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How to get past post LSAT Burnout
Hi everyone,
I'm a non-traditional student and have been studying for about a year. I work full-time at a law firm, have a wife and kids. I have a 1 1/2 year old and a 16 year old. I work days and my wife works nights, when I get home from work I have to watch the baby and on Thursdays and Fridays I have to go to my 16 year old sons football games. So basically everyday I start at 5:30am and don't have a break until 8:30pm at the earliest at which point my mind is just numb. My study times are 5:30am-7:30am but I've just lost the motivation and I've started to go to the gym in the mornings instead.
I pushed really hard for the August LSAT and didn't perform as well as I'd hoped. I got a 152. I know I need to re-take the LSAT and get a better score but I'm totally burned out. When I try to study it just feels like my mind is numb and I just can't seem care or focus. It's been about a month now, and I was scheduled to take the October LSAT, but I haven't been studying and I'm probably just going to have to move it to next year and apply for 2024 at this point.
Has anybody experienced this burnout and does anyone have any tips to get past it? Thanks!
Comments
I'm not entirely sure how helpful this may be but I was in your position last year - completely burnt out due to work and I took the November test. Did absolutely terrible on it and I had already registered for the January test. Because I was so burnt out I took quite a bit of time off from studying but to my surprise my January test score ended up being the highest (although I will be re-taking regardless). I think at some point especially when you have so many things on your plate you need to take some time and just let your brain reset. Since you are already registered, I would definitely take a day or 2 to review/drill then take a full PT just to see how much your score has been affected and then go from there.
With that being said I definitely don't think waiting another cycle to apply is the worst thing. If you're really struggling with the burnout and cannot recover from it soon, just focus on self-care and get back to studying when you feel ready.
Hey there! I also took the August LSAT and have registered for the October LSAT, I've been slogging through the same burnout feeling you have.
For me, getting back into the studying groove has come down to forcing myself to be disciplined and ease back into my study habits. I try to do 2 hours a day and started out just doing a few 5 question LR sets and 2 LGs, then slowly increased the workload once I got mentally acclimated to doing LSAT prep again. Once 7Sage is open and the questions are running, I can hang in there, but actually getting 7Sage pulled up is a Herculian task.
I'd also recommend focusing your motivation on the areas you want to improve most. I was lucky enough to only come up 3 points shy of my target in August, so my studying has involved hammering the LR questions that I struggle with most. I know myself enough to know that my motivation to study will collapse fairly quickly, so I try to hit the important areas while I'm feeling into it. Unfortunately, most LSAT retakes only average a few extra points, so I wouldn't bother too much with studying the areas that you're already confident in.
Either way, you've already done the work by taking the exam! Be proud of the effort you've put in this far and keep at it!
Following
Do you have any downtime at work? I really burned myself out by studying so much after work to the point where I can’t look at an lsat book anymore after work but I try to throw in some studying during downtime at work.
This helps because my mind is at its freshest so it’s quality studying and I don’t have to worry about coming home to study. I don’t even have children so I honestly don’t know how you would have the time and energy to study after work.
Good luck!
I agree with what everyone else has said so far. If you are able to, getting a tutor who can diagnose your specific weaknesses can help you target your study which will most likely help with your score.
For the burn out try to do one thing that you enjoy and look forward to everyday whether that's watching an episode of your favourite tv show or going on a quick walk. But I think mental health is super important so waiting another cycle and recovering from burn out is also a good option.
Have you reviewed application requirements at your target schools or looked at the consumer data points for recent accepted classes (required by bar association, and it tells you percentage accepted and LSAT score ranges… the one for my target school also shows LSAT scores and scholarships and I was pleasantly surprised the partial scholarship range). While 152 isn’t IVY League scholarship, if that isn’t your target schools then you might have more flexibility, even if just a few points higher. Especially if you’re targeting a school with a lot of second career students. They might have more flexibility on scores because they understand life can be like your situation and they value the life experience that comes with being an older law student.
And I totally get it. I’ve got 4 kids 8 & under. I’ve been studying for 1.5 years but had to take a break for a few months from burnout/migraines from how I was studying. I’ve also found a few friends who are willing to babysitting swap with me (or who have offered to take the kids so I can study more). We also put our 4yo in afternoon preschool this year so I could use that as study time because anytime I try to study after kids’ bedtime I inevitably fall asleep instead. It has taken me longer but I have seen a 10 point increase in my practice scores (and had a big jump after getting back into it after taking a 2 month break)
I also have a friend who did poorly on her LSATs bc she was working full time and had young kids and couldn’t work in lots of study time. She applied anyway and they asked about it in her interview. She explained it, was accepted, and is now a successful lawyer. Your score is just a tool to get in. Once in, it doesn’t matter anymore. So talk to admissions teams and look at data points.
I congratulate you for even taking the LSAT in August with all you have on your late. I am in a relatively similar situation to you (except your schedule is a lot more busy then mine I presume). I also took the August LSAT and am planning to retake in November. I got a 159 on the exam, however with being a full time student, commuting to and from school (a little over an hour each way), working part time, and starting/running a local youth leadership group, there is definitely times I do not have the motivation to LSAT practice. Something I like to do that helps with burn out is taking time "treat myself". The concept is similar to that of a "cheat day" when dieting or working out, but more geared to self betterment then food. The basic concept is that whenever I feel burn out I take time out of my day to treat myself. It could be a simple as watching a few episodes of my favorite show or hanging out with people outside of this LSAT bubble. It doesn't mean no longer focusing on the LSAT it just means give yourself time outside the LSAT to be yourself. Some of the ways you can do this is by having dinner with your wife, going out with your friends, or just going out to do something with your family. I highly stress leaving the area you are studying, because having that break alone and help ease the burn out.
Also, tips to to be motivated while studying, try studying during naptimes or with your teen. When I worked at a private school that had a daycare, I would always utilize naptime for studying. It was really helpful because you have to set a relaxing zone for the child to nap also you know at one point its going to end. Which was helpful as motivation because often times with burn out it makes it seem that its never ending, where anyone who has experience naptime knows it ends (its not always that quite or peaceful). As for studying with your teen, this comes from personal experience. My college has study rooms and "study room hours" (during finals), and what I've notices is that in these rooms or during these hours, because there are other people studying around you the motivation to study comes as a result of that. If your teen is the type to not want you to be there while they do work, go to a coffee shop or something similar, the pure presence of people working around you motivates you to work. Also, for people who get distracted (especially those who have ADHD), this method is highly recommended, because it gives you enough stimulation because there is still things going on around you, but not too much where you can't say focused one thing. Also, if anything you can do what I do while I commute and listen to their live session recordings or podcasts during your work out. Your still focusing on the LSAT and getting tips on how to do better, but you can still work out and do not have to physically put yourself through drills and PT's.