The bar exam is the most significant test you will face in your legal career. The amount of information you need to master is vast, and the pressure to perform is immense. Success on the bar exam requires a strategic approach, unwavering discipline, and the right resources.
While some attempt to prepare on their own, the most successful candidates recognize the value of a structured bar prep course. This guide provides a complete overview of what it takes to pass, from building your study plan to navigating exam day.
The Case for Using a Bar Prep Course
Why do most law graduates choose to partner with a bar prep course? Self-study requires you to create a viable schedule and somehow gauge your progress without expert guidance. With a quality bar prep course, the uncertainty is eliminated. Plus, you have a manager of sorts to guide you to success.
Consider the advantages:
- The material is organized for you, ensuring you cover every necessary topic efficiently.
- Your study schedule is expertly crafted, so you never have to question if you are pacing yourself correctly.
- Courses like BARBRI Bar Review provide direct access to expert feedback on your essays and writing assignments, a critical component for improvement.
- Millions of legal professionals have passed the bar using proven methods. You don't need to reinvent the wheel; you need a system that guarantees you are prepared. BARBRI has over 1.4 million alumni who have passed with our proven methodology—more than all other bar prep courses combined.
Building Your Study Environment
Successfully preparing for the bar exam hinges on creating the proper environment. You’ll need to have a quiet place that’s free from distraction. Treat your study time like a job. Set specific hours and stick to them. You already know how to do this—it isn’t any different from when you’re studying for finals. But when you’re studying all day for weeks on end, it’s easy to get lax, letting the TV run in the background or constantly checking your phone.
To truly be successful, you need to study efficiently. This requires an element of self-control to maintain your focus.
How Long Should You Study for the Bar Exam?
The standard recommendation for bar exam preparation is approximately 400 hours or that you start studying at least 10 weeks before the exam. If you are studying full-time, this translates to 40 to 50 hours per week.
Of course, if you have other obligations such as a job or family, you may not be able to dedicate this much time to studying. If you’ll be studying part-time, you’ll likely want to start studying four to six months before the exam.
BARBRI recognizes that life doesn’t stop for bar prep. For example, with half-day calendar customization, new to the BARBRI Bar Review Personal Study Plan (PSP), you have the ultimate flexibility and personalization that acknowledges real-world constraints like jobs, family, and energy levels. Our half-day study blocks allow for more realistic bar prep planning compared to full-day study sessions, reducing stress and improving adherence.
What’s on the Bar Exam?
The bar exam typically includes three sections:
- The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE)
- A long-form essay section
- A performance task section
In jurisdictions that have adopted the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), the essay section is comprised of the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) and the performance section is comprised of the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).
When the NextGen Uniform Bar Exam is adopted by some jurisdictions beginning with the July 2026 bar administration, it will integrate various question types in three exam segments:
- Multiple-choice questions
- Integrated question sets combining multiple-choice questions and short-answer questions
- A 60-minute performance task
Tips for Taking the Bar Exam
All your preparation culminates in the two days of the exam. How you manage this period is just as important as the months of study leading up to it.
Studying for the bar is hard enough, but actually taking the bar exam is an entirely different animal. There really isn’t a better way to describe the bar exam than: “It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” When the exam begins, just let your studying and practice kick in.
1. Trust Your Preparation
You have put in the hours, and you have completed countless practice questions. Trust the process. Do not panic if you encounter a question you do not know. Make your best-educated guess and move on. Wasting time on a single question can jeopardize your performance on the rest of the section.
2. Manage Your Energy
It’s common for candidates to feel their focus wane as test day wears on. You cannot afford to lose precious points due to fatigue. The best way to get a good feel for the bar exam and build the required mental stamina is by taking a few simulated exams during your bar prep course. This practice will prepare you for the pacing and endurance required on exam day.
The BARBRI Simulated Exam mirrors the actual exam, providing a taste of the timing, structure, and intensity you will face.
3. Clear Your Mind When You Can
Use your lunch breaks to reset, not to cram. Last-minute studying is rarely effective and often increases anxiety. Instead, eat a healthy meal and do a reset.
4. When It's Over
After you complete the final section, you can exhale. You have earned a rest. Waiting for your results may be difficult, but you can be confident that you did everything in your power to prepare for success. With the right bar exam preparation, you are not just hoping to pass—you are expecting to.
BARBRI is the most trusted, innovative, and personalized bar prep provider. See for yourself with BARBRI Bar Prep Preview or NextGen Prep Preview. It’s the no-commitment way to get a free interactive preview of our unique course features and functionality.
Explore study strategies for the UBE and NextGen UBE.
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