Studying for the bar when you’d rather be at the bar

As mentioned in my previous blog dealing with this topic, studying for the bar exam in the summer is no picnic, pun intended. By now most recent law graduates are in their third week of studies and reality is starting to set in. Most students take the bar review course Bar Bri in this area. Bar Bri does a decent job in preparing one for the bar but this course alone will not bring the recent law school graduate to the promise land.

Simply going to the course day after day and listening to the lectures will not be of any service unless you do the required practice questions that they lay out in the syllabus. I know in my last bar exam blog I mentioned that one should do countless practice questions. I cannot express this enough! The phrase “practice makes perfect” truly applies when it comes to passing the bar.

In my opinion, students should do more than the recommended multi-state multiple-choice questions. The Bar Bri syllabus has the student doing a ton of multi-state multiple-choice questions toward the end of the session. I feel that the pace they set out in terms of these questions is a bit overwhelming and students often have trouble keeping up toward the end. I recommend that students do at least 25 multi-state multiple choice questions per day, regardless of what the schedule says. I’m not saying ignore the Bar Bri schedule, I just think that doing at least 25 questions a day along with essays and other related material will build stamina and consistency.

Unfortunately, cramming will NOT work when it comes to the bar exam. You can do 2,000 questions two days before the exam and I assure you, your results will not drastically improve. I equate this to a person not brushing their teeth for six months and then the day before they go to the dentist, they brush for 48 hours straight. Your teeth will still be in rough shape and so to will you if you attempt to cram for this crazy exam. As I touched upon before, think of studying for the bar as a marathon. To be successful, you need to start slowly, build consistency, and eventually everything will just click.

I strongly suggest studying in a secluded place with limited amount of noise. Try to take yourself out of the “daily loop” so to speak and stay focused on the task at hand. Don’t give in to summer temptations and hang out by the pool and beach all the time. Forget about bringing your books to the bar, beach, pool or party. There are too many distractions for one to fully focus on the material at hand. My suggestion is to “socially disappear” for the next 7 weeks or so. This includes not going to 4th of July parties and things of that nature. One might think I’m being too drastic in this recommendation but I stand by this because one party leads to another, and another, and so on. If you need to “blow off steam,” watch a quick movie within your own confines and order some decent take out. I will admit some students may be more disciplined and are able to party a little while successfully studying for the bar. Again, I think these people are in the minority.

Like getting the chicken pox, a person should only be subjected to the bar exam experience once. There is plenty of time for the bar AFTER you pass the bar. Best of luck to all.

Carbone & Carbone LLP, Martin A. Carbone, Esq., Attorney at Law

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