I've lost all motivation.

ninaaaa15

I've been full time studying for the LSAT for about 6/7 months now, and every day I aim to study 6-8 hours a day. I plan on taking the June LSAT as my first exam, and if I need to retake it, I plan on taking it in August as well. I'm the overthinking go-getter type. I'm sure many of you relate, but recently I've lost all my motivation. I no longer have the attention span to sit at my desk for 6-8 hours a day, and it just feels like I can no longer take my studies as seriously as I was before. I'm cutting corners every which way, and I feel completely hopeless and lost, especially with June being around the corner. I'm starting to think maybe I'm just not cut for this, but I don't know. I know you guys will probably give me the advice of taking some time off, but on top of being an overthinker and go-getter, I'm also someone who suffers a lot from anxiety and stress, so whenever I take breaks, I spend the whole time stressing out about the fact that I'm setting myself back by taking a break which ends up making a break completely useless. I'm a first-generation student, which means absolutely nobody in my life understands what I'm going through, so I feel very alone and defeated, and I just wanted to come on here and ask my fellow LSAT takers for some advice and guidance.

Thank you all in advance!

Dwight JY Schrute

I feel very much the same as you do. I have been studying for 8months now and my first exam in April is just around the corner. I don't feel like improving and my scores are fluctuating, getting nowhere near where my goal is. I 100% can relate to you. I think even loggin-in 7sage and posting this was a good step! Just want to say you are not alone:)

I recently started taking live classes by Raphael, especially basic classes(especially LR-question type class). They are 1hour each and honestly it has been helping immensely in reenergizing my study motivation thanks to following reasons.
1) Get to feel the positive sort of affirmation "oh I know this, but so good to reinforce my logic mechanism"
2) Can easily spend 3hours a day by participating 3 classes so I feel good.

If you haven't tried, just give it a shot. My plan is trying to be very committed to his class
for 3 more months(my last test would be June). It is always good to have the feeling of being with your peers. And I guess Zoom does provide that feelings very effectively these days:)

I always tell myself "Just at least show up." I think showing up is probably more than 50% of the job. Good luck!

doloresrios21-1-1

Hey Nina! I feel the exact same way. There's a lot more pressure added when the exam date draws near . I have my test in April and i'm still not at the point that I want to be but im trying to stay positive and reaffirming myself that I can always get better. I keep telling myself that I just need to keep going, figure out what I'm not doing well in and emphasizing my study time there.

Im a big music person so what i've done is i've cultivated a playlist on Spotify to bring up my mood when im unmotivated (I've even added the legally blonde picture of Elle woods sun bathing at Harvard). It sounds silly but it's stupid little songs like "Almost There" from The Princess and the Frog that have helped me climb the wall of disappointment I get when I feel like im not doing any better. Even more embarrassing is Hanna Montanas song Climb but it does the trick and I feel hyper motivated to keep going.

Just remember what you're doing this for and in the process you might even get your story for your personal statement. When we're struggling and uncomfortable is usually when we succeed the most. Dont quit now that you're at your highest potential.

Kelllyyy

It'll help to cut back on hours. The brain gets cloudy which can kick your hours to the counterproductive bin. Change the environment in which you study, like a library, coffee shop, park, even your bed!

I completely understand the; not wanting to take a break because of the guilty feeling. But remember there's also different gears to studying. Switch up your studying methods like pick a day to just go over your notes, another day for just joining live classes.

I understand the external pressures that causes anxiety, but remember you're doing this for yourself.

cwagne24

6-8 hours is too much. You deserve an off day. Try cutting down to 3ish, and make sure to give urself a weekend off here or there. You’re a human too. Gotta let ur brain rest 💕 (ps, anyone who studies for 6-8 hours a day can make it as a lawyer. This test like, matters financially i suppose. But it’s not any indicator of your value or your ability to be an amazing lawyer.)

ninaaaa15

Thank you all so much for all your kind words and advice I appreciate you all so much!!

