Ten Tips for Passing the Bar Exam (Especially if You Didnt the Last Time)

1. Dont over-study. Yes, I know that law students think this is impossible but it is important that you dont wear yourself out and confuse yourself before the bar exam. If you go into the Bar Exam worn out, you wont operate at your peak. It is more important to be fresh and rested, able to access what you do know, than to know one more piece of data. When I took BarBri for the Georgia Bar in 1989, they had a criminal law lecturer who gave me the most valuable advice I ever had for bar preparation. He said that there are three levels of knowledge. In the first level, you have a superficial sense of a topic but not an in-depth knowledge. That in-depth knowledge is what law professors have and then only about one subject. They can distinguish the fine points and they know why they were decided a particular way. Level 3 knowledge is unattainable for the number of subjects on the Bar Exam. So that leaves Level 2 knowledge. In Level 2, you know just enough to be dangerous. You know there are fine points but you cant distinguish them so you get confused. And the readers of the exam probably wont appreciate those fine points even if you spot them since theyre lawyers not law professors. So, contrary to popular opinion, according to the criminal law lecturer and my own experience, your goal is Level 1 superficial knowledge of every subject. 2. Create a schedule and write it down. If you have a written schedule, you can be here now with your studying. If you are scheduled to work on Criminal Law on Monday, you can really focus on Criminal Law on Monday, knowing that Torts is scheduled for next Thursday. Without a firm schedule, you may be distracted with worrying about what you havent done or afraid you wont get to everything. The schedule assures you that you will get to it all in its own good time. Set aside a reasonable amount of time for each subject. Schedule your hardest subject and those you didn't take (like Secured Transactions and Negotiable Instruments) for the dates closest to the exam. Study your best subjects first. If you took a subject in law school and did well, a refresher

reading of the subject may be enough. If you didnt take a class in law school, try to spend a little extra time with it. If you allot two days to Civil Procedure, dont get bogged down in long-arm jurisdiction for an entire day. Yes, it is endless and some law professors have made that topic their life work. They wont be reading your exam and the fine points will be lost on the practicing lawyers who are. Follow your schedule but dont make yourself crazy. Be realistic. If you are working and studying, it is unrealistic to think youll work a twelve-hour day and then come home and study for six hours. You may be tempted to schedule yourself during a holiday weekend but youre unlikely to actually study and more likely to feel guilty and perhaps even panicked about missing that study time. If possible, plan to finish your studying by the last week before the bar exam. Use those last few days to do quick refreshers, read over your notes, get extra sleep, walk in the woods. 3. Try to apply unfamiliar topics to life experience. Often the bar review course is our first introduction to some subjects. Try applying your life experiences to some of the more obscure topics. Secured Transactions? Have you ever financed a car? Negotiable Instruments? Look at your checkbook. Make up your own hypotheticals to help you remember the basics of each of those subjects. Remember, a superficial knowledge should be sufficient. Spend your energy on raising your scores on subjects you really do know. 4. Know your own studying style. I like to study in a noisy caf with lots of interruptions. I believe Im in the minority there but it has worked well in the past. In fact, the one bar exam that I didnt pass (of the 4 Ive taken), I had peace and quiet to study for a couple of weeks. I usually spend all my time creating an outline but never have time to review it. Somehow, the act of writing down the info with a pen in a notebook is enough for me to remember it. (It doesnt seem to work as well if I type it.) Ive known other people who feel the need to pour over their outlines for days, remembering all the elements of a robbery, using memory tools. Once I get the big picture, the details make sense. Some people need the details to build the big picture. How did you study best in law school? That is a good indicator of how you should study for the bar. Do you have the long attention span of someone who can study for twelve hours straight and still retain information? Or are you

