Skip to content 
Law school graduation is just around the corner for some of you lucky 3Ls. In the days surrounding your law school graduation, you will feel pretty good about yourself. You just emerged on the other end of the law school vortex shiny, vibrant, and successful. After that euphoria wears off, two things will weigh on your mind. The first being the behemoth that is the bar exam, and the second being money. The idea of student loan debt trickling in is worse than the plot of a bad horror film, but some people have to work while preparing for the bar. Bills and everyday life don’t stop for the bar exam. When you mention that you are working and studying, you probably either get a raised eyebrow or pitying looks. Is it possible to work and study for the bar? While it’s not impossible, it is not recommended that you study and work so that you can maximize your chances of passing and not have to repeat the whole process again. That caution being out of the way, of course you can pass if you are studying and working at the same time.Adjust your expectations
Our number one advice is that you must adjust your expectations while studying for the bar and working. For many people, studying for the bar exam is their full time job after graduation. Not everyone has the luxury. So, what’s our best advice for you hard-working multi-taskers?
Choose a bar prep provider
We aren’t just saying this because we are in the business. It is important that you have reputable study materials. Some providers, ahem, ahem, even provide you with practice study calendars that are longer than six weeks. You need to make sure that the course will fit your schedule. Our program can be accessed at any point in your studies–a year out, six months out, etc.
Adjust your study schedule
You have to be mindful of when the bar exam is offered. It is only offered twice a year, in February and July, in all jurisdictions. You will probably need longer than six weeks to prepare for the exam if you are working. Some bar review providers only give their students six weeks to do all of their bar prep. We let you start when you need to start studying. We want you to be fully prepared for the exam whether that means you need six months or a year to prepare for the exam. There is no standard time frame for how long a person should prepare. Understandably, six weeks isn’t going to be enough if you are only studying 3-4 hours a day.
Adjust your work schedule if possible
You should try to work fewer hours if you are preparing for the exam. It’s stressful and daunting trying to juggle work and studying. If it’s not realistic to reduce your work hours for the duration of your studies, you should at least try to get some time off before the test.
Remember, it’s not impossible. It can be done, but you must adjust your expectations and your study schedule. Need help deciding on a program? We have a Part Time Bar Review program that we would be happy to discuss with you. Contact us at 800-529-2651.