Countdown to the October LSAT

Ok. I know you October LSAT takers out there are getting nervous with only a week to go. I'm not an LSAT tutor, but I know that the biggest thing that can hurt your LSAT score between now and next Saturday is your NERVES.

To that end, this will seem like elementary and rather obvious advice, but if you are feeling the jitters, or psyched out, or getting paranoid, or exhausted, or any combination of the above, here are my suggestions:

1. STOP READING DISCUSSION FORUMS. Seriously. They will only make you crazy. And it's very addictive to read about everyone's 175 diagnostic scores and feel really bad about yourself. (See, K.H., it's not just you ; )

2. STOP LISTENING TO ADVICE ABOUT THE TEST. If you don't know the tricks now, you're not going to know them a week from now. Keep practicing, do what you know how to do, and don't try to learn anything new that might confuse you this late in the game.

3. CONSIDER YOUR READINESS. Pre-test nerves are normal and expected. The key is whether you can get your head around it and get excited for the challenge. Do you feel ready to show what you can do? If not, then consider why - and whether those factors are things that will change with a day's perspective or whether they can only be fixed through additional study.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!