Why You Feel Exhausted Studying for the Bar Exam

Let me guess. Does your bar prep regimen look something like this?

  • Listening to lectures while sitting still like a statue
  • Pausing to take notes and fill in the blanks (doubling the time it takes to finish the lectures)
  • Reading giant outlines (and rereading paragraphs)

Eventually falling asleep with the lights on.

It’s like you’re experiencing the most annoying part about traveling—sitting for hours staring at a tiny screen next to someone who takes up the armrest even though they got the window seat.

And repeating this every day. Is this what Limbo is like?

(Do not invite me to “go travel”)

Words and days pass by you. You’re drained and demoralized because you’re trying to “study” but aren’t feeling a sense of progress.

Why are you trying to do this the hard way?

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What to Do After the Bar Exam to Live a Normal Life Again (21 Post-Bartum Ideas)

Weeks and months of insanity preparing for the bar exam while putting on life on hold.

The onslaught of psychologically tormenting questions.

It’s over.

The hard-fought battle has ended. The dust has settled. There’s nothing left. No rewards. Just palpable silence (filled only with “how do you think you did? oh wow”) and an empty space in your heart. What were you fighting for this whole time?

It’s hard to believe it’s over, isn’t it?

We get attached to the struggle.

Now yet another difficult part called “waiting” begins. It might be harder than the actual prep. After the shell shock that was the bar exam, what do you do?

mixed feelings after bar exam

What is “free time” again? Is it edible? Will life be the same?

Some people seem to be completely happy with this state of being, while others get post-bartum depression. Let’s recover from your mixed feelings and bring life back to normal.

Here are 21 ideas on what to do to stay sane (and a few things NOT to do) if you have post bar exam depression (ideas that have nothing to do with studying for the exam “just in case” even though the bar exam is over).

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Tired of Bar Prep? Guarantee Motivation to Beat the Bar Exam with These 5 Reminders

How often do you see motivationals like this?

I wanted to pass the bar exam.

So instead of actually preparing for it, I made an image of a bar license card with my name on it using Microsoft Paint. You know, for visualization and manifestation like random people suggested online.

I’m not even kidding. Look and cringe:

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Common Traits of Bar Passers & Why Mental Fortitude Is Important for Bar Preparation

They say knowledge is power (and you can never have too much power).

But why is it that with all the information out there, we don’t always get to where we want to go? Why do 80 percent of New Year resolutions fail by February? (Remember those? LOL)

“If more information was the answer, then we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.”

Knowledge applied correctly is power.

Knowledge is potential energy. It’s what we DO with the knowledge and the desire, not the fact that we have them, not the fact that we declare our desire.

But even then, the top differentiator that I’ve encountered with people taking the bar isn’t skills or knowledge.

It’s HOW they think. I lowkey hesitate to use the term “mindset” because it’s sometimes associated with impractical woo-woo things like visualization.

But the point remains: The hurdle is often internal.

If you have the raw material but can’t bring yourself to make a sand castle, if you can’t turn that potential energy in your mind into kinetic energy, what’s the use?

"half of bar prep involves preparing oneself mentally"
"the bar exam is all about your mental fitness and your ability to retain a crap ton of information without going crazy. Take care of yourself this time around."

It’s getting harder to pass the bar exam…and that’s exactly why you should go for it now. And make this your last time.

It’s not going to get easier. But when the bar is set high, it’s actually an opportunity to stand out more.

How?

If you observe people who have passed the bar exam long enough, you notice some patterns in their behavior:

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Predictions for the Bar Exam (What to Focus On for Efficient Study)

Before every exam, a handful of people come out of the woodwork and shamelessly ask about subject predictions for the bar exam.

“Does anyone know the essay predictions?”
“What do you think will be tested?”
“I don’t think ____ will appear on the exam.”
“Anyone think ____ will be tested?”
“I know we’re not supposed to listen to predictions, but…”
“What are ____’s predictions?”
“Here are my MEE predictions!”

Whose speculations are you going to listen to?

If you’re like many bar takers, or if you’re a repeater, you say: “Haha of course I’m not going to rely on the predictions. I shall adequately study all the subjects. You should too!”

And then you panic and look at the predictions anyway.

Did you want me to tell you, “Aww poor baby, don’t worry. It’s normal and happens to the best of us 🥺”?

You SHOULD worry if you’re secretly tempted to rely on predictions… because this kind of thinking is entirely predictable and avoidable. Sweating about predictions is not a good place to be and requires intervention.

Also, remember when subjects actually leaked for the California exam in 2019 and people got mad over it? Do you want to know the subjects ahead of time or not? Make up your minds!

Maybe you’re too young to remember ancient history. I’ve been dealing with you people for too long.

Here’s why you should look toward essay/MEE predictions for entertainment value and morbid curiosity only (and 3 things you can focus on instead):

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