Halp, I keep crapping out at the end of Section 3... Forum

[Cicero, Fin. III 16]

...the section right before the 10 minute break.

Even if S3 is my strong section (RC) I'll miss something like 6 of the last 10 questions. This is unacceptable; however, it has become the norm for me on timed exams.

What can I do to stay strong through the whole first half? (I always do much better on the sections after the break. The exercise helps, I think.)

Thanks

[dingbat]

...the section right before the 10 minute break.

Even if S3 is my strong section (RC) I'll miss something like 6 of the last 10 questions. This is unacceptable; however, it has become the norm for me on timed exams.

What can I do to stay strong through the whole first half? (I always do much better on the sections after the break. The exercise helps, I think.)

Thanks

Between sections 2 and 3 put a pebble in your sock. It'll fuck with your concentration the first few times, but if you get used to it, it'll help you focus

(instead of your mind wandering toward the break, it'll be set on ignoring the pebble and focusing on the questions)

[Cicero, Fin. III 16]

...the section right before the 10 minute break.

Even if S3 is my strong section (RC) I'll miss something like 6 of the last 10 questions. This is unacceptable; however, it has become the norm for me on timed exams.

What can I do to stay strong through the whole first half? (I always do much better on the sections after the break. The exercise helps, I think.)

Thanks

Between sections 2 and 3 put a pebble in your sock. It'll fuck with your concentration the first few times, but if you get used to it, it'll help you focus

(instead of your mind wandering toward the break, it'll be set on ignoring the pebble and focusing on the questions)

...Not sure if serious.

[Cicero, Fin. III 16]

Bump-ing.

[dingbat]

...the section right before the 10 minute break.

Even if S3 is my strong section (RC) I'll miss something like 6 of the last 10 questions. This is unacceptable; however, it has become the norm for me on timed exams.

What can I do to stay strong through the whole first half? (I always do much better on the sections after the break. The exercise helps, I think.)

Thanks

Between sections 2 and 3 put a pebble in your sock. It'll fuck with your concentration the first few times, but if you get used to it, it'll help you focus

(instead of your mind wandering toward the break, it'll be set on ignoring the pebble and focusing on the questions)

...Not sure if serious.

Try it once. I predict you'll do less good on all sections (not yet used to it) but won't have a drop-off at that third section.
Worst case, you've only lost one PT

[Manhattan LSAT Noah]

That's a funny idea -- reminds me of something from a movie -- the pitcher wore women's underwear to get out of a slump.

Anyway, you might also want to try upping the number of sections you do in your prep tests -- do 6 section LSATs for a bit. You need more practice at keeping your stamina going. Also, the better you get at the LSAT overall, the less mental energy you'll expend in each section. Decision-making uses up a limited resource in your brain, so the more routinized you can make solving questions, the better. (There was a NYTimes article about this a while back --I wrote a bit about this in our blog http://www.manhattanlsat.com/blog/index ... n-fatigue/)

Also, this might be a blood-sugar issue. (Though you didn't mention snacking during the break.) Try a protein bar before you start the LSAT, and see if that helps.

Finally, know that this is not a horrible problem to have this far out from the LSAT. It takes a while to build up mental stamina, and you have some time; but keep at it or else you'll suffer from this in June.

I hope that helps -- tell us how it goes.

[dingbat]

That's a funny idea -- reminds me of something from a movie -- the pitcher wore women's underwear to get out of a slump.

Bull Durham

Your post brough up another good point: Bananas. I don't remember the details but basically bananas are brain food. They got the right combination of sugars, vitamins and other nutrients to keep your brain functioning at maximum

[marlo45]

That's a funny idea -- reminds me of something from a movie -- the pitcher wore women's underwear to get out of a slump.[\quote]
Bull Durham

Your post brough up another good point: Bananas. I don't remember the details but basically bananas are brain food. They got the right combination of sugars, vitamins and other nutrients to keep your brain functioning at maximum

Seriously oblivious to this but if it's true then i inadvertently benefited from bananas since it was a part of my PT and actual exam day routine. Albeit, totally habitual.

