Going through college can be extremely stressful, as all the top law schools want students with a high GPA. But other than the GPA, the LSAT puts every candidate in a world of stress and anxiety.
Many people feel like the LSAT is designed to mess with the mental health of every single candidate. It makes them doubt themselves, gives anxiety, cramps, and some keep drowning in depression because their scores aren’t good enough.
Unfortunately, every student that cares about their future will go through the whirlpool and face mental health challenges before or while giving the exam. That is why you shouldn’t worry about how you feel because it’s normal.
What matters is how you handle the performance pressure before and on the test day.
Understand Your Stress and Anxiety
The LSAT is a long test that every undergrad student needs to give to gain admission to any law school in North America. The exam tests the focus and mental agility of every candidate. It overloads the brain, and your body starts to consume more energy. It might feel like an extreme sport.
When you start to write the answer to the first challenging question, your mind goes into overdrive, and the rest of your body tries to accommodate it.
When your entire body is working in overdrive to release hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, it can charge your brain. While your mind gets the energy to get through it, the rest of your body will tire out. You might start sweating, feel sore muscles, or experience some pain.
If you think that this only happens in sports, then keep in mind that chess masters can burn around 6,000 calories during the game and they only sit on a chair and move chess pieces.
Prepare Yourself for Anxiety and Stress
Now that you know that this stress and anxiety are a part of taking the LSAT, you can try to prepare for it like training before running a marathon.
But since writing the LSAT is about mental preparation, you can skip the physical exercise. It would be best if you simply found a way to manage your mind and keep it calm before and during the exam. But to thoroughly prepare yourself, it might be useful to visualize what you are going through—everything from waking up in bed on that day to acing the LSAT.
If you are wondering the point of this exercise, it is to make you feel like the entire day is merely repeating itself. Instead of feeling panic on that day, you can be calm and feel déjà vu. To properly do this, you can take it one step further than visualizing it. That means you think about the sound of your alarm, the clothes you will wear, the breakfast you will eat, how you will commute, and everything else.
It would be best if you also visited your test center to make the preparation even better. If you go through it at least twice a day, you can be mentally prepared to give your exams. Also, this can be an excellent way for you to practice because you can solve actual questions and learn while doing your exercises.
You can try to think of all of this as a rehearsal for a performance. It would help if you pictured everything as well as possible during your rehearsals, so you can do well when performing the act on the LSAT day.
Build Healthy Habits in the Weeks Prior
In the weeks before the exam, many students tire themselves and burn the midnight oil every single night.
That is entirely unhealthy because the mind and body aren’t getting enough time to rest. If they don’t get proper rest and nourishment, they can’t process the information, and you might not do well.
That is why you need to do these three simple things:
1. Eat Healthily
Try to include plenty of essential nutrients, such as protein and healthy fats.
2. Get Exercise
You can try walking, jogging, running, weight training, yoga, pilates, or anything else that you like.
3. Sleep Well
A proper sleep schedule gives your mind and body the strength to stay sharp during the day.
