Thursday, July 8, 2010

Being Selfish with One's Time

The bar exam is just over two weeks away; this is not a time to be selfless with one's time. If anything, this is a critical juncture during which one should be refining their knowledge of the law and not "cramming" for an uncrammable exam. This is a time to be selfish with one's time and to be honest about what works - and what doesn't work - for you. If something doesn't work (e.g. a memory system, a study style of a fellow bar examinee, etc.), don't be afraid to extricate yourself from that which is unworkable for you. This is your future income and future career.

This is also a time to commit legal concepts to long term memory. Having been provided advice from a bar exam instructor in 2009, to commit 1,000 flash cards to memory in a 7-day period just prior to the bar exam, on Day 2 I realized that attempting to cram the black letter law in seven days was very unworkable for me. Moreover, I believe that this poor advice was a contributory factor in throwing my game during the actual bar exam. I am not a crammer. Perhaps I "assumed the risk" of using the advice - throw a first-timer a life-line, and they will take it, thinking that you, the instructor, have the magic solution toward passing the bar exam.

Ah, but there is no magic solution. The only solution is diligence and practice. A concert violinist becomes renowned for their playing not by practicing one week before a concert, but for months before. . .come exam day, I'd like to be ready for my audience - the bar examinee - and to wow them with my analysis (at least one can hope!)

No comments: