. Today was my 3rd attempt at this test and it did not go well. In hindsight I didn't think the test was so hard but in the moment it might have well been my diagnostic. I've been preparing for this take since under-performing in June and I believe I did everything right. I started with the 7sage curriculum, moved onto timed/untimed sections, and finally to 1-2 PT's a week with thorough blind review. Following these steps I saw massive improvement and was scoring where I wanted to be a month out from the exam. The PT's I took were all 5 section strictly timed exams with a 15 min break in between at the exact testing location at 8:00 during this time. I was feeling so confident and accomplished as I was up 20 points from my diagnostic just months before.

Anyways I've never had a problem with anxiety before and stress wise I was doing really well up until the exam. The morning of I was feeling a little stress but I meditated and I was feeling fine up until the exams began to get passed out. As soon as I opened my test a wave of sickness just crashed over me and it was like I had never seen an LSAT before. My first section was LG and I was scoring an average of -1.5 on PT's whereas now I couldn't even figure out how to do a simple sequencing game. I had a giant knot in my stomach and a throbbing pain in my head and ended up forgetting everything. I wasn't going through the motions I had mastered so well during my practice and in turn everything else just suffered.

Is this anxiety? Panic? What should I do? Whatever it was I was not prepared for it and I'm looking for advice on what I should do to counter this. I'm taking this test once more in January since I'm required to attend law school this upcoming fall. Please any advice is appreciated

CantStopWontStop

Therapy and practice. I had a similar issue and it helped. Also don’t put so much pressure on yourself to get a certain score. Just go in to do the best you can

janelleeng

Hi there,

I’m so sorry to hear that you had this experience. Honestly, I went through the same exact thing, but, I can assure you it gets better. Staying calm is so important. I know it’s easier said then done, but I have the worst anxiety and it took every ounce of me to try and contain it. I think you may have experienced burn out from studying so much so make sure you take needed breaks. I know when I felt burn out, I was getting more anxious too. I hope everything works out but you are definitely not alone. And schools will look at your highest score from what I hear so January you still have a chance to achieve your goal ! Best of luck to you !!

teamteamvicster

Ahhh the feels for this post! So I thrive in high-pressure work or school situations but standardized tests are a different story. My mind actually goes blank. Like almost blacks out. My hands shake to the point where I can't even write on a page. It sucks. And I'm sure you know that it sucks knowing how capable you are and then having this crashing feeling of anxiety rush over you. People telling me to just relax or to not put as much pressure on myself made things worse because I can't just turn off a switch.

I found that taking my anxiety meds helped, but I took only a quarter and practiced on various degrees of pill-ness. It's a careful balance of not being a zombie while still being able to keep your mind sharp.

Besides that having a procedure for each section helped so that when my mind does blank out, I can fall back on mechanics.

I'm sorry you are going through this. Anxiety is rough. Please don't let this test define you kick butt in everything else and let those acceptances rolllllll in!

TheDeterminedC

What helped me combat this was really hyping my PTs up like it's the real deal. If you hit a mental hiccup, MAKE SURE you work through it. Don't stop the time or do anything other then what would happen during the real deal. Learn how to bounce back under timed conditions.

There are two important lessons in doing this. The first is recognizing you're headed into this anxiety slump. While it might seem obvious to other people, it usually takes a bit of practice to realize that you're heading down a bad path. So, the first step is being able notice the signs before we hit a point of no return. The second step is action---you noticed you're going down the anxiety rabbit hole, how will you bounce back? This part takes practice. You have to get hit with these feelings and quickly change what you're doing, if that's going to the next LG section or it's taking 5 deep breaths, figure out how to get your mind back. This part is really idiosyncratic. During PTs after you successfully bounce back and get a good score, you'll realize that falling into these pits doesn't necessary mean the whole section is down the garbage. It gives a rather uplifting feeling knowing that you've been in the situation before and it ended up turning out alright.

I had that problem today on the first LG game, it felt like I didn't know what I was doing. 5 mins into the game I realized I was hitting some type of funk. I was just looking at three of my boards as if I have never seen an LG game before. I relied on those times where it happed during PTs. I just skipped and forgot about it, I just imagined I finished the game and worked on the next one like normal. That snapped me out of it. I came back to the first game and almost laughed at how easy it was. It's all in perspective and knowing how to get yourself back to your normal self as quickly as possible.

TrustingGod

I can definitely relate to your experience. My last two exams I nearly experienced the same sickness and panic attack. I would advise you to take care of your health and make it your priority to get your stress under control. Stress and anxiety are toxic and can have severe effects on your body. My stress induced a serious medical condition in me, that's taken me nearly a year to regain back my health. I don't say this to scare you, just to let you know that your health is more important than this exam. Trust God and realize there's nothing else you can do besides your best.

Victoria.

I agree with what @TheDeterminedC said. Having a process or a baseline to rely on reallys helps. But if you've been scoring well consistently try taking a long time off before the test (a week or two maybe, with only a few section drills here and there to make sure your habits are solidified). I had a baby a few weeks ago so I did nothing LSAT related for about two weeks and did a few section drills yesterday and during this past week and I think this helped ease the intense anxiety I felt during the September test (which I've never experienced before). I think giving myself a break helped me to better rely on the habits that I've developed for each section as opposed to over thinking everything. My brain just went into autopilot and it was a huge anxiety killer for me.

xenonhexafluoro

I'm right there with you on the anxiety. The last practice test I took before today's exam I literally froze and could not finish any section after thinking I bombed the first. This was a proctored PT so it felt real. All I could think is "I did so bad on that last section, I can't possibly get the score I need."

After freaking out and freezing I looked for advice and what I found most helpful was to think of the test as a time to show how much I've improved. I can retake it, if need be, so just to focus on what's before me and be mindful of it.

I too, did some meditation this morning and last night (love Headspace for it). I even did some aroma therapy and yoga. And before the test, at the test center, when I started feeling the anxiety I took a deep breath (of Northern California polluted air) and focused on my breathing to calm my nerves and find my focus.

I know it's so much easier said than done, but don't neglect all of the prep you've put in, and build up faith in yourself.

studyingandrestudying

@"Cant Get Right" wrote some comments on this before somewhere on here, but I'm not sure what the thread was called.