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People that take breaks from studying....
LSATcantwin
Alum Member Sage ⭐
How?
I have been going non-stop since May. I keep reading different suggestions about taking breaks and it helping your score but I just can not let myself do it. I don't want to look back come September and think I didn't do enough. I also really want to prove to myself that I am capable of achieving my goal. So any time I try to give myself a break I simply cannot let myself do it.
Does taking a break really help that much?
Comments
I've taken breaks all throughout my preparation. Days and weeks at a time sometimes, and I took all of February off only to return to then personal best timed individual section scores.
I would have scored a 160 on the Digital LSAT on May 20th if it was scored. I took a PT a week later and scored in the lower 160s. I did no work from that point on until the night before and the morning of the official June, and I ended up scoring a 169.
Take breaks when you need them. You will know when you need them.
Every time I take a few days off I swear I come back and do the best I've done in a while. My best score was after taking close to a week off, though, I did notice I was a bit slower on games. Still, scored my highest yet.
i feel you on not feeling like doing enough if you're taking breaks, that's why when I do take breaks, I generally still do a bit of LSAT work that's not completely question and answer. This might mean going back to the CC and doing the logic translation quizzes, or going over my flash cards of the 19 common flaws, or going over the valid and invalid argument forms.. I do this for maybe a week or maybe just 1-2 days, and when I do timed sections or PT again, I find that even just doing that ends up getting me points on questions I would have otherwised missed had I not stopped and did some maintenance on my skills. This way, I am comfortable with taking breaks because i feel like i am still doing work, but i am not burning out because i am in a cycle of PT, BR, REVIEW, PT, BR, REVIEW.
I took a 3 month break from studying after my 3rd take (thought it was going to be for good until LSAC stopped their retake limit) and after studying for 2 years. In the recent weeks after coming back to study i got -3 on a LR section, and been averaging minus 1 and 2 for LG sections. I would say I retained most of what I knew but was able to approach my work with a more fresh pair of eyes.
My experience has been yes. I've come back after a break and things just seem to have clicked. I'm not sure how when I was on break and in an anti-LSAT mood but it happened more than once. The brain is like a muscle that needs a break just like all the rest. If you start suffering from burnout you may make things worse. Just pace yourself. If you don't feel you need the break then continue but going full speed may catch up with you.
I once heard an analogy made between LSAT preparation and weightlifting. Anecdotally weightlifters often find they achieve a new personal record on a given lift after having taken a short break from the gym. During that break their body has had time to fully recover from their regular workout schedule, allowing them to perform that little bit better when they return. You can say something similar of the LSAT. We're basically working out our brains with practice. By giving yourself a substantial break (days or weeks off) you might find yourself refreshed and energized when you come back to prep, resulting in improved scores. If you feel like you need some justification for a break, just tell yourself "I wouldn't hit the gym 24/7 since May, and nor should I hit the LSAT so often."
I started weight training about 6 months before I began my LSAT preparation, and continued to weight train all throughout it, and I love this analogy. Both weight training and LSAT preparation require mental discipline, focus, organization, motivation, and, perhaps most importantly, patience. You can't rush it. I didn't know you couldn't rush LSAT preparation when I started, but I found out soon after.
I read a scientific study that determined intensive LSAT study actually alters brain structure. That information really helped to put the LSAT into perspective for me. It makes total sense that a break can lead to a serious (and surprising) amount of improvement if you've been studying diligently leading up to it.
Oh, and I can deadlift 390 lbs now at 180 lbs. My bench is around 245-250 lbs, and my squat is well over 300. :-D The LSAT truly did change the trajectory of my life, in more ways than I imagined it would/could.
I actually had my schedule designed by @"Cant Get Right" and I cannot praise it enough. I have been on it for about three weeks and it has boosted the amount of time I am extremely focused on LSAT. The secret ingredient is that it has plenty of daily downtime built in that schedule.
A series of highly focused studying hours is followed by long breaks in between. I was kind of skeptical of it first because it only gives me about 6 hours of study time a day and I am a full time LSAT student at the moment. I was so worried that I this many breaks would lead me to not have that many study hours and I would not be using my time wisely.
But from experience I myself know that I am not as productive at LSAT after a couple of hours and dragging myself to keep studying for hours at a time makes the return on study time less and less. If anybody knows me they would know I used to get a lot of burnouts that would last for a week or more. My most recent one almost lasted for a month!
So I decided to heed the advice. It's a bit crazy in that even though I have a lot of down time, It involves me being up at 4:30 am and being in bed by 9 pm with my eyes closed. The combination of having time for yourself to relax or do other things and making time for things that I love like running and stretching has actually made me alert and highly focused for those hours and I have yet to even feel a hint of burn out because I do get completely guilt free downtime in between.
So forget just having a weekend off, I honestly think having daily downtime and having time for things you love other than work is the way to go.
