Study schedule advice for full-time employee

TheJediPunk

Hello everyone. I’m seeking advice on a sensible study schedule despite my work schedule. I’m plan to take the September 2020 LSAT.

My current work schedule is M-F 9am - 5:30pm. I work as a paralegal. I do have some flexibility and can arrive at the office by 10am. However, my commute to work is usually about an hour via automobile thanks to LA traffic (downtown to Santa Monica for those who know what it’s like). The return trip can take up to two hours depending on when I leave the office. Because of this, I often stay at the office as late as 8pm. My weekends are free.

Up until now, I have been studying immediately after work and on weekends. Usually I will complete one section of the core curriculum and do practice questions from my old Testmasters course I did a few years ago. I’ve found this didn’t work all the time, mostly because trying to think in terms of the LSAT right after a long day of work was exhausting. It also meant that I was going through the CC very slowly. Haven’t done any PTs except the 2007 exam done through the CC.

Wondering if anyone has any tips on making a sensible study schedule based on the above. Should I go through the CC first and then focus on actual practice (either drilling, practice questions, or PTs)? Let me know if you need additional information that may help with making suggestions. Any help is greatly appreciated!

noonawoon

Hi! How was your diagnostic? Did you feel comfortable taking the test and with the types of questions? If you're in a good position, I would maybe suggest jumping straight into PTs. Take a PT on the weekend then BR each section throughout the week. Do the BR very thoroughly, make sure you're getting perfect on the games, etc. Reviewing one section for each night of the work week probably wouldn't take you longer than an hour and it won't be as mentally tasking because you've seen the questions before.

If you didn't do as well with the PT (which is totally fine) then maybe jumping into PTs isn't the best advice! I've found PTs to be the most useful study tool and my friend who scored a 179 on first shot studied exclusively via taking and reviewing PTs.

Just suggesting this because the CC is pretty time-consuming and it might be better to figure out what your weaknesses are via PT then strategically study sections from the CC, rather than going through everything start to finish. I did the entire CC pretty quickly while working a 9-5 job with pretty flexible hours, watching videos on double speed, etc, and it still took me maybe 2 months.

TheJediPunk

Thanks for the response! I don’t remember what my diagnostic score was. My subscription expired before I had a chance to renew. Wild guess but I think it was about 150. I’ve taken the LSAT before (149 on Sept. 2016; 144 on Dec. 2016). For sure my weakest sections were LR and second RC. I did fairly well on games. I know I didn’t do well those times because I didn’t take the study course as seriously as I should have. I also made the mistake of taking a second exam so soon after the first.

I do like the idea of doing a PT on the weekends and doing BR during the week after work.

AwokenNova

Hey! I work full time and know exactly how you feel. I live in Atlanta, so I understand how the commute can eat up a lot of time...

For time to study, have you considered public transportation? I take public transit rail lines to avoid the traffic and be able to sit on the train and look at study materials like practice tests or 7sage. It may sound weird, but with schedules like ours it helps to fit in time whenever we can. The train rides give me about 30-45 minutes every morning to study, because I know once I am off work it can be hard/I feel drained. I choose a few days during the week to study after work. You'll burn out doing it everyday after work. Going all the way home takes too long because of traffic, so I try to go to the closest coffee shop and tell myself "get at least one hour" the few times a week I do study after work.

As for what I study.. right now I am in the stage of doing untimed practice test sections. The only time I can sit and do a full test is on Saturdays or Sundays. Sometimes during the week, I will just work on one section untimed then go through the test to mark certain problems as- "what I got right but lacked confidence", "what I got wrong, and was over confident", and "what I got wrong and lacked confidence". Then I mark what question type they are and see if I can figure out the correct answer. If not I check for explanations online and keep note of what question type it was to do those drills specifically. It will help get more test exposure and target your studying on your most problematic areas first.

I hope this helps. Good luck I know how hard it can be! I pushed my LSAT back quite a few times because of trial and error. What I just said is what has worked best thus far. I'm taking mine in April

Liah Afshar

Hi there! I also work full time and I'm studuying. My best advise to you is to BECOME A MORNING PERSON. Yes. The test is usually written around 9am. That means that you have to get your brain to be sharp in the morning. This does not work if you have been studying for the test for months in the evening. You need to get your brain to be activated to solve difficult problems and read carefully in the morning. This also is an efficient use of energy because you're not going to be as tired in the morning as you are in the afternoon after work. So my advise - and I know this is crazy - but you have to ask yourself how badly do you want this? If you want this badly enough, you need to get up at 4:30am, make sure yourself a nice breakfast and get ready for the day, then start studying. Immediately get your brain working by 6am. Study for three hours, then commute to work from 9am to 10am. Then come home and have a strict bed time of 830pm. I know that this is drastic, but it is the best way and it is what I am doing right now and the hard work seems to be paying off. Remember that this phase of your life is only temporary and that you WILL crush the test and crush your full time job if you want something to work bad enough. Good luck and all the best to you!!

beezmoof

Definitely study in the AM. I would do 5:30 to 7 when I was studying. Then I would work out after work.

LindseyDC

I am in the exact same boat as you with all of those factors, but throw a toddler into the mix. The best thing I have done, is changing my schedule to study and focus mostly in the mornings. I get up at 4.00, 5.00 or 6.00 AM depending on what is going on, but that can give me anywhere from 1-3 hours a day in the mornings. Oddly, you will start to enjoy it. (hard to believe I know!!). I get home around 6 and my brain is usually in wind down mode. So I will study for an hour relaxingly and then wind down for bed around 9.00 PM. My best advice is that mornings are your friend - when your brain is at it's strongest and fresh. Then you'll start pushing yourself harder at work if you get tired, and ultimately get more energy overall (I've noticed that with myself).

Definitely do the core curriculum first. I am 85% through it, and just now doing the practice exams. after about 10, if I am still doing crap - then I will revisit the CC. Basically, you don't want to blow through exams if you don't have a clue what is going on. I just NOW feel comfortable taking them.

Above all, time management. On the two hour car ride home, I listen to answers to questions I've gotten wrong or podcasts. sometimes you just need a break though, so music or calling home. You'll do great - just make efficient use of your time. Good Luck!

drbrown2

Whatever schedule you decide should prioritize quality studying over quantity. That being said, try to do LG every day. Get into a routine where you do a full section of LG every day, and BR the other sections/redo games you are struggling with in the evenings or something. If you identify weaknesses with certain LR/RC question types or your timing, practice in a way that addresses those weaknesses. By the weekend you could take a new PT and relax/repeat some old LG games.

s.grant81

About how far out would you suggest doing PTs weekly. And then 3 times weekly? I take the test in June and am 75% through the curriculum. I’m using powerscore

TheJediPunk

Thank you everyone for the great suggestions! Definitely will be trying these.