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I Want to Quit
So, this is my first time posting on the Forum; I didn't really know where else to turn. I see a lot of people post their highest scores, tips on how to get better, trying to do their best for test day and while I really commend that, I don't know if anyone else feels the way that I do, and I could really use some advice and get out of my own head.
The plan is to take the test in October, and I started studying at the end of May. I'm vastly behind on the 7Sage study schedule, mostly because I've been struggling to find study methods/materials that were effective for me. My diagnostic was a 151, and my highest PT has been 158 (I struggle the most with LG).
At one point, I burned myself out by doing a week of PTs in a row, studying 8-10 hours/day most days. I cried every night at the thought of going to sleep and waking up to do a test, taking meds to force myself to sleep so that I could wake up and start exactly at 8:30AM. I took a two week long break recently, feeling guilty and anxious the whole time as time is running out until the official test day; I latest PT back from that was also a 151. Back to square one.
I realize this may be inappropriate to post on an LSAT prep website, but I want to give up. I would like the guilt and sadness and anxiety to stop, but I also feel guilty about the amount of money I've already sunk into starting this process. The LSAT represents the gateway to a possible future for me, but also one of intense stress added onto present COVID conditions. On one hand, my brain tells me that I'm just being lazy, that I'm making excuses and making myself the victim of my circumstances. On the other, I just don't want to feel like I want to die.
Comments
Thank you for being brave enough to share your experience, as tough as it may be. I hope that you’re able to extend grace to yourself knowing that all you are able to do each day is your best. And sometimes your best looks different than it did on previous days. If all you have to extend towards studying is 2 hours one day, then give your mind, body and soul grace. Maybe tomorrow you’ll have the energy to study 6. Or 8. Or 2. Which is fine.
Please identify something that brings you joy and allow yourself time and space to do so freely. You need to breath. To smile and to be happy. The worst that can happen is that you decide that you want to postpone your October test date. Yes, that may suck, but guess what? You’ll still be here, hopefully healthy and happy. And that’s what matters.
So. Eat the ice cream. Cry. Watch the sunset. Sing out loud. Take the walk. Love on yourself, sounds like you’ve been working really hard.
To be completely candid, prioritize your mental health and well-being over this standardized exam. Perhaps this is not the right time to be applying for law school, especially with all of the stressors and factors that you shared in your post.
While I wholeheartedly believe that one day with the right mindset and effort you'll be able to reach your goal, if you feel like you're just hitting a wall and generally suffering...then yeah, you may have to reevaluate your plans for the near future. Just remember that you matter more than the LSAT, and that it does not define you.
Good luck with whatever you decide either way, I sincerely hope you make a decision that is to your benefit!
Mental health is important. Dont burn yourself out too hard. Take a break and reevaluate
A PT every day for a week....I'm towards the end of my studies and the most I'd consider doing is 2 a week at MOST three.
Would you consider delaying a cycle? I know it's a big decision but, studying for the exam is so much less stressful, and can even be quite fun if you don't have the pressure of a deadline. If you started studying without an end date in mind if gives you the benefit of scheduling an exam when you do finally start hitting your goal score.
8-10 hours a day is honestly unfathomable to me. My brain needs a break from the LSAT after 4 hours. It's a test that changes the structure of your brain and its important to not have it consuming your thoughts at all time.
I wish you the best with whatever you decide. Life is too short to be feeling this way! Sending warm wishes
Do not worry. You're far from the only one out here who's stressing and having anxiety. All you can do in these circumstances is to tell yourself to take baby steps.
Stop spending eight hours a day studying. Instead, just get fresh copies of logic games that you find challenging from past PTs or lessons, and do them over and over, using the game board from the videos, and try to remember all the inferences from memory. You don't even have to time yourself at first. Just make sure you can understand all the inferences, and you're doing the game board correctly. This should be a lot less stressful than taking full-on PTs. So try doing this every other day instead of doing the PTs as a way of giving yourself a break. I believe this should increase your performance on the LG after a while. Don't worry! LG seems hard at first to many, but it's also the easiest to improve your score on!
