Hey <<First Name>>!
You'll have taken the bar by this time next month. Did your heart sink a little?
But I'm pleased that we stuck all the way to our 13th email together. Consistency is worthwhile. No occasional pursuit turns out extraordinary.
As we enter crunch time, I'm going to give shortened one-paragraph answers to 21 common questions.
Pick and choose the parts that you’re interested in:
1) I feel lost. What do I do?
2) How to stop negative self-talk?
3) How do I get motivated?
4) I can’t find time to practice because I’m not done with review! What do I do?
5) How do I prepare for the MBE?
6) How do I master the concepts for the essay portion?
7) How to get feedback on essays without paying a grader?
8) What about performance tests (PTs/MPTs)?
9) Where do I even find essay and PTs to practice?
10) How do I memorize rules?
11) Should I memorize everything?
12) When should I memorize?
13) I’m exhausted. What do I do?
14) What do I do in the final two weeks?
15) What are things you did wrong for your first attempt at the bar?
16) How would you do it in the shortest amount of time for maximum benefit?
17) I'm falling behind! What do I do?
18) I'm scared. I'm gonna puke.
19) What should I be doing every day?
20) When is all this going to click and make sense?
21) Am I screwed?
* BONUS Q
* SPECIAL INVITATION
1) I feel lost. What do I do?
Practice AND feedback (review and self-critique). You’re not going to learn to ride a bike by reading about it. Trying and falling on your face and solving problems will bring you greater clarity than using only that intellect you’re so proud of. But it's not just "practice practice practice." Just as important is to review what you've done so you can correct course. Nothing will change if all you do is get off the scale and get on again. What do you do in between weigh-ins?
2) How to stop negative self-talk?
Say “I get to do this.”
3) How do I get motivated?
Find momentum.
4) I can’t find time to practice because I’m not done reviewing the outlines! What do I do?
Solve problems from previous exams even if you aren’t fully ready, and fill in the gaps by working backward and reviewing the relevant rules. You don't need to have "learned enough law yet." You’re training now to become ready. The past is guiding your future.
5) How do I prepare for the MBE?
Keep track of your worst three subjects. Do more questions for those subjects. Review and understand each of the answer explanations for every question, whether you got it right or wrong.
6) How do I master the concepts for the essay portion?
Knowledge of issues: Use issue checking. Approsheets will help you set up the issues.
Knowledge of rules: Be able to recite them and apply them to the facts. You’ll have a panic attack on the bar if you’re merely familiar with the rules.
Presentation: Clear presentation, organization, and IRAC formatting.
7) How to get feedback on essays without paying a grader?
Self-critique. Study model answers from your prep course, selected answers, or student answers.
For CA bar: selected answers from past exams or graded answers from BarEssays.com (use code “MTYLT25” for $25 off)
For UBE: selected answers from past exams or MEE study aids (free and paid)
8) What about performance tests (PTs/MPTs)?
This is one area where quantity and exposure to variety are going to be helpful. Do some objective (memo) and subjective (brief) types.
9) Where do I even find essay and PTs to practice?
Here, you can find materials for the CA bar and the UBE. CA essays and PTs and answers go back to 2001, and there are links to places to download MEEs and MPTs.
10) How do I memorize rules?
The problem is not how to memorize rules; that's just a prerequisite. The problem is whether you can recall and use rules and issues on the exam. To that end, use them in context of practice essays (and MBE questions) so that you know how to apply them instead of just knowing them in theory.
11) Should I memorize everything?
This is not necessary or feasible. Prioritize issues and rules that have appeared in past exams. They're most likely to be tested again in this closed universe. Learn these by solving problems from the past. There will also be a few never-been-tested concepts, so better to at least get familiar with minor details in your outlines in case they ask you about it.
12) When should I memorize?
Best time to plant a seed was yesterday (or as soon as you started studying). Next best time is now.
13) I’m exhausted. What do I do?
Set up sleep rules. Take measured breaks. No distractions. If you're enrolled in Mental Engines, see Module 3 (on motivation and productivity) for how to make these things happen.
14) What do I do in the final two weeks?
