Worried about retake--need advice!

kicurtis

So my relationship with the LSAT has unfortunately been long. In college, I was determined not to/freaked out about taking a couple years off after school--which meant I had to get the LSAT done before I graduated. My initial diagnostic was a 157 and at the height of my PTs I was scoring in the mid to high 160's, my highest being a 167 (this was also before I took 7sage). I was scoring well for my goal (168-170) but was still over the time limit on each section by a couple minutes. But being the neurotic person I am, instead of pushing the test back--I took it. Weeks before the test my PT scores were fluctuating all over the place from a 166 here to a 155 there and that only made me more nervous (I have anxiety in case you couldn't tell). Anyways, test day roles around and I ended up with a 153--BELOW MY INITIAL DIAGNOSTIC. I was heartbroken--and still am. Anyways now my confidence is totally shot and I'm about to start taking PTs again so I was wondering if anyone has any tips on managing stress before and during the test and whether my goal of a 168-170 seems reasonable. Thanks a bunch in advance for all the help, I love this discussion board so far!

jdawg113

I would say a big part is probably nerves/test day conditions. You want to be sure to prep in all sorts of different environments... a lot of people who score 177-180 on their first try tend to voice how they spent time taking preptests in libraries, coffee shops, parks, and so on. you want to make sure test day feels like just another PT in atmosphere, mindset, and nerves

kicurtis

Thanks for the comment, I'm definitely going to start trying to test in different environments to increase my confidence. If anyone else has some advice please drop a comment!