any tips on increasing endurance? Forum

[dajja15]

I am quite confident with the type of material on the LSAT, but I have horrible endurance. I currently am writing this because I needed a break from doing the LGB, and I have only been working for like an hour. I have only taken one full LSAT (cold diagnostic), and by the last two sections I was very mentally drained. I have this problem in school as well, and always turn in my finals early because I simply cannot concentrate anymore.

Does anyone have any great tips on how to improve my endurance. I figure I just have to FORCE myself to study as long as I can and after I start taking a lot of LSAT PT's, my endurance will naturally just increase. Any other tips would be really helpful.

I will probably check this in 20 minutes when I need a break again, .

Thanks!

[CMDantes]

Just think about baseball.

[sumus romani]

Eat raw oysters!

Not really. If you can't concentrate when it counts (as on your recent final exams), then you really need to get in control of this in order to do well on the LSAT. The LSAT has three pretty much back-to-back sections, followed by a 10 minute break, then two more sections (the writing section is last, and is not important).

Your solution is: Caffeine! I drink quite a bit of coffee and I find that, paradoxically, coffee increases my endurance for both mental and physical activities. But I think that the recommendation is not to take caffeine unless one's body is quite used to it. So, don't drink a bunch of coffee for the exam and then take a no-doze during the break (unless you know that your body can take it). And be careful, because caffeine is considered a diuretic.

[spearnreel]

but I have horrible endurance.

Thanks!

extenze?

[nonpareilpearl]

I have ADD, actually, so I also have had problems with concentration and "endurance" in the way you describe. I've found some ways to compensate for it, though. One thing I did when I was younger is to find a topic of interest and do it as long as possible - you won't have endurance for the "boring" stuff if you don't have endurance for the "fun" stuff.

For me I would usually read books that were 400+ pages (this may not seem like a big deal to most, but when your attention span is at most a few minutes...trust me). I was eventually able to work myself up to concentrating on the full book from start to finish.

Also, since multitasking is another thing I do to compensate, I would usually try and find ways to "multitask" one task. For you the "one task" is the LSAT, so it may help to do Logic for a certain period of time, then reading comprehension. Go back and forth between them a little bit longer than you feel you can handle (only a little bit). Each time, try to increase what your "little bit longer than you can handle" spot is. Keep at it until you can work through a whole section, and then a whole test, without feeling burned out.

That's actually what I'm doing right now

EDIT: I'd be careful with the caffeine. If you want to try that route, test it before the day of the test. Personally all caffeine does for me is make my heart feel like it's beating way too fast, but I still feel tired/foggy/unable to concentrate. One thing that does help, though, is keeping hydrated. (Not soda/juice/etc., just water.)

[singingvontrapp]

Adderal.

[romothesavior]

The thread title sounded like we discussing sex, but I was sadly disappointed...

Honestly, endurance is possibly the most difficult thing to work on. It really just comes with practice; the better you know what you're doing, the more comfortable you will be with going longer (just like sex!). One thing you can do is treat each question as its own entity. Don't think about the LSAT as a whole, but rather, think of it as small individual parts. If you think about the test as a whole, you're likely to get overwhelmed by it.

Also, the best advice I can give you is to take at LEAST one or two days off before you take the real thing. Do NOT cram for the LSAT. If you don't know what you're doing by the night before, you won't learn it that night. You'll only stress yourself out. The night before I took the LSAT, I went out and danced with some friends and just had a really good time. I let my mind clear of all things LSAT, and the next morning I was more "in the zone" than I have ever been for anything in my life. My endurance was great and my mind was really sharp.

[muahawhawhaw]

I think you answered your own question.

You might as well develop mental endurance now, since you'll definitely need it for law school exams, the bar exam, and work life. Ful-length practice tests, back-to-back tests, etc. Also, playing a sport really, really helps develop sustained focus. I picked up rock climbing when I started my prep and while I don't think that 'caused' me to have better mental endurance, I'm pretty sure it made a positive impact.

