How to make the best use of my last month

annaemurphy279

Hello everyone,

I am enrolled in October 2021's LSAT exam and I feel as if I am on the verge of a breakdown most of the time... I first started studying for the LSAT fall 2019 (without 7Sage), and got a 149 on my very first LSAT exam. It was the fall after I graduated college and the stress of finding a job and general income issues were deeply demanding and I decided to delay applying to law school until fall 2021 because I did not have the mental energy to focus on LSAT prep. In February-March 2021 after several months of studying with 7Sage I felt I had made progress when it came to content and accuracy, however timing was a major issue. I took the LSAT in April 2021 and totally FROZE during LG and essentially I guessed on the entire section because the timer filled me with so much anxiety that I could not access the memory centers of my brain to answer the questions. It was horrible and I fought the urge not to burst into tears on camera. So here we are, just shy of a month before the October LSAT and I just CAN'T SEEM TO WORK FAST ENOUGH. I keep getting to game 3 and having little more than 5 minutes left to complete the fourth and most difficult game. LR and RC swing back and forth from having 7-10 wrong answers which is not helping my confidence. I can't score higher than a 155 on my timed PT's, yet can score as high as 165 during blind review. I've recently started trying to begin LG with the hardest games and work backwards, but then the inverse happens and I guess on the easiest games that normally I would have gotten most correct on. I feel like I just keep on studying and nothing really happens to alter my overall performance and I'm extremely anxious about it. I work full-time, so I don't have the ability to do a lot of times exercises during the day, but am willing to suck up my after work exhaustion to try and improve on timing. I find myself wondering, can I even hit 163-165 in less than one month? Am I kidding myself when I think I'll be able to apply to schools before Thanksgiving? So please, if anyone has any advice on how to make the best use of my last month please share! I am trying to keep my cool, talk myself up, not catastrophize, but its not working....

lizzogonzo

It sounds like you have a good understanding of the material based on your BR score, so that's not the issue. It also sounds like you're burning out, sometimes less is more in studying. Give your brain a rest, there's no point in studying for hours if it's not productive.

Now, I am curious to know if you have any timing strategies in place? It sounds like you've been experimenting with it on LG but I think trying to figure out which game is hardest might be taking away some precious seconds. On test day, I used a different scratch paper for each game, so that if I ran into a hard game early, I could put it away and start on the next game and keep things organized. Also, not sure if you follow JY's method, but if you make enough inferences up front, you should be able to find answers on LG and move on being 100% sure in it without having to eliminate the rest. That helps save time too, esp on the 35 minute timing.

From my experience, the LSAT rewards confidence and aggression. It sounds like you have test anxiety, and I do as well, which can lead to self doubt. And the LSAT preys on second guessing and lack of confidence. But I started changing my mindset, and part of my warm up for my PT days was to write down on my LSAT journal positive affirmations and other reminders to focus on my process, not my results. So I started making a habit of catching myself when I start to doubt my choices, and move on. I just trusted myself more and the results started showing the last two weeks before August, where I was PTing in the low 170s. I ended up with a 168

I understand the pressure of having to get X score and to apply by X time. But focusing on that is only hurting your performance, not helping it. It's apparent that you know your stuff and have put in the work. Now you have to allow yourself to reach that potential by taking it step by step, one question at a time.