A quarterback can easily misread what the defense is “showing” when he fails to properly study film. As a bar taker you can’t miss a lot of  “reads” on the bar exam. The facts in your bar exam fact pattern and the question presented provides insight on how to answer the question. There are also common fact patterns used to test certain legal issues. . On the bar exam you must “read” issues that are in the fact pattern. What legal issue are you discovering when you read the fact pattern? Missing a read means missing an issue which will cost you points on the bar exam. Ask yourself, wh ..read more

Every year an entire team will hoist the Lombardi trophy above their heads in celebration that they are the Super Bowl Champs. The team has bragging rights for LIFE, a parade, championship ring, and additional pay. You put some respect on the players’ names because they competed and won a Super Bowl. In the legal field the bar exam is our Super Bowl. We have lifelong bragging rights to call ourselves an “attorney” pending any professional responsibility issues. Our parade is the swearing-in ceremony where it becomes “official” in front of our on-looking family and friends that we are attorneys ..read more

In football, the quarterback will call an audible which essentially changes the play based on how the opposing team’s defense is lined up. The quarterback makes the last minute adjustment to make the best play against the opposing team. During bar prep there will be times when you intend to study, but a strong defensive front of anxiety, fear, and doubt cause you to second guess whether you deserve to pass the bar exam. When this happens you MUST call an audible. How can you adjust to the dreaded mindset defenses? Here are a few mental plays you can execute. Line up in a position of victory ..read more

A false start in football is when a player moves prematurely before the snap or start of the play. The ENTIRE team is penalized because all players MUST be ready to start the play WHEN the ball is snapped. The false start penalty is costly because the result is the offending team must move further away from the direction of a touch down or field goal. Some bar takers are MOVING before the SNAP of the time that they are ready to play for their bar license on the bar exam. Taking the bar exam before you are ready can have you moving in the opposite direction of passing the bar exam as well. The ..read more

Some athletes play with a “chip” on their shoulders. They were not a high draft pick, were overlooked by some of the best teams, scouts, and coaches, and constantly feel the need to “prove” themselves. Can you relate? You know how great you are. You are smart, you did well in law school, and you have always been a high achiever. You’ve always worn SUCCESS and this FAILURE jersey is not a good fit. Failing the bar exam has you angry, confused, and second-guessing your greatness. One of the main reasons repeat bar takers continue to “repeat” the bar exam is because they mentally NEVER got over N ..read more

For any given sport you will see athletes stretching their muscles and doing a few repetitions of movement before the game. This is known as the “warm up.” The benefit of warming up is that you are slowly preparing your body before you are ready to perform at the highest level. There is a common  saying that you should “stay ready so that you don’t have to get ready.” This saying is especially helpful for bar takers who are studying for the upcoming February bar exam. The February bar exam is always tricky because bar takers receive their bar results near the time of registering for the F ..read more

As you may or may not know I am a huge football fanatic. Therefore, Saturdays and Sundays are extra important to me. While watching the games I noticed that a lot of the teams with losing records have upset teams with winning records. What does that have to do with bar prep?  Most people reading my blogs are repeat bar takers. You have had a losing record when it comes to passing the bar exam. Like losing teams you have to learn from your mistakes. What happened that caused your prior bar exam failures? Do you need to study differently? Make more time to study? Get additional help to impr ..read more