Welcome to the land of all things bar exam. Here, you’ll find some of our favorite posts in different topic areas, along with links to lots more content. From when to start studying to detailed tips for the bar exam essays, it’s all here.
For a full list of available topics, please visit the Bar Exam Toolbox Resource Hub. Enjoy!
We also offer a variety of courses and tutoring options, including:
- Writing of the Week (WOW) Workshops to improve your bar exam essays and performance test answers
- The Brainy Bar Bank to streamline your bar exam preparation
- The Bar Exam Self-Study Program, which provides motivated self-studiers with the tools they need to pass at an affordable price
- Private bar exam tutoring in a variety of jurisdictions
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Selecting a Bar Review Provider
- Choosing Bar Prep Providers Securing your bar prep course is probably one of the best ways to prepare for the bar. So what are these courses and how do you choose from all of the choices? Here is a guide to help you decide on your bar prep provider.
- Comparing Tools for Bar Exam Essay Success Several internet tools have been created to help law students prepare for the essay portion of the bar exam. We compare your options.
- Can I Take a Bar Course Without Breaking the Bank? There’s no secret that there are now a variety of bar prep courses that offer deals that serve to benefit the diverse pockets of bar exam takers, but the idea of paying any additional cost to actually become a certified attorney is enough to agitate any law school graduate. If you’re frustrated, you’ve come to the right place. We've put together a list of money saving ideas for choosing a bar study provider.
- Does Your Bar Prep Plan Fit You? 5 Questions to Consider When you are deciding how to prepare for the bar exam, you will be bombarded by programs, plans, and methods that will all claim to guarantee success. They probably all have some value, but your goal is to pick the approach that will give you the best chance at bar exam success. Here are five questions to consider when evaluating which approach to bar prep will best suit you.
- Why the End of Your 3L Year May Be Too Late (and 1L Year May Be Too Early) To Start Thinking of Bar Prep At the start of law school, there is a lot of pressure to commit to one of the various commercial bar-prep programs.. However, making a commitment too early has drawbacks, and once you sign that contract, you’re stuck. Is it likely you can know what you need in a bar prep course in your 1L year?
Selecting a Bar Exam Tutor
- How to Get the Most out of Your Bar Exam Tutor Bar exam tutors can be a great resource to help you study for the bar exam because they structure your program to your needs and give you individualized feedback. Nevertheless, just hiring a tutor is not enough to pass the bar exam. In this post, we discuss how to get the most out of your bar exam tutor.
- Studying on Your Own for the Bar Exam - Consider Your Options! Whether you are a new law school graduate, just recently failed the bar, or you need to work and won’t be able to keep up with the bar review schedule, you may need an alternative bar study option. So now what? Under any of these circumstances, you should consider going it alone.
- Why Would Should Consider Hiring a Tutor For Your Bar Prep We look at some ways you can utilize a tutor to help with your bar prep.
- Why I Hired a Bar Exam Tutor In this post we welcome an attorney who shares his story about failing the California bar exam and his decision to hire a bar exam tutor for his second studying attempt. He offers some great advice about the benefits of working with a tutor and how it can help you pass the exam.
- Winning the Bar Exam Game: Should You Consider Getting a Tutor? For many law school graduates who are studying for the bar exam, navigating the study process throughout law school and beyond can feel like you’re playing a game for which you haven’t read the rules. It’s no wonder you start to feel overwhelmed! Can a bar tutor help you with this?
Self-Studying for the Bar Exam
- Self-Study - How to Survive People decide to “go it alone” for bar prep for a number of reasons or circumstances. Whatever reason you have, consider the following suggestions to help you enhance your experience and increase your chance for success.
- Do I Need to Make My Own Study Materials for the Bar Exam? Law school was all about making your own outlines and study guides, but students typically pay for outlines from a bar course when preparing for the bar exam. Read our thoughts on whether or not you should be making your own study materials for the bar exam.
- Self-Studying for the California Bar With "Be a Goat"! (Part I) Yes, you read that right: being a goat actually has something to do with self-studying for the California bar exam. We talk to Jessica Klein, attorney and author of "The Goat’s Guide: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide To Preparing for the California Bar Exam On Your Own," for some expert advice.
- Self-Studying for the California Bar Exam With "Be a Goat" (Part II) As a follow up to our first post on the Goat's guide to self-studying for the California bar exam, we continue our conversation with attorney and author, Jessica Klein. Read more of her expert advice!
Reviews of Bar Prep Options
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Smart Bar Prep The number of different bar prep programs, commercial outlines, and study aids available to test takers has grown considerably in recent years. If you’re weighing your bar prep options, here’s another resource to consider. Smart Bar Prep is an essay-focused set of study guides available in both UBE/MEE and California formats.
- How to Use the Brainy Bar Bank to Raise Your Essay Scores We're hearing from one two time bar exam taker who used the Brainy Bar Bank to significantly raise her essay scores (and pass) the second time around.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: AdaptiBar Struggling with the MBE? AdaptiBar might help. Check out our review of this useful tool (including a special discount code for our loyal readers).
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Themis Bar Review Still haven't decided on a bar review course? In this post we review Themis Bar Review, a commercial bar review course that you can take entirely online.
- Tools for Bar Exam Success: Lean Sheets Bar Exam Outlines Many bar studiers are overwhelmed with the amount of information they need to study for the bar exam. This is why Lean Sheets were developed — to help those of you studying for the bar exam pare down the information to what you need to know. Read our review of this helpful tool!
Should You Study Early?
- It's Never Too Early to Think About Bar Prep It doesn’t matter whether you are a 1L, or in your final year of law school. Thinking about the bar exam should start as soon as possible so that a good foundation can be laid before actual bar prep begins.
- When Should You Take Bar Exam Electives in Law School? The bar exam is an inevitable box you must check off before earning the right to be called Esquire. Recognizing this, many students often wonder whether they need take course covering subjects that may appear on the bar and, if so, when. Fortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to the “When” and “Why” questions of taking Bar-elective courses.
- How Early is Too Early to Begin Bar Prep We think the important question is, how exactly do you go about early bar preparation?
- Bar Exam: Starting Early vs Starting Late - The Tale Of Two Law Students This is the tale of the two law students and what the difference is in preparing for the exam.
- Why the End of Your 3L Year May Be Too Late (and 1L Year May Be Too Early) To Start Thinking of Bar Prep At the start of law school, there is a lot of pressure to commit to one of the various commercial bar-prep programs.. However, making a commitment too early has drawbacks, and once you sign that contract, you’re stuck. Is it likely you can know what you need in a bar prep course in your 1L year?
Study Tips for Different Learning Styles
- 4 Bar Exam Study Tips for Auditory Learners Are you finding that simply reading material isn't helping you learn it? If you’re an auditory learner, listening, hearing, and speaking are the ways your brain processes material. Find out how you should be studying for the bar if you're an auditory learner.
- 4 Bar Exam Study Tips for Kinesthetic Learners If you’re a kinesthetic learner, your brain processes material best by carrying out a physical activity. You’re often seen as a “hands-on” learner or “do-er.” Here are four techniques to help kinesthetic learners memorize material for the bar exam.
- Mind Maps and Other Fun Visual Learning Methods We discuss unique visual learning techniques that can help any law student and bar student study in a new way. Even if you don’t identify as a visual learner, try these techniques out. Learning using all of your senses, also called multimodal learning, can significantly improve your retention and engagement when studying.
- Bar Study Tips For Different Learning Styles Everyone has to memorize and comprehend the same material to pass the bar exam, but not everyone has to go about it in the same exact way. You should also tailor your review to include specific learning strategies that work best for you. We tell you how!
- Preparing for the Bar as an ESL student We discuss English as a second language students (ESL) law students preparing for the bar exam.
How to Memorize for the Bar Exam
- Tricks to Memorizing Law for the Bar Exam A common complaint when studying for the bar exam is “I can’t memorize this much information.” While it’s true that memorization is tough for many people, there are several techniques that can be used to bolster your memory and that are extremely useful when studying a large amount of information (like for the bar exam)!
- Using Peg System Mnemonics to Remember Rule Elements If you’re studying for the bar exam, you've probably heard of mnemonics. They work great, but what if you have a lot of elements you need to remember, like on the bar exam, and mnemonics aren't helping? In this post we talk about peg systems, variations on mnemonics that can help you memorize bar material!
- Memorization as Simple as 1, 2, 3 Memorization is the easiest and hardest thing about the bar exam. In this post we welcome back Brian Hahn, founder of Make This Your Last Time, to share a few memorization tips when it comes to the bar exam.
- Why Waiting to Memorize Until the Last Two Weeks is a Bad Idea It may seem reasonable to do a lot of memorization closer to the actual bar exam. While some of the big, commercial bar prep. companies take this approach, we would also strongly advise against it. Read why in this post.
- Can Spaced Repetition Help You Learn the Law? SeRiouS (SRS) is on online study tool that applies the technique of spaced repetition to legal study in a simple, engaging format. It promises to help you learn the law efficiently and conveniently by adapting to your level of knowledge and recall, and allowing you to spend as little as five to ten minutes a day reviewing rules on any internet-connected device.
Ways to Practice Effectively
- Your Dog As Your Study Buddy (And 4 Other Tips For Building Bar Prep Into Your Daily Routine) When you are studying for the bar exam full time, building a routine that makes the most of your bar prep period is vital. Keeping to your bar prep schedule and continually reinforcing your study through repetition takes discipline, especially as bar prep drags on. Here are five tips to build in some bar prep around your daily routine so you can keep yourself honest and make the most of your precious few bar prep days.
- Essay Feedback: Why It's Important, Where To Get It, and How to Use it to Improve When you’re preparing for the bar exam, whether you’re a first-time taker or a repeater, you want to use every tool available to you to improve your chances of success. One of the most valuable tools that you can employ in preparing for the written portions of the exam is feedback from someone who is experienced at evaluating bar exam essays and MPTs.
- How to Become Great at Taking the Bar Exam with Deliberate Practice There is not much debate about practice when it comes to learning a new skill or getting better at something. I’m guessing that some of you have heard of Outliers by Malcom Gladwell and the idea of the 10,000 hour rule to achieve mastery in a field. Since none of us have 10,000 hours to study for the bar exam you may be interested in the concept of Deliberate Practice which was introduced by K. Anders Ericsson.
- How to Use MPT Points Sheets and Sample Answers to Prepare for the Bar Exam Practice exams are a crucial component of successful bar prep. While a bar review course may provide feedback on a limited number of practice essays and performance tests, you should do more and assess your own work. We’ve previously discussed how to do this using MEE Analyses. Here, we’ll explore how to use MPT Point Sheets and sample answers. The key is to distinguish form from substance. A Point Sheet will not be in the form required for your answer, but it will contain the required substance. A sample answer should be in the required form, but it may not be complete in terms of substance. Let’s take a closer look.
- Taking the Bar Exam? Start Practicing Now! In order to do well on the bar exam, you must devote significant time to practicing the material and skills tested on the exam. We go into the reasons this is and how you can have practice work for you.
Study Materials
- Walking Through a Scratch Paper Outline For many bar takers, outlining an answer before writing is a commonly skipped but crucial step to developing a successful answer. We're looking at why this is so important.
- Train Like an Athlete for the Bar Exam Many student fear the bar exam mountain of work. What if instead of a massive mountain climb, you thought about the bar exam like a form of athletic training? Read why you should here.
- ESQYR Review: Resource for Past Bar and MPRE One of the most important strategies for passing a bar or MPRE exam (or any type of exam) is to take lots of practice exams. In order to make taking practice exams effective, you need to make sure the practice exams be as genuine as possible, and you get specific, detailed feedback on your practice exam from a knowledgeable person. We talk to a new online service, Esqyr, which takes care of the first need.
- Podcast Episode 78: Advice for First-Time Bar Exam Takers Today we’re sharing advice for first-time bar exam takers, to ensure you can take the test once and pass. Even if you’re still in law school, and the bar exam is years away, it’s never too early to get informed and chart a course for success, so tune in.
- Memorize This! Five Memorization Techniques that Will Help you Succeed on the Bar Exam So I want you to think back to law school for a second. Do you remember spending countless hours reviewing a case brief, only to find yourself unable to recall anything the very next day during a cold call? Or perhaps you may remember that networking event you attended your 1L summer, where you met several attorneys who you desperately hoped would provide a lead to your 2L job. The bar exam will require memorization, so follow these 5 techniques to master this!
Strategies for Bar Exam Essays
- How to Be a Bar Exam Essay Writing Machine Bar exam essays require you to draft an articulate answers to seemingly unpredictable fact patterns that test a wide range of legal subjects. A successful bar exam essay simply requires you to methodically spot the issues and analyze the key facts. A systematic approach to the essays, while perhaps a bit dry and repetitive, will help you tackle any fact pattern and produce an organized answer that consistently racks up points. In short, success on this portion of the bar exam requires you to be an essay writing machine.
- Bar Exam Essay Questions: How to Grab as Many Points as Possible It’s never too early to refine your approach to essay writing to crush it on the bar. These tips will help you gear up to write some practice essays during bar prep, and maximize the points you grab from the board of bar examiners during the big show.
- How to Use the Brainy Bar Bank to Raise Your Essay Scores We're hearing from one two time bar exam taker who used the Brainy Bar Bank to significantly raise her essay scores (and pass) the second time around.
- How to Get Past the Initial Panic on a Bar Essay This post is about how you can get past your panic on a bar essay by planning ahead exactly how you’re going to start any essay that comes your way.
- 5 Easy Tips to Bolster Your Analysis on the Bar Here are five easy to follow tips to make your analysis section strong on the bar exam.
Strategies for the Bar Exam Performance Test
- Strategies for Common Performance Test Issues The performance test (PT) section of the bar exam is somewhat of an enigma. It is unique to study for in several ways. The tricky thing about the PT is that there is no material to study. So, what do you need to study? How can anything go wrong?
- Five Common Issues on the Performance Test and How to Fix Them Bar candidates are often intimidated by the performance test because the materials that present the question are so long they consume an entire packet! However, success on the performance test does not depend on how fast you can read, but how well you can read and if you have mastered an approach for each section of the performance test.
- Managing the Clock on a 90-Minute Performance Test Most bar exams require applicants to complete one or two 90-minute performance tests as a component of the exams. A performance test asks you to complete a sample work assignment typically performed by a law firm associate. We discuss how to handle the clock on this part of the exam.
- The Key to the Performance Test: Find Your Approach What's the key to success on the bar exam performance test? Having your approach dialed in beforehand, so you can work efficiently and effectively.
- Three Things to Do to Raise Your Performance Test Scores The performance test is the favorite part of the bar exam for many, given that you don’t need to have any law memorized. But some people still hate and fear the performance test. If you're one of these people, here are three things you can do to raise those scores!
Strategies for the MBE
- Tackling MBE Hearsay Questions Hearsay questions make up a large portion of the Evidence MBE questions you’ll be confronted with on exam day. Learn how to tackle these questions, and you could see a critical boost in your MBE score. Below are tips on how to approach hearsay questions.
- Approaching Criminal Law Questions on the MBE The Multistate Bar Exam can be a nightmare for bar exam takers, especially with the myriad topics covered on the MBE. Fortunately, you can quickly improve your MBE score by following a solid approach to answering Criminal Law questions on the MBE.
- How to Approach Constitutional Law MBE Questions Constitutional Law questions can be tricky for bar exam takers because of the deep analysis involved in reaching the correct answer. We're looking at the best way to study for these questions on the MBE.
- Tackling Torts MBE Questions In this post, we’ll talk about how you can approach Torts MBE questions to boost your score.
- 3 Simple Ways To Improve Your MBE Score If you’re enrolled in a bar review course or if you’re studying on your own, by this point you may have already completed a simulated or mock MBE exam. You may have already received the score for this exam and depending on what that score is, you’re probably freaking out and already plotting a career change. Well, if you’re currently experiencing this fear, we're here to tell you, STOP WORRYING!
UBE Basics
- Everything You Need to Know About the UBE In this post, we’ll explain what the UBE is and how portable it is.
- What is the Uniform Bar Exam? The Uniform Bar Exam – or UBE – has been in the news quite a bit recently with respect to bar exam requirements and whether it will replace existing state exams. Wondering about the UBE? In this post we discuss all things UBE and what the UBE means for you.
- Three Reasons You Should Support the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) has been sweeping across the country in recent years, and with the addition of New York, it now seems poised to become the dominant exam. This is a good thing for law students. Read three reasons why in this post.
- Deciding Whether to Take the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) or the California Bar Exam If you’re deciding whether to take the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) or the California Bar Exam, then you’ve come to the right place. Read our advice on what you should be considering!
California Bar Exam Basics
- What is the California Bar Exam, Anyway? Not sure exactly what's covered on the California bar exam or how to approach the test? We've got you covered. Here are all the basics you need to know.
- Tips if You Just Found Out You Failed the California Bar Exam California bar results are being released, and the pass rates mean there will be thousands of disappointed bar takers out there. If you're one of those people wondering what to do next, here are some steps for dealing with a bar exam failure.
- Failed the Bar Exam? How to Be the Ultimate Sore Loser (to Pass the Bar Exam Next Time) Methodical and deliberate - these are the keywords for any person retaking the bar exam. In this post we welcome Brian Hahn, founder of Make This Your Last Time and a second-time passer of the California bar exam, who gives his advice on how to pass the bar exam the next time around.
