Today, while taking another practice test in the room where I will be taking the Feb LSAT...I met somebody who ended up talking with me at length about taking the LSAT. (He was a graduate law student, older, who is now studying for the BAR exam.)
One of the things he stressed is that the
five minutes before test are
the most important....let me explain what he meant by this (and it made a lot of sense). He said to not forget that we, as the test takers, are in control of our testing environment. This means that you can
demand certain things, like NOT having to share a table/desk, demand that you are spread out --- just in case the person next to you makes noises, has a cough, a nervous habit...etc. that will distract your concentration.
Another thing he mentioned was to pull tables apart, should you be sitting at a table that connects to another table, for example...because that person at the next table may have a "jiggle" habit which will affect your table.
Get the picture?
He said that had to learn the hard way...he first took his LSAT in aweful conditions and he should have spoken up instead of taking his LSAT in those conditions. He was not specific to what those conditions were, but he said that he complained to LSAC so forcefully that they let him take the next LSAT for free after he canceled his initial scores.
Another thing....if you know that your test center has only those little desk with hardly any table space...you can get yourself a board and put it on top of that little desk instead....you have that right....I know of somebody who has done this. She made a board that connected between two desks (they were nailed down and just had the little desk that fold down...and this way she had bigger space.
Remember to bring the following:
#2 pencils (I have heard that some places prohibit mechanical pencils...so be prepared)
dark pink highlighter (I use a dark pink one for reading --- as I can highlight more visibly and write notes with the highlighter next to the reading passages --- it safes me time to do this and it makes it easier for me to find information in the passage)
yellow highlighter(I use it to highlight on my bubble answer sheet when I go out of sequence --- light yellow highlighter does not "mess" with scanning ability of the scantron machines) --- (Also, I use it in the games to highlight any "weird" rule that is difficult to diagram.)
erasable black ink pen(I am bringing that one for the essay that we write at the end...it is my understanding that the essay is written in pen because pencil does not copy well...and I do not like
crossing out things.)
regular black ink pen(Just in case the proctor has a problem with my erasable ink pen...LOL)
cough drops(or some hard candy --- I know of people who unwrapped them before the test and put them on their desks and were able to suck on them while working....I am going to try that).
Beef Jerkey (for my break snack --- don't eat anything full of sugar because though you will have a sugar rush...you will experience a "sugar crash" while still taking the test...remember after the break, you still have over 1-1/2 hours of testing.)
Drink(I love flavored water...so that is what I am bringing.)
Something to Read(It will take a while before the test gets going...and reading something will keep your mind going, so that you don't have to "cold start your thinking engine".)
Contact Lens Wearer Stuff (I wear them and sometimes they "distance")
Layer your Clothing (Often it is cold, but then it can get warm...make it comfortable for yourself...if you get hot, take of the sweatshirt...but keep it on if you are cold)
Tylonol (I am planning to take a few before the test...just in case...it does not hurt, but if you end up with a headache during the test, then what?)
Chapstick(Dry room environment....I hate it when my lips feel dry...distracting!)
Timer(make sure to put NEW batteries into your timer BEFORE the test...the other day as I was getting ready to take a practice test, my timer went dead...imagine if that had happened on test day?!)
Silent Timer(If you have one of those, bring a back-up timer, just in case the proctor won't let you use this one.
Did I forget anything?
Please add to my list.
Tylonol PM(NOT for the TEST, but for the night before...to ensure that I get enough sleep...)
Vera
Discussion
Resources
