You have put in your time and effort to successfully complete law school. The next step toward achieving success with your law degree is to pass the bar exam. While the bar exam can be daunting and sometimes individuals do not always pass the first time, efficient time management, smart study techniques and focus can help with getting through the bar exam successfully.
Scheduling Study Time
The National Jurist says that bar exam success begins with making a study schedule that is tailored to meet your needs. The presentation of materials used ought to make sense to you. Pick which studying methods are most helpful for you. Organize when, where, and how you will study. Make a study chart and when you will study it. As your study timetable grows, if a particular procedure is not effective for you, get rid of it. Adapt and concentrate on those areas where you are having the most problems.
Family and Job Matters
Because studying for the bar exam is so time-consuming, if possible, it is highly recommended that you take time off from work to study. If you are not able to greatly reduce your work hours, you will need to start studying as early as possible for the exam in order to keep up and be prepared. Starting early is also beneficial to help those who have to work while studying for the bar exam and can help to reduce anxiety.
Studying for the bar exam can be quite challenging and time-consuming, so it is important to be upfront with family members to let them know that you will not be available to participate in activities you would normally take part in. To help reduce potential stress or tensions, let family and friends know that your studying time for the bar exam is a high priority right now.
The Materials You Use to Study Matters
Studying for the bar exam is more efficient when you utilize high quality materials. High quality materials do not include lengthy, confusing, and useless information in outlines and study guides, which will never appear on the bar exam. It is also important to use multistate bar exam (MBE) questions and essay questions that have been made public. Use MBE questions made public by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. These questions will let you become accustomed to the type of questions that you will probably see on the bar exam. Since many commercial classes create their own MBE questions, the writing style of their questions are not likely to appear on the MBE.
Memorizing and Concentrating on Bar Exam Favorites
Effective study for the bar exam requires knowing how often certain issues frequently appear. Study and memorize topics in general but success is more probable if you devote more time to studying topics and subjects or “favorites” that are most likely to appear on the bar exam.
Quickly remembering the appropriate guidelines at the time of reading the fact pattern is useful in mirroring the guidelines for the grader on the exam’s essay section. Be sure to allocate time to commit your outlines to memory so you can correctly apply the law to the facts.
Practice Makes Smarter
Systematically ironing out the problems is effective in preparing for the bar exam. Stop and think about how you arrived at your answers, especially if the answer is wrong. Use the model answer to self-grade and determine how you arrived at your answer when you answer an MBE question incorrectly. Also, hone your timing skills so you can more easily take an actual full-length bar exam when the day arrives.
Maintain Healthy Habits
Eating nutritious meals, exercising, and getting the proper amount of sleep are crucial in helping you study for and eventually pass, the bar exam. Unhealthiness negatively affects your concentration and motivation. Being healthy can help to reduce stress and anxiety, while helping you to learn and comprehend new ideas.
