I did a live workshop + Q&A with Doreen Benyamin (host of “Before You Take the LSAT”) on what I wish I had known on my first attempt at the bar exam.
This was a fire conversation! I’m happy to share that the recording is now available as a podcast episode (links and handout below).
It’s been edited down to 48 minutes long. But you’re not here to dilly dally. So here’s some social proof from other people who already spent the time:
Hopefully this forced a suggestion in your mind that maybe it’s worth a click.
Not sorry in the least. I know it’ll be worth at least a few seconds of your time, so it’s my obligation to share it with you.
If you’re in the middle of preparing for the bar exam, this is a great time to calibrate how you’re doing in your studies.
The episode covers:
Philosophies for effective bar prep
What moves the needle in bar prep
Optimizing for learning vs optimizing for performance
How to spend the last month of studying (including sample schedules in the Handout linked below)
Ever wonder how you’re supposed to juggle everything in your head? How do you prioritize the rules to know for the bar exam?
How are you supposed to learn all this when time is tight? How do you tackle the massive body of rules to know?
How do you know you’ve completed the essay in full? Did you even talk about the correct issues? Are the graders going to give you the points? Are they even going to read your prose?!
You’d love to start practicing essays but feel like you just haven’t learned enough law yet. It’s overwhelming to even begin.
At least the answer is right there in MBE questions… If you’re a bar taker struggling with coming up with what to write, essays are the bane of your existence. Your rambling paragraphs start to blur.
Let’s breathe. We can simplify the essays and make them less scary…
Key takeaways:
Issues: Learn not just the rules but also how to present and organize the issues (with examples below)
Rules: Highest-priority issues and rules are those that have appeared in the past (there are two other priorities)
There are efficient and effective ways to hit both of the above at once
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from all these bar taker success stories, it’s that there’s a wide spectrum of methods for passing the bar exam.
Your bar exam is yours!
Corina “broke the rules” and went ALL OUT on her second successful attempt at passing the bar. She was the embodiment of creating your own curriculum as the dean of her own studies.
💬 “The first round of prep made me feel like I must be crazy because I wasn’t getting it. Even though breaking the rules and doing my own thing the second time was scary, I am glad I did.”
In her full story linked below, she literally spares no details about how she did it.
First, here’s a summary of her heroine’s journey — from failing her first exam to her strategies for passing on her second attempt.
Today’s story is from Sam, who is YET another passer of the 2023 February CA Bar Exam.
I KNOW I KNOW… I want to share some UBE stories too. Blame too many of my CA readers for being part of the 32.5%.
But Sam had to go through a first round of suffering.
It’s not an uncommon story to do what you’re “supposed to” the first time, and then switch to a more conscious and effective approach and pass as a second-timer.
I stayed up late and spent a whole week studying this story because it’s an excellent example of taking control of your bar studies. It’s a lesson for first-timers who want to avoid mistakes and an inspiration for repeaters who have been there before.
💬 “Statistically I shouldn’t have passed this exam (a repeater, taking the February exam, who didn’t attend a US law school), but I did. I did because I took control and did what worked for me.”
This UK attorney passed the California Bar Exam on his second try (and checked results while on vacation in Maui, like a BALLER).
