Now that you are finished with law school and studying for the upcoming bar exam, you are feeling excited and nervous. Even though you have excelled during the past four years of law school, passing the bar exam will not be easy. However, if you take the time to put in the hours of studying and keep a few other tips in mind, you may be surprised at how well you do on your first and what will hopefully be your only try at the exam. As the big day draws closer, here are three things you should know when studying for the bar exam.

Use Bar Review Courses

If there is one mistake many law school graduates make, it is believing that attending classes the past four years has prepared them in every way for taking the bar exam. Unfortunately, that is not the case. While doing well in your classes can give you the legal knowledge needed to answer exam questions, your law school experience did not teach you how the exam is structured and organized. Therefore, you should use bar review courses during your preparation. By doing so, you can concentrate on the most important areas on which you will be challenged by the exam.

Don’t Be Passive About Studying

After spending years taking exams for all kinds of classes, you probably think you know everything there is to know about studying well enough to get a good grade on an upcoming test. If you use this line of reasoning prior to sitting for the bar exam, chances are you will come away from the exam very disappointed. To make sure this does not happen, choose to approach your bar exam studies in an active fashion, rather than be passive and hope for the best. If you’re wondering how to use this approach to your advantage, do things such as making flashcards and having friends or family members quiz you on topics that present the toughest challenges. By doing this over and over leading up to the exam, you can be much more confident once you sit down and begin the bar exam.

Cramming Won’t Help You Pass

Finally, cramming for your bar exam won’t guarantee you will pass. Unlike many other types of tests and exams you may have had in high school and college, the bar exam is not simply filled with a bunch of true-false questions, multiple choice, and other types of questions that allow you to just remember the information long enough to mark it down on a test paper. Instead, you will be expected to demonstrate your critical thinking and reasoning skills, and will have to show you comprehend various legal concepts related to such areas as workers’ compensation and personal injury. Therefore, don’t waste your time staying up all night the evening before your bar exam. Instead, stick to a steady study schedule along the way and get a good night’s sleep leading up to the bar exam.

By keeping these tips in mind and doing all you can along the way to be well-prepared for exam day, you can soon find yourself being a full-fledged practicing attorney. Once this happens, all of your hard work will have paid off in you being able to pursue the career of your dreams.