Strategies Archives | Page 3 of 17 | Make This Your Last Time

January 16, 2026July 17, 2026 - 4 Comments

How an Australian Lawyer Passed the Illinois UBE (After Passing in California)

I featured James in a previous case study back in 2022. He passed the California Bar Exam as an Australian lawyer back then. Then he passed the July 2025 Illinois UBE.

💬 “Brian, just a heads-up: I passed the July UBE! Thanks for all that you do.”

I didn’t even know James was taking another bar exam. What a masochist.

💬 “After passing the CA Bar exam in 2022, in late 2024 I ended up in the mid-west! Fortunately, given my decade+ experience as an attorney in Australia, I was able to become eligible to sit the Illinois Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).”

Here’s a follow-up to his 2022 case study because I run into folks taking both exams fairly often.

Whether you’re taking the UBE or the CA Bar Exam (or a masochist looking to take both at some point), James compares and contrasts his successful strategies from both exams.

He recommends tailoring your approach to each exam given the differences.

💬 “You might think that passing the UBE would be easy enough (after passing the CA Bar). However, speaking from experience I can advise that it isn’t that simple. In important ways (content tested, timing, structure and scoring), the first day of both bar exams are completely different. This means that if you don’t adapt your strategy accordingly, you could end up failing the UBE!”

💬 “I do not recommend the strategy I used to pass the California Bar be used to attempt to pass the UBE.

These differences dictate the need for a change in strategy!”

January 10, 2026July 11, 2026 - 19 Comments

Enjoying Bar Prep: 6 Ways to Make Studying for the Bar Exam More Fun and Effective (Visual Guide)

Is it possible to enjoy bar prep?

It’s one of the dryest things a person can do on this planet. (Don’t let space aliens try this.) But we retain more and pay more attention when things are enjoyable.

The default, typical, boring approach to bar prep involves sitting still like a statue, watching people in suits drone on as you fantasize about throwing yourself out the window (not your computer though…you already paid the laptop exam fees). You might even pause the video and make sure to fill in all the notes.

This is all surprisingly exhausting.

The default way of doing things feels nice because you can’t get anything wrong when you’re just absorbing information. You won’t taste defeat, but you won’t taste victory either.

Instead of playing defense, it’s time to go on offense. You can even enjoy bar prep this way.

Ultimately, you can have fun with anything. It’s a mindset. And if it isn’t fun, you can just enjoy not having fun!

Here’s a visual guide with 6 ways to make steady progress and enjoy bar prep, without the frustration and exhaustion that come with the default approach to studying for the bar exam.

January 3, 2026July 5, 2026 - No Comments

Are you finally ready to listen yet? Here’s how to get unstuck in bar prep

They say that overthinking happens when you don’t trust your gut.

You let your “perfectionism” keep you playing defense for weeks. Manually listening to every word in your course. Re-reading giant outlines (because you’ll retain the information this time). Planning your schedule down to the minute.

Meanwhile, someone dumber than you figured it out and became an attorney.

You already know what to do. The problem is that you don’t trust yourself enough to do it.

Maybe you should learn to listen to your gut a little more instead of regretting it later in your most private moments.

December 20, 2025July 8, 2026 - 19 Comments

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

No wonder this person posted anonymously because I see at least 3 things I could critique in this comment:

You know what, it’s my fault for reading social media.

Before every exam, a handful of people come out of the woodwork and ask about which subjects will appear on the upcoming 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 bet 6 months of your life on?

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. 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 to take control over your studies)

August 19, 2025August 19, 2026 - No Comments

How to Study for the Bar Exam While Working Full Time

Studying for the bar exam while working full time is a tough ask.

You already have a full plate at work, and now you’re supposed to come home and grind through lectures and questions on top of that. It sounds brutal because, well, it is.

But the thing is, working candidates pass the bar exam every single day. You don’t have to be gifted or lucky, just focus on the right things that help you learn efficiently. It’s very doable if you study smart, stay consistent, and refuse to compare your journey to someone sitting at home studying eight hours a day while doomscrolling for half that time.

The guiding principle here is that constraints force you to be creative with your time and focus on what moves the needle. We’ll trim the fluff and time wasters (like repeating lectures on 0.75x speed).

Whether you’re working full time at a firm, doing contract work, or coming home to a baby who won’t sleep while you’re wishing you could, the strategies here are practical and built around the reality of limited time.