10 Tips to Level Up Your Bar Exam Training

What you do between now and July 26th matters!

You have just finished three or four years in law school. Now you face that pesky two-day bar exam at the end of July – the thing that stands between you and a career in practicing law.

Preparing for the bar exam is like preparing for a marathon.

You are not going to just show up at the starting line and begin running 26.2 miles. Rather, you are going to train for this moment. You are going to build up your endurance and stamina so that when the time comes, you are ready to successfully run those miles.

Training for the bar exam is no different. You cannot cram for it, and you cannot rely solely on what you learned in law school. You have to prepare, prepare, prepare! How, you ask?

Here are 10 tips to assist you in training for your own bar prep marathon:

1. Just Start – Sometimes, the most difficult thing to do is simply, begin. Don't put it off. Take that first step: open the book, listen to the lecture . . . Get started!
   
   
2. Create Space – Where, when, and how are you going to study? Carve out a place and time that best works for you to concentrate and engage with your bar preparation materials.
   
   
3. Make a Plan – You cannot leave bar prep to a whim. It is not something that you do on the side or when you feel like it (because you never will feel like it!). Instead, you must schedule when you are going to tackle what; that is the only way to successfully “train” yourself for the bar exam.
   
   
4. Stick to the Plan – Plans are wonderful, but only if you actually do them! So, stick to your plan.
   
   
5. Trust the Process – The experts know how to help you master what you need to know and do to succeed. Trust them, and do what they say . . . all of it.
   
   
6. Be Active – Studying for the bar is not a passive activity. You cannot learn what you need to know by just sitting back and watching; instead, you have to actively engage with the material and practice, practice, practice!
   
   
7. Use Your Trainers – Bar exam experts know how to help you. Use them. Ask them. That is what they are there for!
   
   
8. Don’t Panic – There are going to be times during your studies when you hit a wall. You will feel like you can’t do any more. When that time comes, push through it. Don’t give in. You can do this - you will do this. It is a mindset, a decision. Breathe, and keep going.
   
   
9. Finish – Keep your eye on the prize: taking and passing the bar exam. You want to practice law, and there is one final hurdle standing in your way. So, finish what you started. Train hard and run the race you prepared for – finish strong!
   
   
10. And, remember: We aren’t telling you it is going to be easy. We’re telling you, it is going to be worth it.
    
    

Fleming's is here for you.

Call Fleming’s Fundamentals of Law and begin your systematic, complete, and comprehensive bar preparation training. We are here to develop a plan for you, train you in that plan, help you stick to that plan, and get you through the finish line.