On Anxiety and My First LSAT

GoatAdvocate_0L_SLS

I have never experienced test anxiety. I kind of love tests and the rituals involved in preparing for them. When I sit down to take a test that I've invested heavily in - a test whose content I am intimately familiar with, a test that has been granted more of my time than any living being that actually loves me - I'm excited and almost entirely at ease. Such was not the case with the April Flex.

I want to say that the first 2 sections went well. The LR section wasn't too bad and neither was the LG section. But, I lost my shit during the very first question of the last section. None of the AC's seemed correct. I flagged the question and moved on to the next. Same problem. This continued until I was halfway through RC and realized that every question was flagged and unanswered. Though I was later able to get a grip on things and answer all of the questions, I knew that the damage had been done.

The results released last week indeed confirmed my fears. I scored a 163. (I was averaging 168 for 5 months, achieving a 170/171 here and there.) I went into a bit of a downward spiral. Did I really just waste 5 months? Do I not know how to study? Am I incompetent? I moped, then promptly hired a tutor. My first assignment was to take a PT to assess my current ability, being that I hadn't so much as glanced at any LSAT material since April 12th. So, last evening I took a PT and scored a 173. A neat breakthrough.

What is to be made of this? I'm not sure. I will say that is it very easy to become discouraged from a poor performance. But one mistake is by no means a condemnation of your future. Chances are, if you're working full-time and studying >20hrs a week for several months as I did, you're burnt out without realizing it. A low score amid a sea of high scores is not evidence of a sudden regression so much as it may be a symptom of mounting anxiety and exhaustion. It was in my case, at least. Consider taking a mental health break. Postpone the exam. Enjoy your hobbies and the outside world.

Additionally, it is true that the actual test will not feel the same as any PT. The gravity of your performance will likely trigger anxiety in even the most steely of test-takers. There's a reason why LSAC allows only first-time test takers to cancel their score. While we are all different, it may help to manage your expectations for the first LSAT you take. You may do great; you may not. No matter what you score, you will have the chance to get back up and do better the next time now knowing what the experience entails.

Lime Green Dot

Thank you for this post! Besides time away for a mental break, if you have any tips to help manage anxiety that you find useful in the prep days ahead, I'd love to hear them. I'm already a bit anxious in stasis lol.

Hoping your breakthroughs continue & permeate to your next reg'd test!