LSAT Study Schedules for Full-Time Workers
Pick the schedule you can actually keep for 20 weeks. A modest plan you finish beats an ambitious plan you quit.
These are three complete weekly schedules: 5 hours, 10 hours, and 15 hours. Each one assumes you work full-time and have a life outside of work. Each one runs the same weekly rhythm for months, because consistency beats intensity when your hours are limited.
All three schedules follow the same principles. Short blocks, not marathons. Review every miss the same week you make it. One full timed section per week once you are past the first month. Nothing here requires a free weekend.
The 5-hour week
For when work is heavy or life is full. Five focused hours a week, sustained for six months, is about 130 hours. That is enough to move your score if every hour counts.
- Monday, 30 min: review last week's misses. Re-do each one untimed before checking.
- Tuesday, 45 min: one timed logical reasoning drill (15 questions), then blind review the ones you flagged.
- Thursday, 45 min: study one question type. Read the method, work 8 examples, review every miss.
- Saturday, 60 min: one timed section (LR or RC), then full review of every miss.
- Sunday, 60 min: reading comprehension. One passage set, untimed, focused on structure. Review thoroughly.
The rule for the 5-hour week: never skip review to do more questions. New questions teach you nothing if the old misses are still unexplained. At five hours, review is the majority of the value.
The 10-hour week
The sweet spot for most full-time workers. Ten hours a week for five months is about 200 hours, which is a serious prep course done on your own schedule.
- Monday, 60 min: review the weekend's timed work. Every miss gets a written explanation in your own words.
- Tuesday, 90 min: logical reasoning. One timed set of 20, then blind review and type study on your weakest type.
- Wednesday, 45 min: drilling. 12 questions of your weakest type, untimed, with full review.
- Thursday, 90 min: reading comprehension. One timed passage set plus one untimed set, both fully reviewed.
- Saturday, 120 min: one full timed section plus review. Alternate LR and RC weekly.
- Sunday, 60 min: catch-up or rest. If the week went well, rest. If you missed a day, this is the buffer.
The rule for the 10-hour week: protect the buffer. The Sunday slot is what keeps one bad week from becoming a missed week. Use it for rest when you can. Rest is part of the schedule, not a failure of it.
The 15-hour week
For when you can give the LSAT real evenings. Fifteen hours a week for four months is about 240 hours. This is close to a full prep course load, fitted around a job.
- Monday, 90 min: review weekend misses in writing. Then 30 minutes of flashcards or type drills on weak spots.
- Tuesday, 120 min: logical reasoning. Timed set of 25, blind review, then targeted drilling on the two weakest types.
- Wednesday, 60 min: reading comprehension, untimed. Two passage sets focused on structure and viewpoint tracking.
- Thursday, 120 min: reading comprehension, timed. Full passage set under the clock, then complete review.
- Friday, 45 min: light drilling or rest. If you are tired, rest. A tired Friday session teaches nothing.
- Saturday, 150 min: one full timed section plus thorough review, or a full practice test every third week.
- Sunday, 60 min: buffer. Rest if the week held. Catch up if it did not.
The rule for the 15-hour week: watch for burnout, not laziness. At fifteen hours on top of a job, the risk is grinding through tired sessions that teach nothing. Two sharp hours beat four dull ones. Cut a session before you phone one in.
Which one is yours
Be honest about your worst week, not your best one. The schedule has to survive the week with the late project, the sick kid, and the broken dishwasher. If that week kills the 15-hour plan, take the 10-hour plan and add weeks to your timeline. The LSAT rewards the plan you keep.
Reassess monthly. If you are hitting every session and finishing early, step up a level. If you are missing sessions, step down before you quit. Adjusting the plan is not failing. Quitting is failing.
Make your hours count
The free diagnostic pinpoints your weakest question types, so every study hour hits the right target.
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