Holiday Motivation for Bar Exam: 3 Ways to Keep Going During Bar Prep

What do you say when you’re not sure how to talk to a new person at a networking event (or holiday party)?

A script that worked well for me:

  1. Walk toward someone.
  2. Extend a hand.
  3. Say, “Hi, I don’t think we met. What’s your name?” or “Mind if I join?”

And then you’re off to the races.

If this seems too simple, that’s the point.

It’s not the perfect tactical wordsmithing that makes or breaks you. It’s the fact that you acted and short-circuited your approach anxiety.

The parallel here to bar prep is to not spend too much time agonizing over which supplements to use, which newsletters to follow (mine of course)…

When you factor in the time spent overthinking about different options, they no longer become the fastest, best, or easiest.

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Predictions for the Bar Exam (What to Focus On for Efficient Study)

No wonder this person posted anonymously because I see at least 3 things I could critique in this comment:

"The worst part about studying ... is that we cannot even properly use predictions."

You know what, it’s my fault for reading social media.

Before every exam, a handful of people come out of the woodwork and shamelessly ask about which subjects will appear on the upcoming 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 speculations 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 to rely 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? Do you want to know the subjects ahead of time or not? Make up your minds!

Maybe you’re too young to remember ancient history. I’ve been dealing with you people for too long.

Here’s why you should look toward essay/MEE predictions for entertainment value and morbid curiosity only:

(and 3 things you can focus on instead to take control over your studies)

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Two Biggest Fears of a Bar Exam Taker

“I need to know all the law first!”

What were those three years of law school for? Never mind.

There’s this strange concern in the atmosphere floating around.

A concern that if you don’t know it all, then you won’t be prepared to solve the problems… The thought that all you need to do well on the bar exam is to “have the information”…

So you sit there, fold your arms, and wait for osmosis. Maybe your soulmate will suddenly come knocking on your door, too.

And then when you finally flip open that essay after weeks of “studying”…

You stare at the blank page.

In front of you, a blank canvas ready to be filled but only reflecting an uncomfortable stillness.

The cursor blinks at you, urging you to fill the awkward silence.

Cold sweat squeezes out of pores you didn’t even realize you had on your body. 😓

“…”

You decide to hit the books and videos again. Maybe you just need to study a little more…

You’re mostly grasping the material, but then when you take a practice exam it’s like everything you know is out the window.

WTF? Why didn’t it work?

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Bar Prep Wisdom from Succulents

I went to a succulents gardening workshop the other day 🌱

I figured succulents wouldn’t wither under my care like the flowers I tried arranging before. There’s a limit to how much talent one person can have, I guess.

But there’s no limit to how much I think about bar prep because that’s what I started thinking about when I was listening to the instructor 🤦🏻‍♂️

4 relevant lessons and also photos of my bald-looking succulent bowl:

(First lesson: “You have to kill a lot of plants to be an expert.” 🤯)

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Repeating (and Passing) the Bar Exam by Choosing Resilience

The bar exam can be an emotionally intense experience.

We all need a witness to our struggles. Don’t keep it locked up inside you. Sharing the ups and downs can be cathartic.

Jonathan took the time to send me a raw, heartfelt story of what it was like to fail…and then PASS the 2024 July CA Bar Exam.

💬 “When I found out I did not pass the bar, I was devastated; I let down myself and seemingly my family, my girlfriend, mentors, and everyone who had invested in me — how would I recover from this professionally and personally?

Repeaters will know about the devastation and the identity crisis that comes with failing the bar exam.

Am I being dramatic?

Maybe. Regardless, if you don’t pass, there’s suddenly a ton of uncertainty and volatility about your future.

Choose resilience, or give up. It’s up to you.

💬 “Over my time re-studying for the exam, two thoughts persisted:

No…no, this is not how my story ends! I am not a failure or a quitter… I’ve never quit and why would I do it now? No…I have more in the tank’; and

the other was, ‘what if this repeats again…is it better to just take the foot off the gas? There are many people who understand how difficult this exam is…maybe I should use my degree for something adjacent.’ And then it hit me . . .

How did he finally overcome the past that haunted him so?

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