Balancing a job and studying for the LSAT Forum

[ravenamo]

Hello everyone!

This is my first time on this site so I apologize if I posted this in the wrong forum or if a lot of people have asked this question before. I am just unsure of what I should do and I don't have people around me who are studying for the LSAT, so when I stumbled across this forum I felt like I would try asking for advice here. I just graduated from college earlier this month and I really want to get some work experience before I go to law school but I also want to retake the LSAT (I didn't do as well I as had wanted the first time around) in September so I can hopefully attend law school in Fall 2017. The problem is...I don't know if getting a job is wise and while I know juggling a full-time job/LSAT prep can be done, I just would like to hear from people who have made it work. Thank you!

[emkay625]

It can be done if you are diligent and don't mind losing your leisure time. I did while doing TFA/teaching high school math. My general day was school from 7-7, come home, eat dinner, study from 8-11. I also took a PT every Saturday morning. Just be diligent and establish a schedule.

[lymenheimer]

Get a desk job with minimum requirements and you can study while at work...like a position in state/local government or something.

[HarvardHopeful93]

You'll have to consider how much you personally can handle. Some people are machines and can work all day then go and grind out 4-5 good hours of LSAT prep. A lot depends on your living situation, personal life, responsibilities and obligations, pets, etc.

I know for me personally, I had to take a year off just to study for the LSAT. I didn't work and just lived at home. I went to the library every day and made that my job from 9-5. Looking back that may have been too intense, I burned out a little bit. But after I tapered off my prep, my score shot up and I was good to go come test day. I had about 5 months of doing that for solid prep.

Everything varies depending on the individual, but if you think you can handle a job plus LSAT you can. I wouldn't suggest it though, LSAT prep is exhausting (but fun and rewarding), and you will definitely need to attack each prep session with a clear and focused mind.

[Pozzo]

You'll have to consider how much you personally can handle. Some people are machines and can work all day then go and grind out 4-5 good hours of LSAT prep. A lot depends on your living situation, personal life, responsibilities and obligations, pets, etc.

I know for me personally, I had to take a year off just to study for the LSAT. I didn't work and just lived at home. I went to the library every day and made that my job from 9-5. Looking back that may have been too intense, I burned out a little bit. But after I tapered off my prep, my score shot up and I was good to go come test day. I had about 5 months of doing that for solid prep.

Everything varies depending on the individual, but if you think you can handle a job plus LSAT you can. I wouldn't suggest it though, LSAT prep is exhausting (but fun and rewarding), and you will definitely need to attack each prep session with a clear and focused mind.

I agree with this. A lot depends on what you can handle personally, the amount of discipline you have, and the gap between your current abilities and your target score. I tried prepping for the June test starting in January, with a full-time+ job and a couple of kids. Lack of discipline was the killer for me. I had to regroup and really discipline my time. I do about 30min to an hour in the morning before work and then another hour at night, with PTs on the weekend. With that discipline, I'm on a much better track for the September test.

[Mikey]

It's definitely doable as long as you put in the effort to study. Study when you get home from work as well as on weekends. Once you start knowing the sections well, use the weekends for practice testing. PT on Saturday, blind review on Sunday or even BR the sections throughout the week after work.

[somethingElse]

It can be done. A part time job >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a full time job in this scenario though. If you can at all swing it financially I would just go the part time route so that you can dedicate most of yourself and your time to studying. If you work full time on top of studying, it will be difficult to take more than 1 PT a week. And ideally you're taking 2-3 after you learn all the basics.

[poptart123]

For me studying with a full time job is hectic, but doable. I suggest prolonging the study period and less intense studying each day. I find myself studying 1 hour to 1.5 hours before work and the same after -- I've also adjusted my sleep schedule to wake up an hour earlier and go to bed an hour later. I've found I am much more focused before a draining day at work. I generally do at least one section and BR of it each day +/- whatever else I can handle that day. I take Fridays off to recharge, then on Saturday I do at least a full test that I review on Sunday.

[ravenamo]

It can be done. A part time job >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> a full time job in this scenario though. If you can at all swing it financially I would just go the part time route so that you can dedicate most of yourself and your time to studying. If you work full time on top of studying, it will be difficult to take more than 1 PT a week. And ideally you're taking 2-3 after you learn all the basics.

I have been looking at part-time jobs because I feel like it would be the best option so I can still work and make some money but not lose out on studying time/more importantly not mentally drain myself.

Thank you to all of you for your advice. I can't begin to explain how much I appreciate it. I didn't know what to do but I am glad I stumbled across this forum because now I think I can figure out what the best option for me would be. Thanks again!

[asdfdfdfadfas]

I worked 55 hours a week in an extraordinarily stressful, intense job while commuting half an hour to an hour each way and scored above a 165. I seriously wouldn't recommend trying to do it like this. In addition, in my experience I think if you struggle with RC it is more difficult to improve if you only have an hour or two here or there.

Try finding a security guard position or a bank teller job at a new branch where you can study at work.

[Blueprint Mithun]

Hello everyone!

This is my first time on this site so I apologize if I posted this in the wrong forum or if a lot of people have asked this question before. I am just unsure of what I should do and I don't have people around me who are studying for the LSAT, so when I stumbled across this forum I felt like I would try asking for advice here. I just graduated from college earlier this month and I really want to get some work experience before I go to law school but I also want to retake the LSAT (I didn't do as well I as had wanted the first time around) in September so I can hopefully attend law school in Fall 2017. The problem is...I don't know if getting a job is wise and while I know juggling a full-time job/LSAT prep can be done, I just would like to hear from people who have made it work. Thank you!

