Study sessions don’t have to be long to be fruitful. If you’re a busy law student or graduate preparing for the bar exam, take test prep on the go.
I’ve coached many students to law school and bar exam success, and very few of them could fit all their preparation into lengthy blocks of time spent at the library or a desk. Many needed to prepare for exams alongside other major responsibilities. For these students, shifting their mindsets allowed progress in remarkable settings. One student prepped for the bar exam while working the hostess stand in a diner. Another student studied while on active military duty in a foreign country. And a third prepared for law school exams in between the demands of caring for four kids. If these students can study on the go, so can you.
The right mindset is key. Banish “I can’t” from your vocabulary. Making meaningful progress starts with believing you can and then slotting small study tasks into busy days.
What strategies can you take on the go?
Unless you’re lucky enough to be facing an open-book exam, memorization is a crucial part of exam preparation. Memorization drills are easy to take on the go. Flashcards are highly portable whether you favor a hardcopy deck or digital cards on your cell phone. Flashcards are also easy to pick up and put down—perfect for making progress when you have a few minutes.
The rule drill sheet is another great memorization strategy, and it’s doable in many settings. Start with a list of tested concepts, and then see if you can write a complete rule statement. For a law school exam, you can start with a list of concepts on your syllabus. For the bar exam, consider making personalized rule drill sheets—target highly tested material, such as negligence and formation of contracts.
If working on memorization seems overwhelming, break big goals into smaller steps. Instead of aiming to memorize evidence, try working on a smaller slice of the law, such as hearsay. Segmenting memorization makes it feel more doable.
Quiz on the Go
Multiple-choice practice doesn’t have to be completed in long sets. Complete a short quiz—or even a single question—while you’re on the go. A single question is achievable in many settings. On the bar exam, one multiple-choice question takes 1.8 minutes. If you add in time to review the answer explanation, it still takes no longer than 5 minutes.
You’ll pack a lot of punch in those minutes. Multiple-choice practice questions are a powerful tool to prepare for final exams and the bar exam. Each question helps you recall and apply the law. Plus, reviewing the answer explanation reinforces the substantive law and corrects any misunderstandings before the exam. You don’t need to bring bulky books with you. You can download the Quimbee app for iOS or Android and access thousands of multiple-choice questions on your phone.
Plus, students who take multiple-choice questions on the go master handling imperfect conditions for focus. The testing environment for any exam, including the bar exam, may contain nagging distractions. An examinee who has practiced questions “in the wild” won’t lose focus even if seated next to noisy neighbors.
If you’re still in the early stages of preparing, you might not feel ready for quizzing. In that case, take a lesson video on the go. It might be tough to fit in a lengthy lecture, but Quimbee offers bite-sized videos perfect for law school and for the bar exam.
Preparing for any exam is tough—at times, your energy is sapped. When the going gets tough, try these strategies:
Make success a reality with Quimbee. Expert-written case briefs, outlines, and a practice-oriented bar review course give you the edge you’ll need to ace law school finals and conquer the bar exam. Book a free, 30-minute tour of Quimbee Bar Review+ to learn more.