Juan23vr

you should try studying only 1 hr a day for a bit. that helped me out a lot. I used to dedicate 3-4 hrs a day with little progress and taking it down def helped

caroline93

As someone who is a first generation and tends to run on the anxious side of life, I feel you. I see you and I hear you. This test is scary and hard as hell. Most people who aren't studying for this could not get past the first few questions, my coworkers tried once and they could not get to the 2nd question. So I'll start off by saying, trust me that you are doing better than you think you are and be kinder to yourself. Here's my suggestion for what I think would help

1. Immediately stop studying for 6-8 hours a day. I would take a break for like a week to be honest. You ARE cut out of this, you are literally just physically and mentally exhausted. This is not helping you, it's actually hindering you. You are literally burning yourself out. You're working smarter and not harder. You honestly should not be studying more than 4 hours a day, anything past that and your brain is going to lose its ability to retain. The 4 hours of study I do, I break up into chunks. 2 in the morning and 2 later on in the evening. But whatever works for you, 1 in the morning, 2 in the middle of the day, etc. 4 a day would be my max. After doing 6-8 hours a day for almost 7 months, your brain is essentially fried. Remember, you are human and you deserve to have a break. I completely feel you on the feeling anxious/guilty if you are not doing something, but set those 4 hours daily as a goal. And once you have met it know that you learned better in those 4 hours than you would have in the 6-8 cramming.

2. I would not study EVERYDAY. Everyone deserves a day off. I'm currently doing 6 days, 4 hours everyday. I set a different study topic for everyday. LR one day, RC another, a PT one day, etc. This helps break up the monotony and helps it feel like tedious and boring.

3. I would recommend Brad Barbay on Instagram. His material is super good. He gives excellent advice on schedules and just overall lsat content. His study materials have been a game changer for me.

I'm also planning for June and August as a backup so I feel you on a lot of things! Good luck!

kittysparks05

Hello, I am also first-gen studying for the LSAT. I understand and feel you when you say that taking breaks causes you to overthink and stress over the LSAT. I am literally a huge overthinker, and have done poorly in the past with standarized tests because I get huge anxiety. However, I have some tips for you to combat this from my own experience, and from other mentors/lawyers I've talked to in a pre-law program I am in.

• First-gen students like us aren't often taught that taking breaks are actually GOOD for you. I reason my breaks by reminding myself that: 1. If my body, mind, brain, is not functioning well, then how can I really be studying information? Your body should be taken care of otherwise when you're studying, it may not be as effective. 2. To prevent burnout

• Try Time Blocking or Pomodorro techniques so you have time during the day where you can rest, eat, or do whatever you need.

• Find ways to cope when you have a lot of stress/anxiety -- maybe do mindfulness, go for a walk, write your thoughts in a journal, seek professional help from a therapist (i personally do this and as a first-gen in which my family prob doesn't believe in therapy, it is actually beneficial bc it offers you a safe space from someone you don't know personally that will help you find coping mechanisms and triggers)

• Know that you ARE capable. Practice little words of affirmation or little rewards for yourself when you get through it. I've met so many first-gen lawyers, also POC or not, and if they can get through the LSAT then so can you

• I put so much stress on myself that I HAVE to do WELL on my upcoming LSAT in June in order to apply for law school this upcoming cycle. But why am I rushing myself? I know that there are other test dates I can do before apps, and even if Im unable to get my apps in this upcoming cycle, its not the end of the world and I can learn so much if i take that extra gap year. Everything will work out with time!

I know taking advice is hard but please give yourself time to rest. You have been doing good and you'll get to where you want to be with time.

happynowhere

In a bit of a similar boat. First-gen, studied for 3 months last year, took the LSAT in August, decided to retake the LSAT in the hopes of squeezing out some extra scholarship money, and am now back in the throes of studying for June (and August if I need it!). I took an extra gap year to do so. What made me feel secure in my decision was knowing that law school isn’t going anywhere. When you’re ready to apply with the score you want, it’ll be there. And there is a limit, of course, but the worst case scenario is that you retake and get an even better score the second time around. No shame in that.

In terms of concrete advice, take a week off and then sit a PT and see how you do — your brutal study regime would turn anyone’s brain into goo. And take a breath — you deserve it!

annie996

I SO relate to that first-get student part. My parents genuinely don't understand the importance and think my GPA will carry me. It's rough. I dread logging into 7sage at this point. I have no advice, but best of luck

dag_6610

Agreed with the above. You got this. But even the most capable of people wouldn't be able to maintain hard studying for 6-8 hours a day for months. You should consider getting in 2-3 hours/day of concentrated studying, and there's no way you won't be set in June. Best of luck.