better off with a schedule that has you study an hour and then take an hour off? 5. Focus on your strengths. Reviewing your old law school or failed bar exams from past attempts makes some sense but focus on what you did right rather than obsessing about what you didnt. Look at your BEST answers and analyze what worked. Then do more of that! It is my experience that often folks knew the material but just didnt get it down on paper. They got side-tracked or in a hurry and missed some important fact. 6. Earn points for what you dont know! On the exam, dont be afraid to spot issues even when you dont know why it is significant. Youll get points for recognizing the issue. A friend of mine was a practicing prosecutor in Florida and took the NC bar knowing nothing about Corporations. Of course, there was a Corporations question. On the Corp question which asked how he would advise his client, he said something to this effect: Id make sure my client had a cup of coffee and Id excuse myself for a few moments to do some research. Id go down the hall, pull Chapter (is it 55?) off the shelf and Id turn to the chapter on minority stockholder rights.. In his answer, he showed that he knew the issues, didnt know the law and did know that he needed to look it up. He passed the exam. There was a question on the North Carolina bar that so mystified me that I can't tell you what subject it was about. I wrote it as a Civil Procedure question. I passed. When I get a hypothetical scenario, I go through and circle the facts that I think raise issues. Before I leave that question, I make sure Ive mentioned each of them. Yes, some are red herrings and luckily Ive been able to recognize those. But Im sure that mentioning that I considered the red herring and why it wasnt relevant has gotten me points on some questions. 7. Take care of your health. In law school, a night of studying meant getting tanked up on sugar and caffeine. If I didnt have it in the house, Charleys delivered until 2 a.m. Id order a pizza and two 32 oz. cherry cokes, my drug of choice. My law school years were not my healthiest years. If youve been abusing your body with caffeine (and alcohol) all through law school, try to regain your sanity before you start studying for the bar. Most experts advise a six-week study period for the bar exam. In law school, the pre-exam study period was only a week or so and you could get away with a lot. Studying for exams was like running a 100-yard

dash every day or two. The bar exam is the marathon. Eat well, exercise, get enough sleep in the weeks before the bar. And, yes, take your vitamins and your Echinacea. Especially as you get closer to the exam, avoid sick people if you can. I know people who have passed the bar exam while having the flu but you don't need to prove yourself that way! On the day before the exam, schedule a massage, do some yoga, and eat foods that are especially good for you. Get a good nights sleep. Stock up on some healthy snacks and take them with you to the exam. If you want chocolate or junk food, eat them on Day Two. (Caveat: if you dont clean up your diet and lifestyle before the exam, dont try to clean it up at the exam. The last thing you need is a caffeine headache or to be withdrawing from junk food.) 8. Talk to friends and family before you get crazy. And, you will probably get crazy and melt down in your own special way, more than once. If you havent taken a bar exam, you have no idea how stressful it can be. The pressure to succeed and the fear of failure can be overwhelming. Your family, your spouse, your non-legal friends (if you still have any after law school), wont understand. Try to prepare them before you get crazy. Apologize in advance. Ask their indulgence. Significant others should expect to be ignored. Promise to make it up to them. Schedule a vacation with them after the exam. If you have children, do your best to find ways to entertain them away from your craziness. When I took the North Carolina bar, I was a single parent with a 10 year old at home. For the weeks leading up to the bar, my wonderful community created a calendar of events for her. Every Tuesday for six weeks, she went swimming at the Y with Andy and Vicky. On Wednesdays, Zemo picked her up and took her for a ride in his red Miata. She went out for pizza at the mall. She visited with her friends John and Hannah. Each day was a new fun activity. Not only did she not feel neglected, she was disappointed when the bar exam was over and she was stuck with Mom. I was able to concentrate on studying and she wasnt around for my meltdowns. 9. Make your life easy during the week of the bar exam. On the way to the Florida bar exam, I was rearended at a railroad crossing. Luckily I had allowed an extra day to travel to Tampa for the exam. Can you imagine how stressful it might have been if Id been driving there on the morning of the exam? If you can stay in a hotel or with a friend near the site of the test, do it. My favorite bar exam

experience was the North Carolina Bar. A friend who lived in Raleigh invited me to stay at her house which was very close to the site. She volunteered to drive me to the test site and pick me up each day. She made sure I got up on time. She fed me breakfast and made sure I had snacks. She didnt expect me to converse with her and left me alone in the evenings. It was heavenly. If you dont have a guardian angel in the town where the exam is given, try to at least get a hotel room. 10. If this isn't your first exam, that failed bar exam is history. Do what you can to put it in your past. We law school grads arent used to failure and it surprises, hurts, and shames us. Even if our friends say hey, it was just a test, we know that it was a reflection of our worth on the planet. Okay, so we know thats not really true but our gut may say something different. Some famous, very successful lawyers didn't make it the first time and they recovered. Recognize success where you have it in your life. Get therapy to heal if you need it. But dont take that last bar exam into the new one with you. It is a whole new test and this time, youre going to pass!