If you get really desperate read Heidegger (or other Philosophy books) and try to actually understand what he says. That was easily the most mentally taxing thing I have ever done, and that certainly helped my endurance since at times I would literally spend over an hour trying to understand a single sentence. HTH

[dajja15]

I have ADD, actually, so I also have had problems with concentration and "endurance" in the way you describe. I've found some ways to compensate for it, though. One thing I did when I was younger is to find a topic of interest and do it as long as possible - you won't have endurance for the "boring" stuff if you don't have endurance for the "fun" stuff.

For me I would usually read books that were 400+ pages (this may not seem like a big deal to most, but when your attention span is at most a few minutes...trust me). I was eventually able to work myself up to concentrating on the full book from start to finish.

Also, since multitasking is another thing I do to compensate, I would usually try and find ways to "multitask" one task. For you the "one task" is the LSAT, so it may help to do Logic for a certain period of time, then reading comprehension. Go back and forth between them a little bit longer than you feel you can handle (only a little bit). Each time, try to increase what your "little bit longer than you can handle" spot is. Keep at it until you can work through a whole section, and then a whole test, without feeling burned out.

That's actually what I'm doing right now

EDIT: I'd be careful with the caffeine. If you want to try that route, test it before the day of the test. Personally all caffeine does for me is make my heart feel like it's beating way too fast, but I still feel tired/foggy/unable to concentrate. One thing that does help, though, is keeping hydrated. (Not soda/juice/etc., just water.)

I think we are in the same boat. I am pretty sure I have ADD. Multitasking helps me a lot as well. I definitely get bored with one thing and move to the other, and that helps a lot. Thanks for the insight. I don't like caffeine, it makes my mind race to fast, I can't do quality work with caffeine. I only use it if I have to write a lab report or something and I need to stay up all night, but the quality of my work definitely suffers.

Ok, back to studying....

[dajja15]

I think you answered your own question.

You might as well develop mental endurance now, since you'll definitely need it for lawl skool exams, the bar exam, and work life. Ful-length practice tests, back-to-back tests, etc. Also, playing a sport really, really helps develop sustained focus. I picked up rock climbing when I started my prep and while I don't think that 'caused' me to have better mental endurance, I'm pretty sure it made a positive impact.

If you get really desperate read Heidegger (or other Philosophy books) and try to actually understand what he says. That was easily the most mentally taxing thing I have ever done, and that certainly helped my endurance since at times I would literally spend over an hour trying to understand a single sentence. HTH

yeah... I know. I was just hoping there was something I was missing, but I know I really just need to force myself to concentrate. I run a lot, and I play soccer, and that definitely helps when studying. Adrenaline is by FAR the best drug.

[singingvontrapp]

I wasn't making some silly joke about adderal, I speak from experience. I went all the way through Ph.D. thinking it was normal not to be able to stay on one task for more than 10 mins. before I took the plunge and spoke to a doctor. The difference it makes is tremendous.

[muahawhawhaw]

Then if you take tests well with adrenaline, the actual LSAT may be smoother than you think. I usually crank up my performance on exams when I get that adrenaline rush, and the LSAT was no exception. If it's the same for you, then awesome. But don't bank on it

[quickquestionthanks]

Are your PT scores in each section actually getting lower from start to finish? Or do you simply feel tired? My experience was that mental exhaustion didn't cause me to make different decisions about answer choices. It just hurt more to do it.

[singingvontrapp]

Also before you say you are mentally drained, you should ask yourself if there are some physical aspects you could attend to. How is your diet? Have you had an eye exam recently? Do you tend to tense up when you sit in a pressure situation? If you spend 3 hours tensing the muscles in your legs, back, eyes, fingers, etc. you will get tired. Regular stretching (and stretching the muscles controlling the eyes) can help you with this.

[dajja15]

I wasn't making some silly joke about adderal, I speak from experience. I went all the way through Ph.D. thinking it was normal not to be able to stay on one task for more than 10 mins. before I took the plunge and spoke to a doctor. The difference it makes is tremendous.

