Your bar review course says you’re “on track,” but why does your score say otherwise?

This is me getting increasingly frustrated over the course of every bar season:

I will die on this hill because there’s no reason to make yourself miserable and then forget how to touch grass after the exam because you got attached to the struggle, you masochist.

Others are getting frustrated too. Watch how they don’t trust themselves enough to take ownership of their studies, even when they already know what’s not working:

Lol this is exactly what I’m talking about. No wonder you’re exhausted when you’re spending twice the time to complete videos.

Who says you couldn’t do that? That’s some powerful hypnosis by Big Bar Prep. You literally can and should spam past exam questions.

Time to use other metrics to track your progress bro.

Yes, move on.

The good news

These are very classic situations of overwhelm and exhaustion from trying to keep up with the course materials, meaning these symptoms are fixable.

Most of these people will eventually dump their toxic situationship at the height of frustration, in an extremely predictable pattern that happens twice a year. The Barbri Mafia has collected their tax, and the cycle continues.

But it’s not too late to make a change. If you’re struggling with…

• The timer counting down, telling you you’re fucked if you don’t study 10 hours a day
• Cryptic wording in the outlines that takes hours to understand (this is why just knowing some words on a page doesn’t mean jack if you don’t know how to use it)
• Not doing any actual practice questions yet until you’ve got all your ducks in a row and feeling like you’ve learned nothing despite all your “studying”
• Your school sending you spam about your progress (and you don’t even remember allowing that information to be shared to your school who will then call you and send you holiday cards begging for donations. PISS OFF)
• Etc. (comment what’s haunting you in your most private moments)

It doesn’t have to be this way.

You CAN leave your course behind, or use it as a supplement that suits you. Use the course however you want. Don’t let it use you.

You DON’T have to listen to anyone. Not Barbri, not your professor, not some random guy online, not even me. If you want to make the wrong choices, listen to everyone. The right process for you is one that helps you understand and retain the material and answer questions correctly.

I know it’s hard to do this after sinking $3,000 on your course, just like how it’s impossible to admit that your $750,000 house was an embarrassing mistake after posting your cute Instagram announcement but finding out you’ll end up paying more than twice the sticker price over the life of your 30yr mortgage and you’re still fixing your water heater and arguing with your HOA about why you can’t park in front of your house. And insurance keeps going up.

But just like how most don’t talk about their homeownership woes, take solace in knowing that there are others like you out there, full of regret about their bar prep choices. Take solace in knowing that you’re not special and that there is a way out. Forward is the way out. If you’re going through hell, keep going.

You are the dean of your own studies. You already know what to do. The problem is you don’t trust yourself enough to do it.

If you’re not sure, if you need ideas, start by seeing how others did it. Study others who have passed. Build belief from seeing others win.

The tools are right under your nose, on this very site. Set yourself up for success by making it easy to do the simple, boring, repetitive work needed to convert raw information into bar exam skills you can trust. THIS is where confidence comes from, not from some Redditor telling you “you’ve got this” while doomscrolling in bed.