How to Pass the Bar Exam the Second Time Around–5 Things to do Differently: If you were like a lot of people on your first time taking the bar exam, you took Barbri, or Kaplan, or some commercial course. You probably spent a lot of time watching lectures and feeling like a stenographer mindlessly filling in lecture blanks. Then you probably spent a lot of time doing “AMPS” or doing whatever work your course assigned you, or feeling guilty about not completing it, or constantly comparing yourself with your friends to make sure they didn’t complete the assignments either. You may have also spent a lot of time telling yourself “I am putting in so many hours, I have to pass.” Or “If so-and-so passed, I can pass.” Or, “My course says that if I do whatever they say, I will pass.” Read more