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How do you beat severe mental exhaustion?

in General 201 karma

I have taken 5 timed PTs.
By the third and fourth sections my mental exhaustion is so severe I get slow and stupid.
It is debilitating to the point where the easiest LG takes forever to complete.
Mental exhaustion prevents me from finishing sections.

I quit drinking liquor a long time ago.
I excercise 5 days a week.
I take Seroquel and Lithium for bipolar disorder at night.
I drink coffee every morning.
When I BR I structure my time to match a timed PT.
I take 1 PT a week.
I have taken 5 timed PTs.

  1. How do you beat severe mental exhaustion?
  2. If I take a week off from the LSAT will it prevent my mental exhaustion from improving?

Comments

  • AwokenNovaAwokenNova Alum Member
    176 karma

    Have you considered doing a 3 section format? The LSAT flex format is what a lot of people end up doing in the test situation anyway these days with COVID. It takes less time. Also, it may help to maybe take tests every other week or at least take a few days off of the LSAT each week? My practice tests went from a 148 score to a 161 just from being kind to myself and taking more breaks. Some of my mentors say you gotta give your brain time and stamina to catch up to all that you learned.

  • mrowley91mrowley91 Alum Member
    203 karma

    Maybe try meditation? That's really help me get my mind right before taking a test. It also helps me focus when I start to feel the mental fatigue.

  • SilentEagleSilentEagle Alum Member
    100 karma

    It takes a while to get used to taking full tests. I would just keep taking tests. The endurance will come as you practice.

  • chisal17chisal17 Alum Member
    289 karma

    Similar sort of problem. Allow your brain to slow down, remind yourself that time tends to move slower than you think it is, and remember that you have to be patient with yourself and your brain as it learns this new skill.

    Guided Mindfulness meditations help as well. Do a short one every morning or night and it’ll help you improve your focus and stamina.

    Also maybe your meds are contributing to this exhaustion? I don’t know much about them, but it might be worth speaking to your doctor to see if there’s something they can recommend.

  • Chicago_HornChicago_Horn Alum Member
    68 karma

    Take a break, seriously it helps a ton. The lsat is a process test, and your brain will still be compartmentalizing all of the ideas which you have learned and worked on. Take a week off. Can't do that? Take a few days off. You will feel sharper and excited to prep again. I take a day or two off every few weeks to let things marinate. Burnout is real. If you're prepping for August, like me, watch yourself carefully, and take breaks of a few days to ensure you are sharp as a whip for test day.

    I almost always see improvement on my sections when I try this out.

  • 201 karma

    Thanks everyone. I appreciate your comments and support.
    I am definitely taking this week off.

  • errrrr1452errrrr1452 Alum Member
    132 karma

    @AwokenNova Hey, I am getting around 145-150 on PTs and my goal score is a 160. Any advice? I feel like I am stuck and would appreciate some advice from someone who has increased their score by that much. Thank you.

  • AwokenNovaAwokenNova Alum Member
    176 karma

    @errrrr1452 Hey! I feel you I was stuck there for a long time... It helped me a TON to start prioritizing my time and energy, because I was trying to focus on everything all the time. That ended up being exhausting and useless. I use the analytics tools on here. After I take a test, I use the tools to see what areas I mess up the most and how frequently they show up on the test. Letting myself get more comfortable taking practices tests, hammering hard in the blind review/analytics took me a long way. I also decided to focus my energy on Logic games first because that's the easiest area to improve. I usually miss 3-6 questions there. Now I'm moving onto Logical Reasoning accuracy. They say logic games is the easiest to improve, then logical reasoning, then reading comprehension is usually the hardest to improve. I'm at the point where I do silly mistakes, so I am trying to practice concentrating during the test situations.. I also noticed when I really started to understand valid and invalid argument forms, I started to improve a lot more in LG and LR. I hope this isn't rambling ! Just some initial thoughts. I hope it is helpful for you :3

  • mrowley91mrowley91 Alum Member
    203 karma

    @errrrr1452 I started out the same place as you! I struggled when I would only tackle one part of the test for too long and would neglect the other sections. I second what @AwokenNova said: LG is the easiest place to improve on, and repetition is key! I made leaps and bounds at the beginning of COVID when I forced myself to take a lot more tests than I normally would (2-3x week). While I wouldn't recommend that for everyone, I think the reason why I saw so much improvement during that period was for two reasons: first, because of the repetition with LG, and second, because it helped me get rid of the anxiety surrounding taking the test. I also made a 3-month study plan that detailed what I was going to do each study session to keep myself on the right track. Good luck! You've got this!!

  • errrrr1452errrrr1452 Alum Member
    132 karma

    @AwokenNova It was very helpful. Thank you!

  • errrrr1452errrrr1452 Alum Member
    132 karma

    @mrowley91 Thank you for the support!

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