Justine passed the February 2025 California Bar Exam on her first try.
💬 “I’m happy to share that I’ve passed the February bar – on my first try as well!”
She was initially putting in 15+ hours a day with her bar review course!
But I’m about to show you why “working hard” doesn’t always mean you’re going to learn or retain any information.
💬 “It didn’t feel like I was wasting my time and doing “busy body” work anymore- which I think helped push me to assure myself that I was right in straying from the traditional path.”
Resources Justine used to pass the California Bar Exam on her first try
💬 “Without a doubt, your materials provided a great foundation for my studying, and played a big part in me passing!”
Themis (as needed)
I will now take you through a heroine’s journey:
❌ Before Justine switched away from her bar review course
vs.
✅ After she decided to “trust her gut”
Don’t end up like most people talking about some “new year, new me” only to end up with a before and before-that transformation instead. Like what happened? You had a whole year.
Before ditching her bar review course
Most people end up signing up for a traditional big box bar review course. After all, it’s the sensible thing to do given the information blasted at you since your first day of law school.
Justine did the same but soon ran into trouble. She didn’t feel like it was helping her learn.
💬 “Originally when I started with the traditional study method and followed the preset study schedule by Themis, I stuck with it for a few weeks until I got to a point where it felt like I was doing so much work but I didn’t really feel like I was actually learning or retaining info. It also felt like no matter how many hours I was putting into studying (about 15+ hours a day 😭), I was always behind, and again, it didn’t really feel like I was actually learning or retaining any info at all.”
Justine.
What the hell, dude. I’d be PISSED if I spun my wheels 15-plus hours a day going nowhere. Like that one ex who wasted your time.
That’s the allure of one-size-fits-all bar review courses…
They court you aggressively in the beginning (since day 1 of law school). They (the books) look and smell great. They’re nice to you and reassure you about a bright future.
You’re spellbound. You pull the trigger. Why wouldn’t you?
BUT…
I hear this exact same story every single year…
If I were a betting man (which I am, we all have red flags), the statistics are in my favor that you will end up frustrated, throw your papers in the air metaphorically or otherwise, and want to start doing your own thing because you realize you haven’t learned shit.
I’ll give it until a month from the exam at the latest. Just keep these emails handy instead of spamming me with panicked emails when the time comes.
Anyway, enough about my villain origin story. Here’s what Justine did instead.
Transitioning to a study process that she knew best
You’re probably tired of me saying this, but I’m never going to stop… NEVER
“Trusting the process” can work. Plenty of people pass using a stock program. But I want you to go a step further and “trust the right process” for you.
💬 “I stumbled upon one of your articles talking about how it is okay to create your own study schedule and step away from the Themis study program to find what works for me! One line that really stood out to me was that the Themis study program was a program that was “made for everyone”, and everyone learns differently! At that point, I kind of decided to really trust my gut and decided to create my own study schedule using your study materials, and try to study in the way i knew best, which was to review the material over and over.”
What did that look like in Justine’s case?
- She created her own study schedule
- She rewrote rule statements (and issues) in her own words
- She broke down concepts to understand and memorize the material
You can still use your course as a supplement. That’s all a course is—a part of your self-study tools.
Remember, no one can teach you. You can only learn.
💬 “I’d still use Themis from time to time, but mainly just for 1. any additional information on a certain subtopic, 2. any tips for the exam itself, 3. mainly just the essay practice and graded essays every friday.”
After switching over from the traditional method
Justine actively engaged with the material by using and applying the information. The bar exam will ask you to do that, not just “know the rules.”
💬 “Once I switched over from the traditional method to using your materials, the feeling of ‘not really retaining or learning anything’ was gone and I actually felt like I was progressing in my studying!”
Traditional methods don’t emphasize this enough. They’re focused on feeding you the information. You end up eating but not digesting. You have to break free of the illusion of safety by yourself.
💬 “A big part as well was it didn’t feel like I was wasting my time and doing ‘busy body’ work anymore- which I think helped push me to assure myself that I was right in straying from the traditional path.”
