Most reality tests won't reliably get you lucid. But there's one that a higher chance of it — if you do it right.

It's called the rereading state test. Based on Dr. Stephen LaBerge's research, it's the one reality check that's been shown to cue lucidity more reliably than other methods — especially when built into a daily MILD practice.

(Not familiar with the rereading state test yet? Start here first: To Lucid Dream, Test Your State By Re-Reading)

Re-Reading State Test: Challenge Question

Here is a tricky question that should challenge even the most advanced oneironauts. The rereading state test is a daytime skill practice. It can be practiced whenever you remember to check in with your state of consciousness, when the thought occurs to you that you might be dreaming, or when you encounter dream-like phenomena in the waking state. But you don't necessarily set the intention to practice the rereading state test in the dream state. Why not?

Why would you only intend to conduct a rereading state test while awake, but not necessarily while dreaming?

Let's start with the context when you are practicing the rereading state test while awake: If you truly are awake--there should be no true indications that you are dreaming—aka there are no "dreamsigns." Yet, you hold similar logic in the nonlucid dream state that prevents you from becoming lucid. Therefore, conducting a state test as reliable as rereading to confirm that you are awake is rather helpful here.

In short, the rereading state test improves your accessibility to remembering how to challenge the deeply rooted assumptions that you are awake, and your rationale for 'How do I know I am not dreaming?'

Contrary to what most people say, the way the test actually works has less to do with just creating a "habit that carries over into the dream state". While there may be some conditioning that takes place, LaBerge and company emphasize this has more to do with increasing accessibility to memory. That is, remembering how you need to think in order to recognize you're dreaming.

Accessibility and availability are psychological terms regarding memory retrieval. For a memory to be accessible, it has to be available in the first place—meaning you first must have a solid understanding of the concept of "How do I know I am not dreaming right now?"

Let's look at the context in which you would perform a rereading state test while dreaming.

Since you truly are dreaming, there should be indications that you are dreaming—because dreams are fraught with dreamsigns. If you're already considering that you're dreaming, essentially, there's no need to elicit another dreamsign by reality testing because ideally you would've already recognized one of the many dreamsigns around you. In fact, conducting a state test at this point can actually undermine your lucidity. Here, it is better to focus on recognizing the dreamsigns that are already present and trusting your lucidity, as opposed to conducting a state test that has a chance of producing a false negative.

Admittedly, it is still possible to overlook dreamsigns and the rereading state test is a great back-up tool for becoming lucid in such cases. We overlook dreamsigns all the time! So practice the rereading test when awake to overcome that. Still, it may help to tweak how you focus your mind’s intentions in a way that could be more productive—namely, by focusing more on dreamsign awareness, and letting go of the notion that you have to reality test in dreams to get lucid. Understanding these concepts more thoroughly will help you evolve as a lucid dreamer.

These concepts get easier and easier the more you are exposed to them and put them into practice—just like learning any skill. Reality testing is one of the topics we dig into together in my Lucid Dream Practice Group — including how to do it in a way that actually works. Join us if you want guidance on integrating it into a full practice.