Is Your Bar Prep Missing Key Pieces?

Recently, I dropped my LEGO® Vespa 125 set on the floor. Pieces scattered everywhere, and I decided to rebuild it without instructions. When I finished, it looked fine—classic blue frame, handlebars, and all the details in place. But there was a problem: several pieces were left over. These weren’t extras; they were supposed to be inside, providing structure and stability.

It got me thinking about bar exam prep. Just like that Vespa, your bar preparation can look complete on the surface—you’ve written essays, done multiple-choice questions, and followed your schedule—but hidden weak spots, those foundational gaps in knowledge or skills, can undermine your performance when it matters most.

The Danger of Hidden Weak Spots

In bar prep, it’s easy to focus on the visible markers of success: the number of essays written, practice questions completed, or hours logged in your prep course. But these external accomplishments can hide gaps in understanding or skills that you might not realize are there.

For example, you might feel confident about a topic like Evidence because you’ve reviewed it repeatedly. But if you can’t apply hearsay exceptions in a fact pattern or struggle to articulate the distinctions between lay and expert testimony, that confidence is superficial. The same goes for skills like organizing an essay, managing your time during a performance test, or systematically analyzing multiple-choice questions. These hidden weak spots may not be obvious in daily study but can become glaring weaknesses on exam day.

Fixing the Foundation

The key to a successful bar exam experience is ensuring your preparation is solid inside and out. Here’s how:

✅ Self-Assess Honestly

Don’t assume you know something just because it feels familiar. Familiarity can create a false sense of comfort, but true knowledge comes from being able to explain a concept clearly, apply it accurately, and adapt it to different scenarios. Comfort is passive, while knowledge is active and actionable. Test yourself. Can you explain a legal rule without looking it up? Do you understand why you got a question wrong? Self-quizzing and reviewing mistakes are crucial for identifying weak areas.

✅ Slow Down to Build Skills

Rushing through tasks to check them off your list can leave foundational gaps. Students often rush because they feel overwhelmed by the volume of material and worry about falling behind schedule. This anxiety can lead to a superficial approach where tasks are completed for the sake of completion rather than mastery, ultimately leaving critical concepts underdeveloped. Take the time to master key rules, refine your essay-writing technique, and practice applying the law. Building these skills requires patience and focus, not speed.

✅ Revisit Weak Areas

If you notice a recurring gap—like struggling with MPT organization or missing nuances in contracts questions—take time to rebuild. Consider incorporating active study techniques, like teaching legal rules to a friend or writing out explanations for complex concepts in your own words. These approaches often help to reinforce foundational knowledge and uncover any areas where you might still feel uncertain. Use your materials, redo problems, and practice until you can handle those issues with confidence.

✅ Trust the Process

Your bar prep course is like the LEGO instruction manual—it’s designed to ensure every piece fits into place. Follow the steps, even if they feel repetitive or tedious. Skipping over something now might save time, but it could cost you on exam day. Additionally, take full advantage of your law school’s bar preparation department. These resources often provide personalized guidance, workshops, and additional support to help you identify and address any gaps in your preparation.

Don’t Leave Pieces Behind

That LEGO Vespa may look fine on the outside, but I know its stability is compromised. The same is true for bar prep: ignoring hidden weak spots might not seem like a big deal now, but under the pressure of the exam, those gaps can cause everything to fall apart.

Before you sit for the bar, take a step back and assess your preparation. Fill in those gaps now, and you’ll walk into the exam confident that every piece is in place.