Bar Exam Preparation
Ceren passed the 2023 July California Bar Exam on her second try after giving up midway on her first try.
But to her surprise, she got very close to passing on that first try!
Here’s how she approached bar prep as a foreign-trained lawyer from Turkey on her first try and on her second successful try.
Continue reading “Turkish Attorney Passes California Bar Exam as a Retaker”Is it possible to enjoy bar prep?
It’s one of the dryest things a person can do on this planet. (Don’t invite space tourists to try this.) But we retain more and pay more attention when things are enjoyable.
I’ve talked about enjoying the process to maintain motivation when it comes to bar prep. How you do that is personal.
Ultimately, you can have fun with anything. It’s a mindset. If something isn’t fun, you can just enjoy not having fun!
You can have fun with bar prep too. Bar prep can be enjoyable if you go at your own pace and get better at it.
The default (typical, boring) approach of bar prep involves sitting still like a statue watching people in a suit drone on as you fantasize about throwing your computer or self out the window. If you’re especially masochistic, you’ll pause the video and make sure to fill in all the lecture notes.
This is surprisingly exhausting. As a bonus, you’ll also forget 99% of what you listened to. I’d rather watch water boil because at least I’d have something to show for it, like edible pasta. (Did you know the singular form of spaghetti is spaghetto?)
Something people forget to tell you is that you don’t actually have to follow the default.
“Just complete the course! Do all the things! Play it safe!”—The National Association of Barbri (probably)
No, instead of playing defense, it’s time to go on offense.
Follow this visual guide of 6 things that can help you make steady progress and enjoy bar prep—without the frustration and exhaustion that come with how bar takers typically approach studying for the bar exam.
(4th one is my favorite!)
Continue reading “Enjoying Bar Prep: 6 Ways to Make Studying for the Bar Exam More Fun and Effective”A self-professed “Partner/Mom/Grandma/Kindergarten teacher” told me she passed the UBE.
No big deal. I asked Nocona how she DID IT so I could pass her lessons onto you mortals.
Among other things, she 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 think, I can do this too (true).
Or you might wonder, why can’t it be me?
It CAN be you, homie. These were all people in the exact same position as you, just time shifted. Why torture yourself trying to reinvent the wheel?
Continue reading “Grandmother Passes the Uniform Bar Exam with a 270”“How do I do MBE questions faster?”
“The way to approach these questions is not staying with me.”
“I thought I ‘got’ it and moved on, but I keep getting questions wrong.”
Have you ever felt that?
There is a SIMPLE and UNDERRATED way to fix this: REDOING practice questions.
I say elsewhere that DOING is the best form of thinking. If you’re doing that, great. Now the next step is to REDO.
“But wait,” you say, “I have seen and remembered those questions and answers before. Should I be worried because I am not practicing new questions?”
Continue reading “The Value of Redoing Practice Questions (You’ll See Them Again on the Bar Exam)”John passed the 2023 July California Bar Exam on his first try after deciding that his bar review course wasn’t working for him.
I know. Yet another success story about someone who ditched the traditional route. Might as well pack up and go home.
But leaving the bar course behind isn’t just for repeaters. And messages like this often take multiple repeats to click in your head. Kind of like memorizing the law.
Well, let’s see how John did it. I’ve parsed out 5 teaching points from studying his success story and the multiple updates he sent me before and after the exam.
Continue reading “Pass the Bar Exam Using the Right Tools and Approach for You”