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Making a Strategic Study Schedule

miriaml7miriaml7 Live Member
edited November 2019 in General 1025 karma

I am fortunate enough to be able to study for the LSAT full-time, but feel that I have not made the most out of my time. When I was going through the CC, I really enjoyed it because it provided me with structure. However, now that I am done with the CC and don't have that structure, I have really been struggling to make the most out of my study sessions. After reading some test prep articles online, I realized that I would benefit from creating a schedule for each of my study sessions. I want to develop a study schedule with specific time stamps and specific goals. I would love to hear from those of you who have found success with developing study schedules and possibly sharing a sample study schedule.

Some Background:
Diagnostic: 142
I would like to take the exam in February, but am okay with waiting a little longer if it means getting a higher score. I will definitely have to go back to work after February.
I have only taken three PTs because I quickly realized that I need more help with the basics. PT1:149 PT2:140. PT3:139
In oder to adresss the fact that I was struggling with the basics, I purchased The Loophole by Ellen Cassidy and used that to help me structure my study sessions. I was able to get through the book in a week and since then I have been drilling the specific LR question types that I have struggled with the most. I used the data analytics to help me determine which question types I needed to focus on, but I am nervous about devoting so much time to LR and neglecting LG and RC.
I have created my own LG bundle (binder with all games from PTs1-35), but have not gotten around to actually using it.
After doing the CC, I haven't addressed RC in my studying

I really appreciate any input. Thanks in advance!

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Comments

  • Achen165Achen165 Member
    656 karma

    I have personally found it helpful to create my schedule on a tentative/loose basis, not so loose that I have to spend a significant amount of timing deciding how to spend my study time, but rather based on my performance. I allocate time depending on my strengths and weaknesses in accordance with my performance over time. Though I do like the idea of having some structure to have a timeline for the practice phase. It’s easier to set specific time goals for completing sections, but a little more difficult to compute how long it takes you to properly review your mistakes. You may need to adjust your schedule frequently based on your personal tendencies, from which you will set more specific goals to ensure you are hitting your target. If you are scoring relatively the same percentile in all sections, then all probably deserve attention. Do not rush through anything...go based off of your comfort with the materials. Set weekly goals, and perhaps break up the number of timed sections or games you would like to get through roughly within the next 2 months. Be tactful and accomplish the goals that you set for yourself, setting aside specific times per day and minimizing distractions so you are focusing and working.

    Do not be scared to spend too much time in LR...it’s 50% of the exam, after all it holds more weight in terms of your overall score than any of the other individual sections. It’s just that it can be mentally draining to focus on just one section, without rotation. I personally like to break up LR with Fool Proofing the LG, of course spending more time on LR. Initially, I began spending more time in LG because it’s the most learnable/mechanical section in the test, but once I got a better grasp on it the games takes up less time and far less mental horsepower, and had to adjust my studies to focus more on LR to maximize performance. Do not abandon RC.

    Establish a method for reviewing to make the most out of the work that you do. If you feel like you need more foundational guidance, consult it and drill accordingly before moving on to timed sections and ultimately, fully timed exams. Some tutors advocate splitting your time equally between focusing on all sections and then tying it together at the end. But personally, I feel myself lagging with monotony, I like to rotate my area of focus every few days. Just make sure you are doing timed practice after you get to a comfortable place untimed, accounting for the full time hours you have at present to allocate plenty of time to practice under timed conditions.

  • miriaml7miriaml7 Live Member
    1025 karma

    I really appreciate you pointing out that my schedule won't be set in stone. Thank you for this detailed response:)

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