A Few Ideas for Dealing with Test Anxiety on the LSAT
Heightened nerves often cause you to get annoyed by little things on test dayFirst, it's helpful to understand that anxiety increases adrenaline levels.
And when adrenaline goes up, your body has a natural "fight or flight"
response. In some cases, this is severe enough to cause a person to run out
of the room during a test (if the anxiety is this serious, then I always
recommend professional counseling). More commonly, the "fight" response
emerges. An anxious person during a test will find themselves getting annoyed
with the people next to them who are making noise, or with the proctors
watching them, or that the room is too cold/hot, etc. The best way to begin
combating these responses is to recognize them for what they are: symptoms of
an increase in adrenaline. It's important to recognize that the sniffling
person is not the cause of the anxiety and frustration, but is instead an
effect.
Breathing exercises can help you relax and focus on test dayThere are several things that can help a person calm down. I'm personally a
big fan of breathing exercises. There are two that I use:
The first is to exhale until absolutely all the air is gone from your lungs,
then to inhale from your diaphragm. This has the effect of relaxing you. It's
a great technique because it's so quick, but it can only be done once or you
will hyperventilate.
The second is to inhale to a count of 4, hold your breath lightly to a quick
count of 7, then exhale to a count of 3. Repeat this 4 times. This will have
the effect of focusing you, since you have to concentrate on the different
numbers and on your breathing. It crowds out the nervous thoughts. This is
also my favorite to do before beginning an exam.
Visualizing yourself going through the steps of solving the test questions and doing well will help you feel more relaxed and may help you perform better on test day
Another technique that one of my students swears by (although I haven't tried
it yet) is to lean your head back and stare at the ceiling for just a few
seconds. It helps the muscles in your face relax and triggers the same
muscles used in smiling (and hypothetically helps release those endorphins.)
For that matter, just smiling might have the same effect. Either is worth a
try if you find yourself anxious in the middle of the test.
The night before the LSAT, I always feel nervous. I focus on visualizing
myself taking the test. I picture myself going through each question --
reading then answering. I walk myself through each step that I'll go through
when doing a game. If I begin to dream/visualize myself failing, I force
myself to visualize success and how it will be achieved. Apparently, this is
also a very common technique for athletes.
During the morning of the LSAT, I do a few, familiar problems that I
already know the answers to. Personally, I read through a familiar reading
comprehension passage until my brain is actually focused and reading (versus my eyes just
skimming and my brain saying "nervous... I'm so nervous!") Once my brain is
focused and reading and I am going through the steps to answer the questions,
I put the warm up questions away and walk into the room.
On test day, dress for comfort and Confidence!One of my students always dressed up for her exams. It made her feel superior
and boosted her confidence. When she told me this, I remember chuckling and
commenting that I always dressed down in ratty jeans and a T-shirt because I
liked to know that I looked unobtrusive, but would rock the test. Ultimately,
our logic was the same. Both of us were dressing in ways to make us feel
superior and confident.
Theme music or relaxing music on the drive to the exam (I'm a fan of the Rocky
theme; others favor something more relaxing) can be soothing. Also, a feel-
good movie the night before (Legally Blonde, for example) can alleviate some
tension.
The night before your exam DO NOT:
1. Try to study
2. Fight with your SO
3. Go out drinking
4. Worry about sleep
Do:
1. Print your ticket
2. Gather the things you will need for the test
3. Set your alarm
4. Relax
Don’t study the day before. Anxiety is strong that day and tends to
cloud thinking. A logic game that you’d normally find simple can suddenly seem
insurmountable and destroy your confidence. You should find something fun to
do (shopping, spa, exercise, etc) and feel confident that you have already
learned everything you need to.
Also, you should avoid your boyfriend/girlfriend/S.O. the night before. Anxiety makes you pick fights and a S.O. fight the night before the LSAT just isn't good for a score. You should also avoid your parents or friends if they're putting pressure on you. The best people to hang with the night before are people who don't know that you're taking an exam the next day (just don't go out partying.)
Don’t worry about getting a good night sleep the night before! Adrenaline will take you through without any problems even if you only sleep 3 hours. People who worry that they have to get a full night of sleep the night before are simply setting themselves up for failure. No one EVER gets a good night of sleep (that might be a slight exaggeration) and it's not really a big deal. Don't get me wrong, you should definitely try to sleep; you just shouldn't stress if you don't fall asleep right away or if you wake up in the middle of the night.
Remember that the biggest key to staying calm is to be prepared and confident. As you study, create a step-by-step method that you can use
to work through the questions. If you need help creating one, take advantage of the free hour of tutoring available from Griffon Prep! Best of luck on your LSAT!
Written by: Bernadette Chimner Copyrighted by Griffon Prep, 2007.
Bernadette "Bernie" Chimner calmed herself down enough in June 2005 to answer every question on the LSAT correctly and score a 180.
She has been teaching and tutoring LSAT professionally since 1999 and currently works for Griffon Prep, a company dedicated to rigorous coursework, small classes, and extraordinary personal attention.
Other LSAT articles you may find useful:
5 Tiny Mistakes on the LSAT that can cost Big Points
A Sample Logic Game
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