Does anyone have any advice for Test Anixety?

Comments

• 2 Likes

  derry.karen6 Core Member

  October 2021 134 karma

  Hey there!

  Have you looked into accommodations for your test anxiety, such as additional time, stop/start breaks, etc? I honestly didn't even know it was possible until a previous tutor of mine made me aware. Let me know if you want to chat more about it & feel free to send me a PM!
• studyingandrestudying Core Member

  October 2021 5254 karma

  I'd take with an understanding tutor about this, hopefully someone who has personal experience, and know that it happens to a lot of us.
• 2 Likes

  ashley.andino Core Member

  October 2021 9 karma

  I found this meditation video to help so much the first time I took the LSAT. I suffer with anxiety and ADHD and had no accommodations and was PT'ing in 140's and ended up scoring a 155 the day of! There's no cure all but its definitely a mental game !
• Legallyblack-2 Alum Member

  October 2021 245 karma

  @"derry.karen6" said:
  Hey there!

  Have you looked into accommodations for your test anxiety, such as additional time, stop/start breaks, etc? I honestly didn't even know it was possible until a previous tutor of mine made me aware. Let me know if you want to chat more about it & feel free to send me a PM!

  HI Yes Im currently approved for 100% but im waiting on lsat to approve more than 100% time!
• Legallyblack-2 Alum Member

  October 2021 245 karma

  @lsatplaylist said:
  I'd take with an understanding tutor about this, hopefully someone who has personal experience, and know that it happens to a lot of us.

  Yeah I just got done having some discourging tutors and I decided to just self study on my own for now. Plus it is too expensive.
• Legallyblack-2 Alum Member

  October 2021 245 karma

  @"ashley.andino" said:
  I found this meditation video to help so much the first time I took the LSAT. I suffer with anxiety and ADHD and had no accommodations and was PT'ing in 140's and ended up scoring a 155 the day of! There's no cure all but its definitely a mental game !

  Thank you ill check it out
• 2 Likes

  Lime Green Dot Member ⭐

  October 2021 1384 karma

  Yeah, I don't think anything will curb it completely, unfortunately, but I do find that having a boring, normalized routine, especially in the weeks leading up to the exam can ameliorate a lot of testing anxiety. This helps you feel in control of the things you can control amid the things you can't.

  For example, I'd treat myself to the same breakfast--smoked salmon and avocado toast with eggs for breakfast--every morning for the 2 weeks leading up to test day, take a short run in the early morning as well (my tests have always been in the a.m.), and read a really boring bargain book of short stories during the hour before I wanted to go to sleep each night and took half tablet of melatonin. I also found it important to withdraw completely from message boards, even on 7Sage, but especially on Reddit, in the final few days. Sure, there might be some last-minute tips out there, but I've found that insulating myself from either extreme--very encouraging or very discouraging posts--put everything in balance for me.

  Laughter is also a good medicine for stress, so if you can watch or read something that puts you in that spot, it can do wonders.

  Additionally, the smell of eucalyptus/mint/rosemary/lemon/pine (not altogether tho lol) really soothes and awakens me. I've heard it said that certain scents, like the ones I mentioned, can be a powerful aid both for stress reduction and concentration. I'm thinking of getting an oil diffuser as opposed to a candle with a few of these aromas going during my studies, and if they go well, during the actual test. Curious to see if anyone has tried this out.

  Last--and this might be the most important, certainly more than smoked salmon avocado toast or rosemary oil--you have to let your results, your overall results, do the talking...

  PT 86 might've been a tough one for you; I distinctly remember the 80s in general demolishing me when I first took them. But how have your results been up until that point? Do they reflect where you wanted to be scoring? Was 86 a fluke and your other PTs in the 80s better? If your score on PT 86 wasn't reflective of your other PTs, what about it was uniquely tricky or frustrating? How did your BR score compare? Self-reflection is an essential component of both progress and assessing what message your PT score is actually trying to communicate to you. Understanding your results more clearly and why things turned out as they did takes a bit out of the fear, panic, or dread that might've initially struck when you saw your results.

  The most helpful and comforting way I've ever heard someone describe their perception about PTs/ur score on them is that they are not your worst enemy; in fact, they truly and seriously want to be your good friend! 🙂 How so? They have your best interest, LSAT-wise, at heart--they want to tell you where they see you still have a little room for improvement so you can learn and understand everything you need to so you WILL be at your readiest for test day. They want to tell you where your current range seems to be, not dictate your score ceiling. They're in it to give you a good idea about where you are, based on your past several tests, i.e., whether this one test score was indicative or simply a "tough test" for you on that particular day under those particular circumstances.

  Conceptualizing your PTs in this way might help you take your focus off of the anxiety you feel so you can focus more on your PT performance.

  If you got thru this essay, kudos! Feel free to PM if you need someone to talk to. We're a generally very supportive bunch out here 😊
• 1 Like

  Legallyblack-2 Alum Member

  October 2021 245 karma

  @"Lime Green Dot" said:
  Yeah, I don't think anything will curb it completely, unfortunately, but I do find that having a boring, normalized routine, especially in the weeks leading up to the exam can ameliorate a lot of testing anxiety. This helps you feel in control of the things you can control amid the things you can't.

  For example, I'd treat myself to the same breakfast--smoked salmon and avocado toast with eggs for breakfast--every morning for the 2 weeks leading up to test day, take a short run in the early morning as well (my tests have always been in the a.m.), and read a really boring bargain book of short stories during the hour before I wanted to go to sleep each night and took half tablet of melatonin. I also found it important to withdraw completely from message boards, even on 7Sage, but especially on Reddit, in the final few days. Sure, there might be some last-minute tips out there, but I've found that insulating myself from either extreme--very encouraging or very discouraging posts--put everything in balance for me.

  Laughter is also a good medicine for stress, so if you can watch or read something that puts you in that spot, it can do wonders.

  Additionally, the smell of eucalyptus/mint/rosemary/lemon/pine (not altogether tho lol) really soothes and awakens me. I've heard it said that certain scents, like the ones I mentioned, can be a powerful aid both for stress reduction and concentration. I'm thinking of getting an oil diffuser as opposed to a candle with a few of these aromas going during my studies, and if they go well, during the actual test. Curious to see if anyone has tried this out.

  Last--and this might be the most important, certainly more than smoked salmon avocado toast or rosemary oil--you have to let your results, your overall results, do the talking...

  PT 86 might've been a tough one for you; I distinctly remember the 80s in general demolishing me when I first took them. But how have your results been up until that point? Do they reflect where you wanted to be scoring? Was 86 a fluke and your other PTs in the 80s better? If your score on PT 86 wasn't reflective of your other PTs, what about it was uniquely tricky or frustrating? How did your BR score compare? Self-reflection is an essential component of both progress and assessing what message your PT score is actually trying to communicate to you. Understanding your results more clearly and why things turned out as they did takes a bit out of the fear, panic, or dread that might've initially struck when you saw your results.

  The most helpful and comforting way I've ever heard someone describe their perception about PTs/ur score on them is that they are not your worst enemy; in fact, they truly and seriously want to be your good friend! 🙂 How so? They have your best interest, LSAT-wise, at heart--they want to tell you where they see you still have a little room for improvement so you can learn and understand everything you need to so you WILL be at your readiest for test day. They want to tell you where your current range seems to be, not dictate your score ceiling. They're in it to give you a good idea about where you are, based on your past several tests, i.e., whether this one test score was indicative or simply a "tough test" for you on that particular day under those particular circumstances.

  Conceptualizing your PTs in this way might help you take your focus off of the anxiety you feel so you can focus more on your PT performance.

  If you got thru this essay, kudos! Feel free to PM if you need someone to talk to. We're a generally very supportive bunch out here 😊

  Lol tbh your routine sounds lit! thank you so much for your advice. Yeah Im not on the message boards that much especially reddit (That one is the most toxic). Yeah 86 test was trash but I received a 157 and Im doing br tomorrow. My pts has been in the high 150s then on the br its high 160s to low 170s. Overall im just overall nervous. Hopefully ill do good lol