How to Study for the Bar Exam in Two Weeks

Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

The Last Two Weeks

In the beginning, you felt like you had all the time in the world to study for the bar exam.  Then life happens: work gets in the way during the week, family events take over on the weekends, and the next thing you know you have two weeks left to study before the bar exam.

You realize you haven’t studied as much as you thought you would.  Or you’ve given every free minute that you had to studying.  And the result is the same: you have completed 20-30% of your bar review program.  You look at your to-do list.  You have five 3-4 hour substantive lectures still to watch.  200+ multiple choice questions to catch up on.  You’ve written two full essays (that you had to use your notes to complete) and you haven’t yet attempted to complete a performance test.  Sound familiar?

Panic begins to set in. You thought you’d have more time.  More time to answer multiple choice questions.  More time to write more essays under time constraints.  More time to attack the performance test.

You are asking yourself – Should you even sit for the bar exam?  Do you start to think about the cost?  You’ve already spent money on the bar application, fingerprinting, driver’s license histories, the bar review course, supplemental courses, etc.  You still have the travel and hotel costs for the actual bar exam.  Not to mention you are using all your vacation days, sick days, or even taking leave without pay so that you study full-time for the next couple weeks.  You ask yourself: “Can I even do it?”  “Is it even possible to pass?”

You are not alone and perfectly sane!  Each bar students approach us at Fortnight Bar Prep and ask our opinion about what they should do.  The specifics may differ from student to student, but the question is the same – CAN I PREPARE FOR THE BAR EXAM IN TWO WEEKS?

At the outset let us say this, the following advice will not be a short cut!  The two weeks before the bar exam are going to be extremely challenging and you will likely be putting in 16 hours days.  If you have no substantive background with the topics tested on the bar exam, (i.e., you are a foreign attorney and have never taken civil procedure, constitutional law, torts, property, etc.) this is not going to work for you.  But if you have familiarity with 90% of the subjects tested on the bar exam, you have materials, and you can dedicate yourself for the next two weeks.  You can conquer the bar exam!

Here are some tips on how to do it:

Mental State

You need to have the proper mental state to pass the bar in two weeks.  You cannot doubt yourself!  You have to GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY and BELIEVE that you can pass the bar.  Questioning yourself after every exercise is just going to lead to an emotional rollercoaster.  Emotions use a lot of energy.   Save that energy for the suggestions below.

Materials

Condensed outlines. You cannot accomplish this by using 100-page outlines.  You must have condensed materials to use during this phase.  Think ten pages or less per topic.

Bar Prep Subject Matter Outline Book. You need one and only one extensive bar prep book to have use as a desk reference guide.  This is your security blanket.  You will use this book only when absolutely necessary and in very limited instances.

Multiple Choice Practice Question Book. You need a multiple choice practice question book with at least 1,000 questions.

Practice Essays. These should be real bar exam essay questions for you to use during this period.  You should have at least 100 new essay questions to use.

Practice Performance Tests. Many bar exams include a practicum, such as a performance test.  You want to have at least three performance tests of different types to use during this period.  We suggest an objective memorandum, a persuasive brief, and one other type of written work product that is new to you.

State Specific Practice Questions. Some bar exams have their own state specific multiple choice questions, short answer questions, or additional state-specific essay questions.  You need to make sure that you have ample practice materials to cover your specific state.

Put all other bar review material in a box and DO NOT OPEN IT until after the bar.

Substantive Review

Remember you need to know a little about a lot.  So your focus when engaging in substantive review should be on memorizing rules.  The more rules of law you know, the better prepared you will be for exam day.

Practice

Do timed multiple choice questions and essays daily.  Over the two week period, practice three or four performance tests, also under timed constraints.

Consider Tutoring

Tutors offer valuable knowledge and experience that can assist you in passing the bar.  Give the list (discussed above) to your tutor and ask him/her to explain concepts you struggled with during your substantive review.  Have the tutor prioritize your list for you.  The tutor should be able to evaluate which concepts on your list are minutia and which concepts are major concepts that every student taking the bar exam should know.

Submit your written work product to the tutor for grading.  Listen to their critique.  Keep emotions out of it.  Ask and learn how you can write to maximize points and then practice those techniques.

Schedule

The final key in studying for the bar exam in 2 weeks is your schedule.  Create a schedule that incorporates the items mentioned above.  If you are unsure how to do this, don’t worry we are here to help!  BarSiege is all you need to conquer the bar exam!

BarSiege is a daily schedule that provides an hour-by-hour guide on how to study for the Bar Exam over the final two weeks, helping you refine your focus, improve memorization, write practice essays, performance tests, and answer multiple choice questions on all areas of the law. Don’t stress, don’t cram, simply follow the schedule for success!