But whatever you do, stop spending that much time everyday studying! That's not good for your brain, and perhaps is partially the reason why you're struggling.
I think almost everyone feels like this at a point. Definitely not alone.
Take care of yourself, mental health should be a priority. Dependent on where you are applying to Law School you can take the LSAT as late as the January for this cycle (I know that is the case in Ontario). Try exercising or going outside even to study, location helps a lot. By switching your routine a little it may help. Everyone at some point has probably felt like giving up, I know when I did I just needed a break from studying all day everyday. You got this, just give yourself time.
I hope your last sentence is not your conclusion. that sounds like you are thinking about suicide? please call a suicide hotline and seek professional help--that is dangerous territory you are treading.
adjust the expectations you have of yourself and seek gratitude. practice mindfulness. what is your WHY? these sorts of approaches help.....
again, please seek professional help: symptoms like suicidal thoughts require specialized intervention and maybe even medication. i wish you all the best.
It might be best to take a year to study and refresh mentally - or if you decide to pursue another route (grad school instead). The lessons we learn studying for the LSAT can apply to everything in our real life (flaws and awful-logic are everywhere! And it's funny to be in this 'secret club' where one can translate the nonsense or at least be aware of how pervasive it is). The lessons of LSAT logic might help one write a better graduate thesis; so not a financial waste if you head down that rabbit hole.
I was reminded of what one of the first videos in the CC said:
That the LSAT is hard, but law school is even harder.
If you decide to keep going, but delay for a year to study longer, you'll be going into law school with a better mental strength. Maybe the coursework and exams will be less mentally stressful?? (Or at least, your mental stress 'muscles' will be ready to conquer that challenge)
If you request a coupon for your October test, that coupon is good through the April 2021 test.
Good luck!! I felt like a total common sense moron when I started studying - but I now know that my weakness was that I thought I understood and could apply logic, but I only recently realize how it exists everywhere in this test - so that I didn't actually know what I didn't know. ... And who knows what I haven't 'seen' yet!
Give yourself more time - you really haven't studied long enough.
You can do it! You're not alone. I've been studying 60+ hours per week going on 9 months now. Push through!! You can do it!
Sounds like burnout to me, which is totally normal. Breaks are so important. This is a test of skills, you won't lose any information if you take a few days off. In fact, I tend to do better if I recognize I'm moving close to burnout and take a few days off. It really is counterproductive to take so many PTs in a row. I'd suggest slowing down, take some time off to relax, then come back and review answers you've missed, let it soak in. You'll improve and thank yourself for it. At the end of the day, this is just a test. And you're not alone in this, even if it feels that way at times.
I did super well, studying many hours every day at first and breezing through the core curriculum, but when I got to PTs, I just stopped. I had lost my job due to Covid, and began working a job that I hated where Covid risk was high and I was paid very little to be regularly belittled. I did a few problem sets over a month and half. Even now I've found it hard to do full PTs without burnout. I have found improvement by trying my best to do at least one section (I was doing LG as it was my worst) on most days (maybe 4 or 5 days of 7). It's not much but it helped me feel better about it after a week or so and on some days I would feel motivated to do a couple more problem sets. I hope this helps a little, I believe in you.
You can do it, and I believe in you. Take breaks when needed, and mental health is important.
DON'T GIVE UP!!! To relieve yourself of some stress just think about pushing your test back until you feel confident that you are properly prepared and will do well. Who knows, you may feel better come October and end up taking it. But, just remember you can always take it again. Take it from me, I am too a person who struggles with stressful situations to the point where I feel I have to be overly prepared just to compensate for nerves. Please, don't give up. Someone, somewhere, at some point, will be counting on you in the future. Remember that ! Best Wishes
I think you're experiencing burnout and you should take a few days off to reset.
A few tips I want to add:
1) Try out mindfulness and meditation. Headspace is a great app that I use that helps me mentally cope with this test. There are so many scientific studies on how great meditation is. Give it a try.
