Preparing for the bar exam? Great. Now let’s make sure you don’t sabotage your own success.
Even the hardest-working students fall into preventable traps — wasting time, skipping critical skills or burning out right before game day.
Before you dive into another practice question, take a minute to make sure you’re not making any of these common mistakes. It could make all the difference.
Neglecting the written portion of the bar exam
Many bar takers spend too much time drilling multiple-choice questions and not enough time on the written portion — especially the Multistate Performance Test (MPT).
If you’re taking the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), the MPT is worth 20% of your score. That means, by default, about 20% of your study time should go toward the MPT. So, if you study five days a week, dedicate one full day to MPT practice. You might need to adjust this based on how comfortable you are with the format and how quickly you’re progressing but start with one day per week as your default.
The MPT isn’t about fancy legal writing — it’s about time management. You’ll have 90 minutes (as a standard test taker) to read, analyze and complete a legal task, such as a memo or brief. Being unprepared can mean running out of time, scoring low and starting the exam flustered.
If you’re prepared, you start strong.
Failing to practice essays effectively
You also need consistent practice with Multistate Essay Exams (MEE). At a minimum, bullet-point your answers before reviewing model answers. This helps you spot recurring legal issues and get comfortable with the IRAC (issue, rule, analysis, conclusion) format that bar graders expect.
Bar exam essays are not law school essays. Here’s how they differ.
Most bar exam questions identify the issues for you. You won’t spend most of your time issue-spotting like in law school.
You don’t “argue both sides” nearly as much on a bar exam essay as you may have on a law school essay. Your job is typically to apply the law directly to the facts.
Conclusions matter. Unlike in law school, where professors may reward nuanced analysis, bar exam graders are often looking for the “right” conclusion supported by a clear rule and application.
Prioritizing quantity over quality on the MBE
Some students make the mistake of answering hundreds of MBE questions a day. But success doesn’t come from sheer volume — it comes from understanding.
So, slow down! For each MBE question carefully read and dissect the fact pattern, identify the legal issue, recall and apply the rule and answer the question.
If you get a question wrong, write down why. Did you misunderstand the law? Miss the issue? Rush through it? Regularly review these mistakes to spot patterns, identify weaknesses and improve strategically.
Ignoring your mental and physical health
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that more studying = better results. But skipping sleep, exercise and breaks in an effort to “study more” is counterproductive.
Your brain works best when your body is taken care of. That means prioritizing sleep, eating well, exercising regularly and taking breaks.
These habits improve your focus, retention and overall performance. Don’t sacrifice your health in the name of productivity — it’ll backfire.
You don’t need to be perfect, but avoiding these common mistakes will help you study smarter — and improve your chances of passing the bar exam.
Structure your time wisely, take care of yourself and stay focused on the goal.
