Bar Exam Study: The 5 Secrets to Improve Your Performance with Bar Prep for free!

No Rest for the Wicked: with the Final Exams behind us (or soon to be) and Law School Graduations in preparation, many students now realize that their Bar Prep Course is about to start. Usually law students start prepping for the July Bar Exam the week following graduation.

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No surprises this year with many UBE jurisdictions administering the bar exam remotely. This is the case in New York where the Board of Law Examiners announced that the July 2021 New York Bar Exam will be administered remotely in order to provide sufficient notice to prospective bar exam applicants.

With that in mind, law students can now focus on their bar exam review courses and avoid the stress many felt last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This is most certainly welcomed after an unprecedented year. So enjoy the days going to Graduation because Bar Prep is about to start ! Here are 5 Secrets to Improve Your Performance with Bar Prep.

1- Prepare your Materials

The first thing to do going into Bar Prep is to gather your materials. Start by looking at what you have like your class outlines. It is a good way to refresh your memory and see if you case use them.

Additionally, some law schools have Bar review courses during the year- or a week before Bar Prep – some materials are surely relevant to your preparation.

While we advise using your outlines for a quick review ahead of time, we do not recommend using them for your Bar Prep - most of the time you teacher either omitted areas tested on the Bar, or simply taught you more than you need to know.

Then of course you have that pile of books your commercial bar review course sent you. You should include those books into your Bar Materials but please, don’t be that student reading the Barbri Outline Book on the day of the exam. In other words, those books are great but should really be complementary.

Finally, remember that Bar Prep is about memorizing the law – not crafting flashy outlines. Many students focus their time on outlining while really their time should be on learning – not crafting. If you want to save some time, we recommend getting commercial outlines: print them out and work from there. Make them your main tools to success on the bar exam.

2- Turn on the Bar Exam Mindset

It is exciting to gather your materials, prepare your desk, get those new highlighters, etc. Now you must switch your mind from ‘law school’ to ‘bar exam’ mode.

The Bar Exam is not your regular Final Exam or LSAT – it is a real marathon. Your preparation will likely take two months at least, so you want to hit the ground running. Here’s some questions to answer ahead of time:

Where would you be studying? This is really important – treat the Bar like a full time job: you must be able to work without being disturbed. If it is home, then maybe clean it out and prepare yourself a study space. If it is your library, then look if you can have access to private room.
Have You Persuaded Your Family and Friends to Support You? Summer is coming, this is going to be a tough one. Explain to your family and friend that you will need to be alone. You won’t be able to go to parties all weekend and you will have to skip Sarabeth’s and go to the Library instead. But most of all: tell them you need their support.
Prepare your Study Schedule: Although your commercial Bar Course will give you a schedule, you don’t have to follow it blindly! Perhaps you are more productive in the morning, in which case you should start your day with the test practice and keep the lecture as a recap. Everyone has its own schedule.

3- Plan Ahead

Beside preparing your materials and your mind for Bar Prep – you should also eliminate any distraction ahead of time: taking the bar exam in-person? Then make plans for accommodation right now. Want to plan some vacation? Do it now – not during your preparation.

Are your finances in order? Studying is harder if you are worried about money. If you used to work during school, it would be better to take some time off. So prepare a budget for the entire two-month period, that way you will not have to think about money during your preparation.
Have you arranged your accommodation for the Bar Exam? Booking a hotel close to the examination center is a smart idea. You don’t want to loose time in traffic and you want to arrive to the exam a relax as possible. Think of booking in advance though, because prices will go up and it might even become a nightmare finding accommodations at the last minute. Don’t wait, it will give you peace of mind.
Did you settled other matters? There are other things you can settle in advance: do you have a dog? maybe hire a dog walker – children? maybe arrange some babysitting – a summer trip? get everything ready now! – a wedding? now is not the time to plan such a thing!

4- Relax & Recharge

Many law students jump right away into their Bar Prep. That’s a mistake. You’ve been studying every day this year (at least we hope), applied to jobs/internships and of course there’s COVID-19. You need a break. Bar Prep is intense – every day from morning to night, including on weekends. You need to recharge your battery if you want to start with a fresh mind.

5- Get into a New Routine

There might be some little things you will need to adjust during your Bar Prep like avoiding junk food, alcohol and parties. Nothing crazy really. Hm.

The secret for a successful bar preparation? New habits. You need to develop consistent, repeatable habits and a manageable schedule. Habits take time to take, so start getting used to it now!

Try going to bed and waking up at the same time, schedule your meals, maybe find a specific time for exercise and start having healthy food. We’re not talking about preparing for the army, but maximizing your capacities.

There are a lot of good habits for the Bar, including:

Getting a good night of sleep;
Having a schedule: Start at 8AM, lunch at 12PM, Break at 4PM, Exercise at 6PM, etc
Incorporating breaks and “free time” in your schedule;
Limiting your time on your phone; etc

6- BONUS: Brace yourself for the emotional ride

Finally, get ready for the emotional ride, but no matter what: keep going!

Studying intensively for two months will have highs and lows. You might think that you know nothing, or maybe that you know everything. Despite everything, keep going.

The Bar Exam is a challenge, expect the appropriate consequences, and be easy on yourself.

You can do it, and will do it. Don't overthink it. But you have to plan ahead of time to avoid any obstacles that might make your preparation harder. For now, enjoy your Graduation, you made it, and you are that close to becoming a U.S. attorney!

We get it, the Bar Exam is a lot. Put all the Chances on your Side and check out now our material ! Look at our Special NY Bar Page to find everything you need for your preparation.