2) Working hard is necessary for a high score, but it's not sufficient. You need to work smart as well. Less is more. A week of PTs is absolutely insane. The maximum amount of PTs I take a week are two, and that's only when I'm studying full time. When I had a full time job, I could only take a PT twice a month because of how much you have to blind review. It takes a huge amount of time for to blind review a PT. Sometimes, I spend an hour on one question figuring out all of its intricacies before moving on, writing a page worth of analysis so I truly grasp what's happening. You need to be squeezing every single thing you can get out of a PT, and I have a feeling you're just moving onto the next PT without doing this.
3) Make sure you are fullproofing LGs, but also that you're fullproofing efficiently. Doing them over and over is great, but you must be constantly thinking of all the inferences and why these inferences are happening when you're foolproofing. Not just going with the flow and copying things down just because it's the right answer.
Apologies for the long reply but oh man I have been in the same position. Before I took February, I cried in the bathroom of multiple New York Public Library branches. Every second not spent studying felt like time slipping by and as the test date got closer, the more panicked I became. I completely lost sight of quality over quantity. I was totally bypassing blind review because I thought that I needed to take more PTs to improve. I studied again for six weeks before July, and slowed myself down a bit. Still not enough blind review though so very little improvement and I had multiple breakdowns. I've used like four different study methods/books/programs because I couldn't find one that worked for me. You're not alone. I've been studying on and off since August 2019 so it's been over a year with this test.
Studying for a third (and hopefully final) time for October. I started off doing one PT section per day and blind reviewing all of it. I'm slowing myself down in LR so I'm not missing important wording. And on top of that, I'm seeing improvement. Also seconding the folks who talked about meditating. I've been doing that before I study to decompress from my workday and get into focus-mode. I say affirmations before I start. I went back on my anti-depressants after a few years off. My outlook has changed dramatically. I'm trying to find the little wins during every PT and really hype myself up. I won't lie and say that I look forward to taking PTs but I no longer dread them, and am excited to see how I do.
I know this is easier said than done, but LG is the most "learnable" of the sections for many people. If that's your weak spot, that's actually a good thing. I find doing logic games to be the least mentally taxing because it's like a bunch of fun puzzles. Do some of them untimed so you can really get an idea of what you need to look for in terms of inferences/applying rules quickly to questions. Once you get that LG score up, your overall score will improve a lot. You can do this. My experience mirrors yours in so many ways. Feel free to message me privately if you want to talk more!
I think it's important to remember that law school and this test will ALWAYS be there. There isn't any reason to be burning yourself out studying 8 hours a day, if it is negatively affecting your mental health. Take it slow and keep chipping away, but remember that this isn't the only time you'll ever have a shot at this. The long game isn't as exciting but it could end up getting you somewhere worthwhile! Hang in there.
Hi omg! I felt this exact way last time I took this test last year. The first thing I would say is to rest for a few days and find a new mindset. I would literally cry like on the daily because I wasn't seeing the improvements that I wanted too and it didn't do me any favors when I took the test knowing I wasn't as prepared as I should be. Second, if you have the resources I would suggest finding a tutor to work with. Tutors are life savers mainly because they can point out things that you do and you don't even realize. Third, review the material and go back and see what exactly your weakness is and go from there. I don't know what your goal score is but sounds like if you can get a 158 you are right on your way and the problem is consistency with the basics. So starting back at the basics sounds great. Stay with the october test for now and before the deadline maybe assess how you feel and then switch to the November one. It's so easy to feel defeated with this test, but I learned to look at this test by saying this is not actually that hard, I can master this with the right tools and it's made a world a difference. Fourth, studying for 8 hours a day is way too much. I would study max 4 hours a day and minimum 2 because over 4 hours the information starts to fuse together. Learning to know when to stop is vital for the lsat because similar to you I want to keep going until I get it right and then I frustrate myself a lot. Sending lsat breakthroughs your way!
I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you're in your mid to early twenties. As someone who is married, has a child, is in their early thirties, and embarking on this as a second career...don't quit. 158 is not that bad. You can get into a decent regional school if you want. Lots of people that I know that have gone to mid-range or regional schools can have very lucrative careers in law. I know of people who have done well for themselves in 3rd tier or 4th tier schools and I know people who are miserable as shit that went to Stanford, UT,etc. PERSPECTIVE. It is all about how WELL you do IN law school. Nobody cares about your LSAT score once you are a lawyer. Again, you can have a good career and make good money with an average LSAT. Also, TAKE A BREAK!!! You're burnt out. Scale back, set out about 4 hours a day and then focus on your life the rest of your day.
I think you need to recognize at the end of the day this is just a standardized test and if you don't do well this time keep studying and practicing and you'll slowly improve. LSAT is hard to get better at and that's why JY recommends studying for a whole year. With that being said I think you're taking too many practice tests. If I were you I'd do 2 a week and spend the rest of the time really going over your missed questions in great detail. Finding what question types or answer choices seem to fool you. Since you said LG is hurting you the most right now I would keep going over LG lessons and doing a TON of LG to practice good diagraming which make finding the correct answer much easier. Just breathe and take it one day at a time, don't pay attention to your overall score but where you can improve. LSAT requires you to be able to handle a lot of stress without freaking out. I feel you, I'm over studying everyday to see almost no progress but I know if I keep doing it over and over and over while really focusing on my weak areas I will get better. Its just like any skill you have in life, it takes tons of repetition to master it. And that's what we are all here for, to master the LSAT and get into a good school with hopefully some scholarships. If your LSAT is weak try to make up for it in other areas of your application. Good luck and I'll see you online for the October FLEX
Hey sending you positive vibes. You're not alone. I've cried a few times during my study process. I think it's important to let go of perfection and prioritize your mental health. I would also study 8-10 hours a day and then eventually realize that I get more work done with 6 hours a day. You need to allow yourself to have a break so your brain can absorb the information you learn. Also you have a pretty good score so far, so commend yourself for the progress you have made. I hope you feel better.
Everyone is different, but here are a few things I did to improve and stay in a decent head space:
FIRST FEW MONTHS: When I was just starting out during the first few months, I almost only focused on the CC and drilling. While I wasn’t ready for the test (at all) during these months, I built a strong foundation, especially with logic, that continues to help me today. I took a few PTs, and they went up sometimes, but there were a lot of highs and lows. Some tests I only went up by 1, some tests I went down by 5. It definitely felt demoralizing at times, but I knew that if other people had gone from the low-150s to mid-170s, then I could too. Basically, knowing that other people have gone through this same experience and made it out fine has been huge for me.
LG FOOLPROOFING: I had been studying fairly consistently since January, and when my classes started again in March, I knew I couldn’t put in the same amount of time I was used to. So I pretty much just did what I could. Before I started PTing again, I knew my LG could still use a lot of work, and I knew that foolproofing could get me to -0. So I foolproofed probably 10 games in the week before I started PTing again, and I then continued foolproofing 3-4 games/day. After the initial week of LG foolproofing, I started taking 1 PT every week. In the beginning, I made a wrong answer log for LR with explanations for why the correct answer was right and every other answer was wrong. This was really time-consuming, and I only did this for about 3 tests, but I do think it helped me consciously try to understand every mistake I now make. My PTs during this time improved by a few points with the help of LG, but I didn’t like that my score pretty much depended on going -0 on a section. I didn’t realize until a few months later when I got a tutor what I had been doing wrong for LR and even RC.
MENTAL BREAK: At this point, my spring classes had ended, and I was starting my summer classes. I was feeling pretty burnt out after finals, so I decided to take a week off from the LSAT. Did my score go up after my break? No. Actually, I’m pretty sure it went down. But even so, I needed that time off because I knew I couldn’t keep studying without a clearer head. I went back to taking 1 PT/week, and I saw some improvements, but again, not the kind of gains I was looking for.
BLIND REVIEW: At the end of June, I took a PT to see if I was ready for the July test. Nope. I scored way lower than my target. So I decided to push back my test, and I finally caved and got a tutor. I honestly don’t think a tutor is necessary for everyone or even most people, but mine helped me realize mistakes in my approach, which is what made the investment worth it to me. My biggest takeaway? Blind review. Blind review every single practice test; you need to know what you don’t understand, and if you don’t get 180 with unlimited time to think through every question, then there’s something you don’t understand. I had never taken blind review seriously before, and I wish I had listened to JY in the CC.