- Should You Apply for Bar Exam Testing Accommodations? We are pleased to welcome back to the blog Dr. Jared Maloff, a clinical psychologist who specializes in helping students who need testing accommodations navigate the California bar exam. In this post he talks about when and why law students should consider applying for testing accommodations.
- Are You Kidding Me? The California Bar Exam Is Going to be Two Days in 2017 The California State Bar Board of Trustees recently voted to scale back the state’s three-day exam to just two days. In this post we discuss all the changes to the exam and what they mean for you!
Studying Smart
- Keep It Simple For Bar Success While there are some great new study tools out there that might be worth exploring, particularly if you’re repeating the bar exam, the best study strategy is generally to keep it simple. The bar exam is not the time to try something new. Use the study strategies that have worked well for you in the past, and make sure you incorporate these 3 simple steps into your preparation process.
- Ego Depletion While Studying For the Bar Exam Ego depletion is a theory that we each have a limited reserve of self-control, and that using that self-control or discipline for one task (say, for example, dieting) will impact our ability to remain disciplined on some other task. Studying for the bar requires a whole lot of patience, dedication, and willpower. Be realistic about the demands you are about to put on yourself and about your own limits.
- 5 Ways to Tell if You are in Bar Study Trouble Assuming you don’t fall into any of our previous "red flag" categories, and assuming you are studying hard and practicing, how do you know if you need to be doing things differently? This article will outline five warning signs that you need to change up your study game.
- Coffee Time? Caffeine Pros & Cons During Bar Prep For many, caffeine becomes a not-so-optional part of law school survival. But, come bar prep time, with increased schedule flexibility, should you carry your caffeine habit into your bar prep or try to cut it out of your routine?
- What You Should Do In Your Last Month Before the Bar Below we’ll outline what we think you should do in your last month before the bar to give the bar your all.
How to Make a Useful Study Schedule
- A Day in the Life of a Bar Studier: Tips for Structuring Your Day Creating a detailed daily schedule during bar exam prep can help you feel more in control of your studying and show you that the workload is manageable if you plan your time carefully.
- Checklist for Preparing for Bar Prep How can you get ready for bar prep? Below is a checklist to make sure you start your bar prep off on the right foot!
- Stop Worrying About Passing the Bar Exam in 10 Days and Get to Work! Should you have waited until 10 days before the bar to start studying? No! Of course not. But, if you did, here are some tips that might help you pass.
- How to Pass the Bar Exam in 10 Days Believe it or not, we know several people who have passed the bar after studying for less than two weeks. While we would never recommend studying for 10 days, people have done this and gone onto pass. So, this post isn’t so much advice about why we think you should wait until the last minute to study, it’s more of an “if you only have 10 days left, this is what you should do.”
- Getting Ready for Bar Prep? Do These 5 Tasks First To help simplify your life in the final days before the bar exam, and to ensure that you’re able to get the most out of the bar prep period, make sure you’ve completed the following five tasks before bar prep starts.
Working and Studying
- Adulting and Studying for the Bar Exam If you want and need to maintain your job, family, and yes, your sanity intact during bar study, follow these few tips.
- Working and Studying for the Bar: 5 Reasons to Be Confident The bar exam can intimidate anyone. The law is challenging, the scope is daunting, the prep time is short, and the stakes are high. If you are working while studying, it can be easy to feel sorry for yourself and to feel like you are trying to do the impossible. You have taken a tougher road to bar success than others to be sure, but you can’t let those feelings take too much of a psychological toll. You have to be confident going into the bar or you will not be at your best. Here are five reasons to be confident as you work and study and study and work and study some more
- Five Tips for Studying for the Bar Exam While Working Although it's best to study for the bar exam full time, this just isn't a possibility for many bar takers. If you're considering studying while working, here are five things you should take into consideration, especially if you're re-taking the bar exam after disappointing results.
- Working While Studying? "Play" Bar Prep Like You're Playing Risk Working full time while studying for the bar: recommended? No. Possible? Yes. Sarah Eli Mattern, founder of “The Student Appeal” online law journal, gives her expert advice on this important topic.
- Warning: Working and Studying Can Cause Sleep Deprivation! It's no secret that working while studying for the bar exam can be a challenge. Depriving yourself of sleep and studying while exhausted can lead to disastrous results. In this post, learn about the consequences of sleep deprivation and the importance of rest!
