Top Ten Tips for Top Test-Taking

1.           They are self-aware and aware of the bar

They dial up an appropriate amount of interest based on how challenging they expect the test to be for them. They are neither overconfident – nor overly worried

2.           They take advice from the right sources

Colleagues and friends are potentially the right source, but they can be misleading. What works for your friend’s learning style may not work for you.

It can be tricky to know who to trust – so trust us (Bar and Academic Success Team). We are experts on bar study who work with hundreds of students. We know what resources are out there – what works and what might not. We are on your side; our interests are aligned. We want you to pass and we want you to pass with the least amount of misery possible

Trust your bar review company. They are also experts in getting people ready to pass the bar. This is their business. They know how to do it.

3.           They set aside the time to focus on studying and give themselves that time 

They are aware of what 400 hours of study means and are willing to plan to make this happen.

This doesn't mean there can’t be down time, holidays, distractions. But top takers plan ahead for this and don’t get caught out in unexpected distractions.

Or, if there are unexpected distractions that impact their ability to study, they reassess whether they are still in a position to sit. Top takers decide to delay when they aren’t ready and they pass when the do sit. 

4.           They plan early and pick bar review in advance

Every year we have students who in early June are still trying to decide which bar review to purchase; that isn’t a marker of a top student. Top takers don’t have to have picked out bar review in their 2L year, but they typically will know how they mean to study well in advance of the study period beginning.

If you aren’t sure – ask us. If you don’t want to pay – ask us. If you think you can do this on your own – you probably can’t

They don’t try to do two bar review courses to get the best of both worlds (no one can actually complete two bar review courses and attempting to split time leads to chaos, not clarity.)

Whatever you pick, make it yours. You don’t have to love it. You do have to do it.

Any comprehensive bar review can teach you what you need to know. Pick one. ONE. 

5.           They complete their course

A top taker doesn’t always have to do 100% of their course, but even brilliant students must complete enough of/a substantial amount of the bar review course to pass. No, 40 % isn’t enough; 60% isn’t enough; 80% might be enough if you’re a very strong test taker and a top student, but don’t risk it. Just do the work. All of it

Bar review is different from law school. Don’t assume you know enough from law school. You have to do the bar review course as it is intended to get its benefits. The entire function of these courses is to teach you how to get ready for the bar exam.

6.           They engage in active practice

They do all the active work the bar review course expects.

You would think that doing 90% to 100% of your course means you’re doing “enough.” But this is not necessarily true. Youi need to complete the course AND you need to make sure through active practice that you are fully internalizing the content and delivering a test-worthy performance on really hard questions.

Do the graded opportunities your bar review presents you with for written components. Do a couple thousand practice multiple choice questions. Not only that, but ensure you are scoring on these activities where you will need to be on test day (or better).

If you aren’t producing in active practice what you are going to need to produce on test day, you aren’t going to pass the bar. You aren’t going to get lucky on the test.

Its a test of skill, knowledge and stamina. Top test takers build that test taking skill

7.           They self-assess as they get deeper into bar study

Being self aware means being subjectively and objectively willing to compare how what you’re doing stacks up with what you’re going to need to do on the test 

It’s really not a mystery who is ready and who is not. There are objective measures of whether you’re ready. If you aren’t sure, we can help you understand where you should be on various measures.

Top takers score on practice exams in the zone that correlates to passing

Don’t let ego hold you back from asking for help. It’s what we do and you have nothing to prove to us. We know the test is hard. We just want to help you pass it.

Being self aware can mean being strategic - Strategy is getting to know the test, how it is scored and where your own strengths lie. On the UBE it doesn’t matter where your points come from.

8.           They take the test-day aspect of the experience seriously

Few people do their best work under the stresses of test days

You need to plan for what test day time, room, fatigue, etc means to you

It doesn’t mean that everything has to go smoothly according to plan in order for you to pass. Just that the strong test taker thinks about and plans for what test day means for their own unique set of issues/skills demands.

Examples – do you get super cold, super hot, do you have to pee a lot, do you need a certain amount of coffee, do you get low blood sugar if you don’t eat for 3 hours, are you left-handed, do you know how to read an analog clock, do you get stressed out with a timer counting you down.

Don't always practice in your cozy office/library. Stretch your comfort zone to the misery of what test day will feel like

9. They take care of themselves – their bodies, their spirits, their relationships

This goes hand in hand with ‘trust the right people.

We aren’t machines. You have to bring your brain perched atop a body that is functioning.

This is a big enough test that studying for it is a lifestyle. You can’t cram for this

Be the best version of who you are, so you can bring the best thinking skills to the test.

Top takers let their family and friends support them.

Also, while the bar is important and passing it is a great thing. But it is offered twice a year and you don’t have to take it when you said you were going to just because you planned to.

Your mental health and your relationships matter too. Taking care of yourself during prep season gives you the best shot at having deep resources of energy still available by the time of testing days. 

You can’t rely on adrenaline alone to bring the performance. You need actual sustained and sustainable energy.

10. They don't give away their power

You may not think you have much power when it comes to test taking – they set the topics, they write the questions, they decide on the answers, they fix the time date timing number of questions.

What power do you have?

You don’t have to look at things in the order they present them

You don’t have to do the questions in the order they present them

You don’t have to start reading at the top

You don’t have to do every single mbe question (though you should fill in at least a guess for all of them. (You DO have to do every essay!)

How you manage your time is part of your power.

How you use or don’t use the tools they give you is part of your power.

Knowing what to expect and feeling comfortable is major and can spell the difference between coming to the test from a position of power or coming to it meek and troubled