PT SCHEDULE: In July, I continued taking 1-2 PTs/week (sometimes I didn’t take any), but I blind reviewed everything. I saw my consistency increase, and it always felt amazing when I saw a 180, even though it was just my BR score. Knowing that I understood the concepts enough to score a 180 in BR motivated me to try to score that high on a real PT. By August, my summer classes were over, and I dedicated most of my time to studying. I now take about one PT every other day, and I BR either the next day or sometimes the same night. I never BR immediately after the test because I need some time away so that I can look at the questions with fresh eyes. I still have the occasional dips in my score, and this is where my mindset change has helped me the most.
MINDSET: Going into the August exam next week, I’ve been trying to think of ways to stay levelheaded so that I’ll treat the test like any other PT. Basically, I’ve realized this: my score on the LSAT literally doesn’t matter. I know that’s probably weird to say on a 7Sage forum, but it’s true. Do I want to go to law school? Yes. Do I want to be a lawyer? Yes. But at the end of the day, these are just things that I want; I don’t actually need them to happen to be happy or to have a good life. Like most everyone who’s putting in the time and effort on this site, I know that I’m capable of working hard and achieving goals, and I know that this can translate well into any other job. No matter how I score on this test, and no matter if I apply to law schools this cycle or not (I’m still undecided), I know that I’ll be okay either way. Worst comes to worst, I take a gap year, which pretty much every school recommends doing anyways. There are people in the world worried about clean water or hunger or war; meanwhile, I have the privilege to worry about a test that can only help my future. This thought really humbles me and puts things into perspective. The LSAT really isn’t do or die, even though it can feel that way. No matter what, your mental health and well-being will always be more important than this test.
HOBBIES/STAYING SANE: This post is getting crazy long, so I’ll try to finish up. Basically, I picked up two hobbies since my studying (and also quarantine) started: baking and watching movies. I’ve baked probably 20+ recipes at this point, and they’re almost all things I never thought I could make before, like tiramisu, multilayer cakes, and panna cotta. Spending a few hours each week building my baking skills and proving to myself that I can do things I never thought I could has surprisingly been a huge confidence booster. It’s given me time to detox and something to look forward to every week. The same goes for movies: I’m watching movies I’ve always wanted to watch but for whatever reason kept putting off, and it’s rewarding to finally understand what sets certain films apart from the rest. This is all to say that I’m doing things in my free time that are rewarding and make me feel good. I also deleted all of my social media apps, which frees up a lot of time and also helps me feel better about myself.
tldr; Everyone feels demoralized at some point when they’re studying for this test. When you feel this way, you need to slow down or take a break. Engage in a hobby, spend time with family, meet up with friends — whatever positive thing you can do to make you feel good about yourself. When you study, make sure you BR and fully understand your mistakes. Keep foolproofing LG. And understand that this test isn’t the be-all and end-all; you’ll have a life after this test no matter how you score. Just try to keep things in perspective, and I fully believe that sooner or later you’ll start to see the improvements you’re working so hard for.
I'm loving all the encouragement on this post. First of all, diagnostic of 151, that's amazing! And you are already hitting that 158? Congratz! I did not progress that fast lol, so I think you need to give yourself some pat on the back for that. I used to feel exactly what you are feeling, guilty if I'm not putting in the hours, stressing and trying to do as much as I can and dreading to study. but the result was bleh. I've since learned, it's not about the score I get at the end of a PT. It's about what I'm learning, it's the process that helps you to sharpen your mind and your skills.
