Bar Exam Preparation
They say that overthinking happens when you don’t trust your gut.
You already know what to do. The problem is that you don’t trust yourself enough to do it.
Maybe you should learn to listen to your gut a little more instead of regretting it later in your most private moments.
No wonder this person posted anonymously because I see at least 3 things I could critique in this comment:
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)
Continue reading “Predictions for the Bar Exam (What to Focus On for Efficient Study)”Ah yes, the MBE, everyone’s favorite multiple-guess section…
Up to 50% of your bar exam score hangs on a series of letters. I don’t mean essays, which are also a series of letters.
Wow! Sounds important.
For some people, the MBE comes easily while the essays don’t. For some other people, the essays come very easily while the MBE seems impossible.
If neither is your strong suit (like it was for me)…then you’re out of luck.
Just kidding. It’s never over. If you lack the talent of high scores, develop the talent of grit instead.
While the MBE is a formidable portion of the bar, improving on it is figure-out-able.
So how do you improve your MBE score? Here are:
Here’s something that people who pass the bar exam never say:
“All I had to do was listen to all the bar course lectures and take a lot of notes. Just complete the course and you’ll pass!”
Sometimes we think “doing whatever it takes” to pass the bar exam means exhausting yourself and throwing 1000 hours and even more dollars into a black hole. (But it doesn’t have to be expensive.)
Or following some unsustainable cookie-cutter schedule that doesn’t care if you have other responsibilities like work or family. Good luck if you fall behind by one day.
Or letting a perfectly fine morning slip through by religiously sitting through 4 hours of droning lectures. Worse, pausing lectures to fill in all the notes.
Then not even remembering 99% of it.
Rewinding the video for the 5th time because you can’t stop thinking about the Roman Empire
I remember those days. All of those things above are things I stopped doing on my second attempt at preparing for the bar exam.
Continue reading “Should You “Trust the Process”? You’re the Dean of Your Own Bar Exam Studies”Let me guess. Is this your idea of bar prep?
It’s like you’re experiencing the most annoying part about traveling—sitting for hours next to someone who takes up the armrest even though they got the window seat.
And repeating this every day. Is this what Limbo is like?
You’re drained and demoralized because you’re trying to “study” but aren’t feeling a sense of progress as words and days pass by you.
But why are you trying to do this the hard way?
Continue reading “Why You Feel Exhausted Studying for the Bar Exam”