Pop's Tips for Test Taking

Taking the LSAT or CPA exam this summer? Here are Pop's Tips for Test Taking to maximize your test-taking experience.

1. Get a good night's sleep the night before the test. This sounds easier, of course, than it really is. Taking Ambien or even Tylelnol PM can leave you groggy the next morning. I recommend using the "relaxation response" method promoted by Dr. Herbert Benson of the Harvard Medical School - totally natural, requires no supplements, leaves no hangover, and it works.

2. Eat like you are going to run a marathon. This is not the time for a no-carb diet or even a lot of complex carbs. What you want is a lot of quick energy that the body can process without a lot of effort. Let you energy to the brain, not the digestive track. My recommendation for the night before the test is pasta and a chicken breast. For breakfast the day of the event, stay away from heavy foods (skip the camping donuts that tend to sit in your stomach like little sachets of heartburn). Go for foods easy to digest: fresh orange juice, yogurt.

3. Most test monitors to not supply aid stations every 45 minutes, so bring your own Gatorade and snacks. Want to survive the exam experience? Remember the old adage, "Gatorade is life." You can skip the PowerBar (too nasty) and subtitute a Snickers (hey, it's a special day). Some fruit (fresh or dried) is good. And chocolate is absolutely necessary.

4. Know the basic rules for timed tests:
a. Do wrong answers count against you? If so, make educated guesses (where you can rule out some answers) and leave questions unanswered if you can't at least make an educated guess. Be cautious about going back and changing answers - your first instinct is usually your best.
b. If wrong answers don't count against you, go ahead an mark an answer on every question even if it is only a guess. I mean, somebody does win the lottery...
c. If you are unsure about how to answer a question and know that it will take you some time to resolve it, mark the question and then go on to the next question. If you have time at the end, go back to questions you marked and work on them.

5. Prepare your test kit the night before: several pencils (including a lucky pencil if you have one), snacks, entry form, etc. That way you won't stay up worrying about what you still need.

6. Follow the pattern the use in the military when teaching you how to fire a rifle: Breathe, Relax, Aim, Squeeze.

Happy testing!

Pops