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.
- 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?
- 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.
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
- Using AdaptiBar to Prepare for the MBE on the Bar Exam AdaptiBar is an online application that can help you prepare for the multiple-choice Multistate Bar Examination (or “MBE”) portion of the bar exam. In addition, rather than static sets of practice, MBE questions from a workbook, AdaptiBar uses a proprietary, adaptive algorithm to tailor sets of online practice questions to each user’s particular strengths and weaknesses.
- 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!
- Using Anki Flashcards to Study for the Bar Anki flashcards are a tool usually used for medical students to study for their exams, but we're looking at how you can use them, effectively, for bar study.
Should You Study Early?
- How Early is Too Early to Begin Bar Prep We think the important question is, how exactly do you go about early bar preparation?
- 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?
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Study Tips for Different Learning Styles
- Studying For the Bar as a Visual Learner While there are no real tricks or shortcuts to preparing for the bar, you can and should study in a manner that will best help you obtain that passing score. One way of doing this is modifying your study habits to best align with your preferred learning style. If you wished bar materials were presented in a way geared towards visual learners, then this article is for you!
- Reading on Screens - Where Will You Encounter It? Reading online poses difficulties, but we are also encountering it more and more, including on the bar exam. Are you prepared to push through them to be an effective digital reader?
- Want To Set Yourself Up For Bar Exam Success? Take Control of Your Own Learning! No bar prep program can guarantee success, regardless of how many of the assignments you complete, if you are not actively engaged in the learning process. Consistently completing assignments is crucial, but it’s not always sufficient. To set yourself up for bar exam success, you not only have to put in a lot of study hours, you also have to take control of your own learning.
- "Am I Actually Learning?" We're looking at how to make sure you are getting the most learning out of your bar prep.
- 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.
How to Memorize for the Bar Exam
- Unconventional Memorization Tips for Bar Study You’ve probably not memorized certain material even while actively trying to memorize it because you haven’t gotten it in front of your brain enough. Here’s some methods you may not have considered for memorization.
- The Best Memorization Methods For the Bar Exam Passing the bar exam requires an intimidating amount of memorization. Here are a few methods that work for memory champions and that worked for me when I studied for (and passed!) the bar.
- The Bar Exam is Coming! How to Memorize It All Memorizing all the materials you need to for the bar exam can be overwhelming. We're looking at some tips to make it easier.
- The What, How, and When of What to Memorize for the Bar Exam Bar exam memorization does not begin and end with the black-letter law itself. While the law is what you will be writing about, and therefore is rightfully the highest priority when it comes to memorization, you also want to have an understanding of how to write about the law you’re memorizing as well as when to write about it.
- Memorization Techniques to Help You in the Final Weeks The bar exam tests many different skills: the ability to analyze complex factual scenarios, to spot legal issues, to perform under pressure, to draft cohesive arguments, and so on. But it will be difficult to sufficiently and accurately perform these skills without first mastering the skill of memorization.
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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- Why Practicing For the Bar Exam is so Important One of the things that bar-takers might consider cutting back on are practice exams, including multiple choice tests, taken under timed circumstances. But we discuss why practice should be key to your bar study.
Study Materials
- Take It From the Examiners: Make the Most of the NCBEX.org Along with your jurisdiction’s bar, the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) is a key primary source of information.
- Memorize Efficiently - and Pass the Bar - With Critical Pass Flashcards There are many components to success on the bar exam, but the most fundamental is memorization. If you don’t know the rules, you can’t choose the right answer on the MBE or write an adequate rule statement on the MEE. So, as you prepare for the bar, it’s crucial to develop a plan for memorizing the law. For many students, this plan includes flashcards.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Strategies for the Bar Exam Performance Test
- 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.
- 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?
- 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
- An Approach to Answering MBE Questions We describe one approach to answering MBE questions.
- 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.
- Fighting Through MBE Prep Struggles: 5 Questions to Ask When Nothing is Working When it comes to the MBE, most anyone will tell you that practice is the key. But what do you do when your scores plateau or even start getting worse during your bar prep? It is fair for the alarm bells to ring when your MBE practice begins going poorly all of the sudden. Here are five questions to ask when you feel like nothing is working.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
- Everything You Need to Know About the UBE In this post, we’ll explain what the UBE is and how portable it is.
- NextGen Bar Exam 2026: Your Complete Guide to the Biggest Legal Education Change in 25 Years In this post, we break down everything you need to know about the NextGen Bar Exam and how to prepare for this game-changing test.
- 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
- 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.
- Bar Exam Stamina: The Long Game Here are some tips for a strong start and to help you make it to the finish line of your bar prep!
- Your Energy Level: The Key to a Successful Bar Prep Day! We're looking at how to organize your bar prep schedule. Slot high energy tasks into high energy times, and slot lower energy tasks into lower energy times.
