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Sorry to be melodramatic, but all of life is hopeless and I want to die. Just kidding, at least about the dying part, but I need some advice about to what to do.
I just walked away from PT 79 (SPOILER, I'm going to discuss the order of the sections) in the middle of the RC section - which is usually my best section. I didn't feel like the RC section or the LR section before it was any more difficult than any other PT, but I just felt like my mind was in a haze. I was moving much slower than usual and felt like I wasn't comprehending what I was reading.
Some background - I went to bed early last night, slept well, got up early, exercised, ate breakfast, had coffee, warmed up with half of a LR section and 2 easy Logic Games. I felt confident - I really felt like this was the day I would get a 170. I have done well (for me) on my last 5 PT with an average of 164.8 (166,166,167,162,163). I took a timed, proctored PT 73 last Saturday under test-day conditions and I didn't do as well as I had been doing (163). This damaged my confidence some, but I attributed the score to nerves which caused me to choke on the LG section. But that's always my worst section. I normally get -2/-3 on RC and LR and today I felt like I was choking on those!
So, what do I do? Don't say postpone. I know it's good advice, but my situation is different than most of you and I have to take the test on Saturday. I'm taking advantage of the University of Oklahoma's "early entry" program and I need a score to finish my application. I can retake in Feb and even June for scholarship purposes, and my lowest score is still in the top 25% for OU. Do I take a day or two off? Is this just regular burnout or something else?
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20 comments
Excellent!
@olineali684 Nice! I've been watching movies as well...and taking a lot of baths :)
haha your post encouraged me to take a break and i feel so much better already. glad you're enjoying your break. i enjoyed watching Elf last night :) what have you been doing to relax?
Just back to say that this is the first time I've looked at the forums or anything LSAT related in 4 or so days! I'm enjoying my break :)
Likewise;)
Truth.
so i am experiencing burnout myself
i like you.
I agree that it's likely burnout. Two things: take a break! And don't push for a 170+ on test day. Just do your best and trust that your knowledge and hard work will get you a good score. Score-chasing will almost always make you underperform, and there's nothing to be gained from it.
I myself took a break with just over a week left before test day, and it was tremendously beneficial. Again, you already have down your knowledge and good habits (not to say these can't improve in the future), so taking a few days off won't make you forget anything. And so long as you give yourself some time for light drilling before the test, you won't be coming in stale at all.
Also, don't set unrealistic expectations on yourself. Why would you believe that this is the day you will hit 170 if the top of your range has never touched that number? Your median is 166. That's a reasonable expectation. If, after five more tests your median is 168 then you can have a swing at expecting a 170. Until then you're really doing yourself a disservice by pressuring yourself setting an arbitrary score goal instead of just answering questions.
If you have a GPA around median and you score similar to what you've been PTing then you're in a great spot for OU scholarships. Stop worrying and pat yourself on the back. Take the test, score a 164 and apply as soon as you can if you want money.
Sometimes we just need to hear it from someone we trust.
@jhaldy10325 is the one who warned me I was headed for major burn out on his webinar last week...
Sure enough 4 days later I completely lost it while drilling and had a damn near breakdown. Burnout is more real than I ever believed.
Indeed! I suppose that's preferable to having it the other way around!
Thanks everyone! So funny how hard it is to get us to relax and take some time off :D
For sure burnout. Ive had this happen to me before as well, which is kind of why I'm only going to be drilling from now until the 3rd so i can give my brain some time to relax while also remaining sharp with some drilling everyday.
So true. A couple weeks ago I realized I was experiencing such bad burnout that I was giving up in the middle of simple sequencing games... Sometimes it isn't that we can't do it; but that we don't have it in us..
I felt a similar situation with 79. I am burned out and I am taking a break from the LSAT. I"ll be taking it on the 3rd but I think the most I'll do is drilling prior to the test. I don't think I'm going to take a PT prior. Drilling should bring our confidence back up and put us in the rhythm for the 3rd. Yes burn out really gets you and you don't necessarily see it coming until you're fully in it. Also, I might review some of the curriculum as well.
Yeah, in case you're tempted, I just want to add special emphasis to this.
It's funny how subtly burnout creeps up on us. No one ever realizes it's happening until they're so deep into it that it's blatantly obvious to everyone else. Take care!
Thank you @jhaldy10325. I think I knew that, I just needed to hear you say it :(
This is burnout. Relax, give your brain a breather. I had a similar situation happen with a PT a week ago and I've been keeping it low-key since then. Now is the time to concentrate on your mental + physical health -- no matter what, don't try to "work through" the burnout. Just let it be. Exercise, hang out with friends, watch some movies. And enjoy!
Walking away in the middle of a test that you were not even particularly frustrated with is a huge red flag for burnout. It sounds like you went into the PT beautifully--well rested, fed, exercised, caffeinated, and warmed up--so this is almost certainly burnout. I've been there. I know it's hard to think about this close to test day, but you need to take a week off. If it makes you feel any better, my best score ever came immediately following a two week break on which I did not allow myself to even think about LSAT.