How To Perfect Timing On The California Bar Exam

How To Perfect Timing On The California Bar Exam

The California Bar Exam doesn’t just test legal knowledge. The test also indirectly focuses on stamina, time management, and the ability to problem-solve under pressure. Put simply, knowing the black letter law from front to back isn’t a guarantee you’ll pass. You also need other soft skills to conquer the California Bar Exam. In this post, we’ll focus on how to perfect timing on the California Bar Exam.

How To Perfect Timing On The California Bar Exam

In order to pass the California Bar Exam, time management can be crucial. Some students find themselves consistently running out of time while others have too much time to spare at the end of a practice question. If you find yourself preparing for the California Bar Exam and are struggling with time management, check out our advice below!

A General Framework

If you’re worried about running out of time on the California Bar Exam, keep the general testing framework in mind. The California Bar Exam essay portion is broken up into five one-hour essays and a single ninety-minute performance test. Three one-hour essays are administered in the first half of the day. Two one-hour essays and the performance test are administered during the second half. In total, applicants will have three hours to complete the first half of the day.  Additionally, students will only have three and a half hours to complete the remainder of the essay portion of the bar exam.

The MBE portion of the California Bar Exam contains two hundred multiple-choice questions. To complete this portion of the bar exam, students should plan on answering each question in under two minutes. To be precise, students should allot one minute and fifty seconds per question. The first half of the day consists of one hundred MBE questions. The remaining one hundred are administered in the second half of the day. Students are given three hours to complete both the first half and the second half of the MBE.

Don’t Spend Too Long On One Question

Our first piece of advice when practicing time management is to not spend too long on any one question. This piece of advice directly piggybacks off of the general framework laid out above. It can be frustrating and nerve-wracking to come across a question that has you just plain stumped. However, many students running out of time on the California Bar Exam simply spend too long tackling a single question! You may feel compelled to dissect the question and figure out what you hope to be the right answer. However, in doing so, you’re taking away precious minutes that could be spent answering other questions. If you don’t know the answer, skip the question, plan to return to it later, and move on.

Time Yourself

Knowing what you now know about roughly how long each portion of the exam should take – practice timing yourself! Many students complete practice questions but forget to time themselves and are in a total panic come testing day. Timing practice essays is an important step during the preparation and studying process prior to the California Bar Exam. Having the opportunity to identify your time management issues before the exam can drastically improve your performance!

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