Work full time and LSAT studying

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• 1 Like

  Starlesha Owens Alum Member

  July 2023 edited July 2023 8 karma

  I'm 23 and I work full time as a legal assistant at a busy law firm in MKE. I recently changed my schedule to Tuesday- Friday working 730 to 530 instead of Monday- Friday 830-5 so I can have an extra day to focus on studying. Personally, I am not a morning person so after work after an hour of relaxing works best for me, but if you are able to study in the mornings as well then I say go for it.
• 2 Likes

  bsarahbirk Core Member

  July 2023 11 karma

  Doing the same! plus just moved so it has been hectic. My plan has been to dedicate one weekend day to studying, plus an hour or two after work. Ive also scheduled in time for either the gym or time with friends/a movie a day. I found that finding a good balance and staying relaxed really helped boost my scores.
• 1 Like

  jbanalewicz Live Member

  July 2023 8 karma

  Im 25 and work full time as a paralegal in Miami. I work 9-5 Mon to Fri and study around 3 hours when I get home Wednesday to Friday and about 6-8 hours over the weekend. I give myself monday and Tuesday off to be able to come home from work and relax.
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  pyoung05 Core Member

  July 2023 edited July 2023 9 karma

  I'm 23 and work full time as a paralegal. I work 9-5 Mon - Friday and study around 5 hours Monday- Thursday. Then on the weekends I study 7-8 hours. I usually study after work but sometimes I schedule out time in the morning or during my lunch break to drill a few questions. My tip is to stay as disciplined as possible but also give yourself some wiggle room if your schedule through out the week changes. What's been my saving grace is before the week starts I use my google calendar and block out the time I want to study and the sections that I want to cover.
• 1 Like

  Adamaris Core Member

  July 2023 31 karma

  I am 26 and work full-time as a paralegal Mon - Fri 9 am - 530 pm. I try to study at lease 1 - 3 hour a day after work. I tried waking up earlier to study, but I am just not a morning person. You have to find what works best for you. I go through the core curriculum or Drill 5 - 6 questions and make sure I am blind reviewing, completeing the blind review and watching all the explanation videos. TBH meal prepping for the week has saved me some precious minutes after work! I come home, pop the meal in the microwave, wash the 2 dishes and after I am done and have taken a deep breath I am ready to study. I give myself Sunday's off to meal prep, prepare for the week ahead and just to get some space from the LSAT.
• 1 Like

  monneavictoria Live Member

  July 2023 56 karma

  Hi! I am 26 years old, in the military ( so more than a 40-hour work week), and a single mom. I study during my lunch breaks (1.5 hrs) and 1-2 hours after work. I study for 3 hours on Saturday and Sunday. It can sometimes be super tricky, but I always figure it out. I will be taking the LSAT in November.
• 1 Like

  imsolucky160 Live Member

  July 2023 11 karma

  Full timer here as well! I am currently attending grad school (thank god for summer) and working full time while also trying to fit in some LSAT studying. I currently wake up at 5 a.m. and get some studying done for about 1.5 before work and try to fit in 2 hours after work, but of course every day is different! If anyone is interested in forming a Sunday sesh study group let me know, that would be a great way to get our work week started!
• 1 Like

  TwentyStarGeneral Core Member

  July 2023 109 karma

  I studied for a total of 2 years combined. I worked full time and had a 1h 40m (mostly subway) commute into the city for the last year of my prep journey and worked full time and overtime for most of the time apart from that with the exception of a few months that I took off in between jobs when my son was born. In the last year, for a while I woke up at 4 am and studied before leaving my house until I got too worn out and went back to waking up at 5 am. No matter what though, I would study on the subway commute to work, usually an RC or LR section. I would then arrive to work 45m early and do a section of LG. At lunch I would eat quickly and do another section of LG or whatever I needed to work on. I would then review what I studied on the subway ride back home and then drill individual question types in LR or whatever else I needed to work on. In total, I was still able to fit in 3 hours per day on the week days, sometimes 4 if I could sneak in some extra. I would then PT on Saturday mornings, take a break, and blind review and review it in the afternoon. It's hard to do while working full time, but it can be done.

  I think that, ideally, it's better to wake up early before work and study in the morning when your mind is fresh than to study after work when you're tired. One thing I will say though: make sure you're getting your 7-8 hours of sleep per night -- ideally, 8 hours. With my situation it was hard to consistently get enough sleep and it definitely hurt my performance in practice and on test day. Hope that helps.
• Lawqueen94 Live Member

  July 2023 10 karma

  Full time working myself, 7:30-4:30 monday- friday. I try and do about 1.5hr after work, different section each day, then a prep test every Saturday. Sunday, if I have time, watching the explanation of what I got wrong on the LSAT. I have a 45min driving commute to work so I've found listing to podcasts really helpful too. Some are a bit hard to visualize the questions but the strategies are good to listen to. I listen to the 7sage podcast. Also powerscore to learn more about past tests and LSAT unplugged for study strategies and advice about applications. Several of the T14's have podcasts as well which is nice to give you a feel of the student body at the school. With about 2 hours in the car everyday the podcasts help me feel like I'm not getting behind in studying or application research.
• 1 Like

  addison101220 Core Member

  July 2023 56 karma

  I'm 23, working full-time, and also planning to take Oct/Nov LSAT. I try to study in the morning before work, or at lunch time because my job is flexible. I think the earlier, the better. I take practice tests on the weekends because I have more time.