How do you beat severe mental exhaustion?

Millennium Falcon

I have taken 5 timed PTs.
By the third and fourth sections my mental exhaustion is so severe I get slow and stupid.
It is debilitating to the point where the easiest LG takes forever to complete.
Mental exhaustion prevents me from finishing sections.

I quit drinking liquor a long time ago.
I excercise 5 days a week.
I take Seroquel and Lithium for bipolar disorder at night.
I drink coffee every morning.
When I BR I structure my time to match a timed PT.
I take 1 PT a week.
I have taken 5 timed PTs.

1. How do you beat severe mental exhaustion?
2. If I take a week off from the LSAT will it prevent my mental exhaustion from improving?

AwokenNova

Have you considered doing a 3 section format? The LSAT flex format is what a lot of people end up doing in the test situation anyway these days with COVID. It takes less time. Also, it may help to maybe take tests every other week or at least take a few days off of the LSAT each week? My practice tests went from a 148 score to a 161 just from being kind to myself and taking more breaks. Some of my mentors say you gotta give your brain time and stamina to catch up to all that you learned.

mrowley91

Maybe try meditation? That's really help me get my mind right before taking a test. It also helps me focus when I start to feel the mental fatigue.

SilentEagle

It takes a while to get used to taking full tests. I would just keep taking tests. The endurance will come as you practice.

chisal17

Similar sort of problem. Allow your brain to slow down, remind yourself that time tends to move slower than you think it is, and remember that you have to be patient with yourself and your brain as it learns this new skill.

Guided Mindfulness meditations help as well. Do a short one every morning or night and it’ll help you improve your focus and stamina.

Also maybe your meds are contributing to this exhaustion? I don’t know much about them, but it might be worth speaking to your doctor to see if there’s something they can recommend.

Chicago_Horn

Take a break, seriously it helps a ton. The lsat is a process test, and your brain will still be compartmentalizing all of the ideas which you have learned and worked on. Take a week off. Can't do that? Take a few days off. You will feel sharper and excited to prep again. I take a day or two off every few weeks to let things marinate. Burnout is real. If you're prepping for August, like me, watch yourself carefully, and take breaks of a few days to ensure you are sharp as a whip for test day.

I almost always see improvement on my sections when I try this out.

Millennium Falcon

Thanks everyone. I appreciate your comments and support.
I am definitely taking this week off.

errrrr1452

@AwokenNova Hey, I am getting around 145-150 on PTs and my goal score is a 160. Any advice? I feel like I am stuck and would appreciate some advice from someone who has increased their score by that much. Thank you.

AwokenNova

@errrrr1452 Hey! I feel you I was stuck there for a long time... It helped me a TON to start prioritizing my time and energy, because I was trying to focus on everything all the time. That ended up being exhausting and useless. I use the analytics tools on here. After I take a test, I use the tools to see what areas I mess up the most and how frequently they show up on the test. Letting myself get more comfortable taking practices tests, hammering hard in the blind review/analytics took me a long way. I also decided to focus my energy on Logic games first because that's the easiest area to improve. I usually miss 3-6 questions there. Now I'm moving onto Logical Reasoning accuracy. They say logic games is the easiest to improve, then logical reasoning, then reading comprehension is usually the hardest to improve. I'm at the point where I do silly mistakes, so I am trying to practice concentrating during the test situations.. I also noticed when I really started to understand valid and invalid argument forms, I started to improve a lot more in LG and LR. I hope this isn't rambling ! Just some initial thoughts. I hope it is helpful for you

mrowley91

@errrrr1452 I started out the same place as you! I struggled when I would only tackle one part of the test for too long and would neglect the other sections. I second what @AwokenNova said: LG is the easiest place to improve on, and repetition is key! I made leaps and bounds at the beginning of COVID when I forced myself to take a lot more tests than I normally would (2-3x week). While I wouldn't recommend that for everyone, I think the reason why I saw so much improvement during that period was for two reasons: first, because of the repetition with LG, and second, because it helped me get rid of the anxiety surrounding taking the test. I also made a 3-month study plan that detailed what I was going to do each study session to keep myself on the right track. Good luck! You've got this!!

errrrr1452

@AwokenNova It was very helpful. Thank you!

errrrr1452

@mrowley91 Thank you for the support!