Three Tips for the Final Week Before Your LSAT Test Day

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a tribute o my frinds since grade schoolYou have been studying for months, day in and day out, pushing to get your goal score. Finally, in just another week you’ll be done with the LSAT. However, before you find yourself on your dream vacation to Niagara Falls, you still must get through this final week of studying and the actual LSAT test day.

Many students often ask what should they be doing during their final week of studying: Should they be taking full practice tests every day or should they mainly relax to de-stress and stay positive? Is it possible to still improve with just a few days until the LSAT and if so, how should they go about doing it?

The great news that I always tell my students is that it is possible to improve even with just a few days to go before the LSAT test day! Below are three tips for how to approach your final week of LSAT studying.

1. Fight for Those Last Few Points!

Unfortunately, it’s not easy to drastically improve on the LSAT in just one week. However, it is very doable to squeeze out a few more points in your last week of LSAT studying. Once, I helped a student get three more points with just five days until his LSAT test date. Until we sat down together, he had never scored above a 163 on a practice test. I went over a recent practice test with him and gave him some tips which ultimately resulted in his scoring a 166 on test day. These three points enabled him to get off the waitlist at his dream school in August!

So, what tips did I give that student which enabled him to squeeze out a few more points?

First, prioritization is key! Every question on the LSAT is worth the same amount. Often, students get caught up on one difficult question at the expense of getting three easier questions right! The week before test day is the time to do a holistic review of a recent practice test to ensure you are using your time as productively as possible.

The second key is to focus on question types that you find difficult. If you notice that you are getting a ton of weakening questions wrong, then now is the time to spend several hours drilling weakening questions. This may enable you to have a massive improvement on weakening questions, which can translate into several points on test day!

2. Get into Your Test Day Routine

The week before the LSAT is the time to get into your test day routine. If you are taking the LSAT at 8:30 in the morning, then every day in the final week you should wake up at the time you will need to wake up on the actual LSAT test day. You should then follow a consistent schedule that will position you to be wide awake, energized, and ready to take the LSAT on the actual test day. Additionally, you should make it a priority to take practice tests in conditions that replicate the actual test conditions as much as possible. If you are going to be taking the LSAT-Flex, for example, you should practice taking the LSAT at home in a designated area which you will use on test day. Replicating test conditions as much as possible will ensure that you have a smooth experience on test day. As an added plus, this will help keep your nerves in check because when you sit down on test day to take the LSAT, you will feel as if you had already taken the test a number of times!

3. Stay Positive!

The week before the LSAT test day is often when nerves about the test start to set in for people who struggle with test anxiety (as I did myself). One of the most important things you can do to ensure success on the LSAT is to focus on staying positive in the final week. I have personally witnessed that my students often do significantly better (as much as five points!) on an LSAT practice test when they are energized, in a good mood, and full of positive energy. This is even more true for the actual LSAT, which after all is the one that counts.

So, how do you go about staying positive? You are likely thinking that it is easier said than done.

There are three things that I recommend to my students: First, exercise! It is of course important to ensure you have enough time to focus on actual studying every day. But that should never come at the expense of exercise, especially in the last week! Whether you enjoy tennis, running, hiking, swimming, or basketball, these are all good forms of exercise which will leave you energized and ready to tackle your next practice LSAT!

Second, good eating habits are critically important. Eating healthy foods, and eating on a consistent and regular schedule every day, will leave you feeling great and full of energy to maximize your score on the LSAT!

Third, and perhaps most important: think positive! While it might sound a bit silly, believing in yourself and thinking positively that you can conquer the LSAT will best position you to do just that! In basketball, there have been studies that have found that visualizing scoring free-throws results in scoring more free-throws. I always encourage my students to visualize themselves attaining their dream score every time they take a practice test and especially on their actual test day.

Finally, remember, it’s not just about the last week, but about all the time and effort you have been putting in for months. When you have worked hard for months, you are well positioned to attain your goal LSAT score!

Cambridge Coaching LSAT tutors understand the make-or-break importance of the LSAT and we're dedicated to helping you beat the exam. That’s why we believe in doing more than just targeting your weaknesses - your tutor’s goal is to identify the sections where you have the greatest potential for improvement, and to help you wring every last point from them. Before you even meet with your tutor, we assess your strengths and weaknesses on an official exam, and construct a customized syllabus in advance of your first session.

Contact us!

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