Things to Know Before the Bar

I always thought it was so unfair how short lived the celebration for law school graduation was since I had to start my bar prep course the Monday after my graduation weekend.   It’s like, can I please have a second to take in this accomplishment?

Instead, we jump right into Bar studying and what will likely be known as one of the most stressful periods of your life.  Yay! The reality is that the Bar shouldn’t be as intimidating as it is. If you’ve taken essay courses in law school then you know what to expect from the exam.  But there is so much riding on this exam that the stress, anxiety, and general unknown makes it super F-ing hard.  On top of that, you’ll go into your first week of prep and realize you barely remember Torts or Contracts r any other 1L course and that always freaks everyone out.

So, in order to get ahead of the Bar Monster there are some things you can figure out ahead of time to feel a little more in control.

One. Know where you’re studying.  Seems simple, but just like when you started studying in law school, you really need to figure out a place that is conducive to your learning style. It also has to be a place where you will be able to study somewhat comfortably for long spans of time.   During law school, I studied at the library. For the bar, I came back to my home to study after my Bar prep course. I did this because I didn’t want to be distracted and I didn’t want to lose time by commuting from place to place knowing I could study just as effectively and comfortably at home.  Once you know your location, make sure you have all the tools necessary for that location to work for you.  For me, this actually meant buying a cheap desk and lamp from craigslist.

Two.  Know what you’re studying.  Obviously your bar prep course is giving you your prep materials and schedules to follow, which is super helpful.  But you’ll have more awareness of purpose if you understand what your Bar is actually asking of you.  For example, I had no idea we had to do an Multi-state Performance Test.  They somewhat explained it on the first day, but because I only knew the general format ( i.e. there would be essays and multiple choice), it heightened my stress and fear. Cue to me WAY over doing MPT practice tests, which I didn’t really need to do.  So, instead of freaking out when you hit an unknown topic; take a little time before hand to understand the format and subjects your state(s) will be testing.

Three. Know your schedule. During the first half of bar prep, your course will likely give you a guideline of what topics you’re studying for that week.  The second half is usually more independent and will really depend on your ability to plan ahead so that you select your study topics efficiently.  The exam is mostly memorization so make sure you focus on your difficult topics upfront and give yourself plenty of time towards the end to practice essay questions and the multiple choice.  Part of knowing your schedule also means making sure you have some fun events sprinkled in now and then to give yourself some stress relief.  At the beginning, this can mean having a night out or even attending weddings, but by July it usually means taking short breaks or having a nice meal.  I’ll always remember one Friday night (close to the test date), where college friends came up and had sushi near where I lived.  I walked over, ordered a ginger ale, had a bite of sushi, and walked back home to finish studying for the night. #saddestfridayever

Studying for the Bar isn’t fun,but the end goal is worth it.  You will feel stressed, but gaining control of where, what, and how you study will make a huge difference.