The 3 Things People Who Pass The Bar Exam Do

(But won’t admit to!)

logo-marino-legalAt Marino, we have helped literally thousands of students pass the bar exam, many of whom had previously failed once, twice or many times before coming to us. Given our experience with helping bar exam test takers, we want to share with you the three things people who pass the bar exam do, but don’t admit to:

1) Hiring a bar exam tutor. It used to be that many people considered tutoring to be remedial, but now almost everyone recognizes the truth – that tutoring is perhaps the most effective investment you can make to ensure that you pass the bar exam. A tutor cannot only help you understand the substantive law that you can’t quite grasp, but also can give you the guidance you need to stay on track and focus your studying where it will benefit you the most in terms of actually increasing your scores on each section of the exam. While taking a bar review course will instruct you in the law, having a bar review tutor will give you an actual instructor.

There is no question that the right tutor will boost your chances of passing the bar exam. However, you must make sure that you pick the right tutor for you. Many lawyers claim to be tutors, but very few have actually been trained with proven tutoring methodologies and techniques to ensure you learn the strategies necessary to be successful on the bar exam. Make sure that when selecting a tutor you don’t simply go to a service that will assign you to a random tutor. You want to go somewhere where the service will evaluate your needs and match you with the perfect tutor to accomplish your study goals.

2) Learning more than just the law. While bar review courses simply “review” the law, they do not help you take the exam. Most courses simply throw tons of law at you and expect you to figure out what to do with it. However, the bar exam is a test of points and knowing how to write a good essay is not the same as knowing how to write a bar exam essay that will score enough points to pass. Many exam takers will reach out to outside sources to help them learn how to approach the different sections of the exam. Learning strategies to attack the different sections of the bar exam is as or more important than knowing the law.

Moreover, getting personalized feedback is essential for understanding how you can improve. While most bar review courses do grade your essays, the feedback you receive can be almost useless. Successful bar exam takers don’t settle for the feedback that their bar review courses gives them. They seek out expert opinions whether from a tutor or a former professor.

3) Understanding who they are. After nearly 70 years of helping students prepare for the bar exam, we have learned that students typically pass the bar exam in order of their GPA at graduation. Students in the top 10% nearly all pass, while students in the bottom 10% nearly all fail. The biggest mistake students make is not understanding why they are at the top or bottom of their class. Those students who pass the exam either appreciate that they are at the top because they understand how to maximize their studying or are at the bottom and realize that they need to try something different. You can’t simply “study harder” for the bar exam and expect to pass.

Be honest with yourself.  Do you tend to procrastinate? Do you stress out easily? Do you have trouble keeping to a schedule?

You need to come up with a study schedule and approach that will work for you. While many bar review courses are a one-size-fits-all approach that will work for some, successful students will look into the mirror and change or seek help for the areas that need improvement.

To learn more about Marino tutoring for the bar exam or to receive your free score report evaluation, just email info@marinolegal.com with a copy of your score report or call our office at 212-249-3779 for help.