Can you be too prepared for the bar exam? Not a chance...

How much is too much? Is too much of a good thing really no good? When it comes to preparing for the bar exam, the answer really is the more prepared you are, the better.

You can be inundated with a wealth of information, which in short will yield little to nothing in return. You can fill a hotel full of law outlines, attempt to memorize all of them, and then find yourself returning again for the next exam administration. The truth is that most people can memorize the law, but few people truly know how to take the test. Technique is at least as important as substance and usually more so as it relates to bar exam review.

A Contract is a Contract and a Tort is a Tort. There are only so many ways that we can “spin” the definition of assault, but there are many different ways we can present it on an exam. Think of it this way: If 100% of bar applicants can memorize the definition of an assault, then why do over 50% of the applicants fail the exam? Obviously you are tested on more than just assault, but as a whole, the law and the definitions do not change. If we can memorize it all, then in theory we should all pass. Sadly this is not the case. Presentation then becomes the key. It is not about “What do I need to know?” but more about “How do I present what I know”.

The traditional bar exam preparation course does a proficient job in presenting you with the “What do I need to know” component. It is however, a supplemental “crash course” that may offer you the key to success. While the thought of taking yet another prep course may lead you to the edge, remember that what you do the last two weeks before the exam makes all the difference.

What’s my end game? How do I tie it all together? What exactly do I need to know? How do I say it? What do I do if I don’t know it? How do I maximize the time I have left? How do I retain the information? What’s my strategy?

If you have an answer to all of the above, then you are ready to go!

If not, let those who know the answers help you out.

Be TOO prepared.