A candid, no-BS look at bar exam preparation
How often do you see motivationals like this?
I wanted to pass the bar exam, so I made an image of a bar license card with my name on it using Microsoft Paint.
I’m not even kidding. It has a “last modified” date of July 2, 2013. Look:
Continue reading “Tired of Bar Prep? Guarantee Motivation to Beat the Bar Exam with These 5 Reminders”Is it possible to enjoy bar prep?
It’s one of the dryest things a person can do on this planet. But we retain more and pay more attention when things are enjoyable.
I’ve talked about enjoying the process to maintain motivation when it comes to bar prep. How you do that is personal.
Ultimately, you can have fun with anything. It’s a mindset. If something isn’t fun, you can just enjoy not having fun!
You can have fun with bar prep too. Bar prep can be enjoyable if you go at your own pace and get better at it.
The default (typical, boring) approach of bar prep involves sitting still like a statue watching people in a suit drone on as you fantasize about throwing your computer or self out the window. If you’re especially masochistic, you’ll pause the video and make sure to fill in all the lecture notes.
This is surprisingly exhausting. As a bonus, you’ll also forget 99% of what you listened to. I’d rather watch water boil because at least I’d have something to show for it, like edible pasta. (Did you know the singular form of spaghetti is spaghetto?)
Something people forget to tell you is that you don’t actually have to follow the default.
“Just complete the course! Play it safe!”—The National Association of Barbri (probably)
No, instead of playing defense, it’s time to go on offense.
Follow this visual guide of 6 things that can help you make steady progress and enjoy bar prep—without the frustration and exhaustion that come with how bar takers typically approach studying for the bar exam.
Continue reading “Enjoying Bar Prep: 6 Ways to Make Studying for the Bar Exam More Fun and Effective”This rant was inspired by a moment I had in therapy, a new thing that I started in December. Yeah, I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. Anyway, I’ll tie this back to the therapy story later.
Bar exam takers have passed using Barbri.
People have passed using Themis.
People have passed using Kaplan Bar Review…
And this is despite all the shit I say about Kaplan because they’re like Olive Garden trying to be everything which ends up being bland and giving you diarrhea. Just look at how many fucking tests they prep for LOL
Continue reading “Don’t obsess over the “best” bar exam supplement. Be the BEST STUDENT instead.”Dude, I get it… This shit exhausting.
You don’t want to take this exam or SEE another question EVER again. You want nothing more than to pass this stupid bar so that you can move on with your life.
You can see the One Outcome on the horizon. So close yet so far.
But you can’t escape this endless cycle. You’re not allowed to. Not yet.
Wake up, then crash your face into the pillow. Hope and despair, rinse and repeat. It feels like you’ve been preparing for this bar exam your whole life.
It doesn’t even feel real anymore. But this exam is the realest thing in your life right now. So I hope you’re not spending all day thinking about unimportant fiction, catching up on all the distractions, panic, and the doom and gloom.
All the constant news in bar world, about how many questions other people are doing, whether others are feeling just as behind or panicked as you, whether they’ll abolish the bar exam, remote testing issues, how the grading works, diploma privilege, new coronavirus variants, exam software concerns…
Feels great to have some drama in your life. Something OTHER than Civ Pro to vent about!
Continue reading “Distractions and Passive Learning vs. Active Learning”Before every exam, a handful of people come out of the woodwork and shamelessly ask about subject predictions for the bar exam.
“Does anyone know the essay predictions?”
“What do you think will be tested?”
“I don’t think ____ will appear on the exam.”
“Anyone think ____ will be tested?”
“I know we’re not supposed to listen to predictions, but…”
“What are ____’s predictions?”
“Here are my MEE predictions!”
Whose predictions are you going to listen to?
If you’re like many bar takers, or if you’re a repeater, you say: “Haha of course I’m not going to rely on the predictions. I shall adequately study all the subjects. You should too!”
And then you panic and look at the predictions anyway.
Did you want me to tell you, “Aww poor baby, don’t worry. It’s normal and happens to the best of us 🥺”?
You SHOULD worry if you’re secretly tempted about relying on predictions… because this kind of thinking is entirely predictable and avoidable. Sweating about predictions is not a good place to be and requires intervention.
Also, remember when subjects actually leaked for the California exam in 2019 and people got mad over it? Make up your minds! Do you want to know the subjects ahead of time or not? Jesus
Maybe you’re too young to remember ancient history. I’ve been dealing with you people for too long.