The bar examination is a rite of passage that transforms law school graduates into attorneys.  The process of preparing for and taking a bar examination has a reputation for being stressful - however, with good preparation, most bar exam takers will pass on their first try.  Below are tips and information on passing the bar exam, written by an attorney who passed on his first attempt.

Background information about my bar exam circumstances

I signed up for the BarBri bar review course in Chicago,with the intention of taking the standard 2 month long in-person course that runs from the time law school ends and the bar exam is given. Then, I was offered and accepted a Federal law clerk position in the Quad Cities (160 miles West of Chicago) that started the week after my law school graduation. This meant that I had to move to a new house, work full time during the month of June, then take the bar exam in July. Further complicating matters, the nearest BarBri class was over 100 miles away from my new home, making it impossible for me to attend the evening bar study classes in-person. On the plus side, I was given 3 weeks off in July to study full time.

My bar exam study approach

Given the fact that I would work full time for all but the last 3 weeks before the bar exam, I decided to take the BarBri self study course, which enables the student to study on their own schedule, listening to the BarBri lectures and reviewing the materials in the books. Software to practice multiple choice questions is also provided.

The first thing I did, about 60 days before the bar exam, was to plan out my study schedule in full. I used the BarBri “paced program” suggested schedule as a guide, and customized it to reflect the fact that I would be moving and then working 9.5 hour days for the first 5 weeks, then studying full time for the last 3 weeks.

While working full time and studying part time, I probably averaged 9.5 hours of work and 5-6 hours of study time a day. Once I started studying full time, during the last 3 weeks before the bar exam, I was studying for about 16+ hours a day. This worked out well for me, as I think I hit peak knowledge retention right around the first day of the bar exam.

This is not to say that I didn’t take breaks while studying. I made sure to go out to diner at least once a week, and I saw several movies too. I spent at least half an hour a week reading fiction for enjoyment, and still spent time with my fiancé. Doing so made the hours of study more bearable, and likely enhanced my ability to concentrate.

Taking the exam

The day before the bar exam, I drove to Chicago and checked in to my hotel room by 2pm – that way, even if I had a car accident, I would hopefully be able to make it to the bar exam on time. That afternoon and evening, I studied until 7pm, then ordered room service. The day of the exam, I set 3 alarms plus the hotel’s wakeup call (although I work up on my own 1/2 an hour early) then had room service for breakfast. I took a cab to the exam site, arriving early, and the exam was uneventful for me. I can’t say I was really nervous, at least relative to many exam takers, although I was certainly happy to be done at the end of the next day. I then drove home, and returned to work.

Getting my results

On October 1, the Illinois bar exam results were released by email. Although some individuals received their results early in the morning, I didn’t get mine until nearly 5 PM. Truth be told, it was a tense wait. I received an email from the board of admission to the bar, which invited me to log in to view my results. Upon reading the first sentence of the notice, I could tell that I had passed, and happily began informing friends and family.

Conclusion

The bar exam is essentially a test of one’s willingness to memorize black letter law for 2 months, and to then mechanistically apply that memorized law to essay and multiple choice questions during a 2 day long test, while remaining calm. So long as one studies diligently and doesn’t panic, chances are they will pass the bar exam.