Studying for the Bar while everyone else is at the BBQ

This blog is targeted for recent law school grads but what I am about to say can be attributed to all walks of life in my opinion.

Studying for the dreaded Bar exam is no doubt a huge undertaking. What makes it more painful is the fact that students are forced to focus during the summer when there are countless distractions. Anyone who has taken a summer class in college can attest to this. The bar exam is arguably one of the hardest exams in the world to conquer, but with mind over matter, it can be accomplished.

It takes much more than academia or “smarts” to pass the New York State Bar exam. One should enter this process much like a prizefight and train themselves both physically and mentally. By physically, I mean building up ones endurance to be able to sit through 3 hours of grueling minutia on a consistent basis. Focusing on ANYTHING for 3 hours is hard enough sometimes let alone the wonderful world of law.

I will briefly mention that there are some individuals who can put in minimal amount of study time and pass the bar on the first try. If you are one of these people, more power to you. However, these individuals are in the enviable minority and should not be considered the norm. Most law school graduates need to put in COUNTLESS hours of work. Repetition is key, so the more practice questions one can handle, the better.

One of the main obstacles in studying for the bar right after law school graduation is the fact that it is summer and it is only natural that one would want to let their hair down. After all, you just spent an additional 3 years in law school and its time to blow off some steam, right? WRONG! As tempting as it may be to follow your buddies to the BBQ, avoid it all costs. One “break’ from studying will lead to another and before you know it, it’s a week before the bar exam and you barely cracked open a review book.

The best advice I can give a person who is about to embark on their bar exam studies is lock yourself away somewhere for the next 2 months. The more secluded the better. Passing the bar is well worth missing a few summer BBQ’s. This I can assure you.