Category: Bar Prep

Tomorrow is Bar Month. Get Ready!!

For many, the Bar Exam scheduled for February 22–23, 2022 is an event they have been planning for, for years. When the words, “I’m taking the February 2022 bar exam” were uttered, it felt like that date was years in the future –a million miles away. But here it is, January 31 and February 2022 is tomorrow.

Expect tomorrow to be anxiety-producing, and then by February 2 (happy Groundhog Day) to be back on track, making the most of the remaining weeks. And, do not underestimate just how much you can and will learn this month, if you stick to your schedule and keep at it, giving 8-12 hours of daily focused study -including completing many practice tests and studying sample answers. And, every wrong answer before the actual exam is the opportunity to learn something or correct a mistake before the real deal!

So, Happy January 31!

Diagnostics: Why did I get this question wrong?

Practice tests are most helpful if you learn from them and improve. If you need assistance with MBE improvement, try this CALI lesson by Professor and exam expert, Nicole Lefton: Multiple-Choice Questions: Wrong Answer Pathology. “This lesson teaches you how to select the right answer in a multiple-choice question by better understanding how to identify wrong answers, based on nine specific types of wrong answers.”

Winter Studying: Cozy up with Laptop, Tablet, and books!

For anyone in the Northeast, today is chilly. A perfect day to cozy up with study materials.

Make yourself hot chocolate, tea, coffee, or hot water with lemon, and read passages aloud to yourself. (If you have young children, you can read to them.) Reading aloud gives you a change of pace and lets you process information with multiple senses.

Above all, enjoy the process! You are lucky to be able to study, learn, and eventually put your knowledge into practice to help make the world a better place!!

Optimism is Contagious

It’s easy to get discouraged when studying. Mountains of materials make it all overwhelming. But please remember that education is a treasure; it is an endless gift to be able to spend time learning. Confront challenges and problem solve to dissipate road blocks. And, try hard to put a smile on your face when you are working. It is amazing how inner positivity can have a productive ripple effect.

Taking a Future Bar Exam? Learn the Requirements in Your Jurisdiction!

You will find reliable information in The Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements. According to the NCBE, “The Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements, published in collaboration with the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, provides information on bar admission requirements in all US jurisdictions, including a directory of state bar admission agencies.”

Start with the Comprehensive Guide, then go on to study the website of the bar examiners in the jurisdiction where you plan to take the bar .

I’ve fallen behind. How do I catch up?

The first step is admitting that you’re behind. Next, ask for help. If you’re in bar review, consult the course materials, FAQs, or ask one of the reps what to cut to get back on track. Cutting strategically can help you get to where the course now is, and then with any extra time you can fill in gaps. And, they do build in extra time.

Don’t work 15-hour days to make up for “lost time.” You have almost a month left to keep up the pace and you cannot sustain sleepless nights and still be functioning at your best for that long of a time. In fact, you don’t want to do any sleepless nights.

Remember how much you have learned before certain final exams in a few days. You have several more weeks. Focus on all the positives and on getting back on pace. You’ve got this!

Simulated bar exams: Take them next week!

If you are preparing to PASS the upcoming bar exam, calendar your simulated bar exam next week so you have time to learn from -and improve from- the experience. Take the exam under as close as possible to simulated exam conditions. And, study the sample answers to any questions you got wrong or guessed on as soon as possible after the simulated exam.

#barexam, #simulatedbar, #barreview

Don’t forget to Breathe!

How tense are you right now? How much learning is blocked from coming into and staying in your brain because of nerves.

My constant refrain that I ask bar takers and other students getting ready for exam to tell yourselves is: “Turn Panic into Power and not Paralysis.” That power phrase appears in my books and articles and in most every talk I give to students preparing for high stakes exams.

There are many steps for turning panic into power. Step one is always to breathe. We’ll talk about next steps in future blog posts.