Category: Mindset/Psychology

Posted on - 2 Comments on I Accidentally Convinced Someone to Never Take the Bar Exam Again

I Accidentally Convinced Someone to Never Take the Bar Exam Again

After results for the 2020 October California Bar Exam came out, my inboxes were flooded with over 100 messages and DMs.

I individually responded to almost all of those over the course of a week and a half. It’s part of a post-mortem ritual that involves celebrating my community’s wins, greeting new readers and followers, and commiserating with the reality some have to face.

One of the messages was from Tracy, who was completely overwhelmed as she planned to take the next exam (text version below):

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Posted on - 4 Comments on Be a Producer, Not a Consumer

Be a Producer, Not a Consumer

Reading outlines. Reading sample answers. Memorizing.

All good things to do. But that’s simply being a consumer. It feels like progress.

Being merely familiar with something or being able to recognize it—even being able to recite a rule statement—doesn’t mean you can USE it.

Just because you love reading books or watching videos doesn’t mean you’re going to make a good creative. You have to keep putting work out there under the eyes of scrutiny.

  • Can you recall the issues and rules?
  • Can you pick out the correct answer (for the right reason)?
  • Can you identify all the relevant issues by looking at a fact pattern?
  • Can you organize an answer for an essay or a performance test?
  • Can you write out an answer in time?

That’s being a producer. That’s what you’ll do on the bar exam. That’s what the bar exam will ask you to do: to know HOW TO USE your knowledge to solve problems.

Consuming only prepares you to do the work that matters. It’s not the main thing to focus on.

It’s harder to test yourself with a question, take way longer than it should, and realize you don’t know how to answer it.

That’s what preparation is for… so that doesn’t happen while you’re on the hot seat.

Be a producer. Don’t just stand there. Give it a try now.

Posted on - 5 Comments on 8 Steps to Getting Better at the Bar Exam

8 Steps to Getting Better at the Bar Exam

Listen, the bar exam is not going to be easy no matter how you slice it.

Not to mention all the preparation that goes into it, day in and day out. Not everyone is going to make it out either.

Your fancy degree can’t save you now. The good thing is that you have the power to differentiate yourself with your skills. You learn not just what to study—but how to study for the bar exam.

From yourself. From the community. From me.

Of course, there are many ways to go about it. You have the innate talent. I only try to empower you to head in the right direction so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

This is a primer on how to use your innate talent to prepare for and get good at the bar exam.

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Posted on - 5 Comments on How to Handle Bar Prep Stress

How to Handle Bar Prep Stress

“Why do things have to be so hard?”

Maybe right now you’re feeling like the future is uncertain and you’re stressed and you’re screaming on the inside and blah blah blah.

Rule 1: Bar prep sucks.

Rule 2: You’ll have to deal with even worse things if you pass the bar.

Picky clients, taking on legal responsibility for everything, unlimited vacation days that never actually happen because of billables that everyone hates, etc. I’m about to faint just thinking about this.

Tired of learning? You’re going to become a professional learner and problem solver. The bar exam doesn’t test a lot of relevant skills, but it does test your ability to learn and work with different things.

Wow! Thank you for pointing out our harsh reality. Give me back my dreams and excitement right now.

But I’m not saying this to paint a grim future. You could be “stuck,” but you don’t have to feel stuck.

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Posted on - No Comments on “We’re all in this together”?

“We’re all in this together”?

What do you think of this…

  • “We’re all in this together”
  • “You’re not alone”
  • “With everyone gathered together, we finally stand a chance against the final boss”

All very good? I guess?

Feeling like you’re part of a crusade against “them” can be uplifting and inspiriting.

I don’t say these things out loud, but I’m basically guilty of it. Trying to make the prepping process more palatable for you. Feeling like I did something helpful when you tell me things like “I needed this today.”

But I have mixed feelings about letting comforting words wash over you like a warm shower TOO much. The bar exam is considered difficult for a reason.

And you know me… I live in practical reality. The more you make the exam a priority (see MTYLT rule #3), the more I’m willing to help. I don’t JUST want to tell you what you WANT to hear.

Here’s what you NEED to hear instead:

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