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Studying before/on test day?

ClaudioD21ClaudioD21 Member
in General 414 karma

Hello everyone. Is it really so bad to study the day before the real test? I keep hearing that I should do nothing test related the day before the test, but I feel like I should be studying. In addition, what're your thoughts on studying the day of the test itself? As in maybe doing 1 LG or a handful of LR questions a few hours before the test. Would this approach just be a waste of energy and I should really just do nothing at all?

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  • woodpusherjbwoodpusherjb Member
    72 karma

    I always do at least one LG before PrepTests, and I will definitely do that on test day. I think what should be avoided is spending more than 30-45 minutes "warming up" because you don't want to use too much mental energy before the test. As long as it isn't more than a true, very brief warm up and you're sure that you can perform your strongest even with doing some warm up questions, I would absolutely go for it.

    On top of that, you don't want to discourage yourself by not performing well in your warm up. An optimistic mindset is as important as having enough mental energy to perform. I'd stay away from super tricky games/questions, and just do something to get you in the right headspace.

  • joshkobusinskijoshkobusinski Member
    26 karma

    A lot of people will put forward what worked for them as the gold standard of behavior. This is not unique to the LSAT, people do this for everything. I can share what works for me, but it's disingenuous to say it's the best or only way to do something. This isn't a cram test, it is a skill check. You probably will not make any breakthrough or improvement the day before the test, but you certainly could. You could also stress yourself out more and hurt your performance on the real thing. You need to know yourself and then do what's best for you. I will be doing the "5 hardest games/passages/lr questions" the day before my test, but I know that I won't get psyched out by doing poorly on those. I see it as a last minute check for my ability to read through answer traps, and will keep that info in mind on the real thing. Some people might be better served by taking a break for a few days before their test. This late into studying, seeing what traps you routinely fall for could mess up your mental game on test day. Taking a break lets you separate yourself from that a bit, and a lot of people said they got their best scores after a short break. You're the only one who knows what's right for you. As for studying the day of, absolutely not for me. I will do a super easy game and some easy LR questions to warm up, but that's it. I am not taxing myself mentally at all before I sit down on Saturday.

  • Dave1111Dave1111 Member
    74 karma

    Friday will be my first LSAT, I will be doing some studying on Thursday, doing some old LGs and looking over some curve breaker LR questions I have missed on previous prep tests. I know myself and this will help me feel more relaxed than if I were to try and distract myself doing other things.

  • ClaudioD21ClaudioD21 Member
    414 karma

    Thank you all for your input! I think I’ll definitely do some studying tomorrow but maybe just not too much. I think wasting my time all day tomorrow would just feel unwise and add to my anxiety. Might also throw in an easy LG before the test on Friday for a last minute confidence boost. You guys all had some great points, thanks!!

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