Studying while working full-time

Comments

• 5 Likes

  LawBound-1 Yearly Member

  April 2021 90 karma

  Hi! I also work full-time, in Data Analytics.

  I usually only study 1 - 3 hours a day and take day's off when I need them. I try to not study on the weekends and get all the studying done on the weekend, and then take a PT on the weekend.

  So during the week I will review the PT I took on the weekend and go over the test 3 - 5 times. Doing the LG section multiple times, timed, and writing why my answers were wrong/right for RC and LR. And I've recently started going over the 7sage questions that I have the most trouble with and writing down why they are right/wrong.

  I think one of the things this community pushes the most, and all LSAT communities I've seen is that the LSAT should be your entire life and if you aren't studying all day, everyday, that you are somehow doing something wrong. It's important to realize that you still need sleep, exercise, doing things with friends and family and mental breaks and that's okay.

  I have been studying for a year and a half and when I started I was doing 4 - 6 hours a day, on top of my work and organization's I am apart of, which did not work. I have actually improved my score more in that last couple of months and I have been studying a lot less. I think a big part of it is because I am not burnout. I am taking care of myself and I enjoy studying more because I don't feel like it's intruding on my life.

  When you are having rough day's, and you will, remind yourself why you want this. I want to work in Child Advocacy so I constantly remind myself of the people I want to help and why I want to help and it helps when I am feeling discouraged or frustrated.

  Hope that helps, and best of luck. You CAN do this.
• 5 Likes

  bigbraintime Member

  April 2021 edited April 2021 33 karma

  I have been studying for the LSAT since September of 2019, working full-time all throughout. My job is pretty demanding and sometimes all-consuming (Legal department of a Fortune 50). Took my first LSAT Feb 2021, and plan to take again this June.

  I study between 1-2.5 hours per day on weekdays (broken up between my mornings and evenings), PT on Saturday, and review Saturday/Sunday. My weekday studying may vary depending on how busy my work week is, but I always get my PT in. Thankfully, since COVID, I have been working from home so I don't lose time to a commute.

  A typical week might look like this:
  Monday morning (1hr) - Take a full, timed section of LG, and review
  Monday evening (1hr) - Drill old games for practice, review

  Tuesday morning (1.5hr): Take a full, timed section of LR, and review, making notes in my wrong answer journal
  Tuesday evening (1hr): Read my RC textbook

  Wednesday morning (1hr): Take a full, timed section of RC, and review
  Wednesday evening: I don't usually study on Wednesday evenings.

  Thursday morning (1-1.5hr): Take a full, timed section -- I decide whether it's LR/RC/LG depending on what I feel like I want to focus on
  Thursday evening (1hr): Read my RC textbook

  Friday: More often than not Fridays are a day off. If I'm up for it, I might drill some old logic games in the morning.

  Saturday morning: Take a full Flex Practice Test
  Saturday afternoon: Review (I used to Blind Review a few hours after my test, but I'm no longer getting a ton of value from BR.)

  Sunday morning: If needed, finish reviewing
  Sunday afternoon: Take an full, untimed LR section (usually the odd section from the PT I just took)

  It can be really exhausting for sure. Some days I just don't have the energy to study after work or have to work late. This is why I plan to do my practice sections in the AM, and leave "lighter" work for the evening.

  I'm motivated purely by the fact that this is what I want. I want to go to law school. Moreover, I want to go to a law school that sets my future self up in the best way possible. Whether that means going to a mid-tier school with scholarship or a T14. My focus is purely on the LSAT.

