How to Study For the Bar Exam and Select a Bar Review Course

Before you graduate, your dean of students, a professor, or common sense will tell you that the bar exam is a test not to be taken lightly, that you need to take your bar exam preparation seriously. But until you are immersed into the depths of sample bar exam essays and practice questions, it is very difficult to truly fathom how challenging and all-consuming the bar examination can be.

Generally speaking, studying successfully for the MBE and your state bar examination is an immersion process; it requires dedication, focus, and time-management. It entails more than what you are accustomed to from law school, where merely showing up for class (while IMing your classmates or playing on facebook) can still get you an "A". Attending a daily bar review class or participating in a structured online bar preparation course, memorizing the bar review materials, and taking practice bar exams is just a starting point. The hardest part of studying is figuring out the best approach that will allow you to study the most effectively and tailoring your study habits to retain loads of information in a short period of time. You have to balance an increased work load with the necessity of eating healthy and exercising.

This article will give upcoming bar-exam candidates constructive tips that other law students have found useful when studying for the bar exam. The most important thing you can do is honestly assess your studying style during law school, draw-upon positive habits and be disciplined enough to eliminate the negative, before embarking on your studying marathon that summer. Remember, you want this to be a one-time deal and its never too early to start preparing.

(1) For 1Ls and 2Ls: Prepare During Law School

It is never too early to start preparing for the bar exam during your law school career. Many law students regret not taking more bar classes during law school. Some law students even actively avoid bar-related classes because they assume they will just learn the subjects needed during the formal bar-review course. What they fail to realize is that its not easy learning subjects like wills, trusts and estates in the one or two days your bar prep course will likely tackle that subject. Your law school probably does not require that you take every bar subject as a graduation requirement, and it is certainly possible to pass the bar exam if you avoid taking these subjects. But studying a bar subject for the second time, by definition, makes it more familiar. Bottom line: it is going to be easier on you when you begin to study a topic with which you already have a foundation.

We suggest you consider signing up for the following classes during law school:

Multi-State Subjects:

Real Property

Contracts

Commercial Sales (UCC Article 2)

Evidence

Constitutional Law I and II (a First Amendment class would be helpful)

Criminal Law (most law students we polled report this subject as being particularly easy to learn during bar review)

Criminal Procedure

Torts

State Subjects (will vary depending on your state, but will usually cover such subjects as):

Trust and Estates

State Civil Procedure

State Constitutional Law

Family Law

State Criminal Procedure

Business Associations | Corporations

(2) The Bar Review Course

So you're thinking: "I'm not a 1L or 2L. I'm a 3L about to graduate. I need a plan of attack now!" We believe that taking a Bar Review class is fundamental to your summer study plan. Some choose not to do so, but if you're reading this article, you're probably not one of them. There's bar/bri and PMBR (who have been around for a long time and have helped many law students pass the bar exam). But also consider the many competitors to the traditional Bar/Bri and PMBR, which students are finding very helpful and effective. MicroMash, Supreme Bar Review, and AdaptiBar are such examples. Do some research, because everyone learns differently. One course's methods of teaching bar subjects may be more effective than others.

(2)(a) For those who intend to stay with the conventional lecture-style bar review courses (Bar/Bri, PMBR, Kaplan):

If you decide to do Bar/Bri and PMBR, attend every class and be in the moment. This sounds simple. But many students are tempted to log on the internet and check email. Stay focused because, literally, each minute during the summer is crucial and it is important to maximize your time while in class. Make sure to get to the classes promptly, because they start on the dot at 9:00a.m. (may differ from city to city) and, as they are videotaped, the teacher waits for nobody! Be aware that, in the larger law schools, there will be a 'live' room and everyone else will be forced into alternative rooms where you will watch the lesson on a video feed. So if you think there is a benefit to seeing the bar-review professor in the flesh, rather than on the a screen, make sure you get to your class extra early.

It is highly suggested that you not be shy about utilizing the BarBri and PMPR 'Telephone Help Desk' call in features for any substantive questions you may have regarding the material. Bar review topics do get confusing, especially when you start comparing federal law to state-specific laws on a certain subject (e.g. evidence). Also, it is nearly impossible to ask any questions during the actual class (or impossible if you attend the video).