Taking practice tests late at night

calcal101

I currently work 9-5 on weekdays, in addition to a few hours on both Saturday and Sunday morning. My weekend work is pretty physically demanding, so I'm kind of tired after even though those shifts are quite short. This has been going on since the beginning of my LSAT prep in late May. I generally take practice tests around 7pm or later, or, on the weekends, after a tiring morning; I know this is far from ideal, as many recommend making Saturday morning your PT time.

Has anyone had a similar experience re: only taking PTs when already tired? I will have some actual time off in 2 weeks, so I'll be able to PT when I'm fresh in the morning at that point, but I'm curious as to whether it'd be unreasonable to expect a little improvement in my performance simply because of the increased energy. I realize this might very well be extremely wishful thinking, but I figured I'd ask.

I should note that I've gotten some great, and some really not great, scores on days that I'm exceptionally tired…maybe there really is no correlation?

Thanks in advance for any insights you might be able to share---so grateful for this community!

p.s. in case anyone suggests I PT before work, it's just not feasible. My commute isn't incredibly long but I don't sleep well at night--getting up at 5 to PT before my commute isn't worth it.

vanessa fisher

I totally have had a similar experience when I do tests late.
One option perhaps is to do a timed section (just 35 mins) when you get home, as it is less daunting than a full PT. As long as you blind review it, you are getting the same benefit.
If you can do one full PT a week on a less work-intensive day like Saturday or Sunday, that helps build endurance for the full test.

Also, I think doing the full PT in morning less frequently is better than doing more at night because morning is when you'll be testing in real time. Also, timed sections are often under-rated in value. You can get just as much out of those as cramming full PTs

Best of luck!

Alex

For the first few months I studied, I only was able to prep and do PTs late at night, usually after 10pm. Being tired and taking the test after a long day usually resulted in me doing noticeably worse. Thinking back I don't necessarily think it was taking them at night, but rather the fact I was pretty worn out mentally after a long day. Honestly, I think it may be worth at least trying to go to bed earlier and waking up at 5 to PT. That's just based off of my own personal experience... If not, I would just reserve full PTs for weekends you have free and then BR / Drill during the week.

I honestly regret the PTs I wasted that I took when I was just too tired. I'd hate to see you do the same.

sillllyxo

I have a toddler so take them when I can take them. You have to do what you have to do.

Seeking Perfection

It's absolutely not necessary to do PT's in the morning before you are two weeks out. I only studied for 3 weeks interupted by oral surgery before my first LSAT and got a 172. I didn't have more than 2 weeks worth of morning PT's. But the question is not what is needed for a decent score, but what is optimal to get the best score you can. You can almost always do better which is why I am retaking that 172 with much more prep including many weeks of Saturday morning PT's.

I have two suggestions on for you. First of all, if possible for you I would recommend getting up at 5 going to work and taking the PT there or near there. This would get you as close as possible to the real time and expose you to PTing in an unfamiliar location. I also happen to get optimal PT performance when I have been up for a few hours. I expect therefore to wake up before 6 for the real thing.

Second, I have found late night PT's to be neither higher nor lower, but more eratic than morning pt's. I think I am relaxed which helps, but tired and more prone to letting my focus drift. So you can't be certain that you will get a boost. You could test worse in the morning and need some practice to adjust. Don't count on a freshness boost.

Long story short, I would recommend taking at least a few PT's in the morning before your two week break and then a few during it. You want to be used to taking them in the morning and figure out how early you are going to get up, what you want for breakfast, ect. But if you can't, don't worry about it. PTing for more than two weeks in the mornings is neither necessary nor sufficient to get a solid score.

calcal101

Thank you so much for the feedback, everyone. My scores have been quite all over the place, which @"Seeking Perfection" mentioned…I'm planning on heading to bed early Monday evening so I can get up in time to PT on Tuesday morning (working from home for once so no commute time needed). It seems as though expecting a boost is unreasonable, but to get the absolute most out of my prep, I need to do my best to replicate testing conditions at least a few times before the last two weeks. We'll see how that goes!