Steves Tip #1: Dont commute to the test site. Yeah, its another 4-5 hundred bucks to stay at a hotel no more than one-mile from the test site, but it is money well spent. Commuting by public or private transportation is frustrating on a good day, and on exam day there is too much running through your mind to be worried about a bus/train connection or a traffic jam. In addition, the monastic experience of going from hotel room DIRECTLY to the test site AND RETURN there and only there (except to bring food to the room) helps keep you in focus to the task at hand passing the exam! Walking that one-mile-or-less in a non-stressful manner allows you to gather your emotions prior to walking into the testing room. Again, Im talking about a monastic three days. That means no happy hour time with other test-takers discussing questions-and-answers. Happy hour chats only make you doubt yourself, and that self-doubt tends to carry forward to the next testing session. Also, odds are the bar flies are the ones who misread the question and came to the wrong conclusion not you! Also, resist the temptation to spend your time texting, echatting or other social media stuff until the exam is history. Remember, the bar exam is not a social event or a "sharing" experience. It's like a three-day business trip which is filled with extemporaneous challenges and responses. You need a clear head deviod of distraction. Stay at the closest hotel possible (within short walking distance). Take whatever guides/notebooks you want with you to review in peace. Have room service or take-out (eaten in your room) to reduce distractions and stress. Only call home or loved ones after the testing for that day is completed, and make no call longer than 10 minutes this is not the time to be listening to or solving other peoples problems, or getting off-tracked for what should be the primary focus for 72 straight hours. Be a little selfish for these 72 hours, and if others cant appreciate that during bar exam time, they really are not in your corner.

Steves Tip #2: three!

(Essays) Read/review six, then do

There is a tendency for exam takers to get a stack of old essay tests, write their responses to the questions, and then compare against the stock answers provided by the Bar. While this technique may provide very limited, remember the legal knowledge support, it does relatively nothing to build the skill of writing acceptable responses. The essay test is a quickie practical test, as it replicates a common activity for new associates in many law firms providing senior associates and partners with a synopsis of a situation and probable courses of actions (opponents and clients) to answer a clients question. So, the grader is actually assuming the role of that senior associate or partner, and reviewing the response for that level of completeness expected from a new associate being paid to perform. If the exam taker can accept that logic, the essay test takes on a different, and job-related, perspective. When the Bar provides its stock answers, all too often the exam takers pay little attention to the writing style used within the answer, and instead solely concentrate on the legal theories and law from a did I see that? viewpoint. That writing style is critical, as it shows several things: 1) the level of detail expected in a law firm on-the-job; 2) the algorithmic process which the legal analysis followed to result in the presented conclusion(s); and 3) the ability to communicate 1) and 2) in a concise manner which allows the senior associate or partner to present the findings to a third party (e.g., client) without translation by the junior associate in front of the client. So, my suggestion is to do the following: 1. Select any six Bar-provided essay tests with stock answers. 2. For the first test, read the question and then immediately read the answer three times with the mindset that you will have to discuss the content and conclusion with your client. 3. Repeat the process in 2 above with five more Barprovided essay tests and stock answers.

4. Now, go back to the first test, read the question and then write your answer to it. 5. Compare your answer style-wise (most important) and then content-wise with the stock answer. 6. Repeat the process in 4 and 5 above for the other five Bar-provided essay tests and stock answers. 7. Now, select three additional Bar-provided essay tests with stock answers. 8. For all three essay tests, read the questions DO NOT review the stock answers. 9. Write your answers to each of the three essay tests. 10. Compare your answer to the "stock" answer for both writing style and technical content to the stock" answer. 11. Have a colleague read your answer for readability and understandability ONLY and take whatever criticism in good faith. Again, the primary goal here is to improve ones ability to write better essay test responses. Obviously, if there are weaknesses in law content and analytical abilities, they will also become evident. Steves Tip #3: doubt) MBE preparation (reading skill / self-

As a multiple-choice examination, the MBE really gives you a chance to shine on your legal knowledge. However, if your reading skills are not top-notch, the MBE can be like quicksand. One of the problems with many of the MBE review programs is that the concentration is on picking which two distracters are off-base, and of the two remaining, which is the most right. That type of approach always has you in circular doubt is the answer you picked really better than the other one? Throughout all of this right or wrong process, the clock just keeps ticking towards the end of the test. Circular doubt, if it takes hold of you, usually means that come the end of the testing session, there will be several questions you never answered.

