The bar exam can be a beast. And the bar prep journey will be challenging. But if you plan and start your studies as early as possible, (a good four months in advance of the exam is ideal), you will set yourself up for success on exam day.
There’s a lot that should go into your action plan for bar prep. From considering school obligations, like final exams, graduation requirements and extra-curriculars that may not necessarily end when the semester does, to work and life commitments, you’ll probably have a few things to juggle along with your studies. Just remember that the less time you allow yourself to study, the less you’ll be able to make time for other obligations and still be sufficiently prepared for your bar exam.
Think calendar customization
Since we all know life doesn’t stop during bar prep, BARBRI allows you to customize everything from your start date to days you’re unable to fit in studies thanks to ISAAC, the proprietary engine that drives your personal study plan (PSP). ISAAC adjusts your PSP as you tweak your calendar, giving you control over your studies. You’re served the most statistically significant topics for passing the bar exam based on time left until your exam and the customizations you make to your calendar.
Learn how BARBRI gives you a personalized bar prep experience from day 1:
How to personalize your studies
When you sign in for the first time to BARBRI Bar Review (once your PSP is activated), you’ll be invited to set a start date for your studies and customize your BARBRI Personal Study Plan. You’ll be able to account for study days and any days you need off.
It’s okay if you’re not ready to do this the first time you sign in. You can customize at any point during your course. Here’s how:
- On the My Assignments page in the upper left of your screen, under the progress module, click on “View & Customize Schedule” with the calendar icon. You’ll be able to see your study plan progress, along with completion targets throughout the course.
- Scroll down to the month calendar and click “Edit schedule” to set your start date and select any days you need to take off every week. Or simply proceed with the BARBRI default study schedule. Just don’t feel like you must wait until the default date to start — we’re not saying you shouldn’t start earlier! If you can start earlier, it will help you manage your workload and other obligations, and you’ll likely feel less stressed throughout your studies.
- When you return to the main customization page which contains the monthly calendar, you can set individual days off in either the current month or upcoming months by right clicking the individual date. Notice how the average hours per day for completion change as you add days off, so decide what’s reasonable for you. Also keep in mind that the average hours per day are just an average. You can easily do more some days and less on other days to achieve good balance and stay on track.
Your PSP will feed you daily recommendations as well as assignments so you can work ahead on days you can spend more time. It will also automatically adjust for days you don’t finish by moving assignments to future days.
If you start to fall behind, ISAAC will automatically prioritize the assignments for you in your PSP, so you don’t have to worry about what you should study next. ISAAC will adapt your recommended assignments to ensure you see those that give you the greatest probability of passing the exam.
You may want to keep a general calendar for your other life commitments in addition to your PSP calendar. However, you plan to tackle your bar prep alongside other obligations, it will be important to set boundaries and communicate them with others. Setting clear expectations for your availability during this time with family, friends and your employer will help you stick to your studies and not feel bad saying “no”.
With BARBRI, you get a truly customized study experience to help you buckle down and remain focused on what matters. So, sign in to your PSP and let’s get you bar exam ready The BARBRI Way.