This is a Test. Don’t Psych Yourself Out!

You have to believe that you are going to do well on an exam. I’ve seen students from all different backgrounds, people who started at all different levels, who have ended up in the top one percent on both the LSAT and the GMAT, so you can do it.

But you have to put in the time and you have to recognize that for different people it takes a different amount of time. That doesn’t mean that you’re not going to get to the same result.  It just may mean that you have to take a slightly different path to get there.

So the number one most important step is to have faith in yourself and to know that you can do it.  These tests are very, very, very learnable.  The second is this: folks who think “If I just do to practice tests on my own that is all I need to do.  I’m a smart student.  I’ve always done well.” It’s not that you can’t do it on your own, but it’s going to take so much longer to do it on your own. That’s why we counsel people to consider getting expert advice because you’re going to do this once or twice in your life.  We do this a thousand times a year.  Clearly we’re going to be able to help you do it a lot more efficiently.

So don’t think of this as asking for help. I don’t love working out, but I recognize that I need to work out, so I go to someone to help me workout.  It doesn’t mean I couldn’t do it on my own, but it means I’m going to have a more efficient, more effective process if I work with someone to help me.  It’s the same thing with the tests.