Make This Your Last Time | Bar Exam Preparation

May 23, 2026May 23, 2026 - 28 Comments

You Need a Personalized Study Plan: How to Make Your Own Bar Prep Study Schedule

Haters will say it’s impossible:

I’m not saying the haters are right.

I’m just saying…maybe…it’s not about mindlessly stacking assignments and being too busy completing them to absorb what you’re doing.

Maybe…you don’t actually have to do everything they tell you. Why are you acting like you read every case and footnote back in Con Law class?

(I did, but that’s beside the point because I got a B-. Knowing the “information” but not knowing how to take the exam will do that.)

The only thing I remember from law school is my negotiations professor saying this in class randomly (and giving me an A because, what can I say, I like practical things I use IRL):

“Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.”

Is bar preparation worth doing? Then it’s worth doing right. Doing it intentionally. Being an overachiever without being a tryhard.

After all, you’re the dean of your own studies. And we know that enjoying the process creates sustainable momentum (not just fixating on the goal of passing the bar).

Just as what’s enjoyable is personal, bar prep is also personal. Your study plan and schedule—and even the materials you use to support your prep—are personal.

There are many reasons your schedule will look different from everyone else’s:

You might be working while studying for the bar exam and have 3 hours scattered throughout a workday.
Maybe you live in your parents’ basement and have every day free. Your mom shakes her head as she sees you shitposting on Reddit instead of studying.
Or maybe you only have certain hours of your day free while the kids are at school.

Meanwhile, your bar review course hands you a cookie-cutter schedule that packs in an overwhelming number of tasks that turn into “self-study” sessions where you have no direction on what to do.

Does it make sense that you get the exact same study schedule for every scenario above? Not to me.

Is there a smarter, more effective plan that would serve your needs more and improve your odds of passing?

Yes, one that’s customized to you. It should work for you and serve your needs, not the other way around.

While I encourage a bespoke study plan, I suggest adhering to a few ideas when starting to plan your bar prep. Here are some immediately actionable guidelines for your study schedule.

May 22, 2026May 22, 2026 - No Comments

Foreign Attorney Scores 302 on New York UBE Without a Bar Prep Course (First Try)

Steve is proof that passing the bar exam is about being strategic and intentional about how you study.

He bypassed the typical bar prep course entirely and gathered a team of supplemental materials instead.

💬 “As a practising foreign lawyer, I knew I didn’t have time to take a formal bar prep course and also believed self-study was all I needed if I was able to focus enough.”

Steve then passed the New York UBE with a 302 on his first try while keeping his law practice intact.

💬 “Thanks Brian for all your help and your materials in particular the Magicsheets. I ended up with a 302 (MBE 151.9). MPRE 140.”

What’s interesting is the systematic precision of how Steve did it.

He mapped out a three-month plan in November, executed it with discipline during the holidays and final weeks, and paid close attention to what wasn’t working.

(Pretty lawyer-like!)

May 16, 2026May 21, 2026 - No Comments

Performance Tests: The Most Overlooked Way to Score on the Bar Exam

Most bar takers obsess over the MBE and the essays.

And for good reason! There’s a lot to cover and memorize all at once.

But there’s a section of the bar exam that a lot of candidates take for granted until it’s too late… the performance test (PT).

I know you didn’t want to hear this, but that’s exactly why you shouldn’t forget about it. This could be your edge.

Why are you trying to draw astrology charts to divine which subjects are going to show up on the essays, when you know the PT is right there? You keep meaning to deal with it. You even see other people talking about it.

Then you figure you can panic-cram or wing it. Why are you doing that? That’s just as much gambling as studying the “predicted” subjects.

Here’s why you need to master the performance tests ASAP.

May 15, 2026May 15, 2026 - No Comments

How Adam Added 140 Points on the CA Bar Exam (But What Cost Him the Pass?)

Adam took the February 2026 California Bar Exam for the second time.

Starting with an overall score of 1201, Adam closed a 140-point gap between July 2025 and February 2026. That’s a remarkable jump by any measure.

He did this as a foreign-trained lawyer with zero prior knowledge of U.S. law, no commercial bar prep course, and roughly two months of prep.

If you did the math, you’ll have noticed that he didn’t pass this time… His February total score of 1341 was 50 points away from the pass score of 1390.

💬 “Regret to tell you, I failed again. I scored 1341.0200. . . . No matter what, thank you for all your help.”

This is the 75^th installment of Fire-up Friday, but it’s the very first one where I’m featuring a non-passing attempt.

Why?

Defeat is fodder for your next victory. We ought to document both what worked and what didn’t work.

Adam’s story isn’t over yet. This is just part 1. He’s coming back for the rest of his points in July.

In the meantime, we get to find out what worked for his second attempt, and what he could do differently for his third.

There are insights we can glean from Adam’s mistakes and improvements. He has graciously allowed me to share his painful story. And he must have done SOMETHING right to go from 1201 to almost passing.

Passing is easily achievable for Adam from here on. (Hint: A 50-point gap in California is smaller than you think.)

May 14, 2026May 15, 2026 - No Comments

4 Examples of California Bar Exam Score Reports (Feb 2026)

I dove into four actual score reports from the February 2026 California Bar Exam.

Walking through these score reports, I suggest how they should prepare for their next attempt, and include advice for anyone struggling with different portions of the California Bar Exam.

0:00 Intro (and defending my outfit)

0:33 Example score report 1 (total scaled score 1382.8700)
8:16 Example score report 2 (total scaled score 1341.0200)
16:28 Example score report 3 (total scaled score 1362.8950)
22:41 Example score report 4 (total scaled score 1298.9950)

28:46 The 5-layer priority of CBX components in order of importance

29:58 Framework for analyzing your score report
32:05 The importance of 5-point increments on the California Bar Exam