“What should I know when I’m starting bar prep?”
I did a live stream with Jennifer Duclair to talk about how to take the guesswork out of bar preparation and get a better sense of direction as you start studying for your next bar exam.
It was fun! Japes and nuggets of insights were dropped, and I’m pleased with how this turned out. (Maybe I’ll do another one next year…)
Here’s me throwing Kaplan under the bus:
Here’s the recording (go to 8:12 where I talk about the study schedule shown above), along with timestamps so you can jump to the parts you’re most interested in:
Some feedback on this webinar:
Link to the handout referenced in the video: https://www.makethisyourlasttime.com/handout
0:00: Intro by Jennifer
1:21: Intro by Brian
2:03: Where we’re tuning in from (including where I am now)
4:01: The very first step to getting a sense of direction and strategizing your approach as you start preparing for the bar exam (and dealing with feeling stuck, lost, and overwhelmed)
5:42: Two-part exercise to illustrate the above (if you take away anything from this conversation, choose this)
8:12: Reasons not to overly rely on The Plan (where I talk about the study schedule shown in the screenshot)
9:27: Something that doesn’t quite make sense about the study schedule…
10:00: You are ahead of the curve and no longer an average student by virtue of this self-awareness! “You are the dean of your own studies”
11:45: Benefits of preparing your own schedule. The tools you use are supposed to serve YOU, not the other way around
13:11: 5 questions to help you get started on building your personalized schedule + examples of how to use these questions (page 2 of the handout)
14:48: Example schedules made by students (CA Exam & NY UBE)
16:57: “What do you consider unnecessary activities?”
19:17: The 3 things you really need for bar prep (page 3 of the handout)
23:17: Narrowing down options for supplemental resources for the MBE (coupons on page 3 of the handout)
26:10: Options for resources for essays (CA Exam & UBE) (page 3 of the handout)
29:36: “Do you find that the Barbri Conviser Mini Review outline is just as effective as the full outline book from Barbri?”
30:31: “How do you learn the black letter law outside of listening to lectures and reading outlines, which are both very passive activities?”
32:15: Bird’s eye approach that shows what to do at what points (can be a framework for when you design your study plan) (page 4 of the handout)
33:45: “You are the dean of your own studies” and the self-awareness to take away from this (see above)
35:23: “Any advice on how to prep for a remote bar exam? What to do and not to do?”
37:42: “Any advice on how to cope with feeling burned out?” Extra comment I left Clara, who asked the question:
I thought about this more, and I’d like to add: Find something enjoyable about bar prep — could be a community you enjoy interacting with, a certain motivating factor (e.g., family), the learning itself. In short, enjoy the process, and you’ll feel less burned out. More here https://www.makethisyourlasttime.com/motivation-studying-for-bar-exam
Getting clarity will also help you be productive (and even excited). If you know exactly what the next step is, you’ll find yourself looking forward to it.
41:06: “Is 4 months adequate time to prepare if you work full time? I’ve had colleagues that said they spent 6-8 months”
42:24: Jennifer’s takeaway from this talk
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