The Bar Exam is not the ultimate law school test. It is the first test of the practice of law.
This fundamental understanding changes the way to prepare for the exam. Imagine a hallway with 2 doors – one on the left side of the hall, the other on the right. Behind the door on the left is law school and through the door is graduation and a diploma.
On the other side of the hallway is a door leading to the practice of law. It is this second door that we call the “bar exam.”
Now, here’s the problem: A lot of bar takers assume that there is only one door – and that it leads directly from the law school room to the legal practice, and thus they take the bar as if it were the ultimate law school exam. And that, friends, is a disastrous mistake.
Rather than studying for the bar exam like a test that evaluates the skills to practice law, many bar takers study as though it is the culmination of their law school experience. They memorize rules, recite elements of law, spot issues and write from attack outlines. As any practicing member of the Bar will tell you, this is NOT the practice of law.
In legal practice, an attorney analyzes the facts to craft arguments for their clients, demonstrates how the law supports those arguments to judges, juries and clients, and remains focused on what is in dispute in a problem. Not surprisingly, this is what the bar exam tests in every jurisdiction. And sadly, what the BigBox Bar Reviews fail to teach at all.
Knowing and studying with this difference in mind makes the bar exam a very different experience – and leads to a very different outcome. So check your studies and ask yourself, “Am I studying for the right test?” and navigate the Hallway successfully!
If you’d like to know more about how Celebration Bar Review can help you navigate the bar exam, click below for a copy of our Free eBook: How to Study for the Bar Exam. There’s no obligation and it has a wealth of information to make your studies successful.
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