The Emotional LSAT

or, how to cultivate a chess player's mentality

Author

Mika MacDonald
June 11, 2023

The Chess Player Mentality

  1. This is a game. An important game, but a game nonetheless.

  2. This is a game. It has rules. Learn the rules.

    • LSAC has a ruleset that they follow. In every section.

    • LSAC does not break this rule set (well, rarely).

  3. Depersonalize wins and losses. One PT doesn’t make or break you. One test sitting doesn’t make or break you. This is a multi-game tournament.

  4. Bad weeks are ok. When I was 18 I had the worst tournament of my life, then, two tournaments later, I had my best.

  5. Learn your openings! You’re playing black and you’re responding to white’s moves. For each question type, you should have an opening.

    • When I see a rule substitution, I have an opening.

    • When I see a strengthen/weaken/flaw question, I have an opening [pending].

  6. It’s just a game. Leave it all on the board.

  7. Every section is its own game. Leave it all on the board.

  8. Every question is its own game. Leave it all on the board.

Expect to lose. Every chess player, even Magnus Carlsen, loses sometimes.

Expect to win. It will happen.

Anxiety Management

  1. MOVEMENT: study after study after study has confirmed that movement (and exercise in general) will reduce stress.

    • “but my stress is from the test, movement won’t affect that!”

      • Stop being a dummy. It works no matter what type of stress you’re suffering. It’s brain chemistry.

    • “Oh but it’s only temporary relief!”

      • That’s why you exercise regularly, not just once.

  2. Learn to breath from your diaphragm.

  3. You can, and should, retake. This is not your only go.

  4. Don’t study while tilted. There’s literally no benefit, and plenty of emotional costs (tilting further).

  5. Don’t burn yourself out. You’ll start scoring worse (or stop improving) and then start tilting emotionally. Take a day off every week.

The Final Week:

  1. Stop “learning”. This is training week. Work under test conditions.

  2. Practice in the environment in which you’ll take the test. Be comfortable in that space, since you’ll have to sit there for hours.

  3. Drink a ton of water the day before. You need to be hydrated on test day.

    • If you chug water day of, you might get some potty impatience during the actual exam.

    • Pack that water weight the day before, drink a moderate amount day of.

  4. Stretch your body. Create comfort in sitting. Buy extra butt padding if you need it.

  5. Swear to god if you study the day before the exam, I’m going to smack you upside the head with a newspaper.

Test Day Performance:

  1. It’s just a game. Leave it all on the board.

  2. Every section is its own game. Leave it all on the board.

  3. Every question is its own game. Leave it all on the board.

  4. Pay attention to your emotional state.

  5. Have a way to center yourself when you feel lost or tilted.

    • For me, that was and always has been to close my eyes and breathe deep for five seconds. I’ve actually done that in court too.

    • Another option is to wear a rubber band on your wrist and snap your yourself when your mind wanders.

    • Point is, find a way to settle yourself. To stop thinking about the test, even if it’s for five seconds.