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Dear TLS,
My firm asked me to make my own schedule for the summer, but requested I work a bit from mid-may to end of june, if I want. I'd like to do that...people saying all you really need is to cram from july 4th till exam day...but I'm a bit worried.

I'm thinking that to make up for that lost time frame, I would pick up about 10ish hours a week now till graduation. Does this make any sense at all? If so, what would you focus on? Does finishing a handful of MBE subjects make any sense?

ur study time kinda expands to fit the available space, ime. you can't actually learn everything. and it's hard to know when you've learned enough. and also depends on luck w exam questions.

if not CA it's probably nbd. just focus on the MBE.

How well do you cram?

I absolutely do not recommend what other people are telling you, unless you have a mind like a sponge and a freak ability for recall.

Definitely start early if you want to work early in the summer, although, you really shouldn't start working that early anyways, imo.

There's no harm in starting studying early and trying it out, and telling them it's not going to work if you feel it can't and give ample notice. Personally, I would make it work if this were an option. It's a lot of money, and law school isn't very hard.

How many bar prep classes (e.g. trusts and estates, secured transactions, family law, etc.) have you taken? If you've taken a lot and have good recall, you can probably put in 2-4 hours a day of study time in May and June until July, then start cramming. However, if you're learning all the information for the first time ("bar new" over "bar review"), you might want to start studying 10 hours a week or so. I was lucky enough to take some key bar classes my last semester (trusts and estates, community property) so I didn't need to learn those topics again during Barbri.

As I study I feel that, unless you are reviewing every day, you are bound to forget a lot of material and have to re-learn a lot as the bar exam comes close. I would recommend intense studying during 2-3 months rather than lite-studying over more time.

But if I fail, I'll retract this advice.

lacrossebrother wrote:Dear TLS,
My firm asked me to make my own schedule for the summer, but requested I work a bit from mid-may to end of june, if I want. I'd like to do that...people saying all you really need is to cram from july 4th till exam day...but I'm a bit worried.

I'm thinking that to make up for that lost time frame, I would pick up about 10ish hours a week now till graduation. Does this make any sense at all? If so, what would you focus on? Does finishing a handful of MBE subjects make any sense?

Figure out how you learn, audio, reading, or doing and then focus on that aspect of your prep course.

The prep courses push all three ways on you, but only because they don't know which you are.

Neve wrote:How many bar prep classes (e.g. trusts and estates, secured transactions, family law, etc.) have you taken? If you've taken a lot and have good recall, you can probably put in 2-4 hours a day of study time in May and June until July, then start cramming. However, if you're learning all the information for the first time ("bar new" over "bar review"), you might want to start studying 10 hours a week or so. I was lucky enough to take some key bar classes my last semester (trusts and estates, community property) so I didn't need to learn those topics again during Barbri.

Ya I didn't really take any of those. Should I begin by just reading like Understanding Series on these things (~500pgs)...or are the slightly more condensed series, like Acing, Nutshell, Mastering better?

I worked while studying. I used basically listened to mbe subjects in the gym on repeat. Those six subjects are imperative. I also just read the condensed outlines over and over. Studied prolly 20 hours in June and 40 hours each week the 2 weeks before exam. You need the week before the exam off imo. That's what I did. Only time I took of.
Wasting time watching someone speak in a lecture is dumb. Practice questions and outline reading should be it. If you cut out the lecture time people piss away like 180 hours of bar study, which isn't necessary.

Edit - I used baroutlines so my audio supplement was just someone reading the outline to me. One hour covered a whole subject.

lacrossebrother wrote:

Neve wrote:How many bar prep classes (e.g. trusts and estates, secured transactions, family law, etc.) have you taken? If you've taken a lot and have good recall, you can probably put in 2-4 hours a day of study time in May and June until July, then start cramming. However, if you're learning all the information for the first time ("bar new" over "bar review"), you might want to start studying 10 hours a week or so. I was lucky enough to take some key bar classes my last semester (trusts and estates, community property) so I didn't need to learn those topics again during Barbri.

Ya I didn't really take any of those. Should I begin by just reading like Understanding Series on these things (~500pgs)...or are the slightly more condensed series, like Acing, Nutshell, Mastering better?

Jesus no just read the 21 outlines over and over and you'll be fine. All of your bar prep materials could be like 220 pages in total.

i'm sure starting early won't hurt. just be diligent and obviously when the exam is around the corner, don't let any job crap bother you

I know that myself, I wouldn't really retain anything from this far before the exam, and that most of my exam success depended on serious cramming in the last 3 weeks, so starting Wally wouldn't have helped me much. I think you could work and study on the traditional timeframe and be fine. But if you want to start early, as has been said, don't read treatises or nutshells, just get hold of prep materials and study those. You don't need to learn real law, you need to learn what the bar tests you on.

(I should add that my state was of probably ordinary toughness, so my experience may not apply to, say, California.)

Ok thanks yall. Didn't know it's not real law
Bummer.

well, partly my state doesn't test state law, so it really does feel made-up. A lot of it is real (you can ID the cases in conlaw and some others that the questions come from), but it's also easiest just to learn the prep course materials.

Working until the end of June gives you plenty of time to study for the bar so long as you're relatively disciplined. Try to fit in studying where you can during the work week and then cram with the time you have left before the bar. That's what I did and I passed, except I worked until July 18.

Keep efficiency studying in mind when you get worried in May and June that you have friends spending like 10 hours a day in the library. From what I've seen, those people are getting in only a couple hours of diligent studying.

The only challenge is getting answers to the handouts which you get by watching the videos. Then for me, I have to re type the handouts which is more time b/c some are like 20 - 50 pages. This is where you waste most of the time........

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