The guilt free aspect of taking breaks is really important actually. Nothing will burn you out faster than feeling guilty about not studying every moment you're not studying. You simply can't do this 24 hours a day 7 days a week. So when you're not doing LSAT, leave LSAT behind. The first time I really burned out bad, I took about 2 weeks to recover. The first week of that was probably spent just feeling bad about myself for not studying. The burnout only worsened. The second week though, I was able to chill out and recharge. I watched some Netflix, saw friends, slept late, drank beer, and even played a little tennis. It was a really fun and relaxing week. When I came back, I was stronger than ever. The first thing I did was take a full length timed PT, kinda to just jump into the deep end. Scored my first 180.
You can't do this test without a clear head, and you can't maintain a clear head without taking some down time. Like it or not, you are a human not a machine.
DOES NOT COMPUTE...system reboot....I am afraid I can't do that Dave.
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I’m half crazy all for the love of you
It won’t be a stylish marriage
I can’t afford a carriage, but you’ll look sweet upon the seat
Of a bicycle built for two
@Sami would you be up for sharing your daily schedule? I recently began studying full- time and have been switching up what my day looks like to see what works best. I'd love to see an alternative daily schedule. My days have been 9 to 5 or 12 to 7 so far.
@Gladiator_2017
Sure. I wrote my schedule down below. This was designed to meet my particular needs because I have a dog and the drive to test center is 40 min.This mean not only do I have to be on a schedule but so does my dog. So we are both on like clockwork each day without a hitch. I also like a good 20 min stretch/meditation time in the morning because my back muscles feel strained after studying for so long on a desk which you may not need.
These times are set as a reminder on my phone. Which means as soon as the reminder goes off I got to move on to that task.
4:30 am - Get up and get dressed
4:40 am - Sophie's walk (my dog)
4:50 am - Stretching and meditation
5:15 am - Run/jog
5:30 am - Shower and get ready
6:00 am - make breakfast and eat it and give Sophie her breakfast
6:45 am - Sophie's walk
7:00 am - Downtime/I can answer 7sage (at this time during the test I would be driving to the test center)
7:50 am - Start warmup for 30 min
8:20 am - Stop warmup
8:30 am - start studying for LSAT
1:00 pm - lunch break and Sophie walk/playtime
3:00 pm - start studying LSAT
5:00 pm - Call it a day. I can do whatever I want now. Which includes LSAT if need be or even tutoring or 7sage but I am no longer obligated to study.
8:00 pm - Get ready for next day. (plan out what you would like to study/print warmups/ get running clothes and outfits ready).
8:50 pm - Sophie's final bedtime walk
9:00 pm - Get ready for bed (It takes me about 30 min to brush and floss my teeth, apply my nightly moisturizers and vitamin and face creams).
9:30 pm - in bed. No more screen time.
@Sami super helpful! Thanks for sharing.
So much structure. It's impressive. I don't think I'd be able to follow something so strict. Also, you study for long periods of time! It's interesting to see how different people people differently.
@goingfor99th
It seems like a lot but most of the things are things I need to do daily. Now they are just organized in a routine fashion so my routine acts like a LSAT test day. But if I just isolate the LSAT part here is how it looks.
7:50 am -8:20 am (Warmup)
8:30 am - 1 pm (LSAT)
3 pm - 5 pm (LSAT)
6.5 hours of solid study and 30 min of warmup
Yeah that's a lot. The only times I'd really study for that long in a single day is when I was obsessed with logic games at the beginning/end of my prep. Most other times it was 4 hours on LR/RC. Sometimes not even that much.
I need to get better at RC. I think I want to retake.
I also need to do that 1 to 17-20 then 26 back down to the middle in all my LR sections from now on. Also need to skip around in RC passages more.
@Sami for your warm up do you fool proof games or redo RC passages/ LR questions?
I do one easy game, one RC passage, and a couple of LR questions. Just like I would on a normal test day. I use an older PT for this.
I keep promising myself to finally hunker down and get into a routine, but I found another job that I'm kind of enjoying and figured I may have to delay taking the LSAT yet again.
Right now my routine is wake up around 6:30, get ready, work, eat, get home by 7pm and usually do some cleaning and errands. I aim to start prepping by 8:30 pm or so. I just keep telling myself law school isn't going anywhere; at least not the good ones, lol.
@"Alex Divine" Sorry to hear that. What Happened? I thought you were studying LSAT full time
But yeah, lol the good ones are not going anywhere. They might reduce their class size though. lol
Hey @Sami ! I was for about a month or so, haha. Then my girlfriend and I parted ways and I couldn't afford to live alone with my income in our apartment. So I was basically day trading my own money and it just wasn't cutting it. So my leave has ended and I am back working where I was, haha.
I'm not too worried, it's stressful, but I'm just going to keep pushing forward.
I am really really sorry to hear that Alex. I really like how you are continuing to push forward. Don't give up. You'll make it for sure
Thank you, @Sami. That means a lot and I know you're going to kill it in September
I just want you to know that although it sucks to have less study time -you can do it.
Nicole did and so have countless other people. It's not ideal but its not a deal breaker either. You will be just fine. Keep studying.
Absolutely! Just going to keep grinding until I get there. Might take me a whole extra year, but in the end, I know it will be worth it
Thank you again, Sami!