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.

It may feel like a catch-22: You feel like you need prior experience to know what will help or hurt your chances of passing—but can’t get the experience without failing.

Are you supposed to go through that first failure to succeed?

No! I and others went through a first failure so you don’t have to.

The issue is trust.

Who do you listen to? Can you trust yourself to listen to how your brain and body want to accrue knowledge?

What about colleagues, professors, courses, bar gurus, me?

Yes to 0 to 100% of the above! While doing what works for you is all well and good, that doesn’t mean you can’t take suggestions from elsewhere.

In my case, addition to my own suggestions, I give you actual proof of people who passed and break down their strategies so you know I’m not talking about some “just do 50 questions every day” and “you’ll be fine” out of my ass.

It’s helpful to get guidance on how to learn, but no one knows you better than yourself. That said, there are a million different ways to pass.

Do trust the process—the right process for you.

What is the right process for you? It’s one that helps YOU understand and retain the material and answer questions correctly.

I may be your rear guard and sherpa for this journey, but at the end of the day, you still have to find your own ninja way.

I still expect you to take control of your studies and earn your confidence because all you’ll have during the exam are your own two legs.

So how can you do what works for you and personalize your studies?

Now’s the time to figure it out and take control of your studies if you haven’t already:

• Take cues from others who have passed. Build belief from seeing others win. See the case studies where I painstakingly extracted insights from other passers. Take what you like, and leave the rest. Now you have multiple ideas rather than one cookie-cutter approach designed for the lowest common denominator.
• You have past experiences. Remember how you studied in college, in law school, during bar prep (or even during previous bar studies). How did you learn best? Listening, reading and writing, examples, visuals, flowcharts?
• Memory devices that are meaningful to you. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. You don’t have to share your cringey acronyms and mnemonics with anyone else. “Anything that helps you memorize is useful.”
• Plan a study schedule that fits your life like a tailored suit. You can take your vacation as long as you plan your studies too.
• Try different things yourself. Study strategies, memorization techniques, books, supplementary resources. Other people’s advice is given from their perspective, not yours. Sometimes, the only way to find out is to find out. When something works for you, note it so that you can come back to it.
• Let go of what doesn’t help you learn. Un-grip your fingers from “revenge studying” and trying to force something that was “supposed to” work. (This includes taking a bar course from start to finish.)

What are some other examples of ways you can “do what works for you”? I’d be curious to hear in the comments below.

Can this process take time?

Yes. Choosing which options you want to try is part of going your own way also. You are responsible for your own destiny.

It was ONLY when I said “fuck all that” after a humbling first failure and took control of my studies my way that my brain stopped resisting the materials, information turned into intuition, and things became more relaxed and enjoyable. Your body knows best. Don’t ask fish to climb a tree.

Here are examples of successful passers going their own way to pass the bar exam:

• UK Lawyer Passes CA Bar Exam on His Second Try (Finding Out Result in Maui)
• Cara Passes the California Bar Exam with Everything Riding on Her Third Attempt
• Ditching Commercial Prep to Pass the NY Bar While Working Full Time
• 180+ Point Jump on the CA Bar Exam While Battling Health Issues
• “Negative, Anxious, and Depressed” to Passing the Bar on 3rd Try
• How Mercedes Passed the Colorado Bar Exam (UBE) After Realizing a Simple Approach
• Face Your Weaknesses to Pass the Bar Exam
• Non-Accredited Law Grad Passes CA Bar Exam on His 1st Try
• Pass the Bar Exam Using the Right Tools and Approach for You
• Taking Ownership of Your Bar Prep to Pass the Bar Exam