I confess: I’m no Catholic. I’m not even Greek Orthodox (yes, they have Lent too). But after all the quasi church-sanctioned debauchery that goes on during Mardi Gras, even this Jew gets in the Lenten spirit. So, without further ado, here are 5 LSAT-related sins to rid yourself of:

1. Convincing yourself that doing most of your homework is okay.

C’mon, kids. You know better. Do you know why you’re given a copy of every LSAT question ever released? So you can do every LSAT question ever released. Why, you ask, is this important? Put simply, if you’ve completed every LSAT question then the good folk at LSAC can’t throw anything at you that you haven’t seen. So suck it up and stop slacking.

2. Putting off registering for the test.

Let me give you a for instance. You have a choice: You can buy a car now, or you can buy a car in a week. Regardless of when you buy the car, you pay the same amount of money for it. If you buy the car now, you get to choose the color, the upholstery and the model. If you buy it in a week, you get to choose whether or not there’s a cigarette lighter. That’s it. Registering for the LSAT now is like buying the car now. You get your choice of test center. It’s close by. It’s comfortable. You get more sleep. Putting off registration means you get stuck somewhere. You have to get a hotel room. You have to eat breakfast at a Denny’s. Not fun.

3. Stopping life to start studying for the LSAT.

Do you have hobbies? Interests? Friends? Acquaintances? Good. Just because you’re studying for the LSAT doesn’t mean you should let them go. Should you go partying every night? No. Should you make time for things and people who matter to keep yourself sane? Yes. Maintain a routine. Do the things you’re used to doing (as long they’re not destructive). The LSAT may feel like it’s taking over your life, but that doesn’t mean it should become your life.

4. Not planning.

Do you normally wake up at 6 a.m. and then take tests that require immense logical skill? Congrats. You’re the only one. Everyone else needs to practice. If you’re taking the LSAT, you need to prepare your body to take the LSAT. You need to wake up when you’ll wake up on test day. You need to do questions at the time of day you’ll be taking the exam. You need to figure out the route you’ll take to your test center, where you’ll park and what you’ll do for breakfast. The more you plan, the better your chances of a good LSAT score.

5. Worrying about worrying.

Are you nervous about taking the LSAT? Fantastic. No, I’m not being sarcastic. Nerves are good. They mean you care. Caring makes you work hard. Caring makes you focus. Don’t fight the nerves. Use them. Prepare your ass off and kick the crap out of the LSAT. You can worry about how you’ll do. But don’t worry about worrying, because you’re not going to stop giving a sh*t about your LSAT score any time soon.

Until next time, here’s an oldie but a goodie.