This New York Times article titled To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test discusses precisely the trouble that most bar exam takers fall into during bar prep.
What people do:
Spending time on passive learning activities.
The problem?:
These "learning" activities (i.e., reading outlines and listening to lectures) gives you the illusion of really knowing something.
The truth:
You will never truly learn and internalize the material until you APPLY it by testing it. You have knowledge gaps you will never discover until you struggle through a testing scenario.
Why it matters:
Discovering your knowledge gaps during the bar exam will likely result in catastrophe (failure).
This article couldn't be more on point for the purposes of the bar exam.
I've been heralding the importance of taking practice tests as an effective and efficient way to prepare for the bar exam. It is at the heart of my preparation philosophy. You should practice what you will be asked to do on exam day so that you can get really, really good at it. Taking practice exams is a sure-fire way to test what you think you know, and reveals your gaps in knowledge and understanding in a way that other forms of study simply can't offer. Plus (and this is my favorite part), it causes you to learn the material faster and better.
What people do:
Spending time on passive learning activities.
The problem?:
These "learning" activities (i.e., reading outlines and listening to lectures) gives you the illusion of really knowing something.
The truth:
You will never truly learn and internalize the material until you APPLY it by testing it. You have knowledge gaps you will never discover until you struggle through a testing scenario.
Why it matters:
Discovering your knowledge gaps during the bar exam will likely result in catastrophe (failure).
This article couldn't be more on point for the purposes of the bar exam.
I've been heralding the importance of taking practice tests as an effective and efficient way to prepare for the bar exam. It is at the heart of my preparation philosophy. You should practice what you will be asked to do on exam day so that you can get really, really good at it. Taking practice exams is a sure-fire way to test what you think you know, and reveals your gaps in knowledge and understanding in a way that other forms of study simply can't offer. Plus (and this is my favorite part), it causes you to learn the material faster and better.