Take the Time to Breathe!
It can be easy to obsess over every second on the clock, and taking a long, deep breath may seem like an eternity. But panicking on a question can actually cost you more time by making you freeze up. If you find yourself overwhelmed, take a deep breath, close your eyes, and remind yourself you’ve got this. It’ll help you reorient yourself and make the question easier to tackle.
Journaling Test Anxiety
When it comes to a test as high-stakes as the LSAT, there’s plenty to be anxious about. But when your anxiety is bringing down your score or negatively impacting your outside life, it’s time to find some coping strategies. One useful strategy is taking the time before you take a test to journal whatever it is that you’re anxious about. They can be specific (I’m worried that I’ll miss an LG inference) or broad (I’m worried I won’t hit my goal). They can be realistic (I’m worried that I’ll fall for a trap answer) or outlandish (I’m worried I’ll do so terribly that every admissions officer is going to laugh at me). That last one won’t happen, but it's good for you to get everything that’s in your head onto paper. Once you’ve done that, put the journal aside somewhere safe, and focus in on the test.
When should you do this? Well, it’s definitely helpful for your real test, but you should start doing it before practice exams as well. Firstly, you want your practice test to mimic your real exam as much as possible, and that includes a routine like journaling. But also, you can look back at your journals for patterns! If you are consistently anxious about something specific, take action. If it's a content area, spend extra time studying that topic and honing that skill. If you’re nervous about the proctor on the real exam, make an action plan for dealing with an interruption. Use the journals to boost your confidence so you can take the test with a clear head.
Want to hear how another 7Sage tutor dealt with her test anxiety? Check out this webinar for more tips!