I took the December LSAT last week. As someone whose job requires them to think about (and write about) the LSAT every single day, but who had never taken the exam, it was a rather surreal experience to actually step into the testing room; I kind of felt like Alice falling through the looking glass. I definitely have a new level of empathy for any students gearing up for the test. While it wasn’t an altogether horrible experience, it’s not one I’d like to repeat on the regular.
Here are some other thoughts from test day:
Testing Center
I initially signed up for a testing location about 10 minutes from my house, and was extremely annoyed with LSAC when they switched me to a center 45 minutes away because my chosen location was overbooked. (Protip: if you haven’t dealt with LSAC before, prepare to be consistently irritated with them.) However, it ended up being a blessing in disguise. I’m not used to waking up at dawn’s butt crack, so the long drive to my testing center (and a big cup of coffee) helped wake my brain up a little bit.
Pee
That big cup of coffee caught up with me about halfway through the second section, though. Go to the bathroom as many times as you can before the test starts.
Adrenaline
I definitely wasn’t prepared for the surge of adrenaline that hit me as the proctor was walking us through test procedures, so much so that as the test started my mind was racing and my hands were shaky. I eventually settled into an okay rhythm, but I feel like I would have done better on the first section had I been able to keep a little calmer. If I take it again, I’ll definitely do some work to get in touch with my inner zen master. Speaking of that first section…
Logic Games
Note: As of August 2024, the LSAT will no longer have a Logic Games Section. The June 2024 exam will be the final LSAT with Logic Games. Learn more about the change here.
I knew going into the test that this was my weakest section – not because I didn’t know the material, but because I was constantly bumping up against the time limit in practice – so it was a little intimidating to dive into it first. My plan was to skip any game in which the setup and deductions weren’t immediately clear to me. Unfortunately, I’m stubborn as a mule and I tried to plow through a tough third game. I think I eventually solved most of it, but it cost me time and I ended up having to guess on a couple of questions in the objectively easier fourth game. I’m sure I would have done better on both games had I stuck to my plan.
Bacon
I highly recommend eating something with bacon in it after the test. I had a breakfast crepe from a nearby coffee shop, and nothing calms the nerves like God’s most perfect creation.
Test day was a pretty fascinating experience that I could happily talk about at length. So if you’ve got any questions or additional thoughts, leave ‘em in the comments!