Yeah, I have heard the same from a friend and I am a little skeptical. Do you know what the long term side effects are. I feel like I would just be using something, and I hate being dependent on substances. But maybe its worth talking to a doctor, I really do have the worst attention span ever.

Also before you say you are mentally drained, you should ask yourself if there are some physical aspects you could attend to. How is your diet? Have you had an eye exam recently? Do you tend to tense up when you sit in a pressure situation? If you spend 3 hours tensing the muscles in your legs, back, eyes, fingers, etc. you will get tired. Regular stretching (and stretching the muscles controlling the eyes) can help you with this.

I do exercise a lot and I eat pretty healthy. The worst thing for my body I do is drink on the weekends, and I don't see that stopping (except maybe a couple months before the LSAT if it is necessary). But i do generally feel pretty healthy.

Are your PT scores in each section actually getting lower from start to finish? Or do you simply feel tired? My experience was that mental exhaustion didn't cause me to make different decisions about answer choices. It just hurt more to do it.

I am not sure, I have only taken one PT and I am going over the bibles, but i feel like I do worse.

[cherryalamode]

Stay active. Stay engaged.
Underline, Circle, jot stuff down, mutter quietly to yourself... do whatever you have to do to stay engaged with each question.

Apart from that, if you're not going the pill route, then practice, practice, practice.

I'd suggest for you to build... 2 timed sections, then three, then 4, then spend the last 2-3 weeks before the test doing full 5 section timed tests.

After you take a test, take a break before you go back to review. Eat something with good carbs, like brown rice or whole wheat bread...

[nonpareilpearl]

Although there has been a comment on here about medication, if ADD is really what is going on, I'd recommend you talk to a doctor about it. I've never been on any medication, and to be honest my attention span is quite short. Actually I'm sure it's shorter than 10 minutes. I choose to compensate for this by training myself to somehow making a single task into many tasks, which helped increase my "endurance", if you will, on a specific task. Of course, my way is not the best for everyone just like medication isn't the best for everyone. Depends on what you, and if you have one your doctor, decide.

Either way, best of luck. I'm also open to PMs if you have anything you'd like to ask.

[JasonR]

I am quite confident with the type of material on the LSAT, but I have horrible endurance. I currently am writing this because I needed a break from doing the LGB, and I have only been working for like an hour. I have only taken one full LSAT (cold diagnostic), and by the last two sections I was very mentally drained. I have this problem in school as well, and always turn in my finals early because I simply cannot concentrate anymore.

Does anyone have any great tips on how to improve my endurance. I figure I just have to FORCE myself to study as long as I can and after I start taking a lot of LSAT PT's, my endurance will naturally just increase. Any other tips would be really helpful.

I will probably check this in 20 minutes when I need a break again, .

Thanks!

Are you absolutely positive that you want to go to law school? Sounds like it might not be a great fit.

[dajja15]

Has anyone else here actually gone to the doctor and gotten adderall. How do I know if this is actually the right thing to do. I think we over medicate WAY to much in this country. I think I can overcome this by just practicing, it won't be easy, but what in life that is worth doing is.

Anyway, for everyone else thanks for the advice (especially the guy telling me to not go to law school), I think exercise and practice should do it.

[stintez]

i am currently studying for my lsat as well. I have a full time job and try to study for about 2 hours a day 4-5 times a week. I started to study for the June lsat in late January and really got disciplined during February. My question to you is when are you planning on taking the real lsat. If it is in June your going to want to start taking full timed practice lsat at least once a week and yes they are draining. Yesterday was the first day i took a full timed lsat after work, I just wanted to see how i would do after being mentally drained. Usually i do them on Saturday. The one tip I can give you is just do not take a break for an hour also, do more full practice test timed. Unless you got awhile.