So, we have two problems covered in this Tip: 1) reading skill, and 2) self-doubt. READING SKILL. In this age of television and textmessaging, the ability to read well is going the way of cursive writing fast becoming a lost skill. Unfortunately, you have chosen a profession where reading complex documents is the cornerstone of successful lawyering. So, your choices here are only two: 1) improve your reading skill to a comprehension level between 300-350 words per minute, or 2) plan on being a paralegal as a full-time career. Yep, this is harsh, but it is reality. Reading is a skill, not a talent. Just like any other skill, reading requires considerable and continuous practice in order to improve ones skill level. If your world is on-line gaming, texting, movies, television and the club scene, your reading skill (and your past MBE score) shows your lack of practice. So, between now and the MBE exam date, if you really want to improve your MBE score, WORK to improve your reading skill. Improving your reading skill does not mean the absorption of every treatise in the law library. You can improve your skill through recreational reading an old-fashioned practice which can be your saving grace. Your reading tastes can range from Agatha Christie to the Twilight series. It doesnt matter what your literary tastes are, as long as you invest the time by reading, reading, and reading some more. The mind is a peculiar muscle, and it operates best in familiar environments. If you have previously taken the Bar (or the Baby Bar) exam, you know what the testing environment is. Try to replicate your recreational reading environment to match the MBE test setting by posture, noise, lighting, etc. as close as possible. This way, when you enter the MBE test site, your mind is in a familiar and comfortable reading environment. As your reading skill improves, so will the pace by which you complete your sample MBE tests. One goes with the other. So, until MBE exam day, ignore the TV, forget the on-line gaming and the iPod, and explore the literary world as your primary means of relaxation. Those dusty old books may be the difference in which letter the Bar sends you a couple months after the exam.

SELF DOUBT. The MBE is a linear test. By that I mean, the MBE is designed to go directly from section to section with minimal (to no) circular review. No matter how you calculate it, theres only a minute or so (at an average) to complete each question. When you have a fact pattern followed by two-to-four questions, the time allotment is easy to miss. Tests like the MBE are designed on one basic premise: the answer is fairly obvious if you have the requisite technical knowledge. So, if you can comprehend the question, you should know the answer before you have read a single distracter. At worst case, as you read the distracters, you should be able to immediately recognize whats wheat and whats chaff. In straightforward language if after you have read the distracters, your gut tells you that B is the correct answer, then answer B and go to the next question. DONT WASTE TIME . If you complete the entire MBE session with time to spare, then take that left-over time to review the questions where your legal knowledge is weak. Trust those answers where your knowledge base is good, because if you cant trust your gut now, you will never trust it in the money-making legal world. No matter what else, NEVER skip answer a question. If you skip a question or two, it is all-too-easy to find yourself answering Question #34 in the block assigned to Question #33, and then all subsequent answers will all be off-byone on the answer sheet. You will NEVER have enough time to recoup from that error, and the shock/fear factor that will strike will be devastating. Steve's Tip #4 Physical (Time Zones, Diet and SelfControl) The CA Bar Exam is a 72+ hour marathon during which the exam taker will expend considerable energy. Those who have previously taken the exam know the experience is an exhaustive one, and that adrenalin will only take you so far. Once mental (and physical) fatigue have set in (usually at the completion of Day Two), responses to the final essays and practical test are less-than-stellar. That's where the best of exam takers probably lose it Day Three.

