Top 3 Tips for Fitting LSAT Studying Into a Busy Schedule
The LSAT is a marathon, not a sprint. Staying motivated without burning out is not a given, and many people find themselves studying for the LSAT much longer than they meant to (think several months longer) because they just needed a break. So let’s talk about how you can study without putting your life on pause.
1. Get Up Earlier
It may not be profound, but it’s effective. Most people wait until the end of the day to open their LSAT books. At that point, they’re tired, hungry, annoyed at the day, and really just wanting to binge-watch whatever they can find, not stay up another 45 minutes to study. Even if you push yourself and do actually get to studying, your mind is simply not performing at its peak.
During the morning, your mind is most active. No, wait! Don’t stop reading yet! I get it. I should not be spoken to until after my first cup of coffee. But the truth is once you get up, get something to eat, grab your caffeine if you (desperately) need it, you’ve found the time of the day that the brain is most able to make new memories and focus most clearly.
Why? Much of it is situational. The morning is the time of day most likely to be quiet and peaceful. Especially if you’re in college, nights are going to be filled with people, music, screens, and just about everything that seems more fun than studying. Finding a time and place with only one thing going on, LSAT study, is ideal.
It’s also better to study when you don’t have so much to think about. At the end of the day, you’ve gotten a lot done, but there’s always more you need to do. You should not be deciding whether you can stay up 45 minutes later to finish your paper or try to squeeze it in during lunch tomorrow when you really just need to figure out what this LSAT argument is talking about. Your brain is trying to process all the events of the day. Instead, study when your brain is fresh and ready to go.
2. Plan Your Week Out
Organization will be your best friend. You have dozens of things that need to be done in any given week. And because studying for the LSAT is a long term process, it’s very easy to tell yourself that the Organic Chemistry test you have on Wednesday is way more important than the LSAT that’s three months away, so why not just delay studying until Thursday?
The truth is, once you decided to start studying, you’ve got to keep it up. Weeks off do cost something, and it’s harder to create a strategic plan if you’re just studying a bit here and there.
Instead, think about everything you want to get done each week. Even better if you write it down. Then from that list, isolate the items that absolutely must be done this week, and make sure to include LSAT studying. Then take a look at your calendar for the week and give every one of your absolute must-dos a specific day and time. Ideally, you’ll set a little time each day for the LSAT, but even if you have to do the bulk of your studying one or two days a week, at least you have it planned out.
This calendar system has two major benefits. First, it makes it way more likely that you will actually study for the LSAT each week. Second, by scheduling out your other major commitments, you don’t have to waste valuable energy on worrying what you’re sacrificing by studying for the LSAT. This chosen time is LSAT study time, and you will deal with the other things at their times.
3. Plan Short Activities
Throughout the day there are always a few minutes here and there when you have nothing to do. If you’re like me, those minutes are probably spent on social media or playing games on the phone. But what if you actually used those minutes to support your LSAT studies?
Each week, plan out a few things you could do to study that don’t require much material or notice. Maybe print out a page of Logical Reasoning that you keep on you so you can pull it out and do one or two. Have a few logic game set-ups ready (don’t worry about the rules or questions) and drill yourself on what each diagram would look like. Keep a Reading Comp passage that you’ll read one paragraph at a time, each time stopping to reflect on the main point of that paragraph.
If you use flashcards, have a few with you at all times. If you want to diagram games, have a small notepad that you can create quick sketches on, then put away when your free minutes are up. None of these are particularly hard to set up, but they require some planning so that you don’t waste your few minutes deciding what to do rather than just doing it. You’d be surprised how much continuous study throughout the day will help you to more effectively and confidently tackle an entire section.
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Emily Madan is a Manhattan Prep instructor located in Philadelphia, Pa. She has a master’s degree in chemistry and tries to approach the GMAT and LSAT from a scientific perspective. These tests are puzzles with patterns that students can be taught to find. She has been teaching test prep for over ten years, scoring a 770 on the GMAT and 177 on the LSAT. Check out Emily’s upcoming LSAT courses here.