Permission to Rest: Why Over-Studying Might Be Tanking Your Score

You’re doing everything right.
Or at least, everything they tell you to do:
Study plans. Timed sections. Drills on drills on drills.
And yet... you’re exhausted.
Not just physically—but mentally, emotionally, even spiritually.
And no matter how much more effort you throw at it, your score has hit a wall.

If that sounds like you, this isn’t a motivation problem.
It’s a nervous system problem.

Cognitive Fatigue Is Real—and It’s Working Against You

What most LSAT advice overlooks is that your brain isn’t a machine.
It’s a body-based organ, wired into your stress responses, your sleep, your hormones, your emotions.

When your nervous system is dysregulated—when it’s in a chronic fight/flight/freeze loop from pressure, fear, and perfectionism—your brain starts glitching.

• Logical reasoning becomes foggy
• Reading comp passages turn into mush
• Drills feel like you’re going through the motions, but not getting better at the topic

And it’s not because you haven’t prepped enough.
It’s because your system is over-prepped and under-supported.

What If the Real Problem Isn’t Knowledge—but Access?

This is the piece most people miss:
You can know everything cold, but if your brain and body are fried, you can’t access what you know.

I work with students all the time who know the content—but tank on test day.
They’re brilliant. Disciplined. Capable.
But they’re also anxious, depleted, and stuck in a cycle of over-efforting.

That’s why I don’t just focus on what you’re studying—I focus on how you’re preparing your system to show up fully on the day it matters.

Signs You’re in Over-Study Mode (and It’s Hurting You)

• You’re re-reading passages but not retaining anything
• Practice scores are dropping the more you “cram”
• You feel disconnected from your own thoughts
• You’re irritable, fatigued, and losing motivation
• You dread sitting down to study—even though you know it’s important

If you’re nodding along, it’s time to stop pushing through and start recalibrating.

3 Nervous-System Aligned Study Shifts That Actually Work

1. Strategic Pauses
   Build in short breaks between study blocks where you fully disengage. Let your mind wander. Go for a walk. Breathe. Reset.  
2. Prep Your State, Not Just Your Schedule
   Before practice sections, ground yourself. Use breathwork, movement, or a quick nervous system reset to get centered. Show up regulated, not rushed.  
3. Sleep on It—Literally
   Memory consolidation happens during rest. Staying up to drill questions at 1 AM won’t help. Sleep is study.

This Isn’t Laziness. It’s Science.

Rest is not a luxury for the weak. It’s a requirement for the high-performing.
You’re not behind—you’re likely over-capacitated.
And the shift you need isn’t “more hustle.”
It’s a deeper relationship with how your brain and body learn best.

You don’t get extra points for suffering.
You get results when your whole system—mind and body—is on your side.

If this resonated, let it land.
And maybe today, instead of one more timed section…
You close the laptop, go outside, and just breathe.