Brian, Author at Make This Your Last Time

January 3, 2025January 5, 2025 - 1 Comment

Passive Learning = Anxiety

Joe passed the 2024 July California Bar Exam on his first attempt. I got on a call with him to talk about how he pulled it off.

Like most people, he started off with a big bar review course.

Then he saw that the thing that was supposed to hold his hand through the process was actually giving him anxiety.

I think it’s important to recognize the ups and downs that come with this process. So I made sure to ask about the emotions involved in studying for this exam.

Of course, as always, I’ll pull out practical bar prep advice based on his success story.

Here’s a breakdown of my 33-minute interview with Joe. We talk about how he passed the bar exam by tailoring his bar review course, shifting to active learning, and maximizing his understanding of key areas.

January 2, 2025January 3, 2026 - 1 Comment

I got a little sassy at a Redditor at 3:30 AM

It’s time for “good cop, bad cop.”

I try to be a balanced and insightful voice in bar prep. I try to be understanding of what you’re going through… Here’s warm milk and cookies…

But some of us are still spacing out like the SLOW ASS drivers I screech past in LA Koreatown.

It’s clear that good cop isn’t getting the job done. I fear I’m turning too vanilla like every other bar blog (though vanilla is a goated flavor).

And so today, I’m the bad cop.

Worse, I’m your surrogate Asian dad who will draw out 125% of what you thought was your max power.

Yes, I already get saucy sometimes, but people are crying out to be told the truth. Sometimes you need a cold fucking shower to slap some sense into those neurons and remind them that they are alive.

December 28, 2024December 31, 2024 - No Comments

Pitfalls of Passive Learning in Bar Prep: What Will You Wish You Had Been Learning Today?

If there’s one thing I’d like you to not compromise in preparing for the bar exam, it’s practice and feedback.

“Yeah I know, DAD. That’s so obvious. DUH!” You whip your hair smugly. “It’s simple. Tell me something new.”

Yes, smartass, it is “simple.”

Yet why do some people end up cramming 2 weeks before the exam?

Is it because Barbri gave them lectures for 7 weeks (with a few exercise questions sprinkled in) to beat them into mind-numbing torpor… And then all of a sudden, it’s time to push them into the deep end of the pool?

“That’s all folks! Do some self-studying! PTs are easy! Good luck!!!!”

They did everything they were “supposed to.” What happened?

December 27, 2024January 14, 2025 - No Comments

Passing the DC Bar Exam (UBE) in Under 100 Hours of Bar Prep

Aaisha passed the 2024 July DC Bar Exam with score of 280.

While working full time as a litigation associate.

After studying less than 100 hours.

(Finally, a UBE story. Pls send more…I’m tired of too many successful stories from California)

December 21, 2024December 26, 2025 - 3 Comments

Should You Study for the Bar Exam or Take a Break During Holidays?

Every time the holidays roll around, a pang of GUILT flashes across the bar taker’s heart as they balance social obligations and the big day looming two months away.

“Do I go to that wedding? Why is the wedding outdoors in December?”

“Do I grow a spine, or say yes to that holiday party with the mandatory $100 white elephant gift?”

“Do I study or hang out with my family?”

There are pockets of cultures surrounding work, rest, and “self-care.”

Let’s divide them into two extreme stereotypical categories. This false dichotomy will be a narrative device so I can make a point later: