Hello all,

The July 2018 California bar exam will be held on Tuesday, July 24 and Wednesday, July 25. Timely filing for the July 2018 bar exam is just around the corner! Applicants have until April 2, 2018 to meet the timely filing deadline for the July 2018 bar exam. The final filing date (but with an increased fee) is June 15, 2018.

When should I begin my bar studies?

It is never too early to begin your studies. Well, let’s just say that March/April is definitely not too early to begin your studies for the July 2018 bar exam. I am not suggesting putting in 6 03 8 hours a day right now. But, it couldn’t hurt to study at least a few hours a week right now and increase that in April.

Should I study while I am waiting for my February 2018 bar results?

Many examinees who are waiting for bar results struggle with whether they should study while waiting for bar results. There are a few schools of thought on this and it truly is a personal decision as to what is best for you. But, I will tell you this: I have never met any bar examinee who regretted that they spent some of their waiting on bar results time on studying for the next bar exam. This is true of those that passed and those that did not (for, I think, obvious reasons).

If you just took the February 2018 bar exam and you are worried (who isn’t) about whether you passed it or not, you might want to consider studying some now. I am not suggesting every day study. But, it couldn’t hurt to study some. Especially practicing some of those MBEs. As you know, the MBEs are now 50% of your scaled score. The MBEs are do-able but, most definitely take a lot of practice and a lot of time before you become really proficient. And with the new two-day bar exam, you really need to be good at those MBEs as they now carry a lot more weight.

Some examinees are simply good MBE takers. They seem to have a natural gift with the multiple choice format. But, most examinees (myself included) simply need to practice and practice and practice the MBEs repetitively in order to become a strong MBE taker. This takes time. As a result, it just makes good sense to sit down and practice MBEs now, and regularly, until you have numbers that are well over 70%. We recommend that our students reach 82% in practice in order to have the best chance of passing the exam. One of the best ways to achieve numbers like this is to practice MBEs, study the answers and make flash cards for any missed MBEs.

Studying while you wait for bar results is really a personal decision. I suggest thinking of it this way: if studying would relieve anxiety – then do it. If studying now would increase anxiety, then maybe it isn’t for you. But, if you study for a few months and then are fortunate enough to receive passing results in May, I doubt you will be upset that you spent some of your time studying. And, should you not make the passing list, you will most definitely be glad that you got a jump start on your studies.

All the best to those who are waiting for bar results!

Lisa Duncanson
Founder/Program Director
Bar None Review
Blog: BarExamGuru
Website: Bar None Review