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
- 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?
- 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.
Selecting a Bar Exam Tutor
- 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?
- Winning the Bar Exam Game: 5 More Reasons You Need a Tutor A bar exam tutor can be the difference between success and failure for may students. If you'r not sure whether to hire a tutor, here are five more reasons that may convince you to get some help with the bar exam.
- How Do You Pick a Bar Exam Tutor? As students around the country have been getting bad news about the bar exam, we have been getting more and more emails and phone calls wanting advice on how to pick a bar exam tutor. Here's our advice for making this important decision!
- 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.
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: Celebration Bar Review Still deciding on a bar review provider? Celebration Bar Review is a multi-state program prep program that you can participate in on multiple platforms. Read our review here!
- 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: Smarter Review Smarter Review claims to help you study for the bar in less time and for less money than a regular review course. Does it work? Read our review here!
- Can Bar Prep be Quicker, Easier and/or Cheaper? While you may be looking towards the big names in test prep for your bar studying, Smarter Review promises you better value for your time and money. We talk to the Smarter Review's Managing Director to find out more about this exciting new test prep company.
Should You Study Early?
- Rome Wasn't Built in a Day and Neither is a Passing Bar Exam Score Preparing early for the bar exam gives you the confidence that you will excel. Confidence which is key to maintaining focus and ultimately passing. So take the practical step and begin preparing 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.
Study Tips for Different Learning Styles
- What Can Your Academic History Tell You About Studying for the Bar Exam? At this point in your career you're experienced at studying the law — and at taking law school exams. But thinking about your past academic history should still be part of getting ready for the bar.
- 5 Bar Exam Study Tips for Visual Learners Memorization is a key factor in how well you’ll perform on the bar exam. But are you studying in a way that fits your learning style? Find out what you should be doing if you're a visual learner!
- 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.
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
- When You Should Start Doing Partial or Full Practice Exams The key to passing the bar exam is timed practice, but it can be hard to know exactly when to start doing partial or full practice exams. If you’re working on developing a schedule for completing partial or full practice exams, here a few strategies to consider.
- Changing Course: How to Adjust When Practice Exams Aren't Going Well When struggling through bar prep, there is nothing more painful than getting a low score on one of the several practice tests you’ll take. We're looking at some ideas for how to take this and course correct to see some improvement!
- Let's Get Real: The Importance of Practicing Bar Exam Essays and Questions Before You're Ready We're looking at why it's so important to really start your bar exam practice, even before you feel prepared.
- Writing Practice, From Week One Until the Bar Exam don’t wait until you feel “ready” to start writing, because ready will never come if you don’t start writing. Based on an eight-week study schedule, here’s what writing practice can look like throughout your process.
- Study Tips to Help Prepare for the Big Day The bar exam is right around the corner, which means you should be thinking about polishing your test-taking skills. Check out our tips for taking practice exams and handwriting the bar exam.
Study Materials
- Flashcards v No Flashcards for Bar Prep Are flashcards worthwhile during bar prep? The reality is that there is no objective answer to the flashcard debate. What really matters is whether making (or buying) flashcards will help you pass the bar exam. This post covers some of the pros and cons of bar exam flashcards and how you might choose to incorporate them into your bar prep.
- How to Use NCBE Information to Prepare for the Bar Exam If you’re planning to take the UBE, your best benchmarks are the materials provided by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE).
- 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.
- 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.
Strategies for Bar Exam Essays
- 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.
- How to Practice Essays in the Final Weeks Before the Bar Exam This post outlines some tactics you can implement to make the most out of the practice essays you do in the three weeks leading up to 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
- How Do I Survive the Bar Exam With MBE Scores at a Historic Low? With MBE scores at all time lows, we're talking about how to not end up on the wrong side of the MBE scoring.
- How to Analyze Real MBE Questions We're offering some advice on how to face real MBE questions.
- 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.
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
- 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.
- 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. 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).
- What To Do the Week Before the Bar Exam So it’s here. Some may call it the week in which you will experience the most anxiety of your lifetime. Whereas others may call it the last seven days that you have to create an exit strategy. In reality this is the final week before the bar exam and yes, it is completely worth it to follow through after all the sacrifice you’ve put in!
