With exactly 5 calendar weeks until the July 2012 bar exam, it’s go time. It’s usually at this point with just over a month to go that people start to panic, which is normal. Usually most folks still don’t feel comfortable with even a small portion of the material. Most people aren’t killing it on any one subject on their practice MBE questions, and essays are still pretty confusing. This is quite normal. The bar exam has a bunch of subjects and not enough time to test them all so we find ourselves studying for subjects we don’t even know will be tested. It’s super frustrating and yet we have no choice since it’s the way the game is played. So, the natural result of this is that we don’t feel comfortable with all of these various subjects until later in the summer. Sometimes, not even until 1 week before the bar exam. And, for those of us who have taken bar exams before, you know that you NEVER feel “good” about your level of preparedness. It’s just a relative matter of how much “less crappy” you feel about your level of knowledge. So, with that out of the way, here are a few tips with 5 weeks to go:
1) Focus on your weak areas – We tend to want to avoid those subjects we don’t like. But, since we don’t like them it will probably take more effort to learn them so you should put extra emphasis on hitting those subjects now. If property is your nemesis, don’t avoid it until 2 weeks before the exam, start tackling it now, early on, so that you are learning it at your own pace instead of cramming at the end because you avoided it.
2) Don’t ignore any one section of the bar exam. This applies to all exams and all sections. Never ignore the MBE. Never ignore the essays. Never ignore performance tests. Never ignore multiple choice/short answer. Now, this does not mean distribute your time studying equally across all sections, but what I am saying is don’t completely ignore any one section. Yes, even the crazy NY multiple choice questions you should spend some time studying for, you’ll pick up some extra points. And every point counts.
3) Try not to stress. You’ll have plenty of time to fret after the exam is over. Instead, spend your energy studying and planning your strategy for what you will do over the next 5 weeks. If you are not happy with the way things have been going up until this point, change some things around. Do more or less MBE questions. Studying a bit earlier or later in the day. Switch your study location to someplace different. Don’t be afraid to shake things up to see what works well for you.
Remember, studying for the bar exam is different from studying for a law school exam. The same methods that worked for you in law school may not work as well for the bar exam. So be willing to change things up.
Finally, check our twitter feed for daily bar exam tips, with an emphasis on Virginia and MBE tips.
