One common mistake I hear from bar studiers is that they did not move on to a new subject because they didn’t feel confident with the one they just studied. For example, Monday and Tuesday, the student learned civil procedure, and on Wednesday they are to start evidence, but they don’t move on because they feel as though they do not have civil procedure memorized. The student has also already completed real property, contracts, and torts. It’s okay to not have everything memorized, or even slightly memorized, before you move on to another subject. It’s also okay to move on to the next subject. The answer lies in the fact that you have to keep moving and keep reviewing.
What could this look like?
Sample Day Schedule
8:00 AM – 8:45 AM – Contracts essay and review
9:00 AM – 1:30 PM – Evidence lecture
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM – Break
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM – Review Evidence lecture notes and evidence review; small evidence MBE set on covered topics
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM – Review civil procedure/civil procedure MBE questions
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM – Dinner break
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM – Memorization block of real property, contracts, and torts (mixed)
This is just an example of how you can still move forward with learning new material while incorporating study in what you have already learned. Your days can vary, but this is just one way of how to do it. It’s important to keep moving forward because you want to have the material, up front, under your belt, so you can sit with it, internalize it, and practice with it.
You can do it at a faster pace – do not tell yourself that you can’t. Always remember to have some faith in yourself along the way.
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