Law students around the country are taking their last final exams of their law school career. As law school winds up, their focus turns to the bar exam. It is just weeks away (okay, not weeks, months actually—but it may feel like “weeks”).
Many students already have their bar review materials sitting at home, waiting to be opened. Some students are already cracking into those materials, trying to get a jump start on prep.
However, if this is you, I warn you, burnout may be coming!
I think we all have experienced burnout at one time or another. To be honest, I am recovering from a bit of it myself right now (which is why the Bar Exam Toolbox went a little silent for a few weeks). Alison and I threw a conference called Catapult 2013, which was a huge success. But it was a ton of work. And while I was working on Catapult, my list of things to do after the conference just got longer and longer.
When the conference was over, did I take a nice break to celebrate my success before diving back into work? To be honest, not really. I had to jump right into my to-do list and work on post-conference items. It has been two weeks since the conference and you know what? I am still pretty exhausted! And my productivity has suffered. Why do I feel so burned out? Well, I didn’t schedule time to relax and recuperate after doing something hard. The time I should have spent relaxing and rejuvenating would have likely made me more productive in the last few weeks. But it didn’t seem smart, so I didn’t do it. Oops, my mistake.
What can you learn from my recent experience?
If you don’t take a bit of a break between finishing your law school exams and studying for the bar exam, you will likely start to suffer from burnout. This is going to make your exam studying much more challenging, make you less productive, and also likely increase your anxiety. None of these are good things.
What can you do about it? Schedule some time off! I know money is tight for folks, but even getting out of your house to go hiking a few days in a row would be a great break. Or go visit family. Do something other than sitting in front of a computer and thinking about the law. Clear your head. Celebrate your success of being done with law school. The bar exam study period will be waiting for you when you return and there is plenty of time to prepare for it. Taking a break will actually help make you a better bar studier and have a more productive bar study process. Burnout during the studying process will just slow you down and make this whole process more difficult.
Remember, take care of yourself! You are only as good a bar taker as the body and mind that shows up that day. You deserve a break. Graduating from law school is an amazing thing. Enjoy the moment. There will be plenty of time to study for the bar exam.
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Did you find this post helpful? Check out some of our other articles for more great study tips!
- One and Done: The Best Bar Exam Motto
- The Key to the Performance Test: Find Your Approach
- The Performance Test: Why You Should be Studying Now
- The 7 Areas of Bar Exam Preparation
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You’re website is wonderful. I am struggling with whether or not I should sit for the July Bar exam for the third straight time. I have taken the exam twice before and the first time was so anxious that I knew I did not do well. The second time I prepared and felt good (in as much as I good feel good about taking the Bar, right?) and believed I passed it, but actually did worse the second time. Now, this time, the “third time’s a charm” time, is not feeling so charming.
I have been studying for the last couple of weeks but to no avail. This stuff is like reading a foreign language, not the material I was just tested on in February and should just be “reviewing/refreshing.” My mind has completely shut down on me and my practice score percentages are so low that my confidence level is even lower.
Point being is this, your website has confirmed for me that maybe I need to take a step back and regroup. While I am sure that I could muddle through the studies to take the test in 6 weeks, I do not want to just muddle through it. I want be confident in my studies and overall game day presence. While a three-peat may have been great for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls back in the day, I am not looking to be a three-peat Bar exam failure. I want to be a “One and Done” kind of gal!
Thank you for writing about the issues we are all struggling with in some capacity when it comes to being a law student and an in transition Bar Exam taker/re-taker.
Kate: Thank you for reading and for your comment. Your situation and feelings about sitting for the bar exam for the third time are some that I know are shared amongst others.
I agree that you don’t want to “muddle” through studying again. If you are burned out, plagued by anxiety, or just feeling a bit unable to focus, you want to re-group and make sure you get the support you need to find exam success in the future. That may be a tutor, therapist or even a great yoga class.
Just realize that the bar can be within your reach, you just need to find the right help to get you there! A break can definitely help you get perspective and re-group and hopefully be ready to make the third time the charm! Hang in there.
Good luck!