No bar exam is easy. The California bar exam is no exception. However, more than any other jurisdiction in North America, the California exam is not just a test of mental endurance, but also a test of physical and emotional endurance. Some applicants pass on their first try. Others take the exam multiple times before their names finally appear in the Daily Journal as selected candidates. If your name is on the list this time, congratulations! But if not, or if you are about to write the exam for the first time, read on. This article is written for you. This article will lay out some study techniques to help you do your best.
Study techniques
1. Study the answers to the questions from the essay exam above.
By far the most important tip in preparing for the California state bar exam is to study the sample answers to previous exam questions. If you’re taking a bar review course like BAR / BRI, for example, focus on the essay workbook. By reading an essay question from previous exams, for example, describing what you think the answer should be, and then comparing your answer with the BAR / BRI materials, you will get a great picture of what you know and what you still need to learn. . By writing your answer, at least in period form, before referring to the BAR / BRI answer, you clarify where your memory of the law is still fuzzy and needs to be sharpened. You can use the summary responses as review notes. Highlight the keywords. These highlighted notes will be valuable study aids the night before the exam.
2. Read materials, attend lectures, and complete assignments
Your study patterns must follow an established formula. To the best of your ability, read the assigned materials before class. Go to all the lectures or at least listen to the tapes you miss. Do the assignments. And write practice tests. Some of my wealthier friends signed up for additional bar prep classes. This was a good idea and I benefited from listening to borrowed audio tapes while driving to and from classes.
3. Use memory devices as acronyms
As you prepare for the California bar exam, you are faced with an overwhelming girl of legal materials. It is impossible to digest such an intimidating amount of knowledge without employing some memory sticks to keep the information as organized as possible. Therefore, as often as possible, use pneumonia and acronyms to help your memory recall important concepts. For example, in real estate law I used the acronym TIP to remember the four units of title in joint possession properties: time, title, interest, and possession. (I just remembered that the T in TIP stood for the two units of Time and Title.) With a little creativity you can summarize entire courses in one or two word acronyms!
4. Use funny or exotic pictures to remember concepts
Use a fun or exotic image technique to remember important concepts. For example, to recall the proof of obscenity in constitutional law, I imagined General Patton, stark naked, walking around a track. This insight would help me remember that obscene material must attract lewd interest, be blatantly offensive, and have no twists, that it is not a literary, artistic, political, or social redemptive feature. Making up ridiculous, exaggerated rhymes, jingles, and action stories with the materials helps embed knowledge in the brain.
5. Check the correct answers in the Multi State answer section
Materials When working on multiple-state multiple-choice questions, be sure to mark the correct answers to the test questions in the answer section rather than the question section of your materials. This way, later on, you can check the wrong answers again to go over weak areas without having to match the answers to the questions.
6. Maintain a disciplined daily schedule
As much as possible, try to keep a balance in your daily schedule. That requires good nutrition, exercise, and sleep. Studies indicate that the average person’s maximum attention span is 45 minutes; take advantage of this fact. Take cat naps when tired and breaks every hour.