Exam Logistics
- Managing Your Time During the Bar Exam During bar prep, you will all face the harsh reality that there are only twenty-four hours in one day. Twenty-four hours goes by pretty quick when you spend each day trying to process tough material during bar review. But there’s no need to worry because I’ve put together, a few time management methods to help you along the way!
- Survival Guide: The Bar is One Day Away, Now What? You’ve managed your time well and completed the required prep work. You’ve taken and learned from practice multiple choice, essay, and performance test questions. You’ve gotten your timing down and the IRAC method is your new best friend. You put your writing utensil down and close your prep materials on the second to last day before the bar. Now what?
- How to Read the Facts on a Bar Exam Question in Four Simple(ish) Steps We're looking at how to approach reading bar exam question facts.
- Suggestions for Surviving the First Day of the Bar Exam The first day of the bar exam is daunting, to say the least. Students know that 2-3 long testing days are ahead of them and, although many are eager to get the process started after weeks of preparation, most still feel nervous, overwhelmed, or even unprepared. It’s important to start the bar exam marathon on a positive note, so take a deep a breath and use these suggestions to help you have a successful first day.
- During the Bar Exam, It's Good To Be a Little Unsocial People will walk out of the bar exam and start talking to no one in particular about the various issues they spotted. So we're offering some advice on how to take some time to yourself and not engage.
Exam Pep Talks
- Suggestions for Surviving the First Day of the Bar Exam The first day of the bar exam is daunting, to say the least. Students know that 2-3 long testing days are ahead of them and, although many are eager to get the process started after weeks of preparation, most still feel nervous, overwhelmed, or even unprepared. It’s important to start the bar exam marathon on a positive note, so take a deep a breath and use these suggestions to help you have a successful first day.
- I Don't Know the Answer: Encountering Your Worst Subject as an Essay Topic So here’s the scenario, you didn’t take a certain subject in law school or maybe you went to a law school outside of California and it wasn’t an option. You reviewed that subject briefly as part of your bar exam prep, but it’s not your strongest subject. You are banking on that subject not showing up on your exam but then you open your exam to find your weak subject staring you in the face and your mind goes blank; you have no idea how to answer the question. What happens next?
- Some Perspective on a Disappointing First Day of the Bar Exam Few things in your life will have the same sort of buildup and anticipation as the bar exam. The tension is only increased by the high stakes: you may have a job offer contingent on bar passage, you definitely have years of work and weeks of preparation invested, and you likely have everyone you know waiting to hear if you passed or failed. We have some tips on how to handle a disappointing first day.
- How to Cope If You Forget a Rule on the Bar If you're afraid of sitting down for the bar exam and blanking, we have advice! We're talking about the top three steps to take if you forget a rule when taking the bar exam.
- It's Almost the Week of the Bar Exam! But You Can Stay Sane! You have finally made it. It’s the week of the bar exam. There may not be a discrete set of things each of you can do to maintain sanity in those final days and hours before the bar, but what I can offer are some common-sense tips to keep you healthy and feeling…okay before the big day.
Bar Exam Advice for Law Students
- Thinking Ahead: Don't Let the Bar Exam Catch You By Surprise As you move towards the end of law school, you may be wondering about what’s next. In this post, we wanted bring some clarity and give a run down on what you should be doing to get ready for the bar exam as a 3L.
- How Early to Start Preparing For the Bar Exam, and How? Every law student considers the question of how early to start preparing for the bar exam. But the best answer to this question is probably that you ought to start your bar prep as early as you possibly can by learning how to do legal writing clearly and concisely.
- How to Prepare for the Bar Exam While in Law School If you’re just beginning your first or second year of law school, the last thing you’re probably worried about is the bar exam. While you shouldn’t focus too much energy specifically on doing bar prep during law school, there are a few things you can focus on along the way that will set you up for bar exam success.
- Three Ways to Prepare for the Bar Exam While Still in Law School Here are a few suggestions on how you can maximize your time in law school and get ahead of the game when it comes time to study for the bar exam.
- 8 Bar Exam Questions for 3Ls to Answer Now Right now, the July 2017 bar exam probably feels pretty far off. But there are a lot of logistics to get through before you ever start studying. Here are 8 questions you should get answers to this fall.
Getting Accommodations on the Bar Exam
- How to Proactively Develop Good Mental Health Habits During Bar Prep We will discuss in this section how mental health awareness can help you to maintain your sanity during the bar.
