How to Prepare for the Bar Exam
You have just graduated from law school, and now you are facing the bar exam. This article provides one method to help you have a plan on how to prepare and study for the bar exam.
Register for a bar review course, such as Bar/Bri.
Attend all the classes for your course; pay attention and take notes.
Before you start your review course, purchase some multi-state practice question books, such as PMBR’s books.
Before you start your bar review course, or possibly at the time you are starting it, practice some multi-state questions. You should take a couple of sets of about 15-22 multi-state questions under timed conditions every day. After you are done, check your answers and read through and understand why you missed some questions and why you were correct on others. If you keep making repeated mistakes, or you want to remember a trick or certain point of law, take note of it and continue to add this to your notes to be reviewed the day before the multi-state exam. This process may take up to or over 2 hours each night.
Globally, create a one-week schedule (see below: this one-week schedule will be repeated for the 5 or 6 weeks prior to your exam) that allows you to study each major essay subject and multi-state subject on your bar once during the week.
In your weekly schedule, use your class notes outlines as your main study source. If you don’t understand something or need more detail, you should consult the more detailed outlines provided by your course to gather an understanding.
If you don’t like a particular class outline or presentation from your course, get a hold of the Conviser Mini Review from Bar/Bri and use the outline in that book as your study source on that topic.
In the one-week schedule (repeated for 5 or 6 weeks), allow time for studying the outline for a particular essay subject or two each day. Then take a couple practice essay questions on those topics under timed conditions. Then read and understand the sample answer.
Take a break during the middle of the day or early afternoon. After all, you will go mad if you study all the time.
In the late afternoon or evening, study your multi-state outlines, then take the practice questions under timed questions as described above.
Repeat your one-week schedule for 5 or 6 weeks (or even longer).
Be sure to get rest every night, and especially during your couple day exam. If you pull all-nighters, it will catch up with you, and you will not have energy for the test.
Studying for the bar is a marathon, not a sprint. It is very difficult to cram for the exam. Creating a schedule as detailed herein will help you formulate a plan and cover all topics with enough time to be ready.
Don’t study too hard on the actual days of the exam. If you have followed a plan, you will know the material. Spend your time going through trouble areas, or just skim through your notes to reinforce what you have learned. Most importantly, go to bed early before the next exam day so that you are well rested.
No plan for preparing for the bar exam is foolproof. You obviously made it through law school, and you know what works for you. Be sure to incorporate any study methods that have worked for you in the past.
