Tips for Testing Anxiety

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• 2 Likes

  studying247 Member

  January 2021 23 karma

  Hi Serenafrank,

  As someone who has always dealt with test anxiety, I can safely say that the battle is internal. I took the October LSAT and let my anxiety get the best of me. I have now learned to accept that it is just a test that can be re-taken, and cancelled if needed.

  When I find myself getting overwhelmed or anxious with a question, especially during logic games, I close my eyes and take a few seconds to breathe. I know we are limited on time, but this couple of seconds to collect yourself will really help.

  Also, you are not alone. Feel free to message me if you want to talk more about the exam! I find venting helps me acknowledge that it is just a test!!
• 1 Like

  emmorens Core Member

  January 2021 1470 karma

  I feel the same way
• 2 Likes

  kc3mj Member

  January 2021 17 karma

  hi! i found this article from the site fairly helpful regarding test anxiety: https://7sage.com/lesson/how-to-avoid-panicking-on-the-lsat/

  the comments under it are also really insightful! good luck to both of us in two weeks; we got this!
• 1 Like

  dixondenell97 Core Member

  January 2021 21 karma

  I feel the exact same way. I always let my anxiety get the best of me.
• 6 Likes

  Angela Kim Core Member

  January 2021 98 karma

  Hey! Same here... I know this test has consumed much of my life and a lot is dependent on this exam. However, I do want to emphasize Kobe Bryant's "Mamba Mentality" which is about obsession. It is about prioritizing professional goals over having a normal life (until this test is done) and also performing without fear, mastering this craft and not only wanting to win, but to dominate. We should trust that our hard work is going to pay off and to keep things in perspective. Although this test is important, it doesn't define who we are and although everyone is nervous, let's stay strong and trust our hard work! Happy New Year.
• 2 Likes

  Ravinder Alum Member

  January 2021 869 karma

  I am an ER doctor and also a 1st year law student. If you are open to trying a safe medication that blocks adrenaline you may find that you can manage your test day anxiety. Recently, I have successfully used this medication on two students in the fall. They both got 176 with the adrenaline blocking medication. The first student that I tried this on had taken the test 3 times with his best score being 162, despite two years of studying. He graduated from a top undergrad school and had no difficulty doing much better on PTs at home but his nerves on test day just did him in each time. On his 4th attempt, in July, he got a 168 despite having scored a 179 at home on a fresh PT only 2 days before. He said he that “could feel his heart racing” even before the test started. I met him on 7 sage and had tutored him a bit and it was apparent to me that anxiety was his main challenge. I told him that he would benefit from this medication but he was worried about side effects. Finally, after the panic symptoms he experienced in July, he listened and on his next attempt, in the fall, he took the medication and got a 176 on his fifth attempt. We had to do some trial and error testing to find the right dose but he experienced no side effects except a dry mouth and he felt calm throughout. The second student also had a history of anxiety and after hearing the story of the first student took the medication on her first attempt, and got a 176 also. I specifically picked students who had the capability to score very high but were limited by anxiety. To be fair, this data is anecdotal and, thus, I am interested in studying this further and seeing if this can be a good solution for many students. I believe that the unreasonable weight that law schools place on the LSAT contributes substantially to test taking anxiety. I myself had to spend nearly two years struggling with the LSAT before finally beating the test (I eventually got a 177 but it took way too much effort and a lot of time away from my family than I would have liked). I benefitted from a lot of help from a lot of people here on 7 sage and several great private tutors to get me over that obstacle. But not every student can afford private tutors and some students suffer much more from anxiety than others. In addition, many students with learning disabilities and processing speed issues have conditions that only heighten the impact of anxiety. Thus, I feel that the LSAT discriminates against poor students and those with learning disabilities and anxiety. Thus, I am interested in finding a medical solution for those students. I believe that this medical approach can have broad application, if done correctly. This is not a new medicine. It is a widely used medication for other conditions and has been studied a bit for test taking anxiety with some previous evidence of benefit. However, it has not been studied extensively for the LSAT and given the difficulty of the LSAT, I believe one has to tailor the medical regimen and dosage to each student’s unique condition. If any of you are interested in discussing this, you can DM me. I went to medical school at Johns Hopkins so I am not flying by seat of my pants. I am a scientist as well as a physician. Some trust is required on both ends, so I have to get know a student before I can trust that they will not go bananas on me if they get a bad score despite the medication. I am not promising to prescribe any medication. Nor am I going to be your doctor but I am willing to listen to your LSAT experience and medical history and see if I can point some of you in a direction that may help you. You will still have to talk with your own doctor to get the medication. I will do this as a courtesy and only ask that you provide me with data of your experience. Good luck to you all. If I can beat this beast of a test at my ‘advanced age’, you all can do it as well.
• 2 Likes

