Taking Breaks is as Important as Studying

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Hey all, I wanted to just come on here to talk about the importance of taking your darn breaks while studying for this test.

I think a nice thing about the LSAT is that it is a skill-based test. Taking a break will not hamper your ability to improve.

I started studying early this year, started in March and took the test in June. I'm not qualified or anything but I can attest to the importance of giving your brain room to absorb the skills based on my own experiences. I went HARD in my studying in May - I'm talking waking up, going directly to my desk to study, break to eat, study until 1 am, sleep, repeat. My life was the LSAT and, as expected of a human being, I got extremely burnt out. I would stare at questions bored out of my mind. Never broke the 150s despite my hours of studying. Got a 160 on my test in June. Not a bad score though it was not my goal score and I knew that I had it in me to do better.

June passed, I did not study. July passed, I did not study. I didn't TOUCH anything LSAT related. Sat down to do a practice test in August, I'm began breaking into the 160s. I didn't study at all for two months, yet I feel as though something unconsciously clicked in the time that I took to allow my brain to breathe. I come into studying with a completely different understanding of the test, it's a strange sensation that I cannot adequately explain. Those two months helped more than the month I took shoving practice down my throat.

That said, should you take two months off blindly in an attempt to increase your score? No. What I am hoping to emphasize is the importance of pacing yourself. Give your mind the time to absorb the skills you are learning. Let things marinate, if you will. Cramming study time into your schedule without adequate rest periods will not help and it's so important to set limits and boundaries. This is a life changing test, sure, but it should not absorb all of your time and energy.

Wishing the best for you all on your LSAT and Law School journeys