OP, i had issues with fatigue as well. Make sure you're getting enough sleep. I usually eat a healthy breakfast (not a bunch of junk food), then munch on fruits (a banana was a must for me) while on my way to wherever i was gonna do a PT (usually in the school library). I would sometimes have a cup of coffee or something else with caffeine in it, but that could just be mind over matter.

[abbottsbar]

I will second the recommendations for sleep, a good breakfast and a good snack. Also, do you smoke and/or take in a lot of caffeine? If so, it might help to drink one of the 5 Hour Energy drinks beforehand and/or chew on some nicotine gum.

[Cicero, Fin. III 16]

I will second the recommendations for sleep, a good breakfast and a good snack. Also, do you smoke and/or take in a lot of caffeine? If so, it might help to drink one of the 5 Hour Energy drinks beforehand and/or chew on some nicotine gum.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'm going to comment on this one first.

I don't drink energy drinks; however, I *do* drink coffee. What might the nicotine gum do for me?

[dingbat]

I will second the recommendations for sleep, a good breakfast and a good snack. Also, do you smoke and/or take in a lot of caffeine? If so, it might help to drink one of the 5 Hour Energy drinks beforehand and/or chew on some nicotine gum.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'm going to comment on this one first.

I don't drink energy drinks; however, I *do* drink coffee. What might the nicotine gum do for me?

If you do not smoke, do not use nicotine gum

[minnbills]

How are you doing on time? If you're misfiring on the last 10 the easy fix would be to just throw more time at them- assuming you have time to give.

Otherwise, this really just comes down to concentration. You have to find a way to stay tuned in.

For me, I would leave about 30 seconds to a minute at the end of each section to just zone out (assuming I had the time) to mentally regroup.

[dkb17xzx]

...the section right before the 10 minute break.

Even if S3 is my strong section (RC) I'll miss something like 6 of the last 10 questions. This is unacceptable; however, it has become the norm for me on timed exams.

What can I do to stay strong through the whole first half? (I always do much better on the sections after the break. The exercise helps, I think.)

Thanks

During practice, try and do 3-4 sections in a row without breaks. This will build up your stamina. Feel free to use sections that you have already done (or if you keep a log of your previously incorrect questions, you could use those as well)

[thederangedwang]

just get an energy gel shot, like powergel or gu gel

[abbottsbar]

I will second the recommendations for sleep, a good breakfast and a good snack. Also, do you smoke and/or take in a lot of caffeine? If so, it might help to drink one of the 5 Hour Energy drinks beforehand and/or chew on some nicotine gum.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'm going to comment on this one first.

I don't drink energy drinks; however, I *do* drink coffee. What might the nicotine gum do for me?

If you do not smoke, do not use nicotine gum

TITCR. I know that I loved the gum, pretty sure it's the only thing that kept me sane.

[Cicero, Fin. III 16]

How are you doing on time? If you're misfiring on the last 10 the easy fix would be to just throw more time at them- assuming you have time to give.

Otherwise, this really just comes down to concentration. You have to find a way to stay tuned in.

For me, I would leave about 30 seconds to a minute at the end of each section to just zone out (assuming I had the time) to mentally regroup.

With LR I'm usually left with a good minute, sometimes more. It varies with LG - sometimes I don't answer the last question, sometimes I have 15-30 seconds left. With LR I'm always going into the red to answer the last question.

[Cicero, Fin. III 16]

I will second the recommendations for sleep, a good breakfast and a good snack. Also, do you smoke and/or take in a lot of caffeine? If so, it might help to drink one of the 5 Hour Energy drinks beforehand and/or chew on some nicotine gum.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'm going to comment on this one first.

I don't drink energy drinks; however, I *do* drink coffee. What might the nicotine gum do for me?

If you do not smoke, do not use nicotine gum

I smoke socially. I like the buzz feel.

[abbottsbar]

I smoke socially. I like the buzz feel.

Then I'd say stay far away from the gum while taking the test