Two ways to get a mental advantage are to, at a minimum of three weeks prior to the exam date: 1) change your body clock by adjusting to a different time zone (Eastern or Central Time), and 2) change your diet to eating healthier foods (no junk food, no alcohol or equivalent). He's kidding, right? Nope! It's all a matter of being at your intellectual best, and that means being totally alert and ready. Marathon/triathlon athletes prepare themselves mentally and physically for a grueling experience, The CA Bar Exam is no less grueling than any athletic event and you have too much invested so far to skimp on yourself at this point. Probably the best way to explain the advantage that having your body clock on a different time zone is to describe the experience from check-in at the hotel (see Tip #1) to the morning of the second day: 1. 4PM Check into hotel. Have dinner (decent healthy food!). Review any notes for 90 minutes at the most. Make sure you have all of your IDs, letters, etc. necessary to enter the exam site, so panic doesn't hit you in the morning. Resist the temptation to spend time texting, e-chatting or other social media stuff until the exam is history. Call home once to tell everyone you arrived safely, and then get to the business at hand. This is work-time, not social-time. 2. 8:15PM Go to bed. Yes, go to bed! If you don't get a good night's sleep, you will be relying on adrenalin to keep you going. 3. 4AM Rise and shine. If you have adjusted your body clock, this will feel normal. You now can leisurely prepare yourself for the day. Most hotels these days have coffee-makers in the room, so take advantage of having a cup (bring any favorite beverage with you if you're not a coffee-drinker). This gives you a peaceful hour or so to review any last legal notes on your mind (and there will be some!). 4. 6AM Have a good healthy breakfast (at hotel or closest place). All of those public-service announcements you've seen that kids do better when they start the day with a healthy breakfast also hold true for Bar exam takers. 5. 7AM Go back to hotel. Get all of your ID, pens, pencils, whatever stuff the bar examiners have agreed for you to bring into the exam site.

6. 7:15AM Walk peacefully to exam site (should be less than one-mile away). 7. 7:35AM You should be entering the exam site by this time. 8. 5PM You should be exiting the exam site by this time. 9. 5:45PM You are now back at your hotel, stopping along the way to get a healthy take-out dinner (the other option is room service). Take the next hour to relax, have dinner, call your loved ones (10-minute maximum per call). 10. 7PM By now you should be wanting to review some legal notes based on today's exam questions. DON'T! You don't need the frustration of secondguessing yourself. It's now time to shift mental gears. Your next experience is the MBE. Take an hour (or less) to do ONLY sample MBE questions. 11. 8:15PM Time to call it a day and get some sleep. Good night. 12. 4AM Time to rise and shine! 13. Repeat Steps 3-11, and that includes in the repeat of Step 10 doing some sample MBE questions (it's reading you need the practice!) 14. 4AM - By now, you know the drill! Remember, this whole activity is 72+ hour monastic experience (see Tip #1). If your body clock is such that the Bar Exam doesn't start until after 10AM (at least that's how it will feel to your body and mind), you have a mental and physical advantage over everyone who is rushing back-and-forth, staying up late for last-minute cramming, and just stressing themselves silly.

Steves Tip #5: Think like a lawyer. All too often, an examinee forgets that the bar exam essays and practical tests are trying to measure one's potential performance as a lawyer, not just how much legal knowledge the examinee has absorbed in law school. That means the examinee needs to approach each essay and practical test as a practicing lawyer would, and not as a student trying to second-guess a law professor. Thinking like a lawyer means approaching each situation as a puzzle with multiple solutions, and determining the

better/best solution requires the application of multi-level decision algorithms. Law school does train students (whether they realize it or not) to use decision algorithms to reach a conclusion. However, since classes are organized by topic (e.g., torts, crimes, contracts, etc.), students normally see situations as being only within that single topical area. Rarely do students find themselves having to dissect situations into multi-topical segments, as law professors normally teach and test within their single topic. As a result, once that bright-light topical issue becomes obvious, students tend to focus on that bright-light issue, and ignore the possibility that other issues exist within the essay or practical test question. In other words, students are indeed skilled in applying micro decision algorithms in their approaches to single-topic situational analysis, but do not effectively apply anymacro decision algorithms when reviewing essay and practical test questions. The following is my "12-Step Approach" to situational analysis. It's a macro decision algorithm for initially reviewing any client situation, and that's what essays and practical tests are testing. This macro decision algorithm helps see the situation from many angles, and having that perspective allows the application of the appropriate micro decision algorithm(s) as taught in singletopic law school classes. These 12-Steps are: 1. Are there civil issues? 2. Are there criminal issues? (many situations have both) 3. Can the civil and criminal issues affect each other? (they usually do) 4. What are client's best positions? 5. What are opponent's best positions? 6. What are client's worst positions? 7. What are opponent's worst positions? 8. What positions are negotiable? 9. How can litigation be avoided?

10. If litigation is unavoidable, what is client's best tactic? 11. If litigation is unavoidable, what is opponent's most likely tactic? 12. Is settlement prior to court decision possible? This "12-Step Approach" is the foundation for thinking like a lawyer. In your preparation for the bar exam you will attempt many practice essays and practical tests. I suggest you employ this macro decision algorithm as your initial review of each essay and practical test. Finding those "other issues" is critical in getting the best possible grade, and thinking like a lawyer - instead of thinking like a student - will get you there.

