What NOT to do

Comments

• Princess Alum Member

  April 2019 821 karma

  Haha it's okay to have a "fun" day once in a while. What made you want to take the test today? I would've been too lazy and lacking the motivation. Maybe you can still BR it to get better understanding of the material or just do it again as timed sections!
• 1 Like

  2ndTimestheCharm Alum Member

  April 2019 1810 karma

  Thanks. I'm just a super-scheduley person, and I have one PT on my calendar per week, so I feel like I have to check it off. I should have moved it ahead in the calendar, but I feel like the big clock is ticking now (the one that strikes on June 3), so I realize now that I honestly don't have room for any more "fun" nights between now and then...I work 45 hours a week and have to think all day at my job, as well. So it's hard to avoid headaches and burnout. But truly, thank you, for telling me it's ok, and I know it isn't a total loss. I can absolutely still learn from the BR - in fact I may have gotten a lot of questions right...don't know yet...the reason I felt so miserable is that I was going over time. I think I needed to live that experience for it to sink in how important it is to be in a good frame of mind on the day of the actual test. There are different levels of understanding that fact.
• MIT_2017 Alum Member

  April 2019 470 karma

  @2ndTimestheCharm Do whatever works for you, but to be honest, I think it is VERY important that you make sure to have some "fun" nights between now and June 3. I've taken this exam once before and, looking back, I think I suffered a little mental burnout from having a similar no-fun mindset. I am in a similar boat, working ~50 hrs a week, but I've found a way to set up my schedule such that I can still get one fun night in a week (whether that fun is drinking with friends or catching up on Game of Thrones with my girlfriend):

  I try to get a couple solid hours of studying in a night - effectively I just pretend that it is part of my "workday." So I rush home, get a section or two of LSAT done, review, and only then take that deep breath now that my day is done I'll admit it is easier said than done, but it's certainly doable. I then study for a good chunk of the weekend: I do a full PT on Saturday morning under test conditions, review it into Saturday evening, and then have my "fun". On Sundays I try to sleep in and then I tend to do any untimed work I want to do for the week, or whatever work I can do that doesn't require pristine focus and mental state. Then I try to take care of any errands I'll need to do for the week and try to get rejuvenated before tackling the week by having a relaxing dinner with my girlfriend and getting to bed early.

  Maybe that sounds obvious, or maybe it simply won't work with your schedule. But I know how taxing it can be on the mind to schedule your weeks while working full-time and studying for this exam, so I figured I'd share just in case it is of any value to you.
• mrsud310 Free Trial Member

  April 2019 3 karma

  Good advice, but a contradictory anecdote. I went to a bar with a few of my buddies Friday night and got pretty drunk. Woke up Saturday with a hangover, packed up, went to the library to take a practice test. While I was starting the test I was still pretty hungover, but by section 2 I was feeling alright. Got a 174. Beats me.
• 1 Like

  studyingandrestudying Core Member

  April 2019 5254 karma

  Mocktails could be a compromise.
• 2ndTimestheCharm Alum Member

  April 2019 1810 karma

  Thanks, @MIT_2017. I hear you. I took the test once before, too. I guess, for me, in addition to my full-time job, I'm making sure to include a lot of non-studying things in my schedule, such as working out, yoga, meditation, volunteer work, and of course, vegging out and watching TV - but the "fun" I'm living without is the alcohol. It just seems to really set me back, weaken my immune system and slow down my thinking power. But I know everybody is different.