You walk out of your last law school final exam and you stretch your fists far above your head. You cheer, blissfully thinking about the grand plans you have for the summer: sandy beaches, afternoon cocktails on the water, spending time with your loved ones, and the glorious feeling of the summer air as you take a nap in the sun. What a wonderful dream to have. Unfortunately, for a law school graduate, the only sandy beach you will experience is the “pink sands” candle from Yankee Candle that you lit next to you with your nose in a prep book. Yep, the worst summer of all of law school: the post 3L summer. Following law school, the July bar exam is right around the corner, much to any law school graduate’s dismay. Hours of studying, reviewing, and practicing in front of a computer every single day. How can you make matters worse? Add work into the mix. In a new form of self-torture, I decided to work during a majority of my bar prep period. Meaning, I had to cram studying in any chance I got without any fun or breaks in between. Are you working and trying to prepare for the bar like me? Well here is a look into my life during the (arguably) worst part of becoming a lawyer: bar prep. [Read more…] about Working + Bar Prep: A Post-Grad Perspective
Bar Exam Toolbox Blog
Podcast Episode 55: Using the Final Weekend of Bar Prep Effectively
Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! Studying for the bar exam is like a marathon — you need to taper off your training in the final days so you can rest and restore energy. Today we are going through things to do during your final weekend of bar prep.
In this episode we discuss:
- Setting up your routine to match that of exam day, so your body can adjust
- The importance of studying in the 3 or 3.5-hour blocks you will be doing the testing in
- Going to the exam site to figure out how long the commute will take you
- Spending some time on your weak areas of heavily-tested law
- Making sure you have all your registration materials and other stuff you’re going to take into the exam room ready
- Finding a way to distract yourself and clear your head the Monday before the exam
Thanks for listening!
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What to do the Day Before the Bar Exam
You’ve made it to the night before the bar exam! You’ve studied hard, taken care of yourself, downloaded the bar exam software, and packed for exam day. You’re ready right? So what do you do with yourself, on this last night, to set yourself up for success over the next two days? [Read more…] about What to do the Day Before the Bar Exam
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. Although no two students are exactly alike and everyone has a different study schedule, we tell most of our bar exam students to start practicing under timed conditions as early as possible. If you’re working on developing a schedule for completing partial or full practice exams, here a few strategies to consider. [Read more…] about When You Should Start Doing Partial or Full Practice Exams
Podcast Episode 54: Last-Minute Tips for the Performance Test
Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! Today, we are sharing some last-minute tips to help you squeeze out as many points as you can from the performance test portion of the bar exam.
In this episode we discuss:
- The four different types of PT tasks, and their characteristics
- How to think about the audience, tone, and organization for each of the task types
- The difference between the IRAC and CREAC writing approaches
- Tips for reading and interpreting the materials provided in the PT packet
- A reminder to carefully read and follow the directions given on the performance test, so you are not losing easy points
Thanks for listening!
[Read more…] about Podcast Episode 54: Last-Minute Tips for the Performance Test
You Are So Close – Now Don’t Blow It!
Can you believe it has been about six to eight weeks since you started studying for the bar exam? Everyday, including weekends, you start your day by reviewing some core subject and tweaking your attack plans. At some point during the day you take a practice essay exam or a set of practice MBE’s. As each week passes, you have gotten better at spotting the issues on a bar question. You’ve even gotten more and more MBE questions right with a better understanding of why certain answers were wrong. [Read more…] about You Are So Close – Now Don’t Blow It!