…and if you are busy celebrating your success – whether this was your first attempt, or fiftieth – congratulations!
But if you are like me, and have had the horrible experience of looking at a cold computer screen that says your name does not appear on the pass list, you already know that it is one of the worst feelings in the world. After all that hard work, and the almost unbearable wait for results, you now face the reality of having to do it over again. Or perhaps, like a number of other people, you will choose a different route – one that does not include the CA bar, but maybe another state’s exam or a different career path.
Before you evaluate your options, it is best to just regroup & process the mental and emotional aftermath of tonight. Soon you will have your scores, which are an invaluable tool that you can use towards your future success. But right now, just take care of yourself. Spoil yourself. Whatever gets you through the weekend & helps you put the pieces back together – retail therapy, a good mountain hike, or some therapy with Ben & Jerry – nobody deserves it more, and certainly nobody needs it more.
Come Monday, you can face reality with renewed perspective and start taking steps to achieve your future goals, whether they involve the July bar exam or not. But until then, take care of yourself and know that you are certainly not the only one experiencing this disappointment right now. Many, many people have walked the same path, only to enjoy the sweet victory later on. And so will you.
Best of luck to all you February bar takers. The next 3 days will go by quickly and you will get to see all your hard work in action. Try to minimize your stress as much as possible by whatever means you’ve found works best for you. Know that you are more than capable of overcoming this challenge and visualize the good news you will get in just a few short months. Here’s to getting barred in 2012!
Hey everyone! As you can probably see already from the videos below, I have something new to share with you today. I’ve branched out into the world of YouTube videos. I know I must be the last person in existence to get on the bandwagon, but I suppose I just needed a good reason to do so. And that reason is to (hopefully) help you by talking about the Performance Test. I’ve spent some time going over the PT and showing you how you can use good sample answers to self-evaluate your practice PTs.
This is my very first video production, so please anticipate (and be forgiving of) the amateurism 
Hi everyone! It’s been a looooong time since I’ve added a new post to the blog. Between the holidays and the many things happening in my personal life, I have been super busy. One thing in particular that has been getting a lot of my attention is getting my book ready for print publication. And I am thrilled to announce that the process is finished and the book is now available for sale on Amazon.com!
Check it out right here:
In my excitement, I am feeling generous and want to give away some free copies. So this is how it is going to work. If you haven’t done so already, “like” the Be A Goat page on facebook. Then leave a comment on the wall about what you have found to be the most helpful tip for preparing for the bar exam. This can pretty much be anything that you have learned through the process of preparing for the bar exam that helps you do better, and that you wish you had known from the start. For example, it might be a great MBE tip that increased your score, or it could be learning that you need a whole day off from bar prep each week to do better the other days. I want to hear about whatever it is that helps you successfully study for the bar exam. The person with the winning piece of advice will get a copy of my book mailed to them for free!
I will announce the next giveaway on my facebook page, so make sure you “like” my page to find out what it is!
You are probably wondering how you are going to learn all the law and do a substantive review if you are doing a self-study and going it alone. Because you are not in a commercial bar review class, where they hand you a mountain of books and lecture you on all the subjects, you are going to have to get the material and go over it yourself.
I recommend the Law in a Flash series as the best material for learning the law, hands down. I have a complete listing of all the Law in a Flash flashcards that are available in bar subjects on my Resources Page. Each one links directly to its Amazon.com sales page for convenience.
There are 4 main reasons why I advocate using the Law in a Flash flashcards, and why they are superior to other options.
- The cards are written very well and easy to understand. There’s a limited amount of information on each card, so the law is broken down into digestible increments. Plus, the subject material is very well organized, with each card building upon the prior one, walking you through the subject step-by-step.
- In addition to the cards containing the substantive material, there are many which give you hypothetical questions to test whether you fully understand the rules of law and the concepts that have been presented. They are very clever questions, and you will have to understand the concepts to get the question right. If you are getting the hypotheticals correct, you know you’re understanding and remembering the law.