  A few pieces of advice:
  1) If it's an option for you, don't work towards a test date. Instead, work towards a score and register only when you are consistently scoring that way. Working towards a test date will probably stress you out more, and put you more at risk for burnout.
  2) Take care of your body. Seriously. It sounds so trivial but it 100% affects your mental performance in every way. Eat healthy, cut alcohol out entirely or limit to a few drinks a week, and WORKOUT. Your accuracy, motivation, and comprehension will all benefit from that.
  3) PLAN breaks for yourself. Burnout is real. Spending all day working and studying is tiresome. I emphasize planning them because if you don't anticipate that you will need a break, you probably won't make time for it. This is easier to do if you are also doing #1. Your brain needs time to digest all the learning. It's the same as building in rest days to a workout routine.
  4) This might be redundant but it deserves to be called out explicitly. Be flexible in your study schedule. There may be days that work absolutely destroyed you and you just can't bear to study. Don't study. Take the night off. Watch your fave TV show, cook a good meal, do what you need to do. You can wake up a little earlier the next day and do that night's studying the next morning.

  Good luck! You are not alone.

  Edited to add: Although I have been studying for over a year and half, there were a few months at the beginning of last year that I was not studying at all (COVID, new job, lost my dad to cancer). I also don't think that the studying I was doing at the beginning of this journey was all that effective. I actually think I've made the most progress only in the last few months. I say this only to emphasize that it's really all about the quality of your studying, not the quantity.
• HopefulJo Member

  April 2021 76 karma

  @YesToday Thank you so much! This was honestly exactly what I needed to hear. I really appreciate your comment. Good luck on your LSAT journey!
• HopefulJo Member

  April 2021 edited April 2021 76 karma

  @bigbraintime Thank you! This is very helpful. I have made sure to eat healthy and continue a workout schedule, though admittedly it's not as intense as I'd like. I think something that really works against me is that I am not a morning person at all - I've tried to wake up early and study before work in the past and it was a complete waste of time. I was literally falling asleep in front of my computer when I tried to do that. So I do all my studying after work, which is sometimes fine but sometimes I'm too exhausted. Also, you mentioned an RC textbook - what book are you using?
• 2 Likes

  bigbraintime Member

  April 2021 edited April 2021 33 karma

  @HopefulJo - I am using Manhattan Prep's RC book. I've found it to be immensely helpful in articulating in concrete terms how to read RC passages.
• 2 Likes

  Thought this was the GMAT Member

  April 2021 183 karma

  I posted this on a similar forum, I hope it may help you a little bit:

  I'm slotted for the April exam, too, and I began studying in January. For context, I'm an active Army officer who just moved to Europe with a baby on the way and took a command position, so I can understand some of the stressors you might be facing. I've found success through a disciplined schedule. I've carved out two periods of my day that I dedicate for studying: 530-630 AM when I get to work, and whenever I finish I study for another hour before I head home. On Saturdays I take a PT, Sunday’s too if I’m feeling froggy. It was painful for the first few weeks, but humans are creatures of habit, and when a person creates a routine, from my experience, the mind and body are ready to go and you maximize your study efforts. It also helps you feel in control. That schedule helped me study and progress despite moving, change of command, and being in command, and creating something similar you can adhere to may help with your situation, too. Success, fun, and sleep are all part of that triangle where you can only have 2 of 3 at any time. Figure out where you can sacrifice from, find that time, and make it routine. I've always sacrificed sleep, but that's just me.

  I also like to use an analogy to help with preventing burnout. If you're into Crossfit, endurance events, weightlifting, etc., you've probably heard the saying "listen to your body." I've found studying for the LSAT is quite similar. If I'm studying for 5 minutes and literally nothing is clicking, I take a second and determine whether I need a break or not. If there's a lot of work stress or whatever sometimes I opt to do something else, or bust a workout to clear my head. That doesn't mean only study when you feel like it; it just means be self-aware.

  If you have any questions about the balance please feel free to shoot me a DM. I’m really hoping that my April score went well cause I do not want to take the June test which is 2 days before the baby’s due date, or August test and leave my wife with a 3 month old when I’m already working all day anyways. But that’s my problem to deal with.
• learn2skipQs Member

  June 2021 edited June 2021 730 karma

  great thread

  &great job guys
  thanks