4 hours a day. That's all it takes to pass the bar exam.
I'm oh so serious.
Preparing for the bar exam is (or at least should be) a very methodical and calculated process whereby you get good at performing the bar exam tasks. Bar exam tasks are those things that you will have to do on the bar exam. In most jurisdictions, that's: (1) the MBE, (2) the MEE or an essay portion, and (3) the MPT or a performance test component
You are ready to take the bar exam when you are READY to DO each of those components in a skilled way. Not when you think you can regurgitate all the legal rules found inside that massive outline or book.
If you don't know why it doesn't matter whether you "know all the law," then that's because you haven't read my book yet.
Since the only thing you need to learn between now and the bar exam is how to PERFORM those 3 bar exam tasks really well, that's all you need to be working on. You can get that shit under wraps in 4 hours a day. If you can't, then you are wasting your time. You are busying yourself with ineffective or meaningless efforts.
Let's assume a 12-week bar prep period. For the upcoming February 2020 bar exam, let's say you start prep on December 1, 2019. If you study for 4 hours a day, you will have spent the amount of time necessary to complete my full bar prep program (Counsel Table), plus some.
My program consists of 80 study blocks. Each study block is 4 hours. That's 80 days of working for 4 hours a day.
Easy, peasy.
Obviously you can study full time (for 8 hours a day) and get it done in 40 days. There's plenty of ways you can arrange the study blocks to work for your schedule. I'm not going to go through them all. The point is this:
If you need more than 4 hours of study time per day, you are doing something wrong.
I mean 4 hours of real work. No distractions. Just you, your computer, and completely silent, uninterrupted time.
And the work you should be doing? Practicing: (1) the MBE, (2) the MEE or an essay portion, and (3) the MPT or a performance test component
No outlines. No lectures. No flashcards. No mnemonics.
DO during those 4 hours what you will DO during the bar exam.
Practice what you want to be good at. Not the other shit.
The other shit will - by and large - waste your time and provide few dividends. That is, unless you count these as dividends: Overwhelm Panic Exhaustion Worry Lost time Confusion
There are limited instances where pulling out an outline, using some flashcards, or watching a lecture will assist you in your goal of PASSING THE BAR EXAM. That's because reading an outline, using flashcards, or watching lectures are not things you are going to do on exam day. Sometimes they become part of the recipe that brings success, but only in certain situations and only with limited use.
If you're dubious about my claims, then you haven't read FCK THE BAR or heard about Counsel Table
You might also call it "the 4 hour bar passing program" or "the 40 day bar passing program." Hmmm.... maybe I should change the name....?
Vivian joined my program and passed the NY bar exam after having failed the bar FOUR times before.
Papillon joined my program and passed the CA bar exam after having previously failed.
That's because they spent their time doing effective tasks that had a direct impact on their ability to perform well on the bar exam.
Please don't believe the ridiculousness out there about the bar exam. It is so much easier than people think. It is so much simpler than people think.