Three Bar Exam Memorization Tips

Three Bar Exam Memorization Tips

Memorization is a huge part of bar exam success. In this post, we cover three bar exam memorization tips to help make that task much more manageable!

Three Bar Exam Memorization Tips

1. Don’t Overwhelm Yourself

When memorizing subject material in preparation for the Bar Exam, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Tons of substance + limited time = feelings of stress and anxiety at how much you have to conquer. For many, this leads to trying to cover multiple subjects in-depth at the same time. While this might seem like an efficient use of your time, in reality, it’s an ineffective way to study. By covering multiple subjects simultaneously, you’re depriving yourself of the focused approach that’s needed to successfully memorize material. Instead, cover subjects on the bar exam separately and dedicate the appropriate amount of time to feel comfortable with each. For example, dedicate one week to Torts by reviewing your outlines, practicing essays and MBE questions, and asking questions. Replicate the process for the other subjects and once all the subjects have been completed, repeat this process.

2. Teach Subject Material

Teaching subject material is a good way to see how well you’ve memorized certain subjects. By pretending to act as your law school professors, you can quickly identify what you know and what you don’t. You can practice this technique with your friends who are also preparing for the bar exam (or you can just talk through the material by yourself!). Make sure to take notes on areas where you weren’t crystal clear on and be sure to review them later. This way, you can ensure that by the end of the process you’ve covered everything. Similarly, being able to listen to friends explain material is a great way to also memorize and learn. The ability to stop, correct, clarify, and so on is an invaluable tool in learning material for the bar exam.

3. Write, Repeat, Write, Repeat

Writing out information that you want to later recall is a great way to improve your memorization skills. Your hands are directly connected to the brain. In fact, muscle memory can be activated when a certain concept is recognized by the brain. For example, after reviewing subject material, you can pick a concept and write out everything you remember about the subject. Your written information can be compared to information in your notes or outline to determine what you left out. As you do this more and more, you’ll realize that you can remember more and more. Another great way to practice this is by setting up a framework to follow each week. For example, every Wednesday you write out the key concepts in Property. Every Friday you write out key concepts that you know about Negligence, and so on. Doing this, while using your outlines as a guide to note what you missed or misstated, is an excellent technique.

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