GUEST BLOG by Brian C. Pike, Esq.
Passed the 2015 New York Bar Exam
Passed the 2017 Michigan Bar Exam
Sitting for the 2020 Tennessee Bar Exam
Attorney at Baker Donelson
Do I work during the Bar Exam? Should I work while I study? What a dreaded question. If you have ever asked a practicing attorney this question they fall into two heavily defended camps: (1) in moderation; or (2) none at all. My take? I think it is entirely a personal decision.
During the summer of 2015, I had the tremendous opportunity to work with an amazing group of people at BARBRI while studying for the bar exam as a social media intern. It truly was a wonderful experience to learn from and I’m honored to pass-along a few of the tips I learned along the way. I’ll give a series of lessons with examples of how it worked for me before asking you to ask yourself: should you work while studying for the bar exam?
- Be honest with yourself. I think this is the hardest lesson learned and is the reason why I listed it first. As BARBRI will tell you, studying for the bar exam is a mental beat down. I describe it as boot camp for your brain. However, don’t let that discourage you. You should listen when your instructors say it is an honor to take the bar exam —you’ve worked really hard to get where you are. And along the way you’ve made habits that work for you. Don’t give into peer pressure to abandon those habits. This goes double for when it comes to subjects. You want to be bad in an area that you don’t know because BARBRI will give you wonderful tools to help you improve in that area.
For me: I’ve always been the type of person to overload myself and burn out. Fortunately, I have a wonderful girlfriend who helped me realize when I needed to take a break. But I didn’t always put it on those around me. I built into my schedule a number of breaks for me to unwind and refresh my brain. If you study for an hour, take a 10-minute break to watch a cat video or, even better, get up and enjoy some fresh air.
- Make a schedule. No matter what your study habits are, making a schedule is important. BARBRI will give you a great outline of what topics you will study and when, but get into the habit, especially if you are balancing work, of planning out your week.
For me: I made a rough outline for the entire process of studying for the bar. On Sunday, I would sit down and see what needed to be moved around and also to make myself aware of what deadlines for work I had that week.
- Be honest with those around you. This goes for both your employers (if you should choose to work), and your friends and family. Share your schedule with your boss(es) and your loved ones so they have an idea of what you up against. If your boss wants you to take on a new assignment, don’t feel shy in saying that it might not be a good idea because you have property coming up this week.
For me: I shared my weekly plan with my bosses and also those I spent a significant amount of time with. This allowed me to stick to my schedule and not to over-commit in any one area. Plus, if something really interesting came up in work, I could use my breaks to tackle it as a mental refresher.
- Don’t be your own worst enemy. This is my last tip. The bar exam is entirely a mental game, and the game begins when you study. It is completely possible to have a full-time job and study for the bar exam, but you have to know when to turn it off for the night. Studying for the bar exam is about being honest with yourself on what works for you, and what doesn’t; what areas you really know, and which ones you need to spend more time on.
For me: I’m the type of person who thrives on lists. I completed between 95-100% of the assigned work from BARBRI. Now, many of those assignments are given as guidelines. You might need to spend the full 3-4 hours reviewing your notes on a topic area you really aren’t understanding. Or you might need even less in another area. What I can recommend and what I did is to really crank it up in the last two weeks. I toned my actual work down to 0 and turned my studying up to 100. Find the balance that will leave you feeling satisfied at the end of the day when you call it a night.
So, weigh my tips and decide for yourself: is it right for me? Will I let one area slip more than another? Do I not feel comfortable sticking to such a tight schedule? Am I afraid of disappointing those I work with? Then maybe you should consider working less, or on a project-basis. At the end of the day, I believe anyone can work and study for the bar. The question for you is how much you think you can work and still feel happy with your study progress.