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Burning out 2 weeks before February LSAT
I've been studying since September and I've just hit a wall. I tried to do another PT today but I got so antsy that I couldn't focus, I lost like 10 minutes on one question because I was so out of it, and paced my room rigorously like a mad person. I know everyone says to take a break if you feel burnt out but this is 2 weeks before the LSAT and I'm worried I don't really have time to relax or take a break; I still have stuff to work on/drill and I need to get better with time constraints.
What do you guys recommend doing when you have bad burnout this close to an exam?
Comments
STOP! lol but seriously... STOP
I account my under performance on my Sept 2017 test purely to burnout and not staying calm.
The honest to gods truth is these last 2 weeks are not going to give you huge amounts of insight or change on the test. You did tall that work from Sept until now.
Now is the time to relax, remember that the Feb test is like every other test you have ever taken. Don't get nervous. Let your brain breath for a bit!
You'll kill it, I'm positive.
You are the best
burn-out is real.... its your brain's way of saying stoooooppppp. It really is akin to exercising everyday all day without letting your muscles heal and recover. Regarding the LSAT, once you hit that point where 0 of anything is sticking or you are repulsed by looking at a stimulus its time to force yourself to do nothing, as counter-intuitive as it might sound. I read somewhere that the sub-concious needs to absorb it as well while doing nothing.
http://lsatblog.blogspot.ca/2009/05/signs-lsat-burnout-avoid-recover.html
https://magoosh.com/lsat/2016/avoid-lsat-burnout/
I am so repulsed when I look at a stimulus lmao. This was good to hear, made me feel more like I'm burnt out and less like I'm just not trying to understand stims & passages.
Absolutely stop studying! Burn out is REAL and the only way to get past it is to stop. It sounds like you need a minimum of a few days, maybe even a week off. There's very little you can do in 2 weeks before a test to improve your score, but trying to keep pushing like that will definitely make your score worse.
I say take a week off. Then the week of the test, do just a single timed section maybe on 2 or max 3 days that week. Maybe a couple of LGs just to sort of warm back up. And then take the full day or 2 days before the test off again. The worst thing you could do is keep pushing through this and go into the test burnt out.
It happens to all of us. It's frustrating. But your brain is telling you it's overloaded. So put the books away, go for a walk, watch a movie. Whatever it takes to relax. You'll be fine once you've rested.
@kshutes13 Yup. the repulsed feeling is a key indicator to walk away. if you still want to do stuff, i recommend (if you haven't), then refrain from questions and work on fundamentals more like conditionals (unless/without) or read for fun, something not the LSAT.
I felt burnt out two weeks before my official June. As a result, I didn't touch LSAT materials for two weeks before the test, except for the night before and the morning of the exam. In my down time, I focused on mastering breathing/meditation techniques and researched/figured out some of the more minor bits of my test day routine.
Take a mini-vacation. Yes, it may sound crazy but you need a way to destress. According to some research, changing up your environment helps the brain function better and may stimulate more creativity.
man i totally feel you with this... Feeling burned out 2 weeks before as well. Might take it easy today then get back to it in the morning. We got this, push through and best of luck!
I took the December 2017 exam. On 11/29 I took my last PT, and reviewed it on the same day. After that, I found out my photo wasn't acceptable and I was worried I wouldn't be let into the exam. I spent my last few days doing nothing productive and making many regrettable decisions ( e.g. contacting multiple ex's ^_^ ). The day before the exam, I decided to get in my bed at 6 PM. I refused to let myself out of the bed, and it was a great decision. My test day performance was similar to my PT performance.
I don't have any advice to give as I think we all have unique situations. I shared that anecdote to show you that stressing out leading up to the exam isn't going to destroy you.
Keep it up, you're almost there!
@kshutes13: What he said. Overwhelming majority of your prep is already done, for better or worse, and you can't change it. What you can change, is the psychological and mental condition you are in when you are walking in the test center, and I can't say enough about how much of a difference it makes.
I would see how studying feels after you take a couple days off though, just to stay sharp. But, of course, don't go overboard by starting to pull 10-hour days or something crazy like that (Only said that because that's what I did for my first take). That's all there is for most people at this point. Good luck, you got this!
I started feeling a slight bit burnt out 2 weeks or so before the September test and basically stopped studying both because of the burnout and since classes started and I out scored my PT average.
I just ended up taking a single PT the weekend before to get my momentum back going into the test. I would recommend this next weekend as your only remaining studying along with the blind review. Burn out is nothing to mess around with. You want to be fresh and motivated.
@"Seeking Perfection" did you check your score? People have said not to check your score the weekend before, right? Trying to get a strategy for the last two weeks as well, I feel pretty burned out.
I did check my score. I felt like the burn out had mostly faded after a week of rest from the LSAT so if it was an unsatisfying score, I would have just taken another. It was right on my average and a score I would have been happy with on the real test so I decided not to take another and risk messing up my confidence.
I'm definitely a long-time lurker, but I just want to say you all have no idea how much your advice has helped me! I'm taking the February LSAT and I just took PT 80 and felt burnt out and unmotivated from the moment I woke up. I ended up taking an extra 20 minutes (!) on LG, which has never happened to me (it's usually my strongest section where I finish before time with -0/-1 wrong. That definitely did a lot of damage to my confidence and mindset. I was planning on taking a few more PTs before the test, but I'm now realizing that I may just need to take a couple of days off and step away from everything LSAT. Thanks so much for all of your input---it truly is invaluable and has helped me calm down and RELAX.
Thank you everyone for the advice - it is really helpful to see how other people felt 2 weeks before the LSAT or after burnout in general. I'm happy it's common to take a break this close to the LSAT. My mom is a powerhouse machine and was shocked that I took a break this weekend (and made me feel guilty/regret about it), but after seeing these comments, I feel like I gave myself some much needed time off!
and to @nadiaj17 -- I just took the weekend off the LSAT and feel super refreshed and ready to review material today. I saw friends, got out of my house (was getting cabin fever), exercised more than usual and just chilled. Now my plan is to start studying at around noon every day after a good morning routine, and do untimed drilling & take the day easy (i.e. I won't lock myself in my room until 9pm, but rather lightly study and drill until 6 and then give time to myself).
I'm in the same place--right before the Feb LSAT trying deeply to avoid burnout! Don't let anyone let you feel bad about it. I was worried about burnout, and seriously underperforming in LR because of it--everything just felt like soup in my mind. I spent the weekend outdoors, watching TV, and cooking. Yesterday I took a PT and I felt SO MUCH MORE in control. Your brain needs it! You got this! We got this!