How does test day differ from a PT?

StopLawying

Taking the test in a few weeks and I want to make sure I perform my best on test day. I do my best to mimic test-day conditions in terms of break/time but I usually take these tests in really quiet rooms. Yesterday I took a free proctored exam offered by Manhattan and it was also really quiet. Will it be like this on test-day or should i expect to be distracted? Also, does anyone have any other tips on how to make sure one performs his/her best on test day? TIA!

STR80UTTAYYC

I take it your test is being taken at 8 o clock in the morning? Any idea how many people are likely to be sitting in on it? If you live in a major city then you will likely have at least 100 people in the room with you. The biggest piece of advice I can offer is to train your bladder properly. I took the LSAT just this past December thinking that I had to be signed in at 8:30 and that the test would start at around 9:30ish which seemed reasonable at the time. Naturally I took prep tests at 9 in the morning with a ten question warm up beforehand to get my brain going. Imagine my surprise when I got in the room at 8:45 after showing the proctors my ID and everything only to find out that I had to sit at my desk for 2 hours. By the time everyone had signed in we didn't start the test until 10:50. So the warm up before the exam was absolutely useless. Keep in mind that you cannot leave the room until section 1 starts. So I sat there for two hours watching people walk through the door while my bladder was filling up. I elected not to go to the bathroom because I wasn't about to lose any time for any of the sections. So I wrote the first half of the test with a full bladder until finally the break came. Also, if you like your caffeine then train yourself to write the test without it. I finished my coffee before I got into the room since I wasn't allowed to bring it in with me. By the time the test started the caffeine had worn off so I ended up writing the test as the caffeine was wearing off. (Not a good thing) On top of that, after the 15 minute break a girl across the room just started sobbing, then crying, then walked out of the room in the middle of the exam. (Something I think that 7sage should add into the distraction sounds on their proctor app.) I didn't look away from my test I just heard it all happen because losing focus on test day is for pussies. I ended up scoring a 157 which I was very unhappy with considering how much effort I put into trying to simulate test conditions and scoring between 160 and 165 on several PTs. I'm probably going to retake it in June now and spent all of December avoiding caffeine. I am now studying and training myself not to use caffeine at all and haven't touched a coffee or energy drink in over a month.

allergic

My test center was cery quiet, but yours could be different. There is a website that has reviews of various test centers, You should check it out. STR80UTTAYYC mentioned having to wait for everyone else to check in. To avoid that I waited to get in line until the very end, so ai didn't have to wait in the test room for very long at all. I recommend you do the same. Overall my test was very similar to my PTs. I hope yours is the same.

cjones76

Like @allergic I waited to get in line and used the bathroom like 3 times leading up to it, ahah just to make sure I wouldn't have to go during the test. My test center was quite as well except for an instance when my proctors talked quietly for a brief amount of time. That would be the main distraction - I've heard other people complain about that before too. The biggest difference is the nerves knowing that this is the real test. Meditate before, breath, and remind yourself that it is only the next PT.

HAYPH108

Is your test center your local university? If so, avoid the long waiting line that situates everyone into the various test rooms and get in the line last. Once you're seated, depending on who is in the room with you, it could be extremely distracting. I had a girl sitting in front of me that was constantly tapping her shoe and my friend had someone coughing in her room. It was agonizing in the beginning, but you have to zone it out. Also, make sure you're well hydrated, properly nourished, and bladder well maintained. Even if you don't feel like you have to pee before the test, pee anyways! Other than that, I think the only other thing that I personally experienced that was different from simulated test-day conditions is time. I felt as if 35 minutes FLEW by and this could have honestly been nerves/adrenaline.