Preparing for the bar exam is a daunting task. The bar exam is the true culmination of your law school career and the final hurdle (other than passing character and fitness) to becoming a licensed attorney. Because of what is at stake, many students feel the pressure of passing the bar exam on the first try. To alleviate pressure, you can begin preparing for the bar exam well before the exam date. And one great way to do that is to take law school courses that cover the material tested on the bar exam.
Taking classes that will prepare you for the bar exam maximizes your chances of passing the exam on the first attempt. After all, studying for the bar exam is more manageable if you are simply reviewing material, rather learning new subjects (particularly challenging ones like Evidence) for the first time.
Luckily, your law school will help get you on track to prepare for the bar exam from day one. Most schools require that 1Ls take some of the courses that often appear on the bar exam — Property, Torts, Contracts and Sales, Criminal Law and Procedure, Civil Procedure and Constitutional Law.
As a bonus, these topics could likely appear on both the multiple-choice and written portions of the exam. So, by simply completing 1L year courses, you are one critical step closer to preparing for the bar exam.
Keep in mind that some of the above-mentioned subjects may be offered through more advanced courses. For example, in addition to 1L Real Property, many law schools offer Real Estate Law courses. Some schools may only have one required semester of Constitutional Law with a second semester of Constitutional Law available as an elective. If so, you should consider taking more advanced courses that explore additional concepts or more in-depth versions of the concepts learned in your 1L classes.
The bar exam does test more than your 1L subjects. There are additional courses you can consider. Keep in mind that the state in which you are taking the bar exam will ultimately determine the best courses to take. Many states (but not all) have adopted the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE).
If you are taking the UBE, you should consider the following classes: Evidence; Corporations, Agency and Partnership (often called Business Organizations); Secured Transactions; Family Law; and Trusts and Estates.
Note: If you are taking the UBE in 2026 or 2027, Family Law, Trusts and Estates and Secured Transactions will not appear on the essay portion of the exam; these classes may not be necessary to take. Family Law will, however, begin appearing on the bar exam again in July 2028.
If your state has its own bar exam, it’s important to first verify which subjects are tested to best determine which law school courses will prepare you for that exam. For example, the California Bar Exam tests Community Property and Remedies — topics that do not appear on the UBE. The best way to ensure that you make good course decisions is to first research the exact bar exam topics for your state.
The final law school courses to consider taking are writing-intensive ones, or internships and clinics that provide the opportunity to complete writing tasks. Honing your writing skills for the written portion of the bar exam — which consists of the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) and Multistate Performance Test (MPT) for the UBE — is a critical way to prepare. Being able to clearly define and state your written answers on the bar exam is one way to maximize the points received.
By learning the topics tested on the bar exam in law school, as well as honing the skills necessary to complete the exam efficiently and effectively, you will be more prepared and closer to passing the bar exam on your first try.
