People who got above 170's, should I stop watching TV? Forum

[roranoa]

Those who got above the 170's mark, did you guys not watch TV during your study period?

Should I refrain from watching any TV until I'm done with the LSAT? I read the "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" article and I think it makes some sense. I'm thinking about stop surfing the internet as well unless I need to ask something on TLS.(Like right now!)

What do you guys think?

[justonemoregame]

draconian! downtime is good, too.

[guinness1547]

draconian! downtime is good, too.

Agreed. This seems excessive. You're human, internet or TV laziness is a nice break from LSAT studying. One excessive thing I did do, however, was cut out all music from my life for a week and a half before the test. I realized that during my PT's I would always have a song running through my head that I had listened to recently, whether I liked it or not, and that would frequently require me to re-read questions or get very distracted on RC. That's just the way my odd brain works though.

[dstars823]

without pro sports on the big screen i wouldve killed many small children

[QuincyWagstaff]

Those who got above the 170's mark, did you guys not watch TV during your study period?

Should I refrain from watching any TV until I'm done with the LSAT? I read the "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" article and I think it makes some sense. I'm thinking about stop surfing the internet as well unless I need to ask something on TLS.(Like right now!)

What do you guys think?

Look, I think you're focusing on the wrong things. Make up a reasonable study schedule, and adjust it according to your rate of progress. Becoming an 'avid reader', etc., is not going to result in short-term score gains on this test. I didn't watch TV during prep, and I scored in the 170s, but I didn't enjoy TV before I started studying. Stop obsessing about some sort of ideal spartan or scholarly lifestyle that will get you a 99th percentile score and get on with STUDYING the LSAT.

edit: I see from your post history you've been discussing the LSAT for approximately one year. These sorts of posts are a form of procrastination.

[basilseal]

Super glad you read that article but I watch a ton of TV. Curb and 30 Rock on demand got me through the pre-LSAT period.

[QuincyWagstaff]

Super glad you read that article but I watch a ton of TV. Curb and 30 Rock on demand got me through the pre-LSAT period.

I do make an exception for Curb and Breaking Bad.

[emkay625]

My life went like this:

7 AM - 6 PM = work
6 PM - 6:30 PM = dinner
6:30 PM - 10:00 PM = study
10 PM - Midnight = TV

Without those two hours of TV I would've gone nuts.

[rinkrat19]

I watch a ton of TV, although I avoid the absolute worst of it (Jersey Shore, Real Housewives, Survivor, etc.) Unless I'm reading a book, the TV is probably on at my house.

Hell, I studied for the LSAT with the TV on, as part of my plan to inure myself to distractions.

[charliep]

the spartan lifestyle is actually kind of fun for a time. i stopped eating meat, stopped watching tv, started working out, read all of the books i was putting off. i think it's ok to challenge yourself from time to time. i think i grew from the lifestyle change far more than i did from simple lsat preparation.

[kwais]

Super glad you read that article but I watch a ton of TV. Curb and 30 Rock on demand got me through the pre-LSAT period.

Wait, where did you find the time to watch TV with your super busy schedule of stemming the decline of Western civilization through reading?

[soj]

I didn't realize this thread would be serious.

[ruhl88]

without pro sports on the big screen i wouldve killed many small children

+1.

[ekbrown09]

.

[vincanity1]

I paid my neighbor to lock me in his basement for 6 months. Worked out fine for me.

[JamMasterJ]

you need downtime. If that's TV, don't stop. A very small group of people benefit from the whole Spartan thing. If you want to try for a few days, that's fine, but it's more likely than not not for you

[Yeshia90]

I took a Testmasters class and, honestly, did very little outside of it until the last few weeks. I'm the exception, I'm sure, but for me, 8-10 hours a week of work, and a PT every other day for the last three weeks (and reviewing for 2 hours a day on off-days) was plenty.

The real answer: depends on the kind of person you are. My cold diagnostic was pretty high, so I really didn't have that far to go, and once I learned the basics--how to diagram--I was basically at my target score.

[guinness1547]

I paid my neighbor to lock me in his basement for 6 months. Worked out fine for me.

Did you have to rub the lotion on your skin? Or was that optional?

[vincanity1]

I paid my neighbor to lock me in his basement for 6 months. Worked out fine for me.

Did you have to rub the lotion on your skin? Or was that optional?

Thankfully, only when I missed more than 4 on LG

[basilseal]

Super glad you read that article but I watch a ton of TV. Curb and 30 Rock on demand got me through the pre-LSAT period.

Wait, where did you find the time to watch TV with your super busy schedule of stemming the decline of Western civilization through reading?

One chapter Allan Bloom, one episode AD, repeat.

[bp shinners]

I didn't do much of anything but watch TV and study while doing LSAT prep. So I would say you're fine watching.

[pupshaw]

Super glad you read that article but I watch a ton of TV. Curb and 30 Rock on demand got me through the pre-LSAT period.

Wait, where did you find the time to watch TV with your super busy schedule of stemming the decline of Western civilization through reading?

One chapter Allan Bloom, one episode AD, repeat.

Seriously LOL'd at this.

[tng11]

...

[Curious1]

Don't force your lifestyle to change. You'll just be bitter and angry if you do. Take a couple of hours a day to study, do a test every now and then, and you'll be fine.

[roranoa]

I went from a 149 diagnostic to a 175 and I didn't give up much in my social life/leisure time to get there. Key is to study smart, and know when you're not at your most productive level. Budget time for studying, but don't feel ashamed or guilty if you can't use all that time. Taking breaks and thinking about other things is necessary to prevent burnout, as the LSAT isn't something you can cram, it has to slowly click in your mind. Don't be afraid of taking breaks for a few days or even a week or two if your test is months away. I got my highest PT scores when I just forgot about the material and came back to it a week later. You don't forget how to reason logically overnight, they are skills that ideally should have been acquired over a few years, but if you're like me and took a degree that was filled with nothing but BS, you're just focusing more on picking up those skills in a shorter time.

So go watch TV, porn, sports, or whatever the heck you enjoyed before you started studying for the LSAT. The dumber the content, you can practice by picking out reasoning flaws if you're a true nerd.

Wow! That's amazing! I read one of you're posts and found out that you had a rough one with this test. Did you write an addendum for your applications?