Route 66 Discipline

Rolla, Missouri, might seem like a small dot on the map, but it’s a memorable stop on Route 66, the “Main Street of America.” For travelers, Route 66 was more than a highway. It was a guided path with mile markers, signs, and small towns like Rolla helping them stay on track until they reached their final destination.

Bar prep works the same way.

Every year, I see bar takers start strong but get lost along the way—skipping assignments, bouncing between topics, or panicking when they don’t know everything yet. It’s like taking random exits off Route 66, hoping you’ll magically end up at your goal.

Here’s the truth: You don’t need to know everything to pass the bar, but you do need to keep moving in the right direction.

1️⃣ Stick to Your Structured Study Plan

It’s tempting to jump around and study whatever feels interesting that day. But bar prep is a marathon, and you need a clear, structured plan to guide your progress. Your MBE question sets, essay and MPT practice, and scheduled reviews aren’t random assignments—they’re your milestones, like Route 66 markers guiding you across the country. Sticking to your plan, even on days you’re tired or feeling behind, keeps you moving in the right direction toward the bar exam finish line.

2️⃣ Use Your Bar Course as Your Roadmap

Your commercial bar course can feel overwhelming, especially when it exposes gaps in your knowledge. But that’s the point: It’s designed to show you where you need to focus while providing a roadmap through complex topics. Just like travelers on Route 66 relied on maps and signs to avoid getting lost, trust your bar course’s pacing and structure to ensure you’re covering what you need to know, when you need to know it, without getting stuck in the weeds.

3️⃣ Keep Moving Forward, Even Through Potholes

You will hit potholes along the way: Low practice scores, days when your motivation dips, or times when life interrupts your study plan. These setbacks can feel discouraging, but remember, a pothole doesn’t mean you abandon the road. A rough practice exam can be one of your best tools, showing you exactly where your weaknesses are so you can strengthen them before test day. Progress doesn’t require perfection. Instead, it requires persistence.

4️⃣ Don’t Get Stuck on Side Roads

It’s easy to get sidetracked by “productive procrastination” during bar prep. Maybe you find yourself rewriting outlines for the fifth time, making them look perfect instead of using them to actively quiz yourself. Or you spend too long on a single, low-tested detail. These side roads can feel safe, but they pull you away from the high-yield practice that actually improves your performance. Stay focused on the major routes—practicing questions, reviewing answers, and learning from mistakes—to keep moving toward your goal.

Route 66 travelers trusted the road to get them across the country. Trust your roadmap to get you across the bar exam finish line.

Your journey is about steady progress, not perfect progress. So as you see Rolla on the map—or even if you never go there—let it remind you: Stay on the road. Don’t get distracted by shortcuts. Keep moving toward your destination.