The Pennsylvania bar is on the horizon (July 25-26), making it about the half waypoint in your preparation for the exam. Now would be a good time to do an honest self-assessment of where you are in your studying and what you need to do going forward to set yourself up for success.
Ask yourself: am I behind? Am I on track? Am I going to burn out? There is time to course correct depending on your answer.
You have time to push and be prepared for the exam, but you have to start working hard now and really prioritizing your studying over everything else. Most of your waking hours should be dedicated to bar prep.
If you are behind, take a look at how far behind. Make a list of things you need to do to catch up – perhaps all the skipped assignments from your bar course, including midterms, quizzes, graded essays, lectures, etc. and/or outlining, making notecards, or other study materials. Categorize each item as “critical” or “non-critical” in terms of completing. Graded essays, the midterm, anything you get feedback on should be critical. Lectures and practice problems for MBE and frequently tested subjects are also critical. Reading outlines, especially for less frequently tested subjects such as Conflict of Laws, may be less critical unless you prefer them to watching the lectures. Be careful of watching the lectures on double time or time and a half in order to move faster for the sake of catching up. You still need to learn the material and that requires active engagement with the material. Passively watching videos on double time so that you can check a box off will not get the job done. You have time to push and be prepared for the exam, but you have to start working hard now and really prioritizing your studying over everything else. Most of your waking hours should be dedicated to bar prep.
If you feel like you are going to burn out, find some time (a brief time), to take a break. Go for a walk, eat lunch with a friend, make sure you are going to bed at a reasonable time. There is a long way to go and you want to have the energy to push hard in the weeks before the exam. Of course, it is great that you are working so hard and staying on top of things – that effort will serve you well. Just make sure you have some gas in the tank for the home stretch, and the actual exam.
If you are on track, stay that way. Hopefully you are keeping up with your course syllabus or action items. Continue to try to stay balanced and focused. Just be sure to be honest with yourself about your actual learning. It is one thing to be on track on paper, and another to truly be on track in terms of learning the material and being able to apply the law in the context of MBE and essay questions.
Finally, at this point, everyone should “clear the deck” for studying. If your family, friends, social obligations, jobs, etc. have been cutting into your study time, it is time for those intrusions to come to an end. Of course, you can see your family and friends, but it should be on your terms – when you have time or when you need a break. You should decline invitations to weddings, parties, work obligations (or really work period) that take too much time away from your studying. At this point you need to devote at least 10 hours a day to studying, more if you are behind.
