You likely have heard of the “ideal” timeframe for bar prep: a two-month study period. Well, add a pandemic and all its stressors into the mix, transitioning to a remote bar exam, your personal life—and the process is looking more like a year instead of eight weeks. Being in this position as a repeat taker or having delayed a previous exam, you’re probably asking yourself, how am I going to get or remain motivated to continue studying when the goalpost keeps moving further away?
First, a major kudos to you, because it takes a lot of strength to decide to go at it again whether you experienced a technology failure (raising my hand), going for a higher score, or decided to postpone—there comes a point when we must ask ourselves—what should I do differently this time?
Wherever you may be on your journey, remind yourself it is okay if your exam experience is more of a long game than a “one and done” experience (my alma mater’s bar exam motto). Here are some tips for a strong start and to help you make it to the finish line!
1. Focus on the opportunities over the obstacles
You have an opportunity to reflect on and strategize how you want to approach this upcoming exam. Now is a great time, if you haven’t already, to reflect on how you prepared last time, what worked and did not work so great, and to implement effective changes. If you already took the exam, you can start with How to Interpret your Bar Exam Score Report as a starting point. If you haven’t yet taken the exam, you could probably start with the areas you least look forward to (Real Property, anyone?) as an indicator of an area you could use work with early on and begin tackling. Additionally, I found it helpful to schedule consultations with bar prep providers and/or trying materials such as Smart Bar Prep to assess whether they meet your current needs.
2. Build your team
Many of us are familiar with being faced with the choice of joining a study group for class or going at the final exam alone. When it comes to the bar exam, we might self-isolate, and this may be attributed to the need to avoid distractions, or in my case— my circle of friends all went with different bar prep courses. I learned during the overwhelming pandemic and bar exam experience, that isolating myself added to an already tough journey. At that point, I plugged into the Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast for the first time, which felt like having a refreshing conversation with good friends who understood me so well! I created playlists of episodes that got me into the exam mindset and eased my stress including Handling Panic on the Bar Exam.
While I previously tried to go at the exam alone, I knew that building a team of support, including an amazing tutor this time around (Thank You, Doretta!), was going to make all the difference.
With this in mind, I also reached out to a good out-of-state friend from law school, “KM” also in the same boat. We formed an accountability system that involved debriefing experiences with each other almost daily. For example, if she learned a pitfall in multiple choice on Civil Procedure, she would share a mini-lesson on it, and I would do the same in return. We accelerated our learning this way, and, in turn, we strengthened our own understanding of concepts by teaching it to each other.
Beyond learning, I had much needed support during unprecedent times. When I felt tired, she was strong and pulled me through. When she was stuck, I made sure to share resources that would help us get over that bump. Ultimately, we helped each other move forward. In fact, KM recently learned she passed! She attributes having an accountability partner as a key to success. Kudos to my friend!
3. Big Picture Mentality
Let’s face it, the mindset you go in with can wear off, even with a great team. Sometimes we need to draw on a greater purpose to keep going. I recall when I started law school, a mentor asked me why I wanted to become a lawyer. I responded with the highlights of my personal statement, to which she responded, “Remember that. That is what is going to get you through law school and the bar exam.”
During bar prep I found inspiration in knowing that there will be test-takers in my same position, who may need my help in the future. Rising to the challenge of confronting your weaknesses and facing the exam again is an incredible journey to share with a recent graduate.
On days when you’re just quite honestly in agony over the time ahead, seek out inspiration during your breaks! Get the positive quotes out. Take a break and watch an inspiring documentary. I found inspiration in the Dawn Wall, a story of resilience and perseverance.
It is my greatest hope for you to embrace your unique journey and kick into a gear you didn’t know you had for this round.
Ready to pass the bar exam? Get the support and accountability you need with personalized one-on-one bar exam tutoring or one of our economical courses and workshops. We’re here to help!
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