Pre-PT Prep: In need of advice

legal_name

Hi guys,

Was hoping to get some feedback on effective ways to get into the right frame of mind prior to attempting PT's. I wrote PT 37 and scored 10 points below what I usually average. This was quite a huge hit to the confidence. That being said, I woke up early, had breakfast, and just jumped into the test cold. I can't say I ever had a "warm-up" prior to my other PT's, but I did write them later on in the day and found it easier to get into the tests. What are your Pre-PT rituals? I'd love some advice on this.

The 180 Bro_OVO

I usually get my brain moving by doing some reading and a game or two.

I'm sure it varies from person to person, but I think it's important to remember that if you haven't done that many PTs, it isn't too crazy to see fluctuations at first. You're still getting your fundamentals/timing down.

So, don't let these initial tests bring you down!

legal_name

@"The 180 Bro_OVO" Thank you for the support and sharing. I'll definitely try something like that out. I've written a few PT's a while back before starting here. I guess it still feels a bit rough coming back into it.

BruiserWoods

Ok. listen to me right now.
go to youtube. type in "five minute guided meditation"
click the one with the picture of like a dock/pier over water.
do with headphones immediately before PT.
Remind yourself of that breathing when you get stressed during the test too. Sometimes I do it over again on the break.
This has helped me TREMENDOUSLY.

GordonBombay

My routine was: Good breakfast (get your protein in), caffeine, warm-up logic game, read through a passage (made it a point to read descriptively), work a few LR problems, then a 5-10 minute guided meditation or 5-10 minutes of yoga stretches with deep breathing (achieve the same effect in my opinion).

Cant Get Right

I like to simulate test day as closely as I can. So, up at 6, shower and all that, breakfast, coffee. A few random games, a LR section or two, then some green tea and relaxation (My version of meditation). Then some music. I’d like to add in a quick run or something, but so far I haven’t quite worked that in.

@"legal_name" said:
I've written a few PT's a while back before starting here. I guess it still feels a bit rough coming back into it.

Sounds like we’re in a similar situation. I’d guess you probably prepped with other material that just wasn’t cutting it and then found 7Sage (probably through the LG videos on youtube) and decided if you were going to do this right, this is where you needed to be. Is that at all close? Anyway, don’t be discouraged. It takes time to adapt to new strategies and until you’ve mastered the fundamentals, there’s nothing to be worried about. If you are falling WAY short of your mark though, I’d encourage you to take a step back from PTs. Make sure you’ve mastered the curriculum before you start burning PTs or you’re not going to get much out of them and you will have wasted a valuable fresh PT.

GordonBombay

^^^ Agree with the running suggestion. I didn't run before PT's, but I did on test day before my actual LSAT. Highly recommend it. Really helped calm me down, and got rid of a lot of that gnawing nervous energy.

I believe there is science to back this up, but admit-tingly I can't cite it off the top of my head.

Cant Get Right

@GordonBombay said:
that gnawing nervous energy.

The worst.

GordonBombay

To expand on my post above, there is science to back up what I was saying about exercising before PT's/your real LSAT as a way to increase your focus, and decrease your mid-, and/or pre-exam "test taking anxiety" (also known as the fight or flight response).

Anyone who's taken enough PT's knows the feeling. It would happen to me whenever I felt like I had a poor LR section, was taking too long to solve an LG, or didn't thoroughly comprehend a RC passage on the first go.

I'm not going to ramble on much longer but here's a quote to better explain the science behind how exercising before exams can help you:

"Exercise releases neurotransmitters that improve mood, burns away stress hormones and adrenaline, tires muscles to reduce anxiety symptoms and more. Exercise has been compared to some of the leading anti-anxiety medications and come out tied or ahead, all without a single chemical."

Source: http://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/fight-or-flight-response
(I know its not pub med lol, but in my experience this REALLY helped me stay calm when I took my actual administered LSAT). Again I would highly recommend giving it a try.

Nicole Hopkins

@"Cant Get Right" said:
So, up at 6, shower and all that, breakfast, coffee. A few random games, a LR section or two, then some green tea and relaxation (My version of meditation).

perfection.

legal_name

Thank you so much to everyone! You guys are incredible. I really appreciate all of your feedback. For some reason I haven't been getting e-mail updates of all of your posts - just saw your responses now.
@"Cant Get Right" You nailed it. That would be the exact situation I'm in. This program has been my savior in so many ways. This is the first time I've felt like I received a thorough explanation of every concept. I've tried several different companies before... none of them were sufficient in my honest opinion. They over complicated things and gave time-sinking mnemonic techniques. I'm hoping this PT was an outlier.
@GordonBombay I'm definitely going to try that. Really interesting read, thank you. Not a huge fan of jogs, but I could see myself trying out some yoga before PT's.

Aidoe

Man, these are all really great suggestions. My only problem - and I suspect this will be the same for others - is I don't have the luxury of simulating everything since I have to work full time. If I was going to take a PT one day, the best option would be to wake up super early and get it done before heading to work without warm up, breakfast, etc. Is there a way to get the next best thing in terms of getting down a regular routine before test day? Maybe having that grueling routine will get me accustomed to test day anyway even though it will be different?

Cant Get Right

@Aidoe . Absolutely there's things you can do. I think consistency is really the most important aspect of this. If you can't simulate test day every day, then simulate test week every week. You just want to find your rhythm, whatever that looks like for you. When I was working, I'd do one PT on Saturday when I could simulate to test day and then I'd do my second on Wednesday afternoon. I didn't want to throw off my sleep schedule by waking up super early one morning. Beyond that, I just wanted to make sure my morning schedule was as close to where I wanted it as I could get it. So I want a nice breakfast before my test, for example, but it would not be good to get used to having a pop tart and coffee in the car on the way to work and then suddenly have bacon, eggs, fresh fruit, and granola before the test. So I started having a nice big breakfast every day so I wouldn't be throwing my body any curve balls. So just do what you can to make sure that you're not doing anything weird on test day/week.