No matter when you take the bar exam, studying for the exam can feel hectic and stressful. This feeling is only compounded when you’re attempting to study while already working in the fast-paced and deadline-driven environment of a law firm. The need to study and work at the same time can come up for any number of reasons, including because you’ve already started at a firm in a new state and need to take the bar in that jurisdiction, or because you’re studying while contemplating a jump to a new state. Whatever the case may be, there are some strategies to get through, and succeed, while juggling work and study. [Read more…] about Tips on Studying for the Bar Exam While Working at a Law Firm
Bar Exam Toolbox Blog
Podcast Episode 45: Why Are MBE Scores Dropping? And What to Do About It as a Bar Taker
Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! Today we’re focusing on strategies and tactics to help you beat the trend of declining MBE scores, seen in recent data released by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
In this episode we discuss:
- Possible reasons why MBE scores are down
- How much individual bar takers should be worried about this trend
- Good resources for finding real released MBE practice questions
- Smart tools to help you focus your MBE study
- How many practice MBE questions are enough to prepare you to pass
- The importance of doing your exam prep under as close to exam conditions as possible
- Some alternative ways to mix up your MBE study routine
Thanks for listening!
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5 Tips from 5 Recent Bar Examinees
As a Bar Exam Toolbox reader, you know better than most that there is no shortage of information and resources available to you as you prepare for the bar exam. There are a host of bar prep courses, there are practice exams, and there are bar exam tutors, to name a few. However, as is often the case, harnessing the collective knowledge of people who have recently been through this experience will pay the greatest dividends. Straight from the horse’s mouth and all that.
In this post and in that spirit, we catch up with five recent bar examinees to get their take on the most important lessons they learned during their bar exam preparation. [Read more…] about 5 Tips from 5 Recent Bar Examinees
Juggling Bar Prep and the Rest of Your Life: Don’t Be a Fool!
As you know, bar prep is no joke. There are countless studies and statistics that demonstrate that a failure to complete most of your bar prep course significantly reduces the likelihood of passing the bar the first time. Not passing the first time is not the end of the world, but no one wants to take the exam twice. Bar prep lasts two months. We have to learn how to cope with the competing demands of life while maintaining laser focus on the task at hand: one and done on the bar exam. It is just like juggling. We have to learn to “cope with adroitly balancing several activities,” simultaneously. [Read more…] about Juggling Bar Prep and the Rest of Your Life: Don’t Be a Fool!
Podcast Episode 44: Tackling a California Bar Exam Essay: Constitutional Law
Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! Today we are walking through a California bar exam question on constitutional law. This is part of our series of podcasts talking about how to approach questions on the California bar exam.
In this episode we discuss:
- A quick review of the First Amendment and its application to the states via the Fourteenth Amendment
- Issues related to the freedom of religion
- The Establishment Clause, the Free Exercise Clause, and the Equal Protection Clause
- How to do proper analysis on California bar exam essay questions
- How to assess what is legally significant about each fact in the question’s fact pattern
- How to create a roadmap and organize your essay’s structure
Thanks for listening!
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Self-Care is the Best Care: 10 Ways to Take Care of Yourself During Bar Prep
If you’re scrolling through Instagram or pretty much any social media outlet, you’re likely guaranteed to come upon some variation of self-care activity being promoted by the bevy of social media influencers hired to promote the latest self-care craze. Whether it be taking an exotic vacation to clear your mind and decompress, attending a baby goat yoga class, downloading an app to speak with your own personal therapist in the palm of your hand or my personal favorite, trying out the latest K-Beauty product, the opportunities for self-care are endless, and I love every minute of it! Self-care was essentially the millennial mantra of 2018 and I eagerly hope that this craze will bleed into 2019 and become a permanent lifestyle facet for all generations alike.
So what do you do when you’ve perfected your favorite self-care routine, but you’re unable to squeeze it into your bar prep study schedule? In the alternative, what do you do when you have no idea what self-care is but your bar prep mentor tells you this thing should be an essential part of your preparation? In theory, the answer is pretty simple, you adjust your self-care routine to meet the demands of your bar prep schedule or you Google the definition of self-care and piece together a practical routine that works for your hectic lifestyle. However, in reality, this answer is easier said than done considering that during bar prep, a 24-hour period feels like an hour and 30 minutes at best. Furthermore, if we’re keeping it all the way real, a self-care trip to ride elephants in Thailand or a weekly massage appointment, is not typically within the average bar prep budget. But no need to worry because I’ve already done the heavy lifting for you. Below I’ve pinpointed 10 self-care activities that are efficient, uplifting and necessary for the soul, but most importantly, cheap!
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