- The hypothetical cards have a differentiating mark on them so you know which ones are hypos and which cards are substantive material. Say you’re just reviewing a subject you learned before, you can either skip right to the hypos to test your knowledge, or skip over them to get right to a substantive review.
- The law is accurate and up to date. I have always found the material in these flashcards to be trustworthy.
Unfortunately, there are going to be some subjects which you cannot get in the Law in a Flash series. In particular, the CA specific subjects (like the CA Evidence distinctions). So as an alternative source, get your hands on some other materials. One possible option would be the outlines published by a commercial bar prep course. Your school’s law library will undoubtedly have at least one bookshelf full of such books. You can also try purchasing used books online or from friends.
It is not recommended that you use these other source materials except where absolutely necessary. And the reason is this: they do a poor job of teaching the law. Outlines are really just a tool used to condense the law and provide a quick review. Thus, by definition, they are really only helpful if you already know the law. If you need to learn the law, or need help understanding certain concepts and their application, an outline cannot help you. That is why commercial classes give you books of outlines, but still have you sit through lectures. It is important to make sure that you have a base knowledge of the rules and principles.
Law in a Flash cuts out that repetition. Instead of listening to a lecture, and then having to read the outline, you just read the flashcards through once and you’re done. The genius of these flashcards really comes down to the hypos. Even if you get the hypo wrong and find out you did not understand the principles, between the use of the real-life hypothetical and the well written answer explanation, you will understand the concept once you’ve gone through the hypos for that legal rule. The cards have an uncanny way of being able to tell you what you were probably thinking if you got the answer wrong, and how you got tricked by the hypo into getting the wrong answer. (And they get it right almost 100% of the time!) Then they explain why you were wrong and what is distinctive about the fact pattern so that you see what you should have been thinking. It is this interactive feature that makes you feel like someone is sitting there with you teaching you the law directly.
Nevertheless, if you need to supplement some of the bar subjects, outlines are a resource to try. There are also more and more audio lectures popping up everywhere, which is another good option. Lectures are generally going to be superior to outlines, and if your daily commute is long enough, you could save yourself some significant time. Also try listening while you exercise, cook, clean, dress in the morning, etc.
Lastly, a word of caution. Because there are so many options for materials out there, you need to be very selective in what you choose to utilize. When I was studying, I was given tons of different audio lectures, outlines, notes, etc. from friends. Although I got excited when I received something new, it was really distracting. I would think that there’s something in the materials I just received that would be the key to passing the bar exam and give me some new information. But once I looked at it, I realized it was just the same information, organized differently. Don’t be fooled into thinking that you need to read everything you get your hands on. Get a set of good materials for all the bar subjects, go through it, then stop. Don’t waste your time trying to look at every outline or book that’s been written on Torts. It’s overkill and a danger to your productivity. Torts is torts is torts.
{Did you find this post helpful? It came straight out of my book, The Goat’s Guide: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing for the California Bar Exam on Your Own}Today I came across a New York Times article that was published this past January. It’s titled To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test. As soon as I read it, I knew I had to share it with you. It couldn’t be more on point for the purposes of the bar exam.
I’ve been heralding the importance of taking practice tests as an effective and efficient way to prepare for the bar exam. It is at the heart of my preparation philosophy. The idea being that you should practice what you will be asked to do on exam day so that you can get really, really good at it. Taking practice exams is a sure-fire way to test what you think you know, and reveals your gaps in knowledge and understanding in a way that other forms of study simply can’t offer. Plus (and this is my favorite part), it causes you to learn the material faster and better. And thanks to this article, I now have the research to prove it!
You can check out these other posts for more on this very issue:
The Basic Premise of the Be A Goat Study Plan (part 1), Part 2 & Part 3
Mistake #2 – Waiting Too Long to Take Practice Tests
And here’s my Self-Study Schedule where I have scheduled in a lot of practice tests to be completed each week.
