How To Study Differently For The California Bar Exam A Second Time

How To Study Differently For The California Bar Exam A Second Time

If you didn’t pass the bar on your last try, you should consider changing the way that you study the second time around. Below are 5 things you should seriously consider doing differently when studying for the California Bar Exam as a repeat taker.

How To Study Differently For The California Bar Exam A Second Time

1. Focus on filling in gaps in knowledge

If you are retaking the California Bar exam, you’ve already covered a significant amount of study material. Don’t waste your time listening to long lectures in their entirety. It’s not an efficient use of time if you know some, or most, of the material already. Instead, focus on what you don’t know and filling in the gaps in your knowledge. You should spend your time listening to portions of lectures for areas of law that are unclear to you. It is also very difficult to remember all of the details of a lecture without applying what you’re learning. Try listening to lectures in the morning, and then focus on practicing questions and essays in the afternoon.

2. Change your location

Sometimes change is good. Try to find a new study spot for this bar exam. Your location might be one of the reasons you did not pass the bar on your last try. Maybe you studied at home where there were a lot of distractions with your family, friends, or roommates. Try a different library on campus, a new coffee shop, or even a park. A change of scenery could help you process information.

Here are our suggestions on the best places to study for the bar exam. Keep trying different locations until you find one that works for you!

3. Exercise during the bar study period 

Don’t spend your entire day studying. Exercising during the bar exam study period is very important. Studies say that exercising has many positive effects on the brain that will ultimately help you study longer, better, and more efficiently.  Short periods of exercising a few times a week are essential. If you don’t like exercising, don’t ignore this advice completely. Instead of going to the gym, take a 30-minute break from studying to just go for a walk. Studying is exhausting and taking breaks like these is very important to your physical and mental health.

4. Practice more MBE questions

The MBE accounts for 50% of your score, so don’t neglect them! While this part of the exam is multiple-choice and you could (in theory) guess the correct answer, that will severely slow you down on test day. Practice more MBE questions than you did last time to build your knowledge base and improve your timing. (Remember, you have only one minute and 48 seconds to answer an MBE question. Check out more tips on MBE timing.) Even if you passed the MBE section on your last try, continue to practice them! A lot of candidates become overly confident when they pass a portion of the exam that they don’t spend enough time studying that area the next time around. This is the wrong approach. Even if you passed the MBE’s last time, study even harder this time and do a few more practice MBE questions.

5. Be patient when reading essay questions

While you are fighting against the clock and eager to start writing down your thoughts, you must take your time to read each essay question carefully. A lot of candidates have failed an essay because they were in a rush and simply misread the call of the question or overlooked an important fact. It is important to take your time when you are reading the fact pattern. Spend at least 10 minutes reading the essay question and jotting down the issues that you spot. Practice doing this on your practice essays. This is such an easy fix, so make sure you take a long breath and slow down.

If you’re struggling with your timing for the essays, here are 5 tips to improve your essay efficiency and speed.

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