If you created a flexible macro schedule per the approach that I linked back in Email #3, refer to it. If not, here's a basic structure you can use to consolidate in the final weeks: 1) Get a bunch of essays and MBE Qs for each subject. 2) Work through several essays on one or two subjects (cover as many issues as you can) and at least 20-30 mixed MBE Qs (1.5 to 2 hours total for answering and reviewing). 3) At least one PT/MPT every Tuesday. Keep your worst subjects at the beginning and end of this two-week period. Set up a calendar or list so you know what to do every day. The first win of the day is knowing what to do that day.
If you have Passer's Playbook 2.0, the sample schedules include 3-, 2- and 1-week "scramble" schedules that you can plug and play.
15) What are things you did wrong for your first attempt at the bar?
Too many lectures. Relied too much on Kaplan and its one-size-fits-all study schedule. Practiced too late and without a clear approach (nor knowing how to IRAC or identify issues reliably -- see question 6). Drove to take the exam from home to save money on hotels.
16) How would you do it in the shortest amount of time for maximum benefit?
Feedback and adjustment in the face of failure are where improvement comes from. Get uncomfortable, struggle, and fail at solving problems now so that you don’t fail later on the real thing (which is what actually counts). This is how AI will take over the world.
17) I'm falling behind! What do I do?
Revise your schedule so that you cover the subjects/portions you want to cover. Adjust to give yourself more time for your worst ones and less time for the ones that you're more confident about. It's good to correct your schedule as you go, but stick to it this time. If you go over time, move onto the next one so you don't fall behind anymore. Constraints force you to get creative and efficient with your time.
18) I'm scared. I'm gonna puke.
It's OK. Feel the fear. It's a sign that whatever it is you’re fearing is actually important. Some of your greatest victories in life came after getting through that fear and resistance.
19) What should I be doing every day?
Preparing. Not relying on a lucky break. Setting yourself up to "trust your legs" so that you can take chances on the exam.
20) When is all this going to click and make sense?
One day. Probably the week before the exam as your brain pushes itself to the brink to find the answers. Like life flashing before your eyes. Enjoy the exciting process of attempting, failing, and getting "aha" moments. One day you may find that you surpassed your goal.
21) Am I screwed?
Maybe. Less so if you use the coming days well. I can't predict your future, but I can try to help you get to the outcome you want. It's about 10% luck if I'm being honest. But it's at least 90% preparation. Preparation can mean different things: the P+F loop from Q1, memorizing rules and issues, developing mental resilience, enabling focus, taking care of logistics (hotel, food, transportation, ExamSoft), setting expectations with others. It's not just about "studying"; it's about preparing yourself to pass. You are capable. If you can graduate law school, you have it in you to pass the bar.
BONUS. How do I become confident about the bar?
This is the wrong goal. The goal isn't to feel good now. The goal is to pass when it actually counts. You don't need confidence to pass. In fact, the more you learn, the more you realize what you don't know. That's the opposite of confidence. But with competence, you will feel optimism—the belief that your efforts matter and will make a ripple effect. Along the way, you'll gain a bit of confidence. The end result you want comes after you act. Confidence without any basis is just as easily taken away at the critical moment.
Replay of live workshop
Last Sunday, we held our first-ever live workshop with a lot of interaction. It was chill and fun times. Someone even joined at 1 AM!
We talked about the MBE, how to juggle full-time work and bar prep, scheduling, balancing MBE essays and PTs, and more. An especially helpful part of this was the interactive nature and hearing from others going through the same thing.
We even had someone staying up past 1 AM to join us -- awesome!
Click the image to watch the replay in the FB group:
         
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Brian
PS. Sometimes you just need to keep it simple, not waste time (and energy) spinning your wheels or flipping through a bunch of pages. Especially during crunch time. Get the key issues, rules, and nuances in Magicsheets (CA and UBE versions available).
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Not retaining any information from your bar course? Not enough time? Stop getting overwhelmed. Focus on practice and memorization with these condensed rule outlines organized in logical groups and indentations.
Approsheets (essay approach checklists and flowcharts)
Got blank-page syndrome? Go from blank page to finished essay/outline. Identify all the relevant issues with these attack sheets so you don't leave any points on the table.
Passer’s Playbook 2.0 (self-study toolkit)
Step-by-step blueprint, study schedules, cheat sheets, guides, and other tools designed to help you orient yourself and propel you toward improvement. Passing is inevitable if you continue to improve.
Organize your emotions and deal with the mental barriers of bar preparation, to go from overwhelmed to focused, unmotivated to productive, and anxious to calm.
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