Bar Exam Study Schedule for Self Studiers

If you are preparing for the bar exam on your own, it is imperative that you either find a solid study schedule to follow, or develop your own. When I was doing my self-study, it took quite a bit of planning, trial, and error to figure out an effective and efficient schedule. After a while, I had ironed out all kinks. I broke up the study plan into first reviewing the law, and then practicing essays, PTs, and MBEs. Here is the study schedule and how to follow it.

From day 1, you are going to be reviewing the law, writing essays and doing MBEs.  From the first week you are going to be doing practice PTs.  You follow this plan throughout.  Once you have finished doing the substantive review of all the bar subjects, however, you will have finished that step and will only be working on taking practice tests.

The study schedule outlined here is based on doing a 12 week preparation, full-time.  You will study only 8 hours per day, 6 days per week, plus 4 hours on Sundays.  This is a steady pace.  It is not extreme; you will not have a mental breakdown on this schedule.  You will have time for adequate rest and whatever it is you do for relaxation (hobby, exercise, social events, etc.).  Both rest and personal time is extremely important!

If you do find for some reason that you are falling behind or need to put in more time, this schedule allows for that.  You will be able to increase your daily study hours without going overboard because you have the other 16 hours per day to work with.  Nevertheless, if you follow the plan I outline, you are unlikely to need to increase your study time.  That is because all your study time is being spent wisely, and you will be surprised how productive you are in those 8 hours.

Here is what your daily schedule will look like when you are first starting out and doing substantive review as well as practice tests.  I have used a traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, but of course you will be choosing your own hours.

Monday - Saturday
8 a.m. - 10 a.m. Substantive Review (reading only)
10 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. 15 minute break (eat/drink, use restroom, take a short walk and/or stretch)
10:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Continue substantive review
12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch Break (get some fresh air!)
12:45 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. 35 practice MBEs (approx. 1 hr) & Review (approx. 1 hr; if you finish sooner, take your break and move on to essays)
2:45 p.m. - 3 p.m. 15 minute break
3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Practice essays and review (approx. 2-3 essays)

Sunday (relax and sleep in)
1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Take a full-length practice PT
4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Review PT

Once you have finished doing your substantive review and are only doing practice tests, your schedule should look like this:

Monday - Saturday
8 a.m. - 11 a.m. Practice essays and review (approx. 2)
11 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. 15 minute break (eat/drink, use restroom, take a short walk and/or stretch)
11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. 35 practice MBEs (approx. 1 hr)
12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. Lunch Break (get some fresh air!)
12:45 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. MBE Review (approx. 1 hr; if you finish sooner, move on to essays)
1:45 p.m. - 2 p.m. 15 minute break
2 p.m. - 5 p.m. Practice essays and review (approx. 2)

Sunday (relax and sleep in)
1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Take a full-length practice PT
4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Review PT

If you follow this schedule, you can see how quickly you are going to become proficient at every part of the bar exam.  In just 1 week of following this schedule, you will have completed 210 MBEs, 24 full-length practice essays, and 1 full-length PT!  Your skill and confidence will be through the roof by the time you take the exam.  That is what The Goat's Guide approach is all about.

This approach is not merely just about quantity, but quality also. I don't advocate doing MBEs and essays just to do them - there is a specific strategy to ensure you get the absolute most out of every practice MBE, essay, and PT that you take. That way, your knowledge of the law will be growing by leaps and bounds. Further information about these strategies will be revealed in future posts, but if you are anxious to learn the full study program, you can get it by purchasing The Goat's Guide.

{The study schedule I developed and share with you here comes straight out of my book The Goat's Guide: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing for the California Bar Exam on Your Own}