Strategies | Page 4 of 16 | Make This Your Last Time

January 2, 2025January 3, 2026 - 1 Comment

I got a little sassy at a Redditor at 3:30 AM

It’s time for “good cop, bad cop.”

I try to be a balanced and insightful voice in bar prep. I try to be understanding of what you’re going through… Here’s warm milk and cookies…

But some of us are still spacing out like the SLOW ASS drivers I screech past in LA Koreatown.

It’s clear that good cop isn’t getting the job done. I fear I’m turning too vanilla like every other bar blog (though vanilla is a goated flavor).

And so today, I’m the bad cop.

Worse, I’m your surrogate Asian dad who will draw out 125% of what you thought was your max power.

Yes, I already get saucy sometimes, but people are crying out to be told the truth. Sometimes you need a cold fucking shower to slap some sense into those neurons and remind them that they are alive.

December 28, 2024December 31, 2024 - No Comments

Pitfalls of Passive Learning in Bar Prep: What Will You Wish You Had Been Learning Today?

If there’s one thing I’d like you to not compromise in preparing for the bar exam, it’s practice and feedback.

“Yeah I know, DAD. That’s so obvious. DUH!” You whip your hair smugly. “It’s simple. Tell me something new.”

Yes, smartass, it is “simple.”

Yet why do some people end up cramming 2 weeks before the exam?

Is it because Barbri gave them lectures for 7 weeks (with a few exercise questions sprinkled in) to beat them into mind-numbing torpor… And then all of a sudden, it’s time to push them into the deep end of the pool?

“That’s all folks! Do some self-studying! PTs are easy! Good luck!!!!”

They did everything they were “supposed to.” What happened?

December 6, 2024May 27, 2025 - No Comments

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

Michael — a part-time law student and a full-time working father — 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 is not 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, 2024August 2, 2025 - 13 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.

November 15, 2024December 4, 2024 - 3 Comments

Passing the California Bar Exam 20 Years Out of Law School

Heather graduated from law school 20 years ago. Then she passed the 2024 July California Bar Exam.

The last time she took the California Bar Exam was when it was a different format altogether and three days long (I took that shit twice, and it is no joke).

💬 “I’m a full time working mom, with 2 young kids at home, and diagnosed with ADHD. No one at work even knew I was taking the exam.”

💬 “I didn’t need the license for my job, but wanted to pass just for me. My 2 kids got to see the whole process, and were so excited to share in the joy when they found out I passed the California Bar Exam!”

Let me get this straight:

Graduated 20 years ago
Last exposure to the bar exam was several years ago at least
Probably forgot everything from law school
Full-time working mom with ADHD
Didn’t even need to pass and or flex on anyone (I will be flexing on her behalf)

And here you are wondering how you can get “motivated.”

Well, here’s how you can do it too.