Steve's Tip #6: Practice as you are tested There is one "trick" to taking the MBE, and it involves the difference between "3D Learning" and "2D Testing." By "3D Learning," I mean eye/brain input/processing of information from a computer screen with response transferred by fingertips on a keyboard where immediate feedback is received. By "2D Testing," I mean eye/brain input/processing of information from a booklet with response transferred by hand-operated pencil making marks on a fill-in-the-circle paper answser sheet and no feedback. If the learning environment is different than the testing environment, the examinee undergoes additional stress and has a greater potential of errors trying to make the physical (and mental) adjustment to an unfamiliar setting, information input process and response generation. Think of it this way - a person "learns" to drive a car by using a simulator. the visual cues mirror exactly what one would see through a windshield. The person receives the information/cues via the eyes, processes the appropriate response in the brain, and the brain manipulates fingers on a keyboard to have the car react as desired. When the person leaves the simulator and gets "tested" in a real car, s/he finds the visual cues received by the eyes occur in the same manner, and the appropriate resonse is generated in

the brain. However, the "response delivery method" has changed from fingers-operating-a-keyboard to hands-andfeet-operating-physical-devices. The environment has changed. For many, the MBE on test-day is no different. How many folk actually "learn" to take the MBE by replicating the "test" environment (table, chair, booklet, pencil, paper) so that the information is inputted via the eyes from a paper booklet instead of a computer screen (unless one has the 'computer" testing option), and the appropriate response processed in the brain is "delivered" in a manner other than a keyboard (in this case, hand-operated pencil) onto a physical medium other than a computer screen (in this case, a fill-in-the-circle paper answer sheet) which provides no immediate feedback? Also, how many folk practice taking the test by sitting in a similar type of chair at a similar table as used at the testing site? We now live in a world of E-Books, electronic teaching systems, keyboards/keypads, online research, texting, and internet forums. Use of paper and hand-operated pens/pencils are fast going the way of rotary-dial telephones and TVs without remote controls. However, the MBE (unless one gets an accommodation) is taken in an environment commonplace a decade or two ago, but fast becoming foreign in today's technology-driven society. As a result, examinees are finding themselves experiencing a "learning curve" as they try to adapt to this testing environment which is diferent than their learning environment - all happening at a period of extreme anxiety and when time-is-of-theessence. Doesn't it make sense to prepare for the MBE in an environment similar to how the MBE is actually conducted?

Steve's Tip #7: Commercial Student Notes

Study

Aids

versus

How good is your note-taking ability? Are your notes succinct and accurate? More importantly, how good is your ability to read your notes several weeks/months later as you try to review everything at once? No matter what your notes look like, odds are they take up considerable space, are not organized for quick scan and may miss a

point or two. So, as you make the final couple-of-months' study preparation, have you considered investing in some commercial study aids? We've all seen those plastic-covered, double-sided, singletopic study aids which are sold at legal bookstores and the booksellers at shopping malls (just check the "study aids" aisle). These aids cost approximately five dollars apiece and are available in almost every law school topic. The question is - are they any good? I can only speak from my experience. A few months prior to taking the bar exam I bought as complete a set of these plastic-covered aids as I could find, covering every topic from Administrative Law to Wills & Trusts. The investment was minimal (under $100). I read each aid several times, just to be familiar with it. They were all placed in a single ring-binder for easy storage and transport. When I took the bar exam I stayed at a local hotel (see Tip #1), accompanied with my "mini-library" ring binder. As I was already familiar with these aids, I found it easy to do a complete topic review in a few minutes. These commercial aids are not to be considered a substitute for good note-taking and other reviews. These aids are great "memory joggers" which don't take up much space and, depending on how good one's reading ability is (see Tip #3), can allow for a quick topical refresher in minimal time. My exam-day routine (see Tip #4) was to scan these aids before breakfast, and again after dinner. The purpose was not to learn anything, but to bring to the mind's forefront in a short time a lot of material previously absorbed over many prior months. As the bar exam days can be stressful, any means of cutting through the stress to quickly bring otherwise-obscure legal issues back into one's mind has value. Yes, I still keep a "mini-library" comprised of these study aids. When one starts practicing, it's amazing how fast one tends to forget various aspects of the law outside of the main practice area, and how often one gets questions on those quickly forgotten aspects. These plastic-covered gems still have the ability to brush away the cobwebs in a hurry when the need arises.