You Gotta Show Me

Go forward with the mindset of doing at least 1 question a day. It's hard to cram this stuff. You'll be surprised if you give yourself more time.

sanchezeric821

6 to 8 hours wasn't sustainable to begin with to be honest. You need time to also reflect on answer choices throughout the day. Don't give up this test takes a lot of time its normal to feel discouraged that's what weeds the people out that weren't serious to begin with.

bailey.luber

Hey all, hopping in here to say I love this chain and would echo a lot of this advice about burnout! Remember, half of this test is mastering the mental game of building confidence and stamina, so your results actually reflect what you know! Beyond cutting back on hours and focusing on doing a bare minimum everyday, finding others to study with truly helps motivation over time. If you're looking for an easy way to meet study buddies, join us for our next "Study Group Breakout" on Tuesday, April 4th from 9:00-10:30pm ET.

Here's how it works:

Register for the Breakout no later than Monday, April 3rd.

Take PT55 Section 1 (based on 7Sage's numbering - should be an LR section) and Blind Review it, but DON'T look at the answers. I suggest you take it as a "Drill" rather than as a PrepTest! You can do this by going to the "Practice" tab and choosing "Drills," then selecting "Newer" PTs, selecting "Logical Reasoning," and scrolling to PT55 S1 (NOT S3, the other LR section for PT55). You will have to individually add each question to your drill, but hit "Create drill with 26 questions" at the bottom right when finished, and voila!

Log in to the Breakout Session at the appointed time. We will automatically place you in a group of 3-5 students with similar scores so you can review the section together.

At the end of the session, you can exchange emails and keep meeting if you enjoyed the group.

Hope to see you there! Register for the event using this link: https://7sage.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwrdOmqrjMvGNGA_IKHJyltu4n7WwMVUSgX

ninaaaa15

I wanted to say you guys have all helped me out so so so much it has helped me so much reading about your guy's experiences. Some of you guys have given the best advice I have received yet. I now try to study only about 4/5 hours a day, and honestly, that has helped me out so much. I genuinely feel like I learn and understand more by studying 4/5 hours rather than studying 7/8 hours a day. Thank you all so so so much for being my LSAT besties. Doing this alone is so draining. I'm blessed to have a community here

reginavejar

I relate and understand! I honestly have engraved in my mind that REST IS PRODUCTIVE.I hope you make it a habit to take care of yourself with compassion, because at the end of the day we are humans not machines! We are all going through it, it is all about perseverance! You got this

165LSATDUDE

Hello, I'm sure you've gotten some pretty good responses however, I would like to chime in. I'm in the same exact boat as you. Here's the thing. Your studying way to much and from the sound of it, it sounds like your burning out and your going overboard. Take a step back and reevaluate yourself. I wouldn't study more than 4 hours / 5 days a week. Sure you can do more however, remember these words: "quality or quantity". Make a schedule and stick to do. Be sure to get some exercise in as well. I'm telling you, this takes time! If it makes you feel better, I took the Princeton review and fucking bombed meaning I did horrible on my first LSAT and now I'm on 7sage and doing it all over again. Stop being hard on yourself and learn to take breaks. We're not gods, but we're humans and we can only do so much each day before our brain say's "ok, no more. I need a break!". Feel free to message me if you'd like any advice.

Feiii_0517-1

Hi Nina! It's amazing that you've been putting consistent effort into studying for the LSAT, and I'm super confident that it's all going to pay off in the future (not just your score but also things like good study habits, resilience, etc.). It's understandable that you are feeling some burnout but can't really take a complete break either. Here're a couple things that helped me during my study time:

1) setting up a little reward system: I had a paper calendar and would put one sticker on the date of today whenever I have put into 1 hour of quality studying. If I get a certain amount of stickers for one week, I would reward myself by getting a boba or going to a movie or something. It also helps to just look at it and see how far I've come when I feel like I'm not making progress.

2) having a break day every week: if you can't take your mind off studying completely, just have a much lighter day, like studying for 1-2 hours. I know it sounds counterintuitive at first, but you can trust that even when you are not actively studying for the LSAT, your brain is working hard and processing information that it hasn't completely digested. So really, taking a break is going to help you more than you think!

3) do something that would take your mind off things when you're taking the break: when I felt burnt out less than a week before my LSAT, I went to an amusement park nearby and just spent the day riding roller coasters. It was so nice to not be thinking about the LSAT and feeling a sense of escape for the day, cuz when I returned to studying the day after, I feel a lot happier and more refreshed.

You got this!!