  HelloMoto Member

  January 2021 400 karma

  Hi! Here are some natural ways that I helped curb my test day anxiety:

  1. I agree with what @"Angela Kim" said. I believe the more practice and preparation you put into something, the more confident and therefore less anxious you are going to be on game day. After I bombed an official LSAT due to nerves, I read a book about why certain people seem to be "ice cold" or "clutch" more often than others (Kobe being an obvious example). The book stated that it isn't that they were overperforming during these pressure situations, but instead they were just able to perform the best of their ability and this comes from hours of preparation.

  2. Breathe. I incorporated an exercise before every section I took. This was to breathe in for 4 seconds, hold the breath for 4 seconds, breathe out for 4 seconds, and finally hold again for 4 seconds. I did this cycle maybe 3-4 times before I started a section (they give you I think a minute before each section). This helped me calm my nerves a bit and kind of focus my thoughts.

  3. Change your mindset. Yes, I know the LSAT is a really important test and sometimes this thought can dominate our minds. As a result, we need to try to minimize the importance of the LSAT in our heads (I understand that this is really hard). One way I did this was to take a piece of paper before a test started and wrote down all of the reasons why I should be happy. It could be being healthy, my parents being healthy, having a job that enjoy, having friends that I can trust... etc. This is just a way for someone to be like "okay, maybe the LSAT isn't a do or die situation at the end of the day".

  4. I didn't do this but I read somewhere that someone watched Molly and Me before the exam and cried their eyes out. They said they went into the test pretty numb which I guess helped their anxiety?
• 2 Likes

  emmorens Core Member

  January 2021 1470 karma

  I just did a 9 minute meditation before taking PT 81 and scored my highest ever! As an LSAT student, I'm not saying that the meditation caused the score, but I'm saying I definitely felt very calm and focused while I was taking the exam. As a highly anxious person whose future relies on January 16th I would really recommend this.
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  RazorSharpBanana Member

  January 2021 70 karma

  Really, why so nervous? Here are some things you should consider before letting a 2 hour-long exam get to your head:
  -You're not gonna die. You'll (hopefully) be sitting in a quiet room answering some question on a computer. No one's life is at stake, not even your own. It's as innocuous an activity as you could possibly do.
  -There are about 200 law schools in the country, and all but 30 of them are legit and will prepare you for legal practice. You could 'bomb' the exam (get about 55/100 right) and still get a sizable scholarship to one of the good schools.
  -You can take the LSAT up to 5 times before your file raises a red flag. If you don't like your score, you can retake.
  -You're not obligated to go to law school. There are many careers to choose from. You're taking this exam because you want to, not because you have no other choice. You're free to leave whenever you decide.

  OP, I was in your position last year. I worried so much about this exam that I didn't get any sleep the night before. But now that I look back on it, all that worry was completely useless. I could've gotten a worse score and still had almost same admissions outcome that I have today. Does a higher score help? Sure, but it wouldn't be the end of the world. In that case, I might've applied to T70 schools instead of T50 schools. It's the "youth and inexperience" in us that thinks the LSAT is all that matters and law school admissions are all that matter, when there's so much more to consider.

  Anyway, take it easy.