Caffeine Strategies for PTs and Test Day?

BillyBudd77

Hi everyone,

Curious to hear how people are handling caffeine during LSAT studying and on test day. I’m taking the June LSAT (about three weeks out) and trying to figure out a routine that keeps my energy and focus steady throughout the entire test.

Quick background:
I’ve been drinking coffee for over five years, most days of the week. At the start of this year, I took a full caffeine break from January to mid-March while finishing my last quarter of school. I wanted to reset my tolerance and prove to myself I didn’t need it. Once spring break hit, I started drinking coffee again more casually, and after that, I transitioned into full-time LSAT studying and got back into a more regular caffeine habit.

Right now, I usually have one cup of coffee almost every day, and sometimes a yerba mate later in the day if I feel like I need it.

Here’s the issue:
On my first two PTs this spring, I had a medium coffee shop coffee at the start of the test. I felt great during the first half, but started to feel it wear off by the second half, and my performance noticeably dropped. I only missed one question in the first section, then missed significantly more as the test went on.

So for my most recent PT, I switched things up and drank a yerba mate during the test instead (along with a random coconut water because I like them). The yerba lasted me through the whole test and I felt like my energy stayed consistent. But weirdly, I scored lower overall. My performance was steady across sections, but not as sharp as my earlier tests.

Now I’m unsure what to do moving forward. I’m considering experimenting with matcha too, though I haven’t tried it yet for a full PT.

Obviously everyone’s body is different, but has anyone here tested out different caffeine strategies and found something that worked well for them? I’m not worried about the proctoring side of things—I’ve brought coffee in a clear bottle before and it was fine.

Any thoughts or experiences would be appreciated.

meganz621

Interesting. I've never really felt like caffeine could affect my accuracy to that extent. Maybe it is placebo. I would suggest not overthinking it that much & making sure you are getting good sleep.

mreichle

During my practice tests I also drink Yerba Mate because if I finish the coffee during the exam I tend to get sluggish. Like Megan said, I think you might be reading too far into the effect of caffeine on your performance. Even without stimulants, you have the ability within yourself. I think it would be beneficial to focus on getting locked in and don't let factors like worrying about your caffeine intake disrupt your scores.

jrnjrn430430

I've found that hydration is more important than caffeination in my testing. Without being properly hydrated, I feel like my brain is walking through mud while reading and I'm unable to accurately break down arguments into parts. Hydration through the test (both a lot of water the day before and water and a gatorade the day of) feels like the difference between me looking at words on a page and me understanding and reading full arguments.

As for caffeination, I've tried PTs with multiple levels, from energy drinks to regular coffee to green tea. I've found that green tea (specifically a bottle of Ito En Oi Ocha) brings me to the level I need without any anxiety or real crash through the test. I was far too nervous with energy drinks, to the point where I cut them out of my diet completely. Coffee was okay, but I felt like it didn't provide the calmness that I felt with the green tea.

While we're on the topic of drinks, I'll regretfully climb up on a soapbox and recommend completely giving up alcohol for the duration of your study period. Studies show that it interferes with sleep and I definitely feel more focused after a couple months without it.

ady010101

I also have a similar relationship with caffeine. I find that I concentrate and subsequently perform much better when I have some sort of caffeine available. A strategy that has been successful for me on my PTs has been to have a half or full Celsius about 30-40 minutes prior to taking the test, as the peak effect kicks in around the 45 min mark. I have the remaining half periodically throughout the test to maintain the peak concentration effect.