Any benefit to studying for Feb bar exam this summer? Forum

[clownpatrol]

My state's bar has been postponed to the fall but I am unable to take it then as that is right when my clerkship starts, so I am planning on taking in February.
As I was originally planning on taking this July, I cleared my summer for bar prep.
Would there be any benefit in using this time to start doing some studying now to make prep easier this winter when I will be working full time? Or would that just be a waste?

[cavalier1138]

I wouldn't start this early, but you should figure out how spread out your schedule will need to be if you're preparing for the February exam.

Side note: It seems weird that your clerkship interferes with taking a fall exam but not a February exam. Wouldn't you rather get this done earlier and give yourself the chance to study before you start working full-time?

[nixy]

I think this depends a little on what works for you. Personally, I would have found it very hard actually to learn anything without the structure of the course and the immediate pressure of the exam, so I would have spent a lot of the summer telling myself I would study, futzing, not really studying, and learning very little that I'd just have to learn again leading up to February. If you actually will be able to concentrate and will retain any of it until February, and have nothing else better to do, sure, go for it. I think for most people it will be a waste of time.

[TexasBigLaw]

My vote is absolutely do not start studying this summer. The best thing you can do is take some mental rest and give yourself a break from studying so that when you have to start doing it you're feeling more refreshed and motivated. IMO a huge part of bar prep is just managing the stress and burnout and motivation, and doing it for an even longer period of time is not going to help any of those things.

If you really feel like you have to do something, maybe read over your 1L (plus Evidence/Con Law) outlines occasionally to refresh your brain on the MBE topics. You don't have to do that, because the entire first month of Barbri is just a 1L refresh, but if it makes you feel more prepared, that's an easy place to start with materials you already have.

[QContinuum]

My vote is absolutely do not start studying this summer. The best thing you can do is take some mental rest and give yourself a break from studying so that when you have to start doing it you're feeling more refreshed and motivated. IMO a huge part of bar prep is just managing the stress and burnout and motivation, and doing it for an even longer period of time is not going to help any of those things.

If you really feel like you have to do something, maybe read over your 1L (plus Evidence/Con Law) outlines occasionally to refresh your brain on the MBE topics. You don't have to do that, because the entire first month of Barbri is just a 1L refresh, but if it makes you feel more prepared, that's an easy place to start with materials you already have.

Thirding this. I would've burned out bigtime if I'd tried to start bar prepping ~9 (!) months before the exam (beginning of June to end of February).

That said, OP knows themselves the best. I always tell people, you've made it this far, you know what works (and what doesn't work) for you as far as studying goes. There's no need to reinvent the wheel - as high-stakes and daunting as the bar exam is, it's, at the end of the day, "just another test". OP, if you're one of those relatively rare people who are good at - or even prefer - studying slowly and steadily over a prolonged period of time, instead of intense, deadline-aided, high-pressure cramming, then you should by all means feel free to take that approach again with the bar. Most law students aren't like that, but there are always exceptions, and you shouldn't feel any need to prep the same way others prep.

[SilvermanBarPrep]

My vote is absolutely do not start studying this summer. The best thing you can do is take some mental rest and give yourself a break from studying so that when you have to start doing it you're feeling more refreshed and motivated. IMO a huge part of bar prep is just managing the stress and burnout and motivation, and doing it for an even longer period of time is not going to help any of those things.

If you really feel like you have to do something, maybe read over your 1L (plus Evidence/Con Law) outlines occasionally to refresh your brain on the MBE topics. You don't have to do that, because the entire first month of Barbri is just a 1L refresh, but if it makes you feel more prepared, that's an easy place to start with materials you already have.

Thirding this. I would've burned out bigtime if I'd tried to start bar prepping ~9 (!) months before the exam (beginning of June to end of February).

That said, OP knows themselves the best. I always tell people, you've made it this far, you know what works (and what doesn't work) for you as far as studying goes. There's no need to reinvent the wheel - as high-stakes and daunting as the bar exam is, it's, at the end of the day, "just another test". OP, if you're one of those relatively rare people who are good at - or even prefer - studying slowly and steadily over a prolonged period of time, instead of intense, deadline-aided, high-pressure cramming, then you should by all means feel free to take that approach again with the bar. Most law students aren't like that, but there are always exceptions, and you shouldn't feel any need to prep the same way others prep.

Very good advice as usual.

[sarahd32186]

If you know what you're doing, you wont waste your time. Just make sure you have a plan in place first as to what you're going to be doing each week between now and February. I wouldnt just burn through 2000 MBE questions in a month or 2 and then have nothing to practice with for the rest of the time. But as long as youre thoughtful about how to use the time, I think the extra time will actually benefit you for the Feb exam.