Taking (and passing) the bar exam is an important milestone for those aspiring to practice law, and thus requires extensive preparation. Although each study plan should be individualized to the person, taking into account personal needs, schedule allowance and other factors, law students and recent graduates can consider these recommendations and resources while in the process of creating their plan to prepare for the bar exam.
First, set your timeline. According to a resource on preparing for the bar exam from The National Jurist, it is recommended that the average law student should study for the bar exam for about 400 hours, with 200 hours dedicated to learning the law and memorization and the other half used to focus on practice bar exam questions.
Once a timeline has been set, organize your calendar by identifying the subject areas covered in the exam, calculating the number of days to study ahead of the test date, and dividing your time between each subject area on a per-day basis.
When setting your plan, consider the following tips:
- Find the learning style that works best for you.
- Engage with the content to ensure active, not passive, learning.
- Focus on highly tested subjects.
- Toward the end of test preparation, revisit content that is highly tested for each subject area to optimize your time.
- Utilize official practice questions.
- Take care of your health and manage stress.
Some Study Aids and Resources to Prepare for the Bar Exam
National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)—Study Aids
NCBE offers free sample questions for the MBE and MPRE, free questions and analyses from older administrations of the MEE, free MPT summaries from recent administrations, and MPTs and point sheets from older administrations of the MPT.
Kaplan offers preparatory courses for a variety of standardized exams, including the bar exam. Before committing to paying for an intensive course, individuals can utilize Kaplan’s free bar exam resources, including a bar exam question of the day and a free MPRE review course.
Barbri is another commercial course provider for individuals who are preparing for the bar exam. The website offers an MPRE review at no cost, in addition to its paid services.
AAdaptiBar is a paid service that allows individuals to quiz themselves with authentic MBE questions, as well as video lectures, flash cards and other resources for studying.