Skip to main content

Law Grads: Are You Ready for Bar Prep?

By George Khoury, Esq. on May 15, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Graduation ceremonies are happening across the country. But graduating law students don't get to revel in the same way as other graduates, at least not until after the bar exam, which is usually over two months after commencement.

Sure, earning a JD is a big deal, but getting licensed as an attorney is, arguably, more important. And while most law grads will take a week or two off before getting started on bar prep, that decision may be one to carefully consider. Getting a little bit of rest and relaxation before going full bore bar prep can be really beneficial, but if you aren't prepared for your bar prep course on day 1, you could be courting catastrophe. So before you set sail on your graduation vacation, heed the following:

Bar Prep Courses Start Before the First Day

Remember that first day of law school where that one classmate got called on to recite the facts of a case that no one had read? Well, your bar prep course could very well be just like that. Unlike law school where you spend a semester on each subject, a bar prep course could breeze through the entire subject in a single day. That means if you haven't done your reading and reviewing and practice questions before the first lecture, you're already significantly behind.

Before you go off on your graduation vacation, take a look at your bar prep course syllabus. Doing so can put your mind at ease that you scheduled yourself enough time (and saved enough money) to prep for your bar course. Or it can alert you to the fact that you do have bar prep work to do before the course starts.

Bar Prep Sleep Schedule

Another important piece of the bar prep puzzle is getting onto a good sleep schedule. Sleeping is incredibly important to brain functioning, particularly when it comes to memory and learning. If you can get your sleep schedule figured out before you start your prep course, you'll not only be regularly refreshed and ready to study every morning, you'll learn better. And getting that sleep schedule figured out will be a lot more difficult if you're fighting jet lag and a week-long hangover.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard