It is an understatement to say that studying for the bar exam is one of the worst periods in the life of a young lawyer. After spending three years in law school, and after borrowing unbelievable sums of money, law school graduates must shell out even more cash to study for and take the bar exam. If these individuals do not pass the bar exam, all of the money and time they spent earning a law degree will be wasted. Since the stakes are so high, most bar candidates borrow money and go to extreme lengths to make sure that they are ready to take the bar exam.
However, a few people have reached out to me over the past several months to relate that they want to take the cheap route when studying for the bar exam. Some individuals emailed me to convey that they would not take a bar course in order to prepare for the bar exam, and would just buy some old bar outlines and wing it. Of course, we all know people who have taken this approach and passed the bar exam, and it might seem foolish to spend so much money studying for the bar exam when some individuals spend far less. However, there are certain things you can be thrifty about when studying for the bar exam, and certain things you should invest money on to ensure that you are successful when sitting for the bar.
Let’s start with some of the things you can cheap out on. One of the biggest ways you can save money while studying for the bar exam is to crash with family and minimize living costs. Sure, it can be difficult to move back in with family after spending three years at school and experiencing all of the freedoms involved with living alone. However, the bar season is a relatively short period of time, and you can save thousands of dollars in living costs by crashing with family.
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Nevertheless, you might not want to live with family during the bar season if you think that this could distract you from adequately studying for the bar exam. This was one of the main reasons why I lived on my own when I studied for the bar exam. The only family I could have lived with while studying for the bar exam were my grandparents, and this living situation would not have been ideal.
My grandparents did not have internet access, and I knew we would not be compatible “roommates.” Since I knew I needed fast internet and privacy to successfully study for the bar exam, I lived on my own while studying for the test, even though it cost me an extra five thousand dollars to do so. All told, you should only crash with family to save on living expenses if it will not affect your studying.
One thing you should usually not cheap out on while studying for the bar exam is a bar review course. Some people think that they can adequately prepare for the bar exam by reading old bar outlines and reviewing hand-me-down materials. And, of course, there are some people out there who can pass the bar exam by doing the minimal amount necessary. However, many people need the routine and expertise of a traditional bar review course. Failing the bar exam can have a massive impact on your life. Of course, not passing the bar exam will impact your employment prospects, personal life, and many parts of your career. Even if you pass the bar exam later on, failing the exam the first time will still impact you. Since the stakes are so high when it comes to the bar exam, it usually does not make sense to cheap out on bar review materials.
Furthermore, you should consider spending the money to buy a good computer if you do not already have one. Most states now allow people to take the bar exam on their computers, and it is usually advisable to do this. As Above the Law has detailed at length over the past several years, bar candidates routinely experience technical difficulties while taking the bar exam, and sometimes, the bar exam software itself fails. If you do not have a reliable computer, you might be more likely to experience technical issues when taking the bar exam.
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This was one of the reasons why I bought a new laptop before taking the bar exam. My old computer had experienced several “Blue Screens of Death,” and I was not confident that the computer would work well on exam day. Also, to be honest, the new computer came with a free Xbox 360, which I still use to this day! In any case, it is okay to spend money on an item that will ensure you are successful on the bar exam, since so much is riding on passing the bar.
In the end, it can be very difficult to spend extra money when studying for the bar exam. Law school costs so much money, and it might be a real gut punch to shell out additional cash on bar-season essentials. Of course, you can make some decisions that will decrease the amount of money you need to spend while studying, but in many instances, you should shell out cash to ensure you are successful on the bar exam.
Jordan Rothman is the founder of Student Debt Diaries, a personal finance website discussing how he paid off all $197,890.20 of his college and law school student loans over 46 months of his late 20s. You can reach him at [email protected].