Pass the Bar Exam Guidance to Pass It the First Time! by Pati McDermott, CHT I work with many clients who take the bar exam once and pass it the first time. There is a particular profile that is consistent with the people who take it once and pass. In my observation, the people who take the bar exam once and pass are completely focused on preparing for and taking this exam. In most cases they take time off work and work full time on preparing for the exam. If they are unable to take time off work they try to work part time or organize their home life so that they are without distractions at home. Many of the people I have worked with who have failed repeatedly are juggling multiple distractions with family, work and outside activities. My advice is to cancel all outside activities for two to three months prior to taking the bar exam and devote yourself 100% to passing this exam. Do the best you can to achieve this level of commitment. Identify your best strategy for focused study. Some people study better with music, some with total quiet. You might find something that symbolically connects you to performing well like wearing a favorite pair of sweats or lighting a candle. A color, scent, or favorite object might provide a special enhancement for you. Some people like to study at the kitchen table where they can access everything they need quickly to limit the time it takes to take care of day to day necessities. Many people find it impossible to study at home where they are constantly distracted. A common strategy for many people is to study at a library; any library that is conveniently located. Some people check into a motel during the week and spend Saturday night and Sunday at home taking a break from studying and being with their loved ones. What environment is most conducive to you doing your best quality study? Now is the time to give your best effort. If you are a parent it is extremely important that you enlist the help and support of your family and loved ones. Turn the cooking and childcare over to your spouse, your mother, to anyone who is willing to make an investment in the success of your future. I tell people to bribe their spouse with something really good if they pass like a great vacation or something their loved one really wants. Is there a hired person or family member who can move in with you

for a couple of months to cook, clean and do childcare? If you cant pay that person what can you bribe them with? Make it conditional on your passing so that they are personally invested in your success. It is important to take some time away from the books to clear your mind. In the same way that your body needs rest to rejuvenate, your brain needs that also, especially when your brain is working hard. Find your own rhythm and most productive pace and dont exceed that. Working too hard creates anxiety and crams your mind with more information than it can integrate. Some people work best if they study for several hours and then take a longer break. Others work best if they study for an hour or two and then take a short break. Whatever your pace is stay with that to maintain your greatest level of effectiveness. Exercise is a great way to take a break and to unconsciously integrate what you have absorbed. Exercise increases the flow of oxygen into your brain. It has been proven that people who exercise perform better academically. There are two ways to incorporate exercise into your routine. One is to use exercise as designated break time. The other is to combine your exercise routine to include studying. Some people study with a book on a treadmill or run while listening to a recording. Do you prefer to relax as a break and combine study with your exercise time or do you use exercise as a way to take a break? Whatever your strategy, dont give up your exercise routine. If you dont have one this is the time to start. Walk, run, swim, ride a bicycle, dance to music in your living room, do yoga or pilates, go to the gym, use weights at home, go up and down your stairs - incorporate this into a minimum routine of 30 minutes every other day. Take off one full day each week as well as one evening to spend with your family or friends. Spend this time relaxing rather than partying. Go to a movie, watch one at home, have a relaxing dinner, go for a hike or a bike ride; conserve your energy for your studying. Your day off might be the time when you do your laundry, get groceries or clean the house. Be sure that you also take time off to relax. Some people can do their laundry while they study. Others find this distracting. Rather than taking time for the supermarket you can order groceries online for delivery to free up more time for study or time off. Conserve time with