Also, what helped me the most is a shift in mindset. If you see the LSAT as a mean to an end, you are only becoming a slave to it and it will eat up all of the freedom of your spirit. Free yourself from that trap, that fear of it, and essentially putting it on a pedestal that really doesn't even deserve. When I shifted my mentality, I started reading the LR passages as if someone is talking to me, and I started finding myself going, wow are you kidding me? Nooo get outta here, and sometimes I'm like oh thats cool, interesting thought! And for LG, I also learned to have fun, it's like playing a brain teaser game, don't see it as a part of your obligation, but have fun with it! And for RC, I'm trying to read them as if I'm interested and learning. And I've actually gained some knowledge from it! There are times I Google the topic they are talking about and become super invested in the topic, and the great thing is that these RC topics repeat. So once you learned about one topic, it'll come up again, and you'll be like hey! I've read a passage on this! And you'll be able to use the knowledge you gained from previous passages to help you through it. Like everyone's been saying, the test will always be there, law school will always be there. Don't put pressure on yourself thinking this is a race of life, it's not. If you aren't in a good mental state, it's hard to do pretty much anything. Seriously don't let the LSAT take away the freedom of your spirit!! Ease off on the PT right now because you need time to yourself and regroup. I've only recently started doing two PTs a day, and that's because I went through a huuuuuge self-transformation which actually enabled me to do it without burning out, because i'm having fun with it, thank Jesus honestly.
Don't see the LSAT as a necessary mean to get into law school, but think of it as your own personal journey, a rite of passage for you to grow and develop as a person, it's a personal development. The fact that you are struggling indicates to me at least, you are in an uncomfortable place, where I honestly believe is the place for growth. Take your time, work on yourself. The circumstances don't change, but what makes something seem easier or better? It's because the person who's going through it changes. Don't be afraid of the LSAT! Fear is crippling when you let it take hold of you. Turn your fear into curiosity, try to find out more about it, and then you'll realize it's actually not that bad after all. If law school really is your calling, then don't give up, but take it one step at a time with peace and grace to yourself.
please don't put your self-worth in the score you get on your PTS or in the studying of the LSAT, or just in the LSAT itself. BECAUSE YOU ARE WORTH SO MUCH MORE! YOU ARE WONDERFULLY AND FEARFULLY MADE AND NO MATTER WHAT SCORE YOU SEE AT THE END OF YOUR PTS OR ANYTHING IN LIFE, IT CANNOT TAKE THAT AWAY FROM YOU!!!!!!
I hope you are hearing all the encouragement of everyone here. I agree with them that while studying for this test is important, it is NOT the most important thing ever and your mental health is more important than any test. You may not want to hear this, but maybe taking a break would help you. I delayed applying last cycle after my little brother passed away unexpectedly and I honestly fell into a combination of mourning and depression. I stopped studying for a few months altogether and tried my best to get through what I was going through. Even now I'm not 100% back to myself but I've turned a page in my attitude with studying for the Lsat and while i'm not doing as great as I'd like, I think sometimes we have to allow our human sides to work things out. If this is something you want, don't give up on yourself just yet. Give yourself a break to be human and then recover and come back. The fact that you're looking for encouragement to me says you want this and are struggling with how to keep going. Take a break but know that for some of us we may never be feeling 200% great while studying for it and that's ok too, it's about optimizing what you can. As for me, I'm here drilling LG. If you need a study buddy, hit me up
Just having the courage to write this post makes you an strong human. Asking for an advice or sugestions for sympton that you reconized that you may have (stress and anxiety). Makes you an smart person. This 2020 has been a tought year for me too. Take steps to find balance in your life. Talk to a coach or pastor somenone that you trust as mentor. You are so brave, smart and kind person that is worth more than any LSAT.
Best,
This is way after the fact, but as an educator I will say that I think your biggest barrier right now is your stress about the process. When you have all the stress and anxiety around the activity it is really hard to 1. Absorb the knowledge you need and 2. enjoy learning new things enough to keep going. Your affective filter is way too high and that prevents acquisition of knowledge. That may sound like a bad thing, because if you are feeling hopeless it may seem like there is no way to address it. but I think you just need to find a way to enjoy the studying and you will see growth.
Whether that is a way to reward yourself for each right answer or a perspective change that lets you enjoy the questions or something else I can not say. I might suggest the first to start with. You also sound like you have been overloading yourself, taking too many PTs. It is okay to back the test up to November if that will remove some of the stress from you. This is a different kind of studying and learning that school was but somethings still apply. Good luck and know that you absolutely can do it.