How I Survived Bar Prep: Five Helpful Tips

How I Survived Bar Prep: Five Helpful Tips

The bar prep process should definitely be accompanied by a survival guide. With all of the time and money you spend on bar prep, it’s a shock that companies don’t give you one. Sure, bar prep companies give you a schedule to maintain, but they don’t offer many tips on actually managing one. If you’re anxiously waiting to start bar prep, or are knee-deep in it, here’s how I survived bar prep. These tips personally helped me and many of my colleagues get through the bar prep process.

How I Survived Bar Prep: Five Helpful Tips

A Disciplined Schedule

One of the most important keys to surviving the bar prep process is to create a disciplined schedule. Having a set schedule for each day of bar prep will help you maintain control over your day-to-day routine. Check out these tips on how to save time during bar prep! Your schedule may align closely with the schedule provided by your bar prep provider. It can also veer away from the company schedules and take into consideration your daily life and obligations. Regardless, having a schedule is the first step towards making it to the other side of bar prep. Make sure to create a schedule you know that you can adhere to. There’s no point in creating a schedule you can’t follow!

Bar Prep as a Full-Time Job

The second tip to helping you survive the bar prep process is to treat it like a full-time job. You wake up, shower, eat breakfast, drive to work (or turn on the computer), and start working. The bar prep process isn’t far off. You need to dedicate the same level of effort, responsibility, and work ethic as you would to your full-time job. This is slightly different for repeat takers who work full or part-time and also study. If you’re a repeat taker, treat bar prep as overtime at your job. Instead of getting paid, you increase your chances of passing the Bar Exam. In the long run, you will receive a much higher return on investment.

Check out these other bar prep tips to help you keep everything in perspective.

Time for Yourself

Nobody can continuously perform at a high level without taking breaks and relaxing. If the machine gets too hot, it needs to cool down before starting back up. The same is true of someone preparing for the Bar Exam. Make sure to dedicate a couple of days here and there to rest and relaxation. Use these days to take your mind far away from bar prep. Go to the spa, play video games, or go to the beach! The idea is to have you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated for returning back to the bar prep process.

Stay Connected

Bar prep can often be a lonely process, however, keeping connected with friends and family is highly recommended. Here are our tips on how to stay connected and plan your bar prep experience. Friends from law school experience the same thing you do when preparing for the Bar Exam. They are a group of people who can act as a soundboard for your questions, concerns, and study strategies. They’re also great for having a laugh with and reducing stress levels. Chances are if you’re feeling a certain way, your law school buddies have similar feelings. Family members can cheer you up when you’re feeling down and can provide much-needed bursts of motivation. Mom, dad, brother, sister, second cousin twice removed – It really doesn’t matter, they’re all cheering for you.

Ask for Help

If you think that you are going to get through the bar prep process without having any questions…think again! Bar prep is the one time to gather all of your questions and work through them. That way you can go into the Bar Exam feeling prepared and confident. With that being said, if you don’t understand the subject material or certain concepts, you have to get help. Reach out to your bar prep provider, a past professor, your friends, or whoever to get help. Simply making a list of unanswered questions is of no use unless you get each question answered. There’s simply too much material for you to tackle by yourself. Many bar prep providers offer an unlimited number of questions you can ask them. Take advantage of features like this because you paid a lot of money to enjoy them.

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