- Mental Health and the Bar: Tips To Maintain Good Mental Health Post Bar Exam and Beyond If you've just finished the bar exam, unfortunately, these factors can certainly bring up some mental health issues, regardless of a predisposition or an overall stable state of mind. Therefore, developing and maintaining good mental health practices is crucial, especially during this starting point of your career.
- Three Tips to Include More Self-Care Into Your Bar Prep During the bar exam in particular, it is very important to incorporate self-care into your daily routine. Below, I’ll outline a few ways to reduce your stress, combat exhaustion, and help boost your mood.
- Preparing for the Bar Exam with ADHD In this post we welcome back Dr. Jared Maloff to talk about studying for the bar exam with ADHD. Dr. Maloff is an expert on this topic given his work as a clinical psychologist helping students who need testing accommodations navigate the California bar exam.
- Should You Apply for Bar Exam Testing Accommodations? We are pleased to welcome back to the blog Dr. Jared Maloff, a clinical psychologist who specializes in helping students who need testing accommodations navigate the California bar exam. In this post he talks about when and why law students should consider applying for testing accommodations.
Which Exam and When?
- The Five Steps of Mourning a Disappointing Bar Exam Result There are few events in life that seem to carry as much pressure as the bar exam. In other words, the bar exam is a really, really big deal – both personally and professionally – to most students. We cover the five steps of mourning this difficult time.
- Top Five Reasons Why People Really Fail the Bar Exam It’s probably every law student’s worst fear: failing the bar exam. We break down the top five reasons why it really happens.
- Mentally Preparing to Study for the Bar Exam After a Failure (or Two) We're looking at what you can do to prepare for re-taking the bar exam.
- How to Handle a Bar Exam Failure The unbelievable happened – you failed the bar exam. Now what? While you are entitled to a little “pity me” time, how you move on from this set back will determine whether you can hope for a different result the next time around.
- Five Tips For Repeat Bar Takers If you're taking the bar after a previous failure you need to adjust some things from how you did them last time. We're looking at some advice for changes you can make if you're taking the bar exam again.
Bar Exam Prep + Life
- How to Get Your Family Involved in Your Bar Exam Studies Here are some ways to get your whole family involved in your study strategy.
- Adulting and Studying for the Bar Exam If you want and need to maintain your job, family, and yes, your sanity intact during bar study, follow these few tips.
- Don't Be a Grinch! Enjoy the Holidays While Studying for the Bar Exam Studying for the bar is difficult and having to study during the holidays can make it even more of a challenge. You want to spend time with your family and partake in all of the holiday traditions without falling behind in your studies. So, how do you find the balance? Here are some tips to help you enjoy the holidays while studying for the bar exam!
- How To Juggle Bar Prep and Job Hunting During bar prep, the last thing you want to think about is being unemployed and the fact that you have no prospect of employment after the exam. If you’re going through bar prep without a job offer in hand, I know it’s unrealistic to ask you to ignore this issue. We want to assure you that you can manage this burden and that you can successfully find a job and also pass the bar. But you have to carefully juggle these two major priorities if you want to be successful. Here are our top tips!
- Tips For Your Post-Bar Job Hunt There aren’t many things that will compare to the sense of accomplishment, elation, and relief that you feel when see your name on the bar exam pass list. But that excitement can quickly fade to feelings of frustration, disillusionment, and even embarrassment if you haven’t landed a legal job. If you’ve passed the bar, taken the oath of attorney, and picked up your bar card but are still searching for a position, make sure you keep these suggestions in mind.
Stories About Failing the Bar Exam (and Surviving)
- The Question I've Never Been Asked About the Bar Exam In this post we welcome an attorney who shares her very personal story about failing the California bar exam and what she learned from the experience. She offers some great advice for those of you grappling with the same emotions!
- Why I Hired a Bar Exam Tutor In this post we welcome an attorney who shares his story about failing the California bar exam and his decision to hire a bar exam tutor for his second studying attempt. He offers some great advice about the benefits of working with a tutor and how it can help you pass the exam.
- If at First You Don't Succeed...Cry, Whine, and Then TRY AGAIN! Bar exam failure is common! In this post we welcome Ciara Vesey of Confessions of a Law School Nobody Online to share what she learned while re-studying for the bar exam.
- Famous People Who Failed the Bar But Did Okay in the End From Presidents to law school deans, many famous lawyers have not been stopped by bar failure. Here are just a few prominent attorneys who failed their first bar exam.
- Why You Won't Die If You Fail the Bar Exam Failing the bar exam can be an overwhelming experience. We have some advice on handling it from someone who went through the experience herself.
Dealing with Bar Exam Stress
- How to Manage Your Anxiety in the Days Before the Bar Exam In the days leading up to the bar exam, you may feel increased anxiety. Being proactive about this can help you minimize stress and reduce your fears about the test and achieve a passing score.
- Can Playing with a Pet Help Relieve Bar Exam Stress? Yes, pet therapy is actually a thing. And yes, you can legitimately use it to help relieve the stress of bar exam studying. Read why here!
- Test Anxiety and the Bar Exam: How to Cope In this post, we want to discuss everyone’s favorite topic: test anxiety! Ok, we know, it’s probably everyone’s least favorite topic. But, it needs to be talked about since everyone deals with it in law school and in bar prep.
- Surviving Bar Exam Prep: Keeping it Together When You Want to Freak Out We all know the feeling—you start to look at your calendar, or at your to-do list, and you realize how difficult it is going to be to fit everything in and get everything done. Maybe the panic builds in your chest a bit. Maybe your breathing becomes more rapid as you try to figure out how you’re going to fit it all in. You start to think about the nights of little sleep ahead, followed by days with a foggy brain and extra caffeine (which isn’t what you need right now!).
- Can Pilates Help You Study for the Bar Exam? Joseph Pilates once said “Patience and persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor.” This statement applies easily to the intense couple of months you will spend preparing for the bar exam. You will need to find ways to stay centered and focused, and pilates may be the answer.
Help for the Bar Exam Significant Other
- Supporting the Bar Exam Studier in Your Life Your child, spouse, significant other, or best friend is studying for the bar exam. Maybe it’s their first time studying, or maybe they’re a repeat test taker. No matter the situation, studying for the bar exam can be incredibly stressful and you don’t want to add to that stress. Here are a few ideas for ways you can make your bar exam studier’s life a little easier.
- So Your Friend Failed the Bar Exam You planned the celebration. You had trepidations, but you knew the results would be good news. Then the time came, and the name was not on the pass list. You felt confused, saddened, and a little scared, but it wasn’t your name in contention, it was your friend’s.
- Dealing with the Bar Studier in Your Life You may think you’re prepared for a little stress after supporting a person all the way through law school, but the bar exam will likely push your bar studier to a new level of anxiety. So how do you deal with the bar studier in your life?
- Are You Living With a Bar Exam Studier? Here's How to Cope! The bar exam study period is not only difficult for the exam takers, but also for the people supporting them. In this post we share our tips for supporting and coping with a bar exam studier!
- Are You and Your Significant Other Studying for the Bar Exam Together? We've heard many stories about how challenging it is when two people are going through bar exam prep together. Is this you? If so, we have some suggestions about how to handle the final weeks of bar prep together.
Helping Your Child Pass the Bar Exam
- How to Survive Studying for the Bar Exam at Your Parents' House If you’re facing graduation and don’t have a job lined up after law school, you might be stretched thin for money. If you can’t afford monthly rent payments near your law school, you might be looking at a move back home to your parents’ house for bar season. Here’s how to survive studying for the bar exam while rooming with your parents.
- Being a Parent During Bar Prep: The Ultimate Test in Multitasking Bar prep is a lot of work, and it can be particularly challenging if you're a parent. We're offering some advice for those bar takers who are parents about how to juggle it all.
- Dos and Don'ts for Parents of Bar Preppers After three years of law school, there is still one very big hurdle for your child to jump before she becomes a lawyer: the bar exam. They will usually take all the help they can get, so if your child will be preparing for the bar exam over the next several weeks, here are some dos and don’ts to help you support their efforts.
- How Can Parents Help a Child Who Failed the Bar Exam? After someone fails the bar, they need all the support they can get, especially from their parents. In this post we answer an email from a concerned parent wondering how she can help her son after he failed the bar exam.
- Parents of Bar Studiers: How to Best Support Your Child During the High-Anxiety Weeks of Bar Preparation Your adult child has officially graduated from law school. However, as you probably noticed, the excitement and celebrations abruptly came to a close as he or she almost immediately shifted to preparing for the biggest exam of his or her life – the bar exam. Make no mistake about it – even though your child persevered through semester after semester of really tough exams in law school, the bar exam really is the toughest exam your child will ever face.
Got questions about the bar exam? Please don’t hesitate to contact us!
We look forward to hearing from you.
