Tips for international student taking the test at 5:30am?

mexlyott

Hi everyone,

I'm an international candidate, and the only reasonable time I could sign up for was 5:30am local time.

Early morning hours between 2am and 5:30am were the only options I had left right after receiving the sign-in email from LSAC at around noon on May 26 eastern time (I'm a first-time test taker). I sent an email to LSAC to ask if I could schedule for an evening time, but I'm not confident that they will let me reschedule. Candidates in my country have been complaining about this time zone issue since 2020, and LSAC still isn't providing more time slot options for international candidates.

Are there other international candidates who had to take the test very early in the morning, and do you have any tips? Right now I'm performing at about 15 points below my practice test scores because I can't even finish the questions on time. (I normally finish all of the questions and have time left to review.)

I've been practicing waking up at 3:30am, have 2 hours to wake up my brain, and take a practice test at 5:30am, but it hasn't been very successful. So I would appreciate any and all tips you could share! Thanks in advance.

melsathope

Both hours are tough, but I think it would be easier for me to get used to stay up until 5 am (thus doing the 2am LSAT) rather than waking up at 3:30am.
But my advice is, DO NOT take the test until you are prepared. 15 points below is very significant.
I would reschedule the LSAT, put in your calendar and an alarm as soon as the test opens up to schedule on proctoru, so you can schedule a good time for you.

Nostalie

I took a 2 am LSAT this January and it seems like my performance was not at all affected, though I did feel exhausted during the test. I would definitely feel more comfortable to just stay up rather than having to wake up midnight. Also, I feel like it's kind of hard to get a sound sleep on the test day, knowing that you'll have to take an important test right after waking up.

C_S_D 01

I'm in the same boat, international test taker here. But thanks to my time zone (maybe?) I was able to secure a 7am spot. I'm a morning person so anything after 5am is fine for me.
That said, I think the waking up two hours earlier idea is a good one. Some people think that whizzing through a few short problem sets is a good warm up.
Practicing acclimating your body to the routine sounds like a great idea, too. I used to race and the sleep you get the night BEFORE the-night-before is the most important. The sleep or rest during the night immediately before race day was never likely to be great, so we would be sure to rest in the days before that and it makes all the difference.
Once you have trained, your brain and body know what to do. Trust the training! And good luck.

Lime Green Dot

Don't bank your hopes on it, but also try and refresh the scheduling screen (not obsessively, but a few times a day, maybe) to see if a more ideal time slot becomes available. I'm taking the test in S. Korea and originally could only find a 5:50 am time slot - the next day when I took another peek, I saw something around 8 am open up and nabbed that.

But definitely plan for the contingency that this might not happen and LSAC may not respond back favorably. Here are some other things you might consider (some are weirdly specific, but they all come from my personal experience):

Night before:
Prioritize getting at least 7.5 hours of sleep!
1. Start winding down and resting early & get away from all bright screens and definitely all strenuous activity, including studying, at least an hour before bedtime.
2. Use an eye mask if you don't have black-out curtains and earplugs if environmental noise is a problem.
3. Keep your room very, very cool to induce sleep more easily if you're not the kind of person who can just fall asleep on a dime. If you have a programmable A/C and don't like things too cold for too long, you can set it to go off after an hour or two.
Morning of:
1. DO NOT HIT SNOOZE, even for 5 minutes. Mentally and physically "rocket" yourself out of bed when you hear your alarm go off if it still feels cringey and awful trying to get up. I've heard a technique that has worked for others is going like "3... 2... 1... [jump out of bed!--assuming you're not sleeping from a top bunk 😂]." I'm a morning person naturally, but whenever I've woken up in a mental/physical slump, I try not to lie in bed too long thinking about the things that suck and just force my body out. I've found that the mind does eventually catch up!
2. Try a good stretching routine first thing for at least 15 minutes and a colder than usual shower to help your body wake up even more. I also put on cold eye patches I keep in the fridge for several minutes after washing up.
3. Hydrate sufficiently and imbibe your reliable caffeine of choice well in advance of your testing time slot.
4. It may feel weird to eat at all so early, but do have something to fuel up. Don't overload on starchy, refined carbs for bfast, but do include some of the sustaining kind (e.g., I love steel-cut oats, and you can prep them overnight to be heated up the next morning), a little protein, and maybe a banana or citrusy fruit or OJ.
5. Mindfully do a few practice Qs from each section and break away from your screen with at least 15 minutes to spare before you're supposed to be in your seat -- do another few quick stretches that will get your heart pumping before getting ready to start.
6. Try adjusting your monitor and/or seat so that you are slightly looking up, rather than looking down. A book underneath the monitor, for example, can help elevate it if you don't have one that can be adjusted otherwise.
During test:
Use the minute you have between sections on the test to mini-stretch at the desk you're sitting at. Definitely use the longer 10-minute break to move around and get some direct sunlight exposure from a window (hopefully, the sun will be up and shining by that time!).

Wishing the best turnout for you!🍀

mexlyott

@RFlsat2022 Thank you, I think I'll have to keep taking PTs until the day before to see if I'll withdraw. :') I did log in as soon as I got the sign-in email from LSAC, but I guess other people got there before me.. I appreciate your comment!

mexlyott

@2604869228 I'm a morning person and never studied for it in the evening, but I think you're right, the 2AM might have been a better option.. Thanks for your comment!

mexlyott

@"C_S_D 01" Thanks so much for your comment! I will keep in mind to get plenty of sleep two nights before and try not to stress out about not being able to fall asleep the night before (although I hope I'll be able to get quality sleep..) And I'll definitely try the warm up questions too. Your words are so reassuring and I really appreciate it!

mexlyott

@"Lime Green Dot" Wow, thank you so much for all of your tips!!! I'll keep all of this in mind and hope for the best. I've been refreshing on the page for a while, but like you said it doesn't seem likely that a better time will open up.. But I'm happy for you that were able to change to an 8AM spot.
I wish the best for you as well!! 🍀