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June 8, 2016

How Stress Can Actually Help Your Score

How Stress Can Actually Help Your Score

For the last week or so we have been posting articles about mentally and physically preparing for the upcoming LSAT. Now the day of the test is almost here, and I wanted to add a final thought about the stress that everyone faces when taking the LSAT. As you walk into the test, keep this in mind:

Stress will not hurt your performance, and it can actually help.

That’s right, stress isn’t the test-killer that many people expect it to be. In a study of GRE students by Harvard psychologist Jeremy Jamieson, students read a statement prior to taking the exam that told them not to worry about anxiety during the test. What was the result? Those students scored about 65 points better on the GRE (that’s the equivalent of 6.5 points on the LSAT).

What was the magical statement that students read that helped increase their score? Here it is, modified for the LSAT:

‘‘People think that feeling anxious while taking a standardized test will make them do poorly on the test. However, recent research suggests that arousal doesn’t hurt performance on these tests and can even help performance…people who feel anxious during a test might actually do better. This means that you shouldn’t feel concerned if you do feel anxious while taking today’s LSAT test. If you find yourself feeling anxious, simply remind yourself that your arousal could be helping you do well.”

In this context, “arousal” simply refers to the heightened sensory awareness brought on by stress. In other words, the stress makes your sense sharper, and that can be used to your advantage during the exam.

So, don’t worry about being worried, read that statement to yourself before Monday’s test, and use that stress to your advantage. Then go destroy the LSAT!

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Posted by Dave Killoran / Studying / LSAT Prep, Mentality Leave a Comment

  • Utah Injury Attorney
    June 09, 2013 at 5:17pm

    This is probably the quickest six point boost in LSAT score!
    A little anxiety can be helpful, so don’t worry about it. Of course, if it grips you so badly you can’t think straight then read a book on anxiety reduction like the one by David Burns. It teaches tools that will help you in law school and when practicing law.

  • Rebecca Schultz
    August 10, 2016 at 8:10pm

    Isn’t what helped them boost their score the belief that anxiety would not hurt them? And isn’t that an anxiety relief? In this sense, stress was hurting their performance, not boosting it, and reading something to calm your nerves is actually what brings on the 6.5-point average score boost.
    Am I misunderstanding this? Are stress and anxiety not interchangeable?
    I really want to know so that I can enjoy the boost too. Thanks.

  • Rex Bush
    August 10, 2016 at 9:39pm

    A little anxiety can be a good thing. When I give a speech I feel a little anxiety beforehand gives me energy. If the anxiety is too great though, and, if it does not leave once I start speaking, I feel it affects my performance adversely.

  • Dave Killoran
    August 11, 2016 at 2:53pm

    Hi Rex,

    Thanks for the comment and I agree with this view 100%! Anxiety is a natural reaction to pressure, so in a high-stakes test like this, everyone is going to have some degree of nervousness. I certainly do. But, instead of panicking or freaking out about the presence of those nerves, students should instead channel that energy into additional focus and concentration. That turns a negative into a positive.

    The key is to recognize that anxiety is always going to be there and to not let it develop into something that causes you problems. That’s a bit of a fine line to walk, and is one reason we recommend that students take so many practice tests. The more used to it you become, the easiest it is to handle.

    Thanks!

  • Dave Killoran
    August 11, 2016 at 6:31pm

    Hi Rebecca,

    Yes, I think that one thing that happens is that when a person realizes that the feelings of anxiety they have aren’t unique, it relaxes them. Knowing that you aren’t alone in feeling anxiety is a comforting thought, and that helps reduce the stress and reduces the chances that the stress will paralyze you during the test. The second thing happening is that the natural stress everyone feels is said to be a good thing, not a bad thing. That perspective shift can have a powerful effect on test takers. Whereas they were originally sitting there worried about the anxiety they felt and concerned that it would adversely affect them, now they realize that the stress could actually be a good thing and something that helps them.

    So is it the actual reading of the statement that has the effect? No, but the message in the statement can impact the perspective that the reader has, and the multiple beneficial effects from that lead to a better performance.

    Please let me know if that helps answer your question. Thanks!

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