[Dave]

I've been on Adderall for a little over 10 years now, if not longer. It has both benefits and drawbacks. I find myself concentrating better than I ever had, while on it. However, it also increases fidgeting and anxiety, which more or less cancel out the extra concentration. Then again, it might work differently for some of you. I have a weird type of a.d.d which consists of low powered, fast brainwaves, which is what only 10% of people with a.d.d have.

[Wooderson]

i am currently studying for my lsat as well. I have a full time job and try to study for about 2 hours a day 4-5 times a week. I started to study for the June lsat in late January and really got disciplined during February. My question to you is when are you planning on taking the real lsat. If it is in June your going to want to start taking full timed practice lsat at least once a week and yes they are draining. Yesterday was the first day i took a full timed lsat after work, I just wanted to see how i would do after being mentally drained. Usually i do them on Saturday. The one tip I can give you is just do not take a break for an hour also, do more full practice test timed. Unless you got awhile.

Yeah there's a big difference in taking a full 5 section pt timed under testing conditions (10 minute break between 3-4 and no resting/stretching other than that, bubbling in all answers, and using an analog wristwatch to time), and "timing" yourself but checking answers in between sections etc.. I did it strictly like that today and I had to take a three hour nap afterward... It'll wipe you out. I think most people that neglect to prep that way get taken off guard on test day... and hopefully taking more practice tests under these conditions will help with my endurance.

[blhblahblah]

Although there has been a comment on here about medication, if ADD is really what is going on, I'd recommend you talk to a doctor about it. I've never been on any medication, and to be honest my attention span is quite short. Actually I'm sure it's shorter than 10 minutes. I choose to compensate for this by training myself to somehow making a single task into many tasks, which helped increase my "endurance", if you will, on a specific task. Of course, my way is not the best for everyone just like medication isn't the best for everyone. Depends on what you, and if you have one your doctor, decide.

Either way, best of luck. I'm also open to PMs if you have anything you'd like to ask.

I liked this.

Attention has its place in physiology. But it is also controlled to a large extent psychologically. In motivation psychology, we use implementation intentions: the conscious effort to begin and persist through the completion of task to achieve a certain goal. Implementation intentions can be as simple as: I will wake up tomorrow 8:30 am and complete two LR sections in the allotted time without taking breaks, to more complicated plans involving contingencies, which might be used in the face of unforeseen trouble: if I get stuck on this sort of question, then I will cut my losses and move on. Implementation intentions keep us energized and on task throughout the completion of a task. With the right framework in mind, and, with the right level of interest, curiosity, and inner sense of mastery, working through the completion of an entire LSAT examination should not prove too high a mountain to climb.

[skip james]

Although there has been a comment on here about medication, if ADD is really what is going on, I'd recommend you talk to a doctor about it. I've never been on any medication, and to be honest my attention span is quite short. Actually I'm sure it's shorter than 10 minutes. I choose to compensate for this by training myself to somehow making a single task into many tasks, which helped increase my "endurance", if you will, on a specific task. Of course, my way is not the best for everyone just like medication isn't the best for everyone. Depends on what you, and if you have one your doctor, decide.

Either way, best of luck. I'm also open to PMs if you have anything you'd like to ask.

I liked this.

Attention has its place in physiology. But it is also controlled to a large extent psychologically. In motivation psychology, we use implementation intentions: the conscious effort to begin and persist through the completion of task to achieve a certain goal. Implementation intentions can be as simple as: I will wake up tomorrow 8:30 am and complete two LR sections in the allotted time without taking breaks, to more complicated plans involving contingencies, which might be used in the face of unforeseen trouble: if I get stuck on this sort of question, then I will cut my losses and move on. Implementation intentions keep us energized and on task throughout the completion of a task. With the right framework in mind, and, with the right level of interest, curiosity, and inner sense of mastery, working through the completion of an entire LSAT examination should not prove too high a mountain to climb.

this is some good stuff blah. did you study psych?

[blhblahblah]

Yeah, finishing up my honors now. Took a lot of interest in motivation psychology.