Your Early Bar Prep Questions – Answered!

Your Early Bar Prep Questions – Answered!

We asked you to submit bar exam questions, and we are happy with the amount of questions we received! If you have any questions, please email info@jdadvising.com with “EBP Question” as the subject line and we will answer them. Also, don’t forget to sign up for our early bar prep campaign where we cover bar prep tips in five minutes a day!

Your Early Bar Prep Questions – Answered!

Question #1:

I started bar prep early, with reading outlines and watching lectures. What else should I be doing as far as memorization? I don’t want to feel like I’m doing too much too soon.

This is a great question and we are so glad you started bar prep early. Whatever you do will be beneficial to you moving forward!

In general, we recommend that you start memorizing for the bar exam when you begin to read outlines and watch lectures. For example, if you watch a Torts lecture today, then within 24 hours review the lecture and start to memorize the law in the lecture handout/outline. You will remember significantly more (and make your job of memorizing much easier!) if you begin the memorization and review process shortly after lecture.

Note that you will also want to create a retention schedule so that you review your outline every so often after memorizing it initially. The good news is that it takes little time to review an outline once you commit it to memory. So the most time-consuming part will be the initial memorization process.

You can read more in our post about when to start memorizing for the bar exam here.

Question #2:

There has been discussion about how recent (2019-2020 law school grads) might be able to practice law under supervision of attorneys or even obtaining a waiver from bar exam in attempt not to punish in this unprecedented time. Where does this leave grads from earlier (2013) who have not yet passed the bar exam? Would seem unfair not to offer that option to any grad.

Specifically in Michigan….Have you heard any discussion regarding this issue? 

Great question, especially in this unprecedented time! This “emergency” privilege varies by state but often requires that the graduate take the first bar exam that they are eligible to take and pass that bar exam. (Here is our post on this!)

For example, New Jersey granted temporary supervised practice for 2020 graduates only who have yet to take the bar exam. Arizona did the same but also requires that graduates take the first bar exam available and pass it.

Unfortunately, states are generally only applying this to recent graduates. Michigan has not discussed this at all and (though I do not personally have any inside information) I would be very surprised if they considered this idea as they have not been progressive in their approach. (For example, Michigan is one of the few states that is not even considering adopting the UBE at this time.)

Question #3:

Do you have any tips on how to make a study schedule if the bar exam in your jurisdiction has been postponed? Initially, I was planning to solely study for the bar exam for 10 weeks, but now it appears that I will have to be both studying and working for 16 weeks. I’m concerned about being able to manage both.   

Yes, excellent question! We just wrote an entire post on this with numerous templates for fall study schedules.

There are advantages and disadvantages to having a long time to study and it ultimately comes down to personal circumstances. Some students opt to start early whereas for others, it is better to start a little later.

Question #4:

Have you decided to adjust the dates for your summer bar review course, given that there will be a fall UBE exam? 

This is a great question. Since only a handful of states have made a decision on which bar exam to offer, we are waiting a bit longer to figure out our exact schedule for our live UBE course! However, for our on demand course, we are making our course available through October 1 for everyone signed up for the course, regardless of when their jurisdiction offers the bar exam. This will give everyone the longest possible time to study for the bar exam!

Question #5:

I was wondering what’s the latest with the New York bar?  Have they definitely chosen a date in the fall?

Yes! New York has chosen to administer the exam on September 8 and 9!

Question #6:

I’ve been wondering what the study timeline would look like if the [Michigan] exam got pushed to September like other states. Also, do you think they’d process results quicker? I was thinking about how July exam results come out in time for you to process it and register and study for February. With a September test and roughly a typical 3 month wait for results that would push into February study time. I know this is all very unknown but any insight would be appreciated. Obviously hoping for the best with this next exam but just curious.

If Michigan pushed back the exam to September, examinees would likely get results in November or December. I don’t see the BLE issuing results much sooner than that. It would still be plenty of time to register and sit for the February exam. (Note that students who take the February exam get results in mid-May sometimes so that gives them about 2.5 months to apply for and study for the July bar exam. So if examinees got results in mid-November, that would give them about the same amount of time to apply for and study for the February exam.) It is not ideal, but it also does give students time to prepare!

Question #7:

I’m just curious if an at home exam could be possible? It seems like it could to me but obviously it might have to overhaul how it’s currently administered and change up it’s time frame and all that, but I really feel that if they wanted to make this happen, they easily could. 

The National Conference of Bar Examiners has indicated that it is exploring many options. It has stated: “We are consulting with outside testing, technology, and exam security experts to consider various options and alternative methods of testing if the traditional group setting must be canceled or modified.”

I don’t foresee a home bar exam being super realistic, though. The NCBE is very picky about exam questions being revealed (particularly with the MBE, where exam questions have to be “tested” and then reused — so the opportunity for cheating both on the 2020 exam and future exams would be greatly impacted). So, while this would be nice if the NCBE could accommodate students, with the bar exam in its current format, I don’t foresee it being administered if it is not in a proctored setting. Maybe I will be proven wrong though!

Thank you for your great questions!

Thank you for your great questions! We will continue to answer them as they come in.

If you have any questions that you are curious about, please email info@jdadvising.com with “EBP Question” as the subject line and we will answer them in our next post. Also, don’t forget to sign up for our early bar prep campaign where we answer even more questions and cover bar prep tips in five minutes a day!

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