The Final Weeks of Bar Prep: How To Best Handle The Time You Have Left

Students begin to feel increased stress in these final weeks of bar prep. What are some of these common stressful feelings?

• “I don’t know enough.”
• “I don’t have enough time.”
• “I have so much to do and not enough time to do it.”
• “I can’t increase my scores in the amount of time I have left.”

If you’ve caught yourself saying or thinking these things – you’re in good company. The list could also go on. These feelings are common. Although they are common, it’s important to put plans in place to conquer these feelings. What are some things we can do?

1. Have daily check-ins with yourself. Look at your progress and look to see what is working for you and what is not working. Look at what areas you really need to tackle and work on. Make to-do or study lists so you feel like you have a plan in place to deal with the areas you struggle with or the areas you need to work on. And, as I always say: trust yourself – you know more than you think you do. Trust yourself to know what you need to work on and how you need to move forward. You know you better than anyone else, and only you can create the path to success you need.
2. Take care of yourself. This is always a requirement, but self-care is the first thing that seems to go down the drain when we think we are running out of time. Don’t lose sense of how important it is to take care of yourself. Exercise, eat right, and get sleep. Taking care of yourself is just as important as studying, and in fact, it’s all part of the process. You need to be ready and strong for exam day, and you get there by taking care of your body and your mind.
3. Practice and review, practice and review, and repeat. These final weeks are all about increased practice and review. It’s time to kick it into gear with the amount of questions you do and the amount of simulated practice you participate in. Practice not only gets you ready for the exam test-taking wise, but it is also a great way to memorize and review. Plan study time to practice the MBE, MEE and MPT.
4. Stay positive. It’s easy to get washed up in negativity each day the exam gets closer. You’ve been studying. You’ve been practicing. You’ve been doing everything you are supposed to do. You will continue to do it. You do not need to be ready to take the exam tomorrow, but you will be ready on July 30. There’s time left, and this time is what you need. Tell yourself that you can do it. You can do it.