This is a post I have been wanting to write since I took the bar exam. However, the information contained in it would either be right or wrong depending on whether or not I passed. Since I did pass my state’s bar exam I feel like I can finally write this.
Going into bar prep a considerable amount of time Googling things like “how do I pass the bar exam?” and “tips and tricks to pass the bar.” I looked through various websites, talked to past bar sitters, and read numerous threads of chitchat to see which way was the best way to study for the bar. The answer is quite simple, it all depends on the person.
For any student studying for the bar exam my school offered us a “bar pass pod” which was basically a floor of empty offices to use as needed for studying. Every day when I walked in there I saw so many variations of people’s study habits. From the bar results and discussions I have had with fellow bar sitters I can give some insight into what may and may not work during your bar study.
WHAT WORKS (suggestions from three recent bar passers)
√ PACE YOURSELF
The analogy is true- it’s a marathon, not a sprint. You will not be able to learn everything you need to know the last two weeks before the bar. Allow yourself enough time to review the information, process the information, and absorb the information. This occurs in various steps over quite a few weeks. So don’t try to cram all of your studying into the first couple weeks or the last couple weeks of bar prep. Spread it out over your allotted time and pace yourself in your studying.
√ FOLLOW THE PROGRAM
Whether you sign up for a commercial bar prep program like BarBri or Kaplan or you structure your own study program, follow the program. I personally took BarBri and it felt like there were not enough hours in the day to get done what they threw at me. But I just trusted the process. There was a daily task list and a weekly task list. I did what I could in a day and what was left, I made sure to add it to my “weekly to do list.” Sundays were my lightest study days so whatever I couldn’t tackle during the week ended up on Sunday’s list. If Sunday evening came around and there were a few items left, I marked them for later review and told myself I would go back to them on a future date. There were some that I was able to complete and others that I was not. However, I did read and review the answers to the assignments I was not able to fully complete. Missing those couple of assignments did not turn out to be detrimental.
√ TRUST WHAT YOU KNOW
If you rocked out in Torts during law school don’t spend too much of your study time focused on that area. Although we were told you don’t need your law school outlines to study from for the bar, my old outlines actually helped to refresh my memory on some topics. I spent minimal time on the topics I knew well (Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, and Property) and focused more on the ones that were new to me (Commercial Paper and Trusts). I knew that I had a good outline in my memory of the topics I had already been tested on. I trusted that I knew what I needed to know from my previous exposure to the topic, the bar prep videos, and the various questions I was exposed to and moved on.
√ TAKE BREAKS
Three of us took breaks religiously throughout the day. The one thing we all agreed on is to get away! Step away from your books and just stretch, get some fresh air, grab some ice water or a hot coffee and just leave your studying alone for 15 minutes. You will come back refreshed and more focused and able to absorb the information being thrown at you at 100 miles per hour. And when you feel your mid-afternoon exhaustion attacking, do it again! However, there comes a point where you need to know when enough is enough. See “lack of sleep” below.
√ USING SOMEONE ELSE’S OUTLINES*
There is a split of opinion on this so it appears in both sections of What Works and What Does Not Work.
I, personally, created my own outlines. I did this in three stages: a large comprehensive outline, condensed to a more minimal outline, and a final attack sheet with “need to knows” on it. Plus, for every attack sheet I had a medium sized post-it note with “things to remember.” These were things I saw repeated on the BarBri answers that seemed to gain more points.
A friend of mine used only commercial outlines. Westlaw provided some and then he also purchased Lean Sheets. This worked for him. However, he did not create outlines during law school either, that is just not how he learned. However, he did say that he read the large BarBri outline book from front to back whereas I only used that large book to fill in gaps in my knowledge.
Another friend of mine did a combination of both. She made her own outline and then used Lean Sheets in the final two weeks to study from. Because the Lean Sheets were pretty lean (he, he, he) in some topics, she found herself adding some notes here and there.
So, whatever works best for you should be the route you take. But remember this is a learning process and I feel that part of the process is putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) to help your memory retain some of the information.
WHAT DOES NOT WORK (by two recent bar sitters who failed to achieve passing scores)
√ LACK OF SLEEP
Both admitted to burning the midnight oil. One was there every morning, Monday through Sunday, at 5 a.m.! This same person left every night at midnight. He admits that he was exhausted which probably led to poor study habits. Although he felt he was putting in the work, looking back he admits that he had caught himself going back and re-reading the same section a few times because his mind was so exhausted it was not keeping up with him.
He said he totally agrees with taking breaks, but know when to call it a night and go home to relax with some mindless TV and a good night sleep.
√ BAD EATING HABITS
WE ALL DID THIS! It’s easy enough to get up from your desk, walk a few steps, and pick up some sugary snack provided to us on the snack table in our bar pass pod. Although there was fruit and granola, sometimes the Pop-Tart or bag of Skittles was just way easier.
In the first month of bar prep I studied at home. I got to take a lunch break and eat something from my own fridge and then take a long dinner break and cook my family dinner. I realized during that time period I was much more energetic and productive.
However, during the second half of my bar prep when I studied at school and hit the snack table hard, I noticed I was exhausted more easily and not nearly as productive.
Try to keep healthy and brain-boosting snacks on hand so you are tempted to visit the vending machine too often.
√ UNPROVEN STUDY HABITS
Now is not the time to “try something new.” Use the tried and true study habits that worked for you in law school.
One woman stated she never outlined during law school and she did fine. However, during bar prep everyone she saw said that she should do outlines. So, in her quest to pass the bar she attempted to make outlines. She said this was to her detriment. She spent more time trying to figure out what a good outline was and how she was even supposed to study from one. She thinks the additional time and effort she put into creating outlines deterred her away from her actual studying which she feels contributed to her not passing.
√ USING SOMEONE ELSE’S OUTLINES*
As mentioned above, this could go either way! A recent non-passer said they purchased the Lean Sheets and relied on these as a study aid. They did not create their own outlines and feels as though he should not have relied so heavily on these alone. If you choose to use a commercial outline, you will need to supplement it. These come to you bare boned. You need to fluff if up with things that are missing or things your don’t know already that the commercial outlines may assume you already know.
I could ramble on and on about stories from the front line of bar prep. However, I will leave you with these few tips above and let you get back to your studying.
Good luck, future bar passer!
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