tomorrow's test anxiety

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• 2 Likes

  A.Bilenkey Member

  November 2020 143 karma

  Hey! I also have my test tomorrow and generally don't have bad test anxiety but am feeling more stressed due to the weight and nature of the LSAT. I am trying to turn my nerves into excitement! It is SO exciting I get to show LSAC and myself what I know tomorrow, after months of hard work! And I keep reminding myself to have faith in my abilities. Nerves will be of no help now or during the test, so every time you feel 'em just think I got this, this is going to be awesome, I am going to rock this test and have such a nice break afterwards!! And if this test isn't your A-Game then you can always write the next one.

  On a more practical note, I would keep to your routine if you have one. Tonight I'm going to de-compress by watching some TV, and reading some Harry Potter like I do every night. When I sleep I'm going to focus on my breathing, like I always do. And tomorrow morning I'm going to follow the exact same routine that I've been following, when I sit down to start my "work day" (at 11:20am) I'll be focused like I always am, just this time I'll be writing my test with someone else!
• 1 Like

  rajabiii Yearly Member

  November 2020 8 karma

  hey there,

  as someone with a panic disorder I experience this a lot (though I have yet to take the LSATs)

  1. occupy your senses: find a stress ball, even a pillow to squeeze. if you know how to knit, repetitive action like that can really help! for smell, I always like to spray lavender oil diluted or a favourite calming scent similar to calm me down (even during a test). a calming youtube playlist can also help! even occupying yourself with a task like cleaning your room can help; or cooking and baking, some of my go tos.

  2. guided YouTube meditation videos: i know everyone recommends this, and meditation isn't easy at all to begin with, but grounding yourself with guided meditation videos on youtube will be really rewarding and helpful, especially with your breathing. some are long and some are shorter, either do a long one or do a few short ones depending on how they make you feel! if a guided meditation is difficult, use this gif to help with breathing : https://giphy.com/gifs/healthline-meditation-stress-relief-box-breathing-1xVc4s9oZrDhO9BOYt

  3. if possible, get some fresh air and move around. go for a walk. try not to do a strenuous exercise as it can sometimes makes things worse, but listen to the signals your body is sending you and figure out a physical activity you might crave!

  I hope any of my suggestions help! I think one of the best takeaways for me in these moments is to not suppress the panic, but figure out how to satiate it. a mantra to repeat during the exam might also be of help to ground you. and always remember no matter the external pressures, this is just one test, and feeling anxious is completely natural. good luck
• orianariquezes Core Member

  November 2020 66 karma

  thank you so so much! and good luck tomorrow:)
• 1 Like

  kelly_9876 Core Member

  November 2020 144 karma

  1) Clean your environment (or declutter that one junk drawer you've been putting off until after you write) 2) Watch an emotional movie: Marley & Me, My Sister's Keeper, etc. Have a good cry and get it all out. 3) Have a bath and read a couple chapters of a good book, try to relax your mind and body before crawling into bed.
  Good luck, you will be fine!
• 1 Like

  harriet.palmer Member

  November 2020 162 karma

  I took my test today and trust me I suffer the WORST test anxiety so this was like huge for me. Last night I took a bath and listened to the powerscore podcast "16 reasons why people fail on the LSAT" the title sounds awful but they talk about how to avoid the common mistakes and how students panic but shouldn't. I didn't listen to the full thing but skipped through and some stuff was helpful. Get your 5 pieces of paper ready and organize your desk space the night before, you don't want to be running around rushing on test day. I also shut off my computer by 9pm and took melatonin because I knew I wouldn't sleep otherwise. Do NOT spend your night reading through horror stories on these forums and reddit posts because you will gain absolutely nothing and it will through you off. I stuck to my normal morning routine and sat at my desk an hour early to do some drilling to warm up. I kept reminding myself that being nervous will not help me. Gave myself a pep talk. Self confidence is super important, remember how much work you've put in, you deserve to do well. Avoid thinking about what will happen if you don't get a certain score or do well tomorrow... This was my first LSAT so I told myself this is just a practice LSAT, what's the worst that can happen? You retake in January, so what? That's what I told myself. The system went down for me today for technical issues, usually I would have freaked out but I mentally prepared myself for that. Everything was totally fine, I lost no time, proctor was amazing and I was back to work within 5 minutes (the break was kind of nice). Lastly, I thought of one positive thing about any of the 3 sections coming first on the test so I didn't start the test and freak out when I saw my worst section first. Just remember that getting yourself all worked up and nervous will not help you!! You've put in the work and I promise you everything will run smoothly. Breathe. Best of luck !!!!! Positive thoughts only!!