It’s okay if you’re lost and not in a position to be confident straying from the traditional path yet. It’s okay if you rely on a prep course.
At the end of the day, confidence comes from trusting yourself. If you don’t have that trust, build the confidence with evidence that you can do it. Obtaining evidence requires that you try to answer questions without confidence. Failing actually gives you
Without that trust, you become prone to trusting anything that gives you a sense of certainty and productivity (like busy work).
That’s why I keep sending you case studies of passers. When you see enough people jump into the pool, you start to listen to the voice in your head.
💬 “That change in how I felt I was progressing really made me confident in straying away from the traditional path- even though it was really scary and overwhelming to do at first.”
Full story
Hi Brian!
I hope you’ve been well!
I’m happy to share that i’ve passed the February bar – on my first try as well!
What really helped was definitely the advice given during studying – especially the ones about figuring out what works for me and to trust my gut if the Themis guided study didn’t work for me. It really encouraged me to extend outside of my comfort zone and find a study schedule that really worked for me and helped me understand the material.
The outlines that you provided were a life savior! I found that it really condensed the material in an easy to understand format – and which helped a lot when I would first approach a subject and also when i would go back to understand a certain subtopic.
Most of all, your weekly emails really helped a lot in helping me get through the studying agony (LOL). I would look forward to the emails because the jokes and content would make me feel like others understood what it was like to study for the bar (and also wasn’t suffering alone LOL) – which was really comforting during the time.
Thank you so much for your help! I can genuinely say that the materials, resources, and emails you provided throughout the study period played a big part in my studying and helping me pass (on my first time too!)
Another thing that helped a lot were the tips and lessons learned from retakers as well. I felt it really let me take into consideration how I approached studying (methods, time, etc).
Thank you again ! I wish you well :)
—
Originally when I started with the traditional study method and followed the preset study schedule by Themis, I stuck with it for a few weeks until I got to a point where it felt like I was doing so much work but I didn’t really feel like I was actually learning or retaining info. It also felt like no matter how many hours I was putting into studying (about 15+ hours a day 
), I was always behind, and again, it didn’t really feel like I was actually learning or retaining any info at all. One day I felt like that feeling was really gnawing at me so I researched around for additional study materials- and that’s where I stumbled upon one of your articles talking about how it is okay to create your own study schedule and step away from the Themis study program to find what works for me! One line that really stood out to me was that the Themis study program was a program that was “made for everyone”, and everyone learns differently! At that point, I kind of decided to really trust my gut and decided to create my own study schedule using your study materials, and try to study in the way i knew best, which was to review the material over and over.
I first started by organizing a timeline of when to tackle which subjects, using both the study schedule you provided and the Themis study schedule as a guide. Then to study, I’d go through the Magicsheets and Approsheets that you provided and would handwrite (and rewrite) them into my own words so that I would ensure that I understood them. Doing that process helped a lot with actually understanding the material and helped process all the information (because sometimes looking at a big block of text seemed like a lot). So it really helped me break down sections to understand! After doing this, I’d move on to essays and MCQ practice, and I would go back to the material you provided if there was something I was unclear on! I’d still use Themis from time to time, but mainly just for 1. any additional information on a certain subtopic, 2. any tips for the exam itself, 3. mainly just the essay practice and graded essays every friday.
Without a doubt, your materials provided a great foundation for my studying, and played a big part in me passing! Once I switched over from the traditional method to using your materials, the feeling of “not really retaining or learning anything” was gone and I actually felt like I was progressing in my studying! A big part as well was it didn’t feel like I was wasting my time and doing “busy body” work anymore- which I think helped push me to assure myself that I was right in straying from the traditional path. That change in how I felt I was progressing really made me confident in straying away from the traditional path- even though it was really scary and overwhelming to do at first! (It took me about 3 days to organize and make my own schedule because it was so overwhelming).
Thank you again so much for your help and I wish you the best!