frozen foods and delivered take out - its temporary so make up for it with salads, smoothies, health shakes and exercise. Pay extra attention to your nutritional needs at this time when your brain is working overtime. During memorization and learning the brain requires additional nutrients, especially B vitamins and Omega-3s. Learn about the foods, such as whole grains, green leafy vegetables, olive oil, and fish, that are high in these nutrients. A good multivitamin, B Complex, and Omega-3 supplements can help you to give your brain the nutrients it needs. Educate yourself or consult your health practitioner for advise on how to use supplements to increase your nutrients. Avoid sugar, caffeine, and other substances. If you feel sleepy take a nap rather than zapping your system with stimulants that weaken you in the long run. This is an important time to operate all systems optimally. Consider the needs of your body for high quality nutrition, rest and relaxation. Another important factor in more easily passing the bar exam is the importance of having a vision and a sense of purpose in becoming an attorney. If you already have an organization or a company that you work with then becoming an attorney has a context already set up for you. If you know what type of law you want to practice and what sector of society you want to serve or represent then you have a destiny and a vision for yourself. Always keep your mind on your ultimate goal to see where you are going. This is one of the best ways to stay motivated. People who focus on problems, either avoiding problems or solving them, lose their motivation when they move away from them or get closer to solving them. If you keep your eyes on the prize then you look beyond problems and solve or avoid problems automatically as you go along towards your goal. Sometimes we set ourselves up externally so that we have an explanation other than our own shortcomings for failing. If your life is full of constant distractions, for example, then you have an excuse if you fail. Get some help in resolving these factors. Its also important to put this experience into its proper perspective. The bar exam is only an exam. Dont make it bigger than that. This is not a life and death situation! Keep a healthy attitude with a balance of focus and concentration combined with the bigger picture. One of the best ways to cope and stay motivated is by accessing states of curiosity, optimism and humor.

Turn off your phone, screen your calls or get the selective ring feature from the phone company. Let people know that you will not be available until after the exam. This includes your friends and most of your family. The limited time you have available is best spent with the people who are directly supporting your process. Whoever is your main support is who to spend your limited free time with. If you have a child incorporate your breaks into special moments every day with your child as part of your designated break time. Family dinner time, a little time after school, and tucking your little one into bed at night, might be the only time you have to spend during this bar preparation time. It is a worthy sacrifice considering what you will have to offer your family after passing the exam. If you belong to organizations, committees, or anything that is not absolutely essential to your livelihood cancel your involvement until after the test. You will have much more to contribute to these groups as a licensed attorney. Passing the bar exam must be your top priority. Take a good bar review course, hire a tutor or do both. Law school does not always prepare people adequately for the bar exam. Some schools offer better preparation than others, but everyone benefits from a good bar review course. I have not had one client pass the bar exam the first time who did not take a bar review course. A study buddy or support person is also very helpful for quizzing you, using flash cards, and helping you to strengthen your weak areas to make them strong. Your weak areas can become your greatest strengths when you work on them successfully. Take the day off the day before the exam. Go to a movie, go for a hike, have dinner with your family, and do not study. If a question comes into your mind its okay to look up the answer, but you risk compromising all the good studying you have done if you dont give your mind this vital time to rest and integrate. You will be much more effective at taking the exam if your brain is able to efficiently access what you have been working so hard to learn. If you typically sleep well despite the circumstances then allocating sufficient rest the night before is easy for you. If it is sometimes hard for you to sleep when you are facing a challenge consider utilizing some special relaxation techniques and think this through in advance. Hypnosis can be a very useful tool for helping you to get good sleep. You

can hire a hypnotherapist to help you or utilize relaxation tapes that you purchase or make yourself. Prepare and plan ahead to ensure that you have sufficient sleep. Plan in advance what and where you will eat your lunch and breakfast and eat foods that are easy to digest. Scout out eating places in advance or plan to bring your own food to ensure that your body is comfortable while taking the exam. What foods always make you feel your best? Plan out every step of what you will be doing on the days of the exam including driving routes, parking, bathroom locations, and having extras of all your supplies. Find the room where you will be taking your exam so that you know what to expect. Some of these things can be done the day before. By utilizing Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Thought Pattern Management (TPM) and Hypnotherapy we are able to not only make the bar exam experience successful but positive as well. Reducing stress and anxiety about taking the test can create a positive and enjoyable experience. Clients have reported feeling so confident and relaxed that they looked forward to taking the exam and enjoyed the challenge and the experience of taking it. With NLP and TPM we can create a successful study strategy, a successful exam taking strategy and create and sustain whatever emotional and psychological states are most helpful and resourceful. Even someone with positive internal states can be enhanced and improved on increasing greater states of focus and confidence. NLP and TPM learning and memorization techniques are also used to increase the effectiveness of studying and to improve retention and retrieval of facts when they are needed. If you can pass law school you can pass the bar exam! Now is the time to do whatever it takes to pass this exam. Align yourself with everything you need and then do your best. You cant do better than doing your best.