A self-professed “Partner/Mom/Grandma/Kindergarten teacher” and a bundle of energy told me she passed the 2022 July UBE. No big deal. I asked her how she DID IT so I could pass her lessons onto you mortals.
Among other things, Nocona told me that she passed the Oklahoma Bar Exam (UBE) using a combination of substantive resources and a mindset that gave her better control over her processes.
You might read all these stories and wonder, why not me? It CAN be you. Why torture yourself trying to reinvent the wheel?
Resources used
▶▶ Magicsheets + Approsheets
▶▶ BarMax (for licensed MBE questions)
- If you want a more familiar MBE supplemental resource, other popular options are AdaptiBar ($40 discount code) and UWorld
▶▶ Past MEEs and MPTs
▶▶ Passer’s Playbook 2.0 (tools and techniques for effective bar prep)
▶▶ Mental Engines (mini-course on organizing your mind and emotions for bar prep)
▶▶ MTYLT emails (sign up here)
💬 “Your bar prep materials and personal support were, for me, like having a bar prep friend/coach.“
Some takeaways from Nocona’s approach to bar prep
✅ If something isn’t working…STOP doing it. She started studying from scratch and had to leave behind unsuccessful study strategies and insecurities.
I dare you to change if something isn’t working. I dare you NOT to simply say “yeah maybe” and scroll away.
Which is stronger: the bar exam or your will to pass?
💬 “I had to divest myself of unsuccessful study strategies and 14 tons of insecurity baggage. You were particularly influential in helping me unhook from the ‘Can I do this’ baggage.”
✅ Use the resources available to you. Look, I’ll be the first to say you DON’T need what I offer to pass the bar exam. You COULD do everything by yourself, or use other resources too, of course! There are a million ways to make it work.
But I’ve specifically designed what I offer to make it EASIER on you to get you that much closer to passing the bar exam.
As a repeater who was in pain and had to learn, and over the years talking with thousands of bar takers, I developed some idea of what we need to pass. I’m sending out these beacons so you can DO something with them.
Nocona did. By doing so, she transformed her life. But if you’re just going to treat my work like intellectual candy, get the hell off my list. I’m more than happy to make room for others who are in it to win it.
💬 “I have no doubt that I will be prepared to pass in July for the following reasons: I have your resources and will get your emails, which are like vitamin-rich spinach salads.”
💬 “More importantly, now I have your Magicsheets and Approsheets. I’ll get your emails and questions of the week and will look into the other resources you offer.”
✅ Recognize your strengths and weaknesses. Focus on what’s holding you back.
It would behoove you to have a strategy for bar prep, not just do things haphazardly or expect things to click once you “complete the course” or “memorize the rules.” Not everything is equally important.
As few examples, techniques like issue checking and essay cooking focus on what’s most important in an essay. Recognizing what — and how — the MBE question is testing helps you hone in on the answer. Even being aware that the performance test is part of the exam is a better start than many who neglect it.
Your mind is also a huge part of bar prep. Bar preparation is emotional preparation.
💬 “The entirety of Mental Engines and [the] Playbook helped me capitalize on what I was already good at and focus on overcoming my weakness. Your insights, humor, and substance were the cognitive and behavioral resources I needed to outgrow what was holding me back.”
✅ Empower yourself with motivation and fun. When you think of bar takers, you think of stressed and overwhelmed people.
Preparing for the bar exam may be difficult, but suffering is optional. Don’t volunteer to be miserable in advance. Embrace the suck, but let it go. Enjoy the process.
💬 “The motto I used to embolden the children whose education was entrusted to my care was ‘prepared not scared’ . . . That’s how I will be an attorney.”
💬 “Your motto ‘make this your last time’ is what I learned to do when I stopped waiting for bar prep to suit me. Your humor breathed energy into my bar prep and helped me bond with my partner. Finally, I had something fun to talk about related to bar prep.”
💬 “Your materials put in me in an empowered place, and your emails (personal and group) were the game changer!”
But part of getting good advice is to ask questions well. I’m happy to help, but pls don’t start asking random thoughtless things that took you 10 seconds to write expecting me to take it kindly let alone give you a good answer. Some of you are nuts and a blight on my day.
Nocona’s story of what changed between her 4th attempt and 5th attempt at the bar exam
Here’s one of Nocona’s early emails to me. She did not expect to pass in February:
Nocona followed up in April with a game plan for July—her substantive plans and mental plans:
Lo and behold, Nocona emailed me after the July exam:
Nice work, Nocona! Here are the resources she used and the lessons taken away from her story again.