A lot of people have already offered excellent advice, but here are my two cents. It really is up to you to determine how much you can handle. Having job experience is useful for a ton of reasons - it builds skills, helps you figure out what you do and don't like about your work and your working environment, builds your resume and thus the strength of your application, helps you network, gives you something to talk about when interviewing for future jobs, etc. But if you're serious about being a lawyer, you should be trying to go to the best law school you can (based on your goals), and for that you need to make prepping for the LSAT one of your top priorities.

Having a structured job will give you a schedule, which you can then plan your LSAT prep around. However, if your work is too time-consuming or stressful, that'll limit your ability to prep well. Most of my students have been working full or part time while studying, and some have dealt with it better than others. If you're exhausted from work, you won't be able to concentrate as well, and your prepping will take longer. Your practice tests may not represent you at your full ability, either. And LSAT prep requires a lot of consistency - you really have to treat this as a part-time job on its own, meaning that you can't skip days and you can't shirk your responsibilities just because you feel like it.

So I'd say look for a job that isn't too demanding of your time or energy. Always keep your priorities in order. It's definitely possible - good luck!

[footballlax55]

Keep in mind that taking PTs and even reviewing them is mentally draining. You have to be "on" and focused and performing at your best. And often you need large chunks of time all in one go to do stuff like entire PTs. So if the only 3 hour chunk of time you can find is after you've worked all day it might throw things off because you're tired from working.

If you do decide to work, you might want to stop working a month or two before the test in order to focus on it.

[Burlington4174]

Most days, I studied between 11 pm and 3 am after finishing work and before heading home. I would then study some on Saturday and then for a few hours during breaks between working on Sunday. I would skip days and sometimes weeks and had no real plan other than to get really good at logic games, which went from being my weak point to my strongpoint by the end.

I did fine on the LSAT, though I don't think this study strategy was particularly healthy, and I missed my PT average by five points the first time around and two points the second (though I only took 4 pts, so hard to know how accurate that average was).

My point with the above is that you definitely can work -- even very long hours -- and still study for the LSAT. But it might cost you a bit if you are not disciplined about it.

[gsy987]

I agree with the general sentiment here, especially as someone who worked in advertising (a very high stress job) while studying.

However, I do want to add one important note. I do think that it's possible to pull off this balance, but you probably need to give yourself a significantly longer period of time to study if you're working a full time job. For example, since I worked 40-50 hour weeks, I needed to give myself a solid year of studying, with only a month break after I took my first LSAT.

If you can swing it though, part time is the way to go. Even if you can pull off working full time and studying... It really sucks!

[reasonable_man]

While at work, do your work. While not at work, study for the LSAT. Use remaining hours not doing either one for sex, sleep and food. In that order. Edited - Give yourself about 5 hours a week in the gym too. Can't hurt.

[potus]

Hello everyone!

This is my first time on this site so I apologize if I posted this in the wrong forum or if a lot of people have asked this question before. I am just unsure of what I should do and I don't have people around me who are studying for the LSAT, so when I stumbled across this forum I felt like I would try asking for advice here. I just graduated from college earlier this month and I really want to get some work experience before I go to law school but I also want to retake the LSAT (I didn't do as well I as had wanted the first time around) in September so I can hopefully attend law school in Fall 2017. The problem is...I don't know if getting a job is wise and while I know juggling a full-time job/LSAT prep can be done, I just would like to hear from people who have made it work. Thank you!

It's definitely possible; it's like preparing for a marathon -- take a few hours out of each of your evenings to study for the LSAT (say 2-3 hours). You can study every other day, but pace yourself and try not to burn yourself out. The weekend, however, is the best time to study and you should try to fit in a timed exam prep (one a week typically works) and you'll be all good to go.

[Rupert Pupkin]

I've been studying for about 3 weeks now with no obligations. June- Aug I will be working a full time internship requiring 40-50 hrs of accounting work. I've been a bit worried about time and focus myself, but I have talked to several friends and i am going to set a strict schedule and make sure that I utilize my time wisely by studying every chance I get- If that means just doing a few problems here and there during the day, doing a few QUALITY hrs in the evenings, and hammering out full days on the weekends. But, I will keep my day structured with a planner and a good routine so I don't start skipping days of studying.

I think maintaining balance and focus is key; so not only just working and LSAT, but making sure you workout( or do something that you feel will relieve stress) and even some time here and there for leisure with friends. I previously took the GMAT under similar conditions with a busy schedule and I went too over the top with work/school/study and burnt myself out. I got to the point where I was studying for a lot of hours, but wasn't getting as much out of those hours as I should have. I was doing hrs of PTs and problems, but wasn't effectively taking the time to review and making sure I wasn't working like a robot and instead, actually training my mind. Focusing on the basics (Quality over Quantity) and truly going through steady training seems to be the most important strategy to maintain.

In sum, what I have learned from my GMAT experience and am going to make sure I keep up with on LSAT is being diligent and focused, but also, remaining relaxed, not overdoing it, and utilizing my time wisely, so I have enough time to relax because ultimately that will help you better retain what you are learning and perform at the highest caliber on the LSAT.