Mind boggling

Ocassionally I run into my former students. Yesterday was one of those ocassions.

Me: Hey! How are you!?

J: I'm still studying for the LSAT.

This particular student constantly scored in the upper 160's to lower 170's. But on her actual test she got a 155. Mind boggling to say the least. Practice tests are usually a good and accurate indication of the actual test score.

But this isn't the first time I've witnessed this happen. A friend of mine, whom I know is/was constantly scoring 170's during practice tests scored 158 on the actual test.

If I am to extract similarities between the two cases, I can conclude that they both psyched themselves out WAY too much. It shouldn't come as a surprise that people perform worse when their nerves are "flexed."

I know it's easier said than done, but I really encourage people to approach the LSAT in a "matter of fact" manner. Of course maintaining a certain amount of pressure is healthy, and necessary to score higher. But people who take a fatalistic view of the LSAT tend to do worse, than people who translate LSAT = GAME.

Think for a moment when you play sports games. How well do you do when you take a fatalistic view of the game as opposed to simply understanding that it's just another game?

Perhaps the example is a horrible one, but my point is to learn to have fun in the process, which in turn will help you take a less LSAT = MY ENTIRE LIFE attitude.