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Should I Take Barbri Twice?

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pass the bar exam

Should I Take Barbri Twice?

Should I Take Barbri Twice?: The short answer to this question is no! Treat it like anything else you would treat in life. If it didn’t work out the first time, why do it again and risk the exact same result? We see many people who are unsuccessful with the bar exam and yet they stick to their same approach over and over again. Finally, after multiple attempts and lots of lost time, they decide to do something different. Usually they are successful after they change their approach. So, the long answer to the above question is to change up your approach to the bar exam. In other words, don’t take your commercial course over again.

Note: If you truly didn’t “take” your commercial course this doesn’t apply. Like, if you signed up for Barbri (or Kaplan or whatever course) but didn’t complete the work then it might be worth it to consider trying this approach. This article assumes you actually completed all the work!

Click here for our post on how to change your approach the second time you take it.

Should I Take Barbri Twice?

So, if I don’t take Barbri twice, what should I do?

We hear this question a lot! We give you a few steps to follow below:

1. Analyze what went wrong!

There are many things you can do to change your approach to the bar exam so that you are successful the next time around. Our first general tip is that you should spend some time thinking about what went wrong the first time. And when we say “spend some time” we don’t mean just a few minutes. We mean critically think about what worked for you and what didn’t. Maybe take a few days and reflect on this. In the post above, we give you a list of questions you can ask yourself to engage in a meaningful reflection of your experience. This is a very valuable use of your time and will help you put together a basic game plan for how to move forward.

2. Start studying earlier.

Another thing you could do is start studying earlier. Many people complain that they don’t have any money to invest further in bar prep or that they have no choice other than work. This causes a lot of anxiety. This is especially true for those who are feeling that if they couldn’t pass the exam while they were only focusing on studying, there is no way they can juggle a job and bar prep.

To those that are feeling this way, the good news is that many people have been in this situation and are successful on the exam. In our opinion, sometimes having nothing but time to devote to bar prep makes one inefficient. If you have other obligations and are required to make the most of your dedicated study time, you will be surprised about how much you can get accomplished. If you find yourself in the position where you must work and study, you should start studying earlier. While you cannot create more hours in the day, if you start studying earlier, you will avoid the unnecessary stress of running out of time.

3. Practice with real exam questions.

You should also be sure that you are practicing with real questions. This is true for the MBE, Essay and MPT portion (if you are in a state that administers the MPT). If you prepped with Barbri previously, you may be surprised to learn that the multiple-choice questions you were practicing are not real test questions. You should be sure you get your hands on released questions from the NCBE. The NCBE also sells practice essay questions and MPTs. Check out our post on how to get real MBE questions here!

4. Hire a tutor or change what you do.

How can you change what you do?

Lastly, consider hiring a tutor. One of the best things you can do to change your approach to the bar exam is to hire a tutor. At JD Advising we meet tons of people who are unsuccessful on the bar exam after using a commercial course. We are able to help them set up a schedule that is tailored to their needs. We can also help you not only with the substantive law, but with time management and active review strategies. If you are looking for a new approach, please contact us at your convenience.

This post was written by our law school tutor, Meagan Jabbori, who has helped several students succeed in law school and on the bar exam!

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