How to Survive Bar Prep and the Bar Exam: 10 Study Strategies for preparing the Bar Exam.
Preparing for the Bar Exam is dreadful: it involves long hours of work, listening to lecturers’ jokes, eating crap and being so stressed out that you forgot what day it is.
With a little strategic planning though and with other study tips, you can actually get the most out of your study sessions. Discover our 10 tips to help you navigate Bar Prep, retain information, and walk into the Bar Exam with confidence.Â
1. Prioritize what matter the most to you
This sounds obvious but many of us like to commit equal time to studying for each part of the test. You are in fact taking away some precious time that you could commit elsewhere.
1. Create your own study guide: You don’t have to follow blindly your Bar Prep. Let’s say that you are bored during the lectures, then perhaps watch them at the end of the day as a way to check your knowledge. Know yourself, you better know what works for you.
2. Focus on the most tested parts: Start with the MBE. The key there is to learn the techniques used by the examiners to trick you. You learn that by practicing. Then moved to the Essays:Â here you must learn issue-spotting and outlines. Memorize some pre-established response to gain time for example!Â
3. Focus on your weaknesses:Â Never took Secured Transactions? Perhaps take some time to make sure that you understand the subject, but remember: you might not have the subject on the Exam, so study for it, but not for days.Â
2. Use good materials
If you don’t like your outlines, or if you hate the way they are organized: then change! Buy different outlines or even better: make your own! Check out the UBE outlines we offer on our website: they are completely tailored to what is tested on the Bar Exam and encompass a lot of sources.
Understand your materials: maybe this is by watching the course lecture or having post-it all over the place or even getting a private tutor: you must first understand your material.Â
Finally, memorize your materials:Â Many students go right to practising questions before they have learned anything. You need to memorize, understand the nuances, so if you blackout, you can at least guess the answer using your logic.Â
3. Use released MBE/MEE questions
The questions on your Bar Prep are too easy? Did you know that your Bar Prep likely does not use actual released questions?Â
First, we recommend Strategies & Tactics for the MBE (Multistate Bar Exam) by Emanuel. It is a really good book with over 200 real questions asked on the MBE.
Second, look at some secondary online Bar Prep course. AdaptiBar advertises using actual, released MBE questions for example. We used it and we loved it.
Finally, The New York State Board of Law Examiners releases each year past exam Essay Questions with Sample Answers.
4. Learn from your mistakes
First of all, when you answer a question incorrectly, make sure you understand exactly why. What did you miss? What trap did you fall in?
Secondly, when you answer a multiple-choice question incorrectly, write it down. After a while, you start to notice patterns in what you are getting wrong. On the last days prior the Bar Exam, we were reviewing our mistakes.
5. Quiz yourself,  read out loud  and practice test
Quiz yourself: make a game out of it! Literally! Like at the end of your session, quiz yourself! When you walk to a destination, try to remember the elements of a rule. It’s all about the routine.Â
Read out loud: sometimes, you read things without really processing. Then, start reading out loud, it forces you to focus on every word, you’ll actually concentrate on what you’re reading, not all the other things that catch your brain’s attention. For example, pretend you’re a teacher and explain the point as if you were teaching someone.Â
Practice, Practice, Practice: For God’s sake, please practice! You should cover so many multiple choice questions that by the end of your Prep  you’ll get the pattern. Similarly, answer a large amount of essays. The MEE is worth the equivalent of 105 MBE question. You must pick up those points. You can also just outline a lot of essay to gain time.
6. Play your own game: don’t pay attention to others
Don’t compare yourself to others (and this is true in any situation). It doesn’t matter what others do. Pay attention to your own preparation and pace and forget about the other students in the room.
Every time you compare yourself to someone else, you take away your own peace and happiness. Like The Hare and the Tortoise, recognizing one’s unique strengths is the key to success as it never helps to compare oneself to others.
Don’t engage in “Bar talk”: before, during and after. This is actually harmful. On the Bar Exam, some people talked about their answers and for the following days I convinenced myself that I had failed.Â
7. Get some exercise
It’s proven: mental health is closely linked to physical health. How you take care of your body during bar prep has a direct effect on how your brain performs.
First, it helps with the symptoms of Bar Prep, aka burnout and boredom. Sitting all day increases your blood pressure, your blood sugar, etc. You need to let the pressure go.Â
Second, it is good for the mind! Take a break from your Bar Prep,  it will clear your mind! Exercising in the morning will energize you for the rest of the day for example!
8. Eat better
Eating right is the best thing you can do for your body. Try to include healthy fats and proteins, perhaps eggs and veggies for breakfast, and yogurt, nuts, whole grain crackers for  your snacks! Look for foods that offer a nutrients rather than a sugar high followed by a crash.Â
And what about caffeine? Whether it is coffee of some other energy drink, should you carry this into a habit? There’s no perfect answer here and it’s up to you to balance the pro and cons.
9. Have a positive attitude
Think about what you can do and forget the rest. Once the Bar Exam is over, forget about it! Stressing about it won’t bring you anything good.Â
If you get to the point where you feel like you going to have a burnout, just take a break. Go for a run. The best strategy for burnouts is preventing them. Get regular sleep, eat well, take breaks, etc. There’s no point in studying if you’re having a burnout, just take the day off!Â
If you feel frustrated or disappointed: don’t give up. Instead, fight back. Keep yourself together for God’s sake! The show must go on. If nothing works, reach out to your academic support advisor or contact a tutor to help you out!
Remember to breath and put things into perspective: you will pass, you’re smarter than you think.Â
10. Focus on calm breathing and positive thoughts .
Every time I started to be upset, I would take 5 deep breath. The very act of concentrating on breathing and thinking can biometrically alter those anxious feelings.
Make plans for after the Bar. preparing a Bar Moon Trip brings a lot of positive thoughts. It also acts as a reward and will motivate you to get going.Â
At the end, just embrace your Bar Prep, find a way to enjoy it and it’ll be a part of your routine.Â
Conclusion:
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The Bar Exam is a marathon and crossing the finish line will feel terrible. But it’s all about the reward, you are one step closer to become a lawyer, so feel confident and trust yourself.Â
We hope that you’ll find our advice practical and that they’ll help you reduce the stress you might feel about Bar Prep. Feel free to leave a comment and to contact us for any help! Â