Wishing you all the best of luck today. I know how nerve-wracking this day can be, waiting to check bar results. I’m hoping you have reason to celebrate tonight!
This post concludes the 3-part series about making lifestyle changes that will have a positive impact on your bar prep. If you haven’t read them yet, check out Parts 1 & 2 of this series where I covered the first 4 changes.
Change #5 – Relationships
It is extremely important to maintain at least one relationship that nourishes you. I know that almost all relationships are put on hold when you are preparing for the bar exam, especially if you have other commitments and responsibilities. However, you need to have at least one relationship which you can lean on for support during this time. This might even mean that the relationship is fairly one-sided for this period. If it is a quality relationship, that person will probably understand your selfishness and be willing to give that support.
Your idea of a supportive relationship might be the one you have with your cat (since you can be utterly selfish), or even a bar exam forum where there are others who are able to commisurate with your struggles. The important thing is that you share your frustrations, stress, fears, etc. with someone. You need to express your challenges and receive understanding and encouragement in return.
Change #6 – Mind Control
The last lifestyle change that you need to make is in the area of mind control. In other words, you need to make a concerted effort to control what you feed your mind. Whether you know it or not, what you think about, and the worldview that you have, has a massive impact on your life. The saying “you are what you eat” is as true in the area of your thought life as it is for your physical body. If you are constantly believing negative things are going to happen, or things are going to go wrong, I bet they often do! If you see the positive in things and believe that good things are coming your way, I bet you’re right most of the time.
The bar exam is as much mental as it is anything else. You can feel defeated before you even walk in, and not one good thing will come from that belief. Do your best to align your thoughts with the results you want. If you are feeling frustrated and like you are going to fail, stop thinking those thoughts immediately! Refuse to continue down that path, because absolutely nothing good will come of it. If you have the self discipline to change every negative thought you have about the bar exam into a positive one, you will have the key to being successful in every area of your life. And it really does come down to self discipline. Don’t be fooled by thinking you are supposed to “feel” positive. Change your mind, and your feelings will follow.
If you think this is all mumbo jumbo, answer these two questions: What is the benefit of having negative thoughts and beliefs (this includes worrying) about the bar exam? What is the downside of having positive thoughts and beliefs about the bar exam, and refusing to worry about it?
For more reading on having a positive mindset, check out this post I wrote titled “Visualize Your Success”
{Did you find this post helpful? It came straight out of my book, The Goat’s Guide: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing for the California Bar Exam on Your Own}In Part 1 of this series, I discussed the first lifestyle change that will make bar prep more successful for you. In part 3 I will discuss lifestyle changes 5 & 6, but for now, let’s talk about changes 2 through 4.
Change #2 – Sleep Better
Getting adequte sleep sounds so easy. Who doesn’t want to sleep in another 30 minutes? But getting enough sleep isn’t possible when you’re sabotaging it by your bad habits. Even if you only get 6 hours a night, the quality will be better if you get the basics down.
- Have a regular sleep schedule – i.e., go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This includes weekends! Your body thrives when it has sleep regularity.
- Don’t have a TV in your room or fall asleep on the couch watching TV.
- Don’t end your evening watching the news, reading horror stories about the bar exam, or putting any other disturbing thoughts in your brain. Fill your mind with peaceful and uplifting thoughts that won’t torment you as you sleep.
- Put aside your worries somehow – whether you need to jot down a to-do list for tomorrow, pray, journal, meditate, or call your mom – just get them off your chest so you can sleep as stress-free as possible.
- Make your bedroom conducive to sleeping. Keep your room cool and get fresh air flow for ventilation. Have good window coverings to keep it dark during sleeping hours. Use a fan or a sleep machine if you like to have “white noise” in the background. Get rid of the jarring light emanating from your clock by turning it away from you or putting it face down.
- Don’t work on your laptop or pay your bills while sitting in bed, especially right before sleep! You should equate bed with peace, rest, and *ahem* you-know-what.
