It Might Be Too Late

Congratulations, intrepid studier!

You have the boldness and mental fortitude to click on this terrifying title, and that will serve you well on test day. Today’s blog entry is about timing your study effectively. But first, a little lesson in evolutionary biology!

Ever heard the expression “sleeping with one eye open?”

That’s a very real phenomenon experienced by prey species worldwide. If you are the kind of animal that is liable to get eaten, you might have the capacity to rest one half of the brain while the other half stays alert. This isn’t how prey species sleep all the time. If they did, they would be exhausted. But, particularly when sleeping in groups, the members on the group’s edges will rest in a state of “unihemispheric slow-wave sleep” where half of their brain stays on alert for predators while the members in the middle of the group rest more fully.

What about apex predators like law students?

Human beings are incapable of unihemispheric sleep. We are either sleeping or wakeful, period, the end. Partly thanks to our Neanderthal ancestors, we evolved a different way to ensure that sleeping people don’t get eaten in their sleep which anthropologists call the “sentinel theory.” According to this widely accepted theory, some people are biologically more wakeful in the mornings, while others are naturally more wakeful at night, allowing the night owls to stand guard while the early risers sleep, and vice versa.

How does this affect LSAT Prep?

Well, you’ll get the most out of your study if you are studying during the hours that you naturally have the most energy. It’s extremely difficult to learn when you’re biologically inclined to rest. If you are someone who has a lot of morning energy, try waking up 90 minutes earlier than usual to get an hour of study in before school or work. LSAT classes are typically taught in the evenings but that doesn’t work for everyone. We record all of our classes so you can watch them on whatever schedule makes sense for your life and your biological clock!

If you are a night owl, don’t assume that your best learning hours are actually late at night. Night people are often best suited to study in the afternoons. Try to build in a long lunch hour to squeeze in some study on your busiest days, and schedule longer blocks of afternoon study on days that you’re more free.