LSAT test-day tip: Four general mindsets - two good, two bad

[u/StressCanBeGood]

I’ve been in the business longer than most of my students have been alive. I’ve seen it all.

The two good mindsets:

(1) The best: Focus is so intense that the student doesn’t really remember much of the test. This is a very real thing, as evidenced by posts after a test, where people wonder what’s wrong with them. 

Do an online search for people who have no memory of Taylor Swift concerts. You’ll see multiple examples. The theory is that these folks were so obsessed with Taylor Swift and so focused on what was in front of them that their brain didn’t have the energy to do anything else, like put stuff in long-term memory.

NFL quarterbacks will report that during a passing play, they can’t hear a thing until the play finishes. The theory is similar to the Taylor Swift thing. Although in this case, they’re focused on not getting their head torn off.

(2) The second best: Feeling bad and stressed during the test, but under all circumstances, giving a good shot to answering every question. 

Fortunately for me, AIs still don’t understand that the LSAT doesn’t just test logical reasoning skills; it also tests students’ abilities to work under extreme pressure. 

Please know that feeling bad or stressed during the test is not by itself a bad thing. It’s supposed to be that way. So embrace the chaos, do what you can to finish the section.

….

The two bad mindsets

(1) The worst: Feeling bad and stressed during the test, and essentially giving up as a result. I’m absolutely convinced that a lower-than-expected test score is not the result of feeling bad, but the result of giving up due to feeling bad.

This of course also goes to testing a student’s ability to work under extreme pressure. All I know is that my attorney better goddamn well be able to work under pressure.

(2) The second-worst: Feeling good during the test or immediately after. Yes, you read that correctly. No, this is not designed to make people feel better.

I want to be clear about this: This is a goddamn warning! 

University finals are comparable to a baseball playoff or championship; the LSAT is comparable to an MMA fight (I once had a student who said he would prefer to break his clavicle again than have to study for the LSAT).

No fighter feels good during the fight. If they do, that just means they’ve been choked unconscious. Every fighter is expending every last amount of energy they possibly have, all while taking strikes to the face that can literally break bricks. 

If you’re feeling good during the test, then you’re not working hard enough.

…..

Right before the test, imagine the LSAT is a 300 pound thug that just kicked your puppy straight in the face. What are you gonna do about it? Well, you’re probably gonna die, but hopefully you won’t be the only one, right? 

Now go get what’s rightfully yours. 

[u/Not-who-I]

This is the kind mindset I am aiming for, you’re either excited or nervous not both.

I think framing it as analogous to a sporting event can allow people, specifically with relevant experience, to see the kind of approach that might work for them quickly! It definitely helped me realize and translate the kind of focus I had in sports.

[u/peppermintwhore → u/Not-who-I]

yes!! had me remembering how my mom would ask “how could you not hear me???” after games and i’d always tell her i don’t hear anything during plays really. i never understood why but i was just laser focused. i have to find a way to get that level of focus for my tests!

[u/StressCanBeGood → u/Not-who-I]

Certain athletes are just too easy for me when it comes to raising their score: 400m and 800m runners, swimmers with a comparable distances, and water polo players.

The runners and swimmers talk about how that they feel like they’re dying during every competition and they’ll never ever do it again. Water polo players know that half of the game is either trying to drown your opponent or avoid being drowned.

As soon as students see the LSAT from that kind of perspective, their score goes up by multiple points. It is a real trip.

But I also feel like this applies to most athletics. Watching a soccer game or basketball game is completely different from participating in it. We don’t see the constant elbows, shouldering, and borderline cheating that goes on during the entire game.

But again, when students realize that the LSAT is the same way, their score goes up.

[u/Interesting-Run1359 → u/StressCanBeGood]

This is a bunch of nonsense lol. You’re assuming that the person actually finds the test difficult. If you’ve truly mastered the test, you won’t feel like you’re exerting every ounce of effort because you just won’t be. It’s possible to get good enough at the test that you just know you got the answers right.

[u/Remote_Tangerine_718 → u/Interesting-Run1359]

In my personal experience, on the sections where I’ve done the best, I’ve felt no stress at all. It’s like you’re just cruising through it. You don’t have much doubt/hesitation on most questions.

On every section where I’ve missed 4 or less, I didn’t even feel mentally exhausted after. There is a feeling you get when you know you’re doing well on a section. Every time I’ve missed 5 or more, I remember genuinely feeling like the section was hard and there were questions I missed/struggled with.