Change #3 – Find Personal Time
Personal time is time that has no utility except to feel good. It is time that is not spent taking care of responsibilities, helping other people, or doing anything else altruistic. The truth is, you need some time every week that is completely selfish. You should do something that is only aimed at making you happy. I think everyone pretty much understands the value in this: if you get a chance to be selfish and do what makes you happy every once in a while, you will feel rejuvenated instead of deprived. Then you will be able to go back and face your responsibilities with renewed energy and vigor. Even if you’re not getting enough personal time to feel renewed, it might be just enough to keep you from going over the edge.
Change #4 – Exercise
Just as with your eating habits, it is not necessary to make a drastic change to your physical activity level. If you are already somewhat physically active, then that’s fine. But if you are not physically active at all, it is really important you find something active that you can enjoy. The goal is not to get bikini-body ready by the bar exam. No, the goal is to release some stress and tension from your body. Physical activity has the added benefit of improving your memory, among other things.
So whether you walk on the beach for 30 minutes, go dancing at a club, play tennis on the Wii, or play ball with the guys, get your body moving. Everyone should be able to find something that not only gets their body moving, but is also something they enjoy and can look forward to.
In addition to finding a physical activity to engage in regularly, don’t forget to get your body moving during little study breaks. Stand up from your chair and stretch your body once an hour. Sit outside for 5 minutes every couple hours and just breathe the fresh air deeply. Go for a 10 minute stroll during your lunch break. Small doses of physical movement while you study will help your concentration tremendously.
{Did you find this post helpful? It came straight out of my book, The Goat’s Guide: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing for the California Bar Exam on Your Own}Lifestyle is an important factor affecting your success on the bar exam. And for many would-be lawyers, this is a big challenge. It is no secret that law school is a highly competitive and extremely stressful sub-culture. The coping mechanisms that many law students develop during those 3 or 4 years may be effective in the short-term, but deadly in the long-term.
Smoking, drinking, poor eating habits, lack of exercise, cynicism, and sometimes even drug use, often become the bedfellows of law students across the nation. In turn, these become the crutches of bar examinees, first-year associates, solo practitioners, partners, and even some judges.
Although these poor lifestyle choices may be effective to help get you through a week of finals in law school, or a big project at work, they are destructive in the long-term. Studying for the bar exam, because of its sheer magnitude, is not a short-term endeavor as you well know. The bar exam is the quintessential “marathon,” and thus you need a different approach to getting yourself through it successfully.
There are only a few lifestyle factors that are truly important enough to be mentioned here as an integral part of a successful study plan. No, you don’t have to quit smoking or give up the bottle. In fact, like almost everyone else, I would advise against a major change like that while you are preparing for the bar. There are 6 basic lifestyle changes you can make, however, that will help you get through this period in your life and make your bar prep more successful.
Change #1 – Eat Better
If you have poor eating habits, you don’t need to overhaul your entire diet and go raw. However, you can make a few small changes that will make a big difference for you. Make small changes like switching out soda and so-called “energy” drinks for water, pack your lunches and skip the drive-thru, and eat fresh fruit or trail mix instead of a candy bar as a snack. All of these will go a long way to providing your body with nutrition and increasing sustained energy. Just getting rid of some of that toxic sugar will help your energy and mental clarity improve. Additionally, taking a daily supplement is the least you can do to help your body get what it needs.
There are many ways in which you can make better choices about what you eat and drink. These are just a few simple suggestions about how to substitute poor eating habits that drain your body of nutrients & energy for ones that provide nutrition and fuel for your demanding lifestyle. If you know that your eating habits need an overhaul and are a major obstacle to your success in studying, then spend some time looking into what you need to do to make positive changes.
Stayed tuned for Parts 2 & 3 of this series, where I discuss lifestyle changes 2 through 6!
{Did you find this post helpful? It came straight out of my book, The Goat’s Guide: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing for the California Bar Exam on Your Own}