From the day law school starts, you are inundated with offers from commercial bar prep programs for lower rates, free highlighters, or candy, in return for signing up to use their program. Many of my classmates locked in these specials within the first semester of school and had their payments broken into portions that were then added to their school tuition bill. Half-way through second year, one company had joined forces with my law school to offer their prep program as part of the tuition fee – everyone got it automatically, but you could opt out. [Read more…] about Why You Should Consider Hiring a Tutor for Your Bar Prep
About Alexandra Muskat
Three Tips to Include More Self-Care into your Bar Prep
“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” I don’t know about you, but I heard this phrase quite often during my first year of law school – mostly from people not in law school who were worried about my stress levels. And I can remember thinking, “they just don’t get it. This is the path I chose, and I will always be stressed out and fried.”
Well, I am here to tell you that this is a ridiculous sentiment. We (law students, candidates for the bar exam, and active attorneys) are not resigned to a life of stress, burnout, and exhaustion. No, we can actually choose to be good students/attorneys and have good mental health. [Read more…] about Three Tips to Include More Self-Care into your Bar Prep
How to Use the Brainy Bar Bank to Raise Your Essay Scores
The first time I took the bar, I relied heavily on the commercial bar prep programs’ essay questions and graders’ responses to gauge how I was doing. I stayed away from the topics I was having a harder time remembering rules to, and I maybe did three MPT questions total. Now, I did okay on that portion of the bar, but if I had done just a little better, I would have passed. I used the tips below the second time around and passed with flying colors (not kidding – I increased my essay scores by 47 points), and I think if you were to incorporate them into you’re studying, you would also see an increase in score. [Read more…] about How to Use the Brainy Bar Bank to Raise Your Essay Scores
How to Cope if you Forget a Rule on the Bar
Imagine this: you sit down for the essay section of the bar exam, the timer starts, you open up the exam booklet, and you. cannot. remember. a thing. Your mind is absolutely blank.
Now, if this scenario just struck your heart like an ice pick, and you can’t shake the feeling that it is destined to happen to you, well, join the club. The one fear that all bar examinees have is forgetting the material. I cannot tell you how many nights I dreamt the exact scenario above and woke up in a cold sweat. [Read more…] about How to Cope if you Forget a Rule on the Bar
Why Exercise Should Be Mandatory During Bar Prep
Studying for the bar exam is one of the most taxing experiences law students will have to endure. It can cause anything from severe, crippling depression and extreme panic attacks, to basic FOMO (fear of missing out) in everyday life. It’s hard on the mind and the body, as sitting for hours each day can end in achy joints, terrible posture, and lethargy that can take months to shake off.
But simple movement throughout the day can ease the symptoms of bar prep burnout and boredom, and the ailments associated with long periods of sitting (i.e. increased blood pressure, increased blood sugar, poor blood circulation, and anxiety and depression). [Read more…] about Why Exercise Should Be Mandatory During Bar Prep
Five Tips for Repeat Bar Takers
The first time I took the bar in July of 2017 I was, like most examinees, fresh out of school, still burned out from my final semester, and absolutely dreading studying for the exam.
Actually, as of three weeks before my last day of classes I was convinced I didn’t have to take the exam. It wasn’t until one of the staff attorneys at my judicial internship goaded me into signing up for it in front of her that I even settled on which jurisdiction to take it in.
Since deciding to take the bar exam, I now find myself in an epic class of repeat takers who include Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, and John F. Kennedy Jr. Below, I’ve outlined the five things I wish I had done the first time, that helped me tremendously the second time. [Read more…] about Five Tips for Repeat Bar Takers