How early LSAT study sessions can kill your score

It’s true - studying for the LSAT right after you wake up is never a good idea, whether you wake up at 5 am or 11 am. Why? Let’s delve into a little sleep science.

Believe it or not, there is a real thing called sleep inertia.

Basically, your brain needs some time to go from mostly shut off to running at full capacity. We’ve all experienced this in the morning when we’ve put the milk in the cabinet or tried to eat our cereal with a fork. If you try and get some LSAT studying done before your brain is ready, you’re doing more harm than good.
So, how long should you wait? There’s no hard answer, but 90 minutes is a good ballpark figure. If you’re interested in a deep-dive on the subject, you can check out some research that’s been done on the subject:


Of course, if you don’t have time to read the whole thing, I hit some of the more interesting excerpts in this article.

So remember, get a good night’s sleep and don’t even think about cracking that PrepTest until after breakfast and a shower.

Sincerely,
Steve Schwartz, Sleep Scientist



P.S. While it’s important to study with your brain on high-alert, it is even more important to keep this in mind on Test Day. If your test starts at 8 am, make sure you are waking up no later than 6 am to give yourself time to wake up.



Recommended Resources:

1. LSAT Courses
The best of my LSAT material with exclusive access to attend my Live Online LSAT Master Classes + Q&As, and on-demand video lessons you can watch anytime. Plus, LSAT study plans to keep you on track. Save hundreds of dollars with an LSAT course package.

2. LSAT Explanations
The explanations that should have come with the LSAT. These don't just fall back on "out of scope," but actually tell you why the wrong answers are wrong, why the right answers are right, and the easiest way to get the correct answer.

3. LSAT Cheat Sheets
Based on what I'd typically do in college: read what the professor emphasized and condense it all onto a single piece of paper. It gave me a quick reference, making things a lot less threatening and a lot more manageable.






Posted by Steve Schwartz

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