I am taking the August LSAT and despite beginning my studying half a year ago I am still stuck in the 150s and fluctuating between 150-156ish. The biggest problem I have is that I cannot sit still and focus for long periods of time. Has anyone else with ADHD found a way to deal with this?
Would greatly appreciate any advice!
5
12 comments
Meds plus figure out your best productivity times. I also try to workout before. The best advice I can give is to get amazing accommodations! I recommend split test over 2 days, extra time, start/stop breaks (you can get up and move whenever you want! I personally have a dance break every 10-15 Qs). Not hard to get and will help you a lot!
@JuliaRose This is actually similar to what I do! Minus the dancing lol. Do you know if it's still possible to arrange for time accommodations for August at this point? I am able to take the test without, but would definitely prefer more time.
@Jasonhf99 You have to submit the accommodations request before the registration deadline I believe
@valpal yes that is the deadline! i'd try to register earlier because you can't apply for accomodations until you're signed up for an exam. once you have them for your 1st test, you automatically have them for all others. But even if you apply around the registration deadline, you'll probably be okay. They approve accomodations pretty fast!
@Jasonhf99 I think it's too late now because it's so close but you still have a week where you can apply for accoms for september. Just make sure you practice with the timing you'll have on test day!
Something that was recommended in The Loophole that I think helped me was essentially a practice in meditation. It involves trying to focus on an object or a point in a room. Whenever you catch yourself focusing away form it, notice it, and then recenter yourself back on the object/point you were focusing on. You don't have to do this in a quiet room and it's almost better to work in doing it beyond just a quiet space.
Over time, try to push the length of time of you doing this. What starts at 15 - 30 seconds can work into minutes. The extra "nice" thing about this exercise is that it's something you can work in almost anywhere you are. Likewise, you can use it as a warm up and/or cool down for studying.
Note: Yes, you might look a little weird staring at a thing intently but who cares? I've forced myself to almost exclusively study in environments where it is distracting so that when I'm actually doing it for real on test day, I'm implicitly in a less disruptive space and it means I'm less prone to get thrown off by noise from someone coughing, tapping, testers coming in and out of the test room, etc.
Personally I take my meds and I get timing accommodations in school which I plan to use for LSAT as well. Good luck
-my biggest tip is study in a new environment. if im just in my room I can barely bring myself to do it, even though I want to. go to a coffee shop. sit outside if the weather is nice. go to your local library!! that's been a staple for me.
-adderall
-fun drinks that I only allow myself to have when studying: its a built in reward !
-setting timers on my phone: count downs particularly, because sometimes I think i've been studying for a while and then I look and see its been barely time at all lol (gotta love time blindness/distortion)
@SusanLeifker I second this! I also find that I need to do a bit of a warm-up before I start a practice section/test. Taking a class before I start a section helps me get into the mode.
pomodoro method might help! theres an app thats called focustown that is essentially a pomodoro studying timer except you have a character and your character is sitting down and studying with people all over the world. I saw this on tiktok and it did help with the pomodoro method. also its good to have something to fidget with. im not sure if you applied for accomodations, but you should definitely get that figured out if you want to take the test again in september or october. studious environments definitely work too; another commenter mentioned the library and a coffee shop but i feel like a coffee shop can be kind of loud at times so a library or maybe even if you're still in school to study at school too (if possible). you can also try to chew gum with flavor to fidget as well; tasty drinks like soda to give your brain dopamine; or maybe even different colored pens. there's an AuDHD activist on instagram who also gives tips and tricks for people with adhd for studying as well. her name is alora young @aloraofficielle on instagram. you might want to check some her content out. good luck! i understand the struggle too well.
incorporate time for those distractions you know are going to hit. If you need 45 mins of studying, give yourself an hour. Set a 25 min timer and try to stick with it, then go crazy on a 5 min break!
I just load up on espresso right before I study. Usually makes me do really well. I score really poorly without caffein (I cannot focus at all). As soon as that caffeine hits, I get like -2 and -0.