To those about to take the December LSAT, we salute you.

You have about two weeks left before you take the all important exam, and some of you are no doubt in full-on, teeth-chattering, knees-shaking panic mode. You know what I say to that? I say that’s probably just fine.

Believe it or not, it’s not my opinion that confidence in your December LSAT preparedness is the biggest deal in the world. Frankly, I don’t think it’s possible to ever feel as prepared as you want to be for what may be the biggest standardized test of your life. Even if you’re consistently scoring where you want on LSAT practice exams and you’ve done all your homework, doubt and worry still manage to creep in. It just means you care.

Now, if you haven’t studied like you should have, then perhaps your panic is legitimate. But then, if you haven’t properly prepared, then there’s no reason to feel prepared. Either way, confidence in one’s preparedness is less important than conviction in one’s answer choices. One of the worst things you can do come December LSAT test day is start second guessing yourself. You waste time and you further erode your confidence, usually unjustifiably so.

My advice is to fake it ‘til you make it. When you’re practicing over the next couple of weeks, commit to your answer choices 100%. Do not allow yourself to think about an LSAT question once you’ve answered it. Do not allow yourself to go back and double check a choice you’ve already made. If you’ve prepared properly, then your first choice was probably the right one. The only way to find out whether or not that’s the case is to stick with your first choice. When you finish your LSAT practice (whether it be ten questions or a full-on LSAT practice exam) and you’ve gotten a bunch of questions right, there’s your confidence.

Confidence also comes from knowing you’ve done all you can to make taking the LSAT as easy as possible. You know when you’re going to wake up. You know when you’re going to eat breakfast. You know what you’re going to eat for breakfast. You know how to get to your LSAT test center. You know where you’re going to park and the route to take to the building from the parking lot. Fewer obstacles = less worry = more confidence.

So make sure you’re both prepared for the December LSAT and prepared for everything that leads up to the exam, and confidence shall be yours.