- How a Dog Can Benefit Your Bar Studies We're talking about why a dog can relieve some bar study stress for bar study students.
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
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
- What to Bring to the California Bar Exam You’ve spent months memorizing rules, practicing essays, and taking multiple-choice MBE questions. Now that it’s finally time to sit for the California bar exam, you need to pack your “go bag” full of items that are permitted in the exam room.
- 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.
- What Should I Do Between Bar Exam Days? As the bar exam draws nearer and you’re creating your action plan, don’t forget to think about what you’ll do after you’ve finished the first day of the exam. There are a few things you should (and should not) do in order to ensure you’re mentally and physically prepared to tackle the next day of testing.
- 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:
- 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.
Exam Pep Talks
- 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.
- 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.
- 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?
- Bar Exam Tips and Tricks - What to Do When You Blank on Test Day Here are some tips and tricks to get you through your mind blanking on exam day.
Bar Exam Advice for Law Students
- 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.
- Twas the Summer Before 3L - What to do to Prepare for the Bar Exam The summer before your 3L year is an interesting time in a law student’s life. Many rising 3Ls are busy in their summer positions, typically full-time at a law firm or with a judge. However, it is also the last summer before going out into the real world to be practicing attorneys or studying to for the bar exam in July. So, many law students want to enjoy their 3L summer rather than worrying about school and the dreaded bar exam once the semester begins.
- 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.
- Your Frequently Asked Questions Answered - Bar Prep As you finish up law school, the next step is preparing for the bar exam. We're answering some of the most common questions from law students about bar prep.
- 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.
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.
- Why Being on Top of Mental Health is So Important When Studying for the Bar We explore why mental health is crucial for bar exam preparation, especially for repeat takers, and discuss practical strategies to care for your mental health during this difficult period.
Which Exam and When?
- How to Learn from Your Bar Exam Score Report: A Complete Analysis Guide We discuss how to decode what your score reports are telling you and use that intelligence to create a winning strategy for your bar exam retake.
- 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.
- 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.
- How the Bar Exam is Portrayed on the Screen Versus Reality Movies and series that portray exam takers may or may not get some things right. The person that would best be able to assess how the exam is portrayed on the screen and how it compares to real life is you! We're looking at some well known portrayals of law school students and the bar exam process on screen.
- First Generation Perspective - Bar Exam Advice We're talking about the unique challenges of taking the bar exam as a first generation law student.
- Bar Exam Perspective - How to Have "The Talk" With Your Loved Ones About Studying for the Bar If you're going into bar study, you will want to explain to them (lovingly) what they can expect during each phase of the bar exam and set some ground rules.
- How to Support Friends Who Don't Pass the Bar Exam If your friend doesn't pass the bar exam, we're talking about how to be the most supportive.
Stories About Failing the Bar Exam (and Surviving)
- Five Famous People Who Failed the Bar We hope that by reading this post, seeing the names of famous attorneys who failed the bar, will help you to comfort that uncomfortability that comes with failing the bar.
- How and When to Tell People You Failed the Bar Exam You can decide whether or not to tell others you failed the bar exam, but looking at why it can actually help you to be open about it.
- So You've Failed the Bar Exam? Here are Four Lesser Known People Who Failed But Survived We're looking at some stories of lesser known examples of high profile people who failed the 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.
- Bar Exam Perspective - What to do if Your Friend Doesn't Pass the Bar Exam If you have a friend who recently got some bad news about the bar exam, we have some advice to help you navigate through this very difficult but sensitive time in your friend’s life.
Dealing with Bar Exam Stress
- 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.
- How to Handle Burnout for the Bar Exam Studying for the bar exam may only last a few weeks, but it can sure send you on a roller coaster of emotions. Bar prep will likely subject you to a slew of emotions that will feel particularly intense given the pressure, workload, and shortened time frame. To avoid getting derailed during your study sessions, use these strategies to help you handle the various feelings, moods, and mindsets you might encounter as you prepare to take the bar exam.
- 8 Ways to De-Stress During Bar Prep We lay out eight things you can do to eliminate your bar prep stress.
- Make Stress Your Friend During Bar Study Studying hard and building an attack plan is a great strategy, but be ready to let go of concrete plans. Your perfect bar plan may no longer be a perfect fit. But you just need to trust yourself.
- 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!).
Help for the Bar Exam Significant Other
- Bar Study During Coronavirus with a Cohabiting Partner We’ve recently heard from several bar students and their partners about how stressful the current situation is. We're looking at how you can handle this from both the bar studier point of view, as well as the partner point of view.
- 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?
- 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.
- Supporting Your SO While They Study for the Bar Being a good significant other for a bar studier is often a bit different than being a good significant other for someone who chose a less difficult, non-stressful, low-academic path, so here are some considerations if you’re on the hunt for how to help yours.
Helping Your Child Pass the Bar Exam
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
