Make This Your Last Time | Bar Exam Preparation

December 21, 2024December 19, 2024 - 2 Comments

Should You Study for the Bar Exam or Take a Break During Holidays?

Every time the holidays roll around, a pang of GUILT flashes across the bar taker’s heart as they balance social obligations and the big day looming two months away.

“Do I go to that wedding? Why is the wedding outdoors in December?”

“Do I grow a spine, or say yes to that holiday party with the mandatory $100 white elephant gift?”

“Do I study or hang out with my family?”

There are pockets of cultures surrounding work, rest, and “self-care.”

Let’s divide them into two extreme stereotypical categories. This false dichotomy will be a narrative device so I can make a point later:

December 20, 2024December 20, 2024 - No Comments

Third-time Passer Reveals How to MASTER the Law

Saurabh attempted the California Bar Exam three times since 2019. Then he passed the 2024 July exam.

💬 “This was my third attempt.

2019 was first. Which I had combined with another trip I had to take to US.

Then covid happened and there was a gap and I was not confident about exam prep.

Plus full time job. I gave again in July 2023, where I scored pretty close to passing.”

How did he manage to pass this time?

There are clear themes that you’ll find useful whether you’re a first timer or especially if you’re a repeater.

December 13, 2024December 13, 2024 - No Comments

Online Law School Graduate Passes CA Bar Exam on First Try (by Personalizing Prep)

Lalo graduated from an online law school graduate.

💬 “I went to a fully online law school . . . and though it was a 4 year program I completed it in 5 years, all while working a full time job.”

This shows it’s not about pedigree or how you did in school. Consider the bar exam a separate skill from law school. You start from a clean slate and develop the right strategies for you.

That’s how I made it out with a law school GPA of 2.833, though it took me two tries to figure it out.

This is how Lalo made it out in one attempt.

December 6, 2024December 6, 2024 - No Comments

How a Full-time Working Father Passed the CA Bar Exam (by Streamlining Resources)

Michael was a part-time law student, an older test taker, and a full-time working father who had dreams of becoming an attorney.

💬 “I delayed my dream of becoming an attorney for decades for my family, my career, and just the thought of four years of part-time law school, plus this exam (and the financial and opportunity costs, because I would have to take less responsible or less demanding roles in my career to make this work).

I’m an older test taker, looking for a second career. I’m a full-time working father, with a family. I hate my current career and what it’s become, and need to become an attorney for my own sanity (although this choice for sanity may be questionable).“

Michael, 2024 July California Bar Exam passer

Busy guy! But the message here isn’t that anyone can pass simply by desiring it.

Yes, you are capable, but this ain’t some story about rolling down a rainbow that came out of a unicorn’s ass. You get what you fight for, not what you wish for.

💬 “Studying for this exam takes up so much time. It becomes all-life-consuming.”

Fortunately, I’m used to making dreams come true.

And dreams did come true for this family man when he passed the California Bar Exam on his second attempt in July 2024. The star today is Michael, and I’m pleased to debrief how he pulled it off.

December 4, 2024December 10, 2024 - 2 Comments

Doing What “Works for You” in Bar Prep

How bar takers view the prep process has shifted over the last 10 years:

Standard advice 10 years ago: Follow the program. Trust the system.
Past few years: Movement toward independent self-study and people advising others to “do what works for you” or “do what’s best for you.”

But what does that mean?

“Do what works for you” can be vague and circular because knowing what works for you may be a product of hindsight.

If you already knew what was best for you, you’d be doing it already.