Accountability/Motivation/Anxiety

Rebelwendy

Hi everyone! I have put off the LSAT far too many times to count due to anxiety-driven procrastination (I have been studying on and off - mostly "off," tbh - for two years), and I am now determined to test in October. I have taken a handful of PT's, with my most recent being in December (my score, and average, was at a 164). Since then, I have finished the 7Sage curriculum and am now focusing on the Logic Games Bundle. I want to score a 175+, and I know that this will take a lot of hard work and dedication. I'm not exactly sure why I'm posting this, though I think in part it is because I want to hold myself accountable by finally introducing myself to this awesome community. I am really trying to tackle my anxiety, and I would love to hear from any of you who can relate to this. Thank you!

Pacifico

Welcome! I think you seem to have a good thing going now having finished the curriculum and working the bundle with a bit over four months to go until the test. I think that a disciplined approach to the next four months of studying with appropriate amounts of exercise, rest and relaxation mixed in can help to put you where you want to be. As long as you go into it with a positive mental attitude and know that it will be challenging, then you should be able to overcome your anxiety. If it is test-based performance anxiety then I think drilling and especially PTing in the most realistic settings under strict timed conditions will help you to acclimate to the pressure of the real test. It's impossible to match that pressure, but the more you have weathered some degree of it beforehand, the better off you will be.

During the first PT I took after finishing 7Sage I forgot to reset my watch after starting a new section so I had no idea how much time I had and that section turned into a nightmare, but I'd much rather that happen sooner rather than later and learn it the hard way now so it doesn't happen on test day. Another PT I totally forgot to bubble in each answer for the LG section because I was waiting to finish each game, but then when things went south on one game I skipped to the next and then by the time I circled back I realized I had less than 5 minutes to go and hadn't bubbled in a single answer! I was definitely feeling the pressure then, but that's part of why we PT, so we can get a good idea of all the crazy things that could go wrong and how to address them or avoid them completely.

If you've got anxiety in a more general sense I would highly recommend yoga (especially hot yoga) in order to calm your nerves and center yourself. It will also give you a lot of great skills to deal with stress outside of the studio. Hope this helps! Best of luck and feel free to hit me up if you have any other questions!

Rebelwendy

@Pacifico Thank you so much for this! I really appreciate your advice and words of encouragement. You're absolutely right about practicing under strict conditions - not only to master the material, but also to get used to the pressure. I know that I am my own worst enemy at this point - though logic games are a close second. Thank you so much!

Pacifico

@rebelwendy If LGs are giving you trouble, check out my post about strategy for the bundle here: http://7sage.com/discussion/#/discussion/2737/logic-games-attack-strategy

mes08

Def agree with @Pacifico about practicing under strict, timed conditions so you get used to it. Since you've finished the curriculum, in addition to working through the LG Bundle, it might be a good idea to take at least one timed practice test a week.

Also, besides hot yoga (which is awesome!), you might consider doing a little bit of meditation before you study or take a timed PT. After doing the guided meditation from the syllabus a few times (http://7sage.com/lesson/winning-the-psychological-battle/), I downloaded this pretty cool app called "Simply Being" that allows you to do 5,10, 15, 20, or 30min guided mediations. Hope that helps!

Rebelwendy

@mes08 Thank you so much! I will definitely try that app!

@Pacifico Thanks! Your approach is very helpful!