The bar exam is your final test. It is your Mt. Everest. It is the Mt. Doom of Mordor. It is the Commodus that Maximus must do battle with.
Ahh, but despite the epicness of the bar exam and all the talk that surrounds it, never fear!
Not only should you not hype up the bar exam, but you should also equip yourself with all the tools needed so you can open login on bar exam results day, open up your screen, and read the beautiful words:
“This name appears on the pass list”
On this site, you will find TONS of information to help you de-mystify the bar exam experience and make the climb up Mt. Doom a short stroll in the park.
And you should know the bar exam really comes down to 3 general areas you should focus on: Knowledge, Action, and Beliefs:
(1) Knowledge
Knowledge is power. Believe it or not, the bar exam is NOT a test of your ability to be a lawyer. Nope. Nor is it a giant compilation of everything you learned in law school.
The bar exam is a very specific and focused test designed to test your ability on one thing.
The bar exam test is ONLY designed to determine whether you can pass the bar exam.
You don’t need to know every topic on every subject. The bar exam loves to rinse and repeat specific topics over and over and over, and they love to leave other topics virtually untouched.
So, don’t study EVERYTHING. And don’t think you need to be a lawyer yet. Both are false.
This is why I strongly recommend you take a good bar prep course. These prep courses have professional attorneys who have made it their career to study and break down the bar exam for you.
They are a coach and guide for you in many ways. Take advantage of their expertise and knowledge so you can focus on only what truly matters and leave the rest.
If you want an in-depth analysis of some of the top bar exam prep programs offered throughout the country, check out my post on it here. Or you can listen to my podcast on the topic here.
(2) Action
Well, if knowledge is power, then applied knowledge is Super Power! Obviously, you won’t get anywhere without taking action. But what kind of action should you take?
After all, a hampster takes plenty of action every day and stays stuck in his wheel in his cage. The key is know what is the RIGHT ACTION to take.
This goes hand in hand with knowledge. If you have a good bar prep program and coach, you will be guided which action to take. You won’t study the wrong materials or the untested materials.
You’ll be able to focus on the right things, the drivers, the key material you need to pass the bar exam.
The 80-20 principle applies to the bar exam. You can get 80% of your results with 20% of your work.
It’s just key to know what to focus on. This blog shares my experiences with the bar exam. What worked and what didn’t work. What I should have focused on and what I shouldn’t have focused on in retrospect. It will help you focus on what really matters.
Learn about the importance of practicing, a good study routine, and goal setting to get started.
Action goes hand in hand with beliefs as well.
If you don’t believe you’re going to pass, your mind will guide you to the action steps to take so you, in fact, don’t pass. If you do believe you will, your mind will guide you to those steps.
(3) Beliefs
Ahh beliefs. It’s the #1 determiner of what we get and don’t get in our lives. With a right belief system and framework in place, the bar exam can be easier and passing the bar exam could be an already-accomplished reality in our minds.
With a poor belief system, we could take the bar exam 17 times, spend countless hours doing the right things, but still not pass.
Nurturing a positive, bar exam passers belief system is important. I graduated in the bottom half of my class and statistically speaking, was not supposed to pass the bar exam.
But, I did. And I did it in California on my first attempt.
In my prep, I took care to nurture my belief systems, using visualization, prayer, and affirmations to help me focus on passing and doing what it takes to pass.
I have tons of tips in my mindset category. Check it out.
I also provide a free meditation mp3 that will uses guided visualization to help you relax, along with weekly bar exam tips and knowledge around bar exam time via a free email listserv.
I combine all my tips and learning into the Bar Exam Mental Edge program, which I designed to give you a system to give you rock-solid beliefs in yourself and passing the bar exam. It takes everything I have learned and applied with the mind and puts it into one awesome program for you.
You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, and by Email.
Until next time, remember:
“This name appears on the pass list”
Article by Dustin Saiidi
Dustin has written 134 awesome articles.
Dustin Saiidi, author of The 7 Steps to Bar Exam Success, graduated in the bottom half of his class, but passed the bar exam on his 1st attempt. He shares how he overcame those challenges and gives tips, advice, and strategies so you can pass your bar exam, stress-free.
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