Although two months may not seem like it, it is plenty of time to study for the bar exam. Much like law school, studying for the bar exam is a marathon and not a sprint. Here are some tips to help you do your best:
Keep up with your assignments. Most bar prep companies break their prep course into digestible daily assignment allocations. Of course, if you are still taking law school final exams when the course starts, you may have to push the bar prep course until you finish, but it won’t be fatal. For a July exam, by June 1, you should be completing the assignments daily. Procrastinating is a common issue with bar prep, don’t let your work pile up. Spacing your tasks out will enable you to study with purpose, instead of rushing to check things off of an overdue list. The bar exam brings enough stress to our lives on a normal timeline.
If possible, stay ahead of your tasks. As discussed above, the most important thing is keeping up with the daily reading of outlines, practice questions etc. prescribed by your bar prep company. If you can, stay an hour or two ahead of the bar prep company’s timeline. This will enable you to feel productive and in control. A lot of stress derived from the bar exam is the uncertainty. You spend two months grinding and on test day, examiners could throw a curveball. You just never know what they are going to ask. Not to worry though, everyone will be in the same boat. The more lead time you give yourself, the less likely it is that a future curveball can throw you off your game. You want plenty of extra time to brush up on difficult subjects or add in supplementary materials should you need them.
Mix up your study spot. Even while working as a lawyer, I find that shaking up my workspace adds needed flavor to my daily routine. Of course, for practice tests and lectures, you probably need to stay inside. When possible, take your flashcards or outlines outside. A little fresh air never hurt anyone.
Schedule “off time.” While bar prep is probably going to fill most of your day, it need not occupy all of it. Make sure you continue to see friends and family. Don’t give up reading or exercise. As I mentioned before, bar prep is a marathon, not a sprint. Depriving yourself of any (healthy) release valves will increase stress and your chances of burnout.
Keep alcohol to a minimum. Alcohol messes with your sleep, mood and anxiety levels. You need to be clear headed and well rested to best absorb the material.
Finally, make sure you are fitting in plenty of practice questions. While reviewing outlines is helpful, you won’t really know the material until you repeatedly apply it to different hypotheticals.
Good luck and you’ve got this!
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