How to Avoid an LSAT Test Day Disaster

Today’s advice comes from our friends at Blueprint LSAT Prep. Blueprint students average an 11-point increase on their in-class practice tests, and can enroll in live LSAT prep classes throughout the country or online LSAT courses from the comfort of their own home.

If you’re taking the September LSAT, by this point the bulk of your hard work is done. You should still be studying, of course, but now your prep is more about staying sharp than about learning new concepts. Hurray! 

The bad news is that the last few days before the LSAT might actually be the hardest part of the entire process (un-Hurray!). You’ve spent months working hard, but now there’s very little you can do except stress about the test. Of course, you should try not to worry, but that’s often easier said than done…

While much is out of your control at this point, here are some things you can do in order to make test day go as smoothly as possible.

1. Know Your Logistics

You don’t want any surprises on the morning of your test. That means planning in advance as much as possible. Read over LSAC’s rules and guidelines for test day. By the night before your test, you should have your one-gallon plastic bag and its contents ready to go (check out our list of items to bring and items to leave at home here). Don’t forget that you’re going to need a passport photo, so if you haven’t already done that, make sure you do it sometime this week.

There’s one other important but oft-overlooked thing you should do to prep: a “dry run” of your commute to the test center. That way you’ll know exactly how long it takes, whether there’s anything like construction that might add extra time, where to park, and you won’t have to worry about getting lost (especially if you’re not bringing your cell phone with you, since they aren’t allowed in the test center).

2. Rest Up

It’s not uncommon to spend the night before the LSAT tossing and turning – in fact, you should probably plan on not sleeping too well. That doesn’t mean you have to be an exhausted zombie on test day, though. Start waking up at the time that you need to be up for the exam, so that your body is accustomed to that schedule. Even more importantly, make sure you get plenty of sleep in the days leading up to the test. As long as you’re generally well-rested, one off night shouldn’t affect you too much.

3. Plan your meals

If you already haven’t done so, spend some time thinking about what you’re going to eat on the morning of the LSAT. It should be filling enough to get you through to the break, but not so heavy that you’re in a food coma before you even start the test. Similarly, you’ll need to bring something to the test center to munch on during the break, so start considering what snack might be best for you.

4. Get pumped

It’s hard to exaggerate how important confidence is on the LSAT. But we’ll try: it’s more important than oxygen.

If you enter the test center feeling like you’re ready to go HAM on that test, you’ll actually get through the test more efficiently (whereas not feeling confident can make you second-guess yourself and slow you down). So don’t do any prep that’s going to rattle you in the last few days before the test – this is probably not the time to dig out the hardest Logic Games you can find, and do them until you cry.

Also remember that, based on the fact that you’re the kind of person who reads this blog, you probably are extremely well-prepared compared to the average test-taker. There will be at least a few people at your test center who have never even seen an LSAT question before – that’s your competition. So go get ‘em, tiger!

For more study tips from Blueprint LSAT Prep visit their LSAT blog, Most Strongly Supported

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