Enjoying Bar Prep: 6 Ways to Make Studying for the Bar Exam More Fun and Effective (Visual Guide)

Is it possible to enjoy bar prep?

It’s one of the dryest things a person can do on this planet. But we retain more and pay more attention when things are enjoyable.

The default, typical approach to bar prep involves sitting still like a statue watching people in a suit drone on as you fantasize about throwing yourself out the window (not your computer though…you already paid the exam laptop fees).

If you’re especially masochistic, you’ll pause the video and make sure to fill in all the lecture notes because you think your Barbri books will be a fine addition to your future library.

This is all surprisingly exhausting.

As a bonus, you’ll also forget 99% of what you listened to. I’d rather watch water boil because at least I’d have something to show for it, like edible pasta.

“Just complete the course! Here’s some busy work! Play it safe and you’ll be fine!”—The National Association of Barbri (probably)

The default way of doing things feels nice because you can’t get anything wrong when you’re just absorbing information. You won’t taste defeat, but you won’t taste victory either.

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Passing the CA Bar Exam (First Try) Without Completing a Bar Review Course

Alex passed the July 2025 California Bar Exam on his first attempt.

He started with a bar review course but didn’t quite follow it closely. He skipped a bunch of Themis assignments. He ended up not completing the course.

💬 “I basically followed the Themis study schedule. I completed about 85% according to their tracking metric. But that’s not entirely accurate as I marked some tasks complete that I didn’t do to get them off the schedule. For example, I didn’t do any of the outline readings except for the first one and I did skip some of the essays. I also skipped the essay and MBE review videos as I felt they were time consuming and I did not get much out of them.”

Wait a minute! Aren’t you supposed to do everything they say? What did he do instead?

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Are you finally ready to listen yet? Here’s how to get unstuck in bar prep

They say that overthinking happens when you don’t trust your gut.

You already know what to do. The problem is that you don’t trust yourself enough to do it.

Maybe you should learn to listen to your gut a little more instead of regretting it later in your most private moments.

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Holiday Motivation for Bar Exam: 3 Ways to Keep Going During Bar Prep

What do you say when you’re not sure how to talk to a new person at a networking event (or holiday party)?

A script that worked well for me:

  1. Walk toward someone.
  2. Extend a hand.
  3. Say, “Hi, I don’t think we met. What’s your name?” or “Mind if I join?”

And then you’re off to the races.

If this seems too simple, that’s the point.

It’s not the perfect tactical wordsmithing that makes or breaks you. It’s the fact that you acted and short-circuited your approach anxiety.

The parallel here to bar prep is to not spend too much time agonizing over which supplements to use, which newsletters to follow (mine of course)…

When you factor in the time spent overthinking about different options, they no longer become the fastest, best, or easiest.

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2025 Bar Prep in Review: Strategies That Will Work in 2026

Here’s a compilation of top tips from stories of FOUR different July 2025 bar exam passers.

They’re a mix of repeaters and first timers, and those who took the California Bar Exam and the UBE. Something here will work for you too.

Think about what lessons you’ll take into 2026.

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