- Bar Schedules: How Can I Catch Up If I Fall Behind? Even the best bar study schedule is useless if the student doesn’t follow it. Obviously, this happens to everyone, but sometimes when people fall behind on their study schedules, they get too overwhelmed to realize that they can make things work.
- 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.
How to Make a Useful Study Schedule
- 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.
- 3 Simple Ways to Stay Motivated During Bar Prep So how is it possible to stay motivated during this period of high stress? Here are three strategies that we use to increase motivation, especially in times when a bar studier feels burned out.
- Making a Bar Exam Study Schedule - One Size Doesn't Fit All Studying for the bar exam is probably nothing like what you’ve ever done before. It may be hard for you to figure out at first how to approach it. For me, the start of my bar exam prep course felt like a great unknown. All I knew was that I had a little over two months to cram everything into my brain that would allow me to be “minimally competent” to practice law in my jurisdictions. I had no idea how I would achieve it in such a short time, but what I knew is that many have done it before me and were successful.
Working and Studying
- 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!
- How to Study for the Bar Exam While Working So you’ve found yourself having to study for the bar exam while holding down a full-time 9 to 5 job? With our tips on how to organize your time and what material to focus on, you should be able to successfully study for the bar and keep your boss happy.
- 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.
Exam Logistics
- Fidget Your Way to Test Day Focus Test anxiety is a real thing and fidgets are a simple tool that can help you cope.
- 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.
- 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.
- Why I Packed My Own Lunch for the Bar Exam (And Maybe You Should Too) In deciding to pack my lunch for the bar exam, and deciding what to pack, I considered the following — and these might be worth your consideration as you prepare for the bar exam too.
- Planning to Handwrite the Bar Exam - Ask These Questions First What if you are one of the few who really wants to handwrite the bar exam? Everyone is telling you to reconsider, but should you? It depends. If this is something you want to do, first ask yourself some very serious questions:
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
- Why You Should Take Evidence During Law School and Why It'll Be Important to Your Bar Study If you are at a law school that does not require Evidence and if you’re on the fence about whether or not to take an Evidence class, let me set you straight: take it.
- 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.
- Easy Steps To Take During Law School to Improve Your Bar Prep Readiness We describe a few easy steps you can take during law school to improve your readiness going into bar prep and help you feel confident about taking the exam.
- Selecting Law School Courses for Bar Success Selecting courses with the bar exam in mind will ensure that you’re in the best position possible when it comes time start your bar exam studies, and that could make all the difference. These suggestions can help you create a class schedule that will satisfy your graduation requirements while also ensuring that you are as prepared as possible for the bar exam.
- 3L Bar Exam Tip: Get Your Bar Admission Paperwork Together Bar admission paperwork is lengthy, but important. Everything must be complete and truthful or your application could be flagged by the state bar to delay your admission. Learn all about the information you'll need to complete your application in this post.
Getting Accommodations on the Bar Exam
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 Study For the Bar Exam, With a Side of Holiday Cheer We're looking at how you can balance holiday plans with bar study.
- 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!
Stories About Failing the Bar Exam (and Surviving)
- The Day I Failed the New York Bar Exam What do you do if you fail the bar exam? Well the first thing you need to realize is that you're not alone. Jeena Cho, a successful San Francisco attorney, shares her very personal story about failing the bar exam and offers great advice to those facing the same predicament.
- The Day I Failed the California Bar Exam We are pleased to welcome Jeff Curl, apprentice grader for the California bar exam and practicing attorney, to the Bar Exam Toolbox blog to talk about his experience when he learned he failed the California bar exam.
- 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.
Dealing with Bar Exam Stress
- 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.
- Still Thinking About the Bar Exam? 5 Tips to Help You Decompress For better or worse, the bar exam is finally over! It’s normal to have a little anxiety about how it all went, but after spending so much time and focus preparing for the test, you may find it difficult to get your mind off of the bar exam. Now that the test is over and there’s nothing you can do to change your answers, it’s important to live in the present so that you aren’t constantly worrying about what you could have done differently or whether your name will be on the pass list. Use the following strategies to help you decompress and control your anxiety about the results.
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
- 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.
- 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.
Got questions about the bar exam? Please don’t hesitate to contact us!
We look forward to hearing from you.
