How do I get into the mindset to test?

Like_Spike

I'm trying to figure out the best way to get myself moving quickly enough before I start a PT, without making myself too fatigued to be able to perform at my best in the later sections.

If ever I have pacing problems - being rushed towards the end of a section because I started off reading too slowly - it's in the first section. How do people get themselves - short of the obvious, take a bunch of coffee (which I do) - up to speed before they start a test?

danielznelson

Pacing in the first section is relatively common, I think. Is this pacing problem exclusive to a particular section?

marcosmcqueen

This may not be useful, but I'm going to recommend that you create a pre-test routine. Preferably, one that can be done at the testing center on testing day.
I have a really erratic schedule so sometimes I'm PTing in the afternoon, other times at 5am. I, too, sometimes have difficulty hitting my stride in the first section.
What I do...
1) a cup of coffee about 45 minutes before. If it's the afternoon, I take only a few sips. The routine is as important as the caffeine.
2) I read the newspaper. I have a kindle, and whether it's the morning or the afternoon, I take a minute to read an article or two. Just seems to get the brain whirring but not too fast. Again, the routine is as important as the actual act, so it doesn't really matter what the article is about.
3) I take a walk outside. This might be only three minutes. Get the blood flowing, continues the sense of waking up. Did I mention routine?
4) I sharpen my pencils (usually 9) and line them up (to the right of my test eraser towards the top of the desk, point towards my seat). Here, I should mention routine, if I haven't done so.
5) test time

This is just my routine and I'm not recommending it for anyone else. The point is simply to have a routine. The mind is good at recognizing patterns. It's the reason that if you get up at the same time every day you'll start waking up before the alarm and likewise going to bed. It's the reason that sleep specialists recommend following the same pattern when preparing for bed every night. It's the reason that world class weight lifters approach the bar and set up for a lift the exact same way, every time.

Every watch great sprinters? The approach the starting block with the same number of steps each time, they insert their feet into the blocks in the same order every time. They place their hands on the ground in the same order every time. They raise themselves into the set position at same speed every time.

Why? It's not because there's anything magic those movements. They don't make the muscles stronger or faster. They use this pattern because it's how they've trained their body and mind to understand what will be demanded next. Their mind and body understand that the pattern of movements and behavior mean, "go time."

This is getting long, but I think you need to think about what test day will be like and begin building your routine.

The bad thing is that it won't have any immediate effect on your PTs. It takes a while for your body and mind to recognize the pattern. The good thing is that by the time test day comes, getting revved up for test time will be effortless.

As an added bonus, it will be a great way to beat test-day nerves. I work in a fairly high stress job that demands split-second decisions. Most folks would probably consider it one of the most stressful jobs in America. There are few things more comforting than being able to fall back into a known set of movements and patterns. It's like walking down a well worn path or slipping under a warm blanket.

hlsat180

If you are having timing issues with the early part of a section/test due to a lack of warm-up, I have three recommendations:

1. Why not create a practice section as your warm-up? For example, using old exams (save your fresh ones!), practice untimed but in succession: one LG, one RC session, one LR (but only every fourth question). Do this before every PT, tweak as necessary, and incorporate in your actual test routine.

2. Incorporate "jump start" pacing into every PT section. For LR many recommend completing first 10Qs in 10min to allow more time to (a) focus on subsequent harder questions, and (b) go back later to double-check your "iffy" answers. Likewise for LG and RC: Work to finish the first (often easiest) game/passage within 5-6 minutes. After a while this "jump start" becomes habit.

3. Practice improving your test endurance. If you are worried about back-end performance then (rather than avoid) deliberately seek to practice in that zone. Some folks even practice six-section PTs (4 + 2 old sections) so that, come test day, the five sections are cake. If you only want to practice four sections, then do so without any break.

This advice is standard (I didn't come up with it) so tailor a version to your needs.

MrSamIam

Like @marcosmcqueen said, you need to develop a routine that works for you.
This may sound strange, but part of doing well on the LSAT is knowing YOUR body. Know how much caffeine is ideal for you. Too much caffeine, and you'll be jittery. Too little and you wont benefit from it completely.
Get your body used to being up 2 hours before the test.
Find out what gets the blood flowing. One thing that I started doing is walking outside in the cold. The cold air does an excellent job of walking me up, and walking helps get the juices flowing.

One week prior to the test, you should know exactly what 35 minutes "feels" like.
I've noticed that pacing issues tend to be mitigated if you know how to skip. Focus on doing the easy questions first. Then, pace yourself on the more difficult questions.

Like_Spike

These are all helpful hints, thank you. The pacing problems are not specific to a certain type of section, just the first one. I think I'm going to start with a quick 10-minute warm up section that I make ahead of time.

I think I have the right amount of caffeine dialed in at this point and the right amount of time before the test between when I take it. The wake up and keep calm/get awake schedule's in place and pretty consistent - I think I just need to add a bit to my routine like a practice section before I start.

I imagine I'll do LR questions for the warm up session unless anyone has any objections. I don't think I want to include LG because if I were to get one that I have any trouble with on test day it might throw me off before I start.

danielznelson

I ask because this can happen to me in LR. If ever I'm slower than normal, it's with an LR section - usually the result of rustiness or a small level of anxiety. Doing warm up LR questions could help tremendously with this.

For situations like this, I simply skip any questions I'm slow with and revisit them later. Since the earlier questions are typically (though not always) easier, revisiting helps me to speed through them as I would have otherwise.

While I plan to do LG warmups before the real test, I may work with your strategy, as it's easy to make dumb mistakes in LG, which could trigger fear into doing the real LG section. Moreover, I've noticed that LR and RC warm me up for LG, but LG doesn't really help me in warming up for LR or RC. Warmups will likely be one of the biggest boosts to first-section lag.

Cant Get Right

I don't really have anything to add here, I think y'all covered it really well. Developing routine is something I always stress, and I personally enforce a really strict routine every day to simulate what my ideal test morning will look like. Just figure out your ideal pretest morning and then start living it every day that you can.