Are you ready for a slew of clichés? Good, because here they come.

It’s crunch time.

It’s the bottom of the ninth.

It’s the last two minutes of the fourth quarter.

This one’s for all the marbles.

The whole enchilada.

Hopefully you’ve gotten the point by now. What the crap am I talking about, though?

Well, for some folks out there, this is the last LSAT they’ll be able to take for a while. It’s their third in two years. It is these folks to whom I speak directly. Your particular situation has no doubt got you on edge with the February LSAT growing ever nearer. Allow me to play the stereotypical movie sports coach for a moment and submit that this is likely to be your finest hour.

You’ve already had two chances to figure out exactly what doesn’t work you. You’ve had the opportunity to shore up those areas in which you previously struggled. You know how administrative matters will proceed on test day. There are no more surprises. Take comfort in these facts. There is nothing (or at the very least, extremely close to nothing) LSAC is going to throw at you that you haven’t already seen. This dramatically reduces the possibility of “oh, sh*t” moments. And nobody likes being in a test center and mentally (or verbally) saying, “Oh. Sh*t.” (Especially since that asterisk is really difficult to pronounce.)

In addition, you are now working without a safety net. There is no “better luck next time.” There is no next time. There is this time, and only this time. Scary? Yes. Good for you? Absolutely. There is nothing that heightens one’s focus like having no second (or third) chance. Do you think MacGyver ever thought to himself, “Gee, if I don’t diffuse this bomb with a paper clip and rubber band, there’s always the next bomb”? No, he didn’t. Because he was f*cking MacGyver and “focus” was his middle name. Now, get back to studying so you can go MacGyver on your LSAT.

However, if you need another distraction . . . TOO BAD! Go study.