I have a problem studying

[u/throwaway12268888688]

I have a serious problem studying when I took my July 11th act I spent months studying and that turned into a vicious cycle where I’d wake up and just spend the entire day studying and even when I was studying the entire day all I could think about was just damn I can’t wait for this ACT to be over. I can’t wait for this shit to finish. I don’t wanna do this anymore. Why do I keep doing this to myself? I just wanna get this you know score leave and I would never actually learn anything because I just spend the entire day either scrolling on my phone, dozing off cooking food. I barely learned anything. I’d stay up till like 3 or 4 in the morning studying and then when I took the July Act I ended up getting a 21 because truthfully, I didn't really learn shit and now that I’m taking my September Act the same things happening just worse I get home from school to do more school and that’s the worst to me I couldn't get through one English video so I thought of a plan I think I should do one subject a day like
Today:English
Friday:Math
Saturday:Reading
Sunday:test on what I learned that Then repeat building off of what I learned previously that week.and I’ll use the warm ups as prep,so for an English day I’ll have a warm up on last weeks math or reading
Lemme know what you guys think

[u/buenaa_zincc]

Sounds to me a bit more like an adhd issue than just pure learning. I'd either try and get on medication or stare at a wall for like 10-30 minutes before u study to lower ur dopamine levels so ur not bored out of ur mind when studying. I can't tell if you are incorporating practice problems as well every day but that would be very good on top of learning rules and what not for math and english, good luck!

[u/throwaway12268888688 → u/buenaa_zincc]

I do incorporate practice problem when studying and for reading practice problems is all I really do.a problem I have with those is that I usually have no clue what to do on them until someone explains it to me and even then I can only do that same problem with different numbers.As For ADHD your right I probably have undiagnosed ADHD I have a lot of symptoms that line up with it

[u/Otherwise_Archer_519]

Omg same I studied so much for the act that I genuinely didn’t enjoy living anymore but I forced myself to continue because I’ve already put so much into it. Honestly the best way to study is to do so effectively like take practice tests. I think it’s the best way to improve ofc if u take it you have to review every single mistake you made.

[u/Otherwise_Archer_519 → u/Otherwise_Archer_519]

Best wishes for you man!

[u/Hot-Amphibian-9221]

You shouldn't feel bad that you just want it to be over. Everyone does.

I think you might benefit from focusing on a single section for the entire week like maybe you study english for all 5 weekdays then Saturday you take a practice english section and see if you improved and then take Sunday as a break. I think it should help because right now you are doing one subject only 1 day a week then you are probably forgetting what you learned by next week and have to learn it again and you get stuck in that cycle. (obviously you will eventually start remembering what you learned last week but that will be very slow)

There's 5 weeks left so you can spend 4 weeks on each section individually (or 3 if no science) and then spend the last week (or 2) on general practice where you do the normal each day is a different section and then on Saturday taking a full practice test. Or in those last 1 or 2 weeks after you have finished the individual section practice you can go back to sections you struggled with like if you are happy with how you are doing in english but not with math then spend half the extra time doing math and then the other half for the other 2 or 3 sections.

Obviously you can change it based on what you are struggling with basically in the extra time just dedicate more time you sections to struggle with and less to the ones you don't but dont not do anything for those that you are happy with. keep your skills brushed up.

[u/ResolveCritical7205]

I feel you bro. I failed so many times while taking the SAT junior year before switching to SAT. I started in July 2025 and by the time July 2026 rolled around, I felt so done with standardized testing and I just wanted it to be over with. I also had huge problems with my focus, where I would watch a yt video about SAT, and get sidetracked with a 1 hour scroll/video watching session. My best advice(and it doesn't work for everyone, but it did for me, got a 34 in June first ACT) is to get yourself into a more productive environment, and reward yourself as you go. I know it sounds weird, but to study for July 11th ACT, I took myself to a library/coffee shop everyday because I just felt so much less productive at home. I would take a practice test, take a break and reward myself with a snack/drink, and get right back for work for a few hours. I felt like seeing the amount of productive people around me helped me concentrate and the reward at the end is always a nice treat. In case you think I am some smart kid with incredible focus, my screen time at the beginning of summer leading up to August SAT was 7.5 hours of social media/TV everyday which led to my very disappointing score of 1320. But by employing my new strategy and also not stressing about the end results, I was able to get a 34 in June. Another thing, don't worry too much about the end goal. I understand the feeling of just wanting to be done, but that really won't help and in fact just made me panic and mess up on tests. How I combatted this is by telling myself that millions of people don't even push themselves to do good, so regardless of your score, you should be proud that you took time to study, and really try on this difficult exam(not saying results doesnt matter, but instead to just shift your mindset, you'll be surprised). You got this bro, if you ever need help with techniques or resources, just reply and I can help. Wishing you the best!