The bar exam is supposed to be a test of competency but since it became standardized in the early 1970s, it has been a test of resources: Can you afford to purchase a commercial bar prep course? Do you have enough money to pay for 2-3 months of basic necessities like rent, food, utilities, car payments? Do you have access to child care assistance? Do you have access to health care? Perhaps the answer is yes if you have generational wealth or your employer provides a stiped (and the stipend is enough to cover your expenses). But for many law students and recent grads, even with careful financial planning, the answer is no. The choices are limited- take out even more loans, experience basic needs insecurity, or… get a job.
There are 168 hours in a week but that doesn’t mean the math adds up such that you can work 20-40 hours AND study 40 hours. Commercial bar prep study plans are designed for people who can devote their time to 40 hours of studying over 10-11 weeks. Instead of trying to follow this generic and rather inflexible plan, adjust it to fit your individual circumstances.
The Big Picture: The first step is to make a calendar and set up study goals that keep you moving forward AND spread out your learning. I don’t care what the *experts* on Reddit claim, brain science is clear- cramming doesn’t work. Yes, you need to cover the material and do a certain number of practice questions but how and when you do it is what matters.
Complete one full MPT every other week, work through 3 essay questions every week, do 50 MBE questions every week, take the full simulated MBE 21-28 days before the exam, complete all substantive lectures 14-21 days before the exam.
Study goals like these not only keep you on track but you can track your progress and you have time to figure out tougher concepts.
The Weekly Snapshot: Next, make a weekly schedule that gives you both structure and flexibility. Accountability is the key and this goes for work, studying, and life. Don’t assume your employer knows what you’re doing or can read your mind. Unless they are a complete monster and keep piling on the work, communicate when you can’t take on a project or what times you need for studying.
Study accountability also requires being realistic about what you can accomplish. If this is your first bar exam and you’re working full-time, that’s about 15-20 hours of studying during the work week (8-10 if it’s your second exam), and 8-10 hours on the weekend. Do not plan on studying all day Saturday and Sunday. You need a day off to rest and take care of non-negotiables like laundry, cleaning, grocery, etc. I also recommend only studying 4 days during the week and give yourself one flex day.
You might be able to work and study non-stop for a week or two, but it’s not sustainable. This schedule is actually pretty intense and it’s realistic. Life never goes as planned so build in space for the unexpected.
The Streamlined Schedule: Now that you have your schedule blocked out, fill it in with study activities. This is the hard part because you can not do every commercial bar prep assignment. You have to prioritize the key assignments and do those. You can do more if you have time but you can’t try to just work through everything and expect to magically complete 60 hours of work in 30 hours. Think quality over quantity- what will give you the most value for your time and effort.
Substance lectures– this is the foundation so don’t rush through or skip these. How else do you think you’re going to take in the massive amount of information?
Practice MBE– you need to practice but you don’t need to do as many questions as assigned, especially the first few weeks. You’ll increase your practice questions after you finish the lectures.
Practice MEE & MPT– don’t skip any of these but you don’t have to do full responses for all assigned questions.
So what can you skip? Reading and reviewing outlines. We don’t learn by putting information into our brains, we learn by having to pull it out and use it. Remember, prioritizing study tasks is hard but it’s necessary.
Working during bar prep is not fun and it’s not fair that some people have the luxury of just studying. But remember that you aren’t in this alone. Contact a support person at your law school. We want you to succeed and we’re here to help.
-KSK
Bar Exam Wizard 
Leave a comment