“We've Identified the Problem. What is the Solution?”(What Gatorade Can Teach Us About Smarter Bar Prep)

A recent Gatorade commercial grabbed my attention with a simple but powerful message: “We've identified the problem. What is the solution?”

It’s a line meant to motivate athletes to think critically about their performance—what’s holding them back and how to improve. But it’s also a perfect mantra for anyone studying for the bar exam.

Too often, bar prep becomes a numbers game. How many questions did I do today? How many essays have I written? How many hours have I logged? What percentage of the bar review course did I complete?

But tracking numbers alone doesn’t tell you where you’re falling short—or how to improve. If you don’t know what your problems are, you can’t find the right solutions.

Step One: Identify the Problem

Before you can make appropriate adjustments, you need to pinpoint what’s going wrong that's holding you back. That means asking tough questions about your study habits and approach:

• Are you missing multiple-choice questions because you're rushing, struggling with test-taking strategies, or unsure about the law?

  
  

• Are you losing points on essays because you didn’t spot enough issues, didn’t clearly articulate the rules, left out important facts, or lacked organization?

  
  

• Do you write a full page before getting to the rule?

  
  

• Are you fully reviewing answer explanatory answers to all questions—or just moving on to the next question?

You can’t fix what you haven’t found. And the bar exam doesn’t reward effort alone. It rewards progress.

Step Two: Diagnose Like a Coach

Gatorade’s line isn’t just about effort; it’s about analysis. Coaches review film to identify patterns. You need to do the same with your bar prep:

• Track the types of questions you’re missing—and go deeper: Are you consistently missing questions in certain subjects or subtopics? Is there a pattern in the answer choices you eliminate or select? Are you misreading the fact patterns, rushing through the call of the question, or falling for distractors? Examine whether you're misunderstanding legal rules, misapplying them, or just guessing. Pinpointing these patterns will help you turn blind spots into action plans.

  
  

• Reflect after each practice essay: What went well? What didn’t? Did you use the correct structure? Was your rule statement complete and accurate? Did you apply the facts persuasively and consistently throughout? Were there any issues you missed entirely? Did your organization make it easy for the grader to follow your analysis? Take notes on these points and adjust your next practice accordingly.

  
  

• For performance tests like the MPT, consider: Did you follow the task memo's instructions? Did you allocate time wisely between reviewing the library and drafting your answer? Did you synthesize the cases and authorities effectively? Did you use the relevant facts from the file in support of your legal reasoning? Was your final product clear, professional, and responsive to the assigned format?

  
  

Every wrong answer or incomplete responses is a window into what you still need to learn. If you treat each one like a dead end, you’re wasting it. But if you treat it like a roadmap, you’re training your way to passing.

Step Three: Apply the Right Solution

Once you’ve identified the problem, don’t throw generic solutions at it. Be precise. Be deliberate. Each problem requires its own tailored fix.

• Missing Criminal Law questions on accomplice liability? Reread the rule, but also work several more practice questions focused just on that doctrine. Then, write out the rule from memory and test yourself on application-based prompts.

  
  

• Struggling to manage time on essays? Simulate timed conditions—and incorporate shorter drills into your routine. These quick drills, like outlining in 5 minutes or writing rule paragraphs in under 3 minutes, help train your brain to respond faster under pressure. They build speed and precision, reinforce structure, and improve your ability to think and write clearly within time constraints. Over time, these micro-practices can translate into major gains on full-length essays.

  
  

• Not remembering key elements of torts defenses? Consider building a flowchart or flashcard set to drill it. Then, quiz yourself daily and track which defenses you consistently forget.

  
  

• Repeating the same organizational issues on performance tests? Break down the task memo into a checklist before you begin and allocate specific time slots to outlining, writing, and revising. Practice turning messy case notes into clear, formatted answers.

  
  

• Frequently forgetting to incorporate facts into your rule application? Circle or underline facts during your read-through, and practice rewriting sample analysis paragraphs with embedded facts.

  
  

Bar Prep Isn't One-Size-Fits-All

Knowing your weaknesses allows you to build your own personalized playbook

“We've identified the problem. What is the solution?” isn’t just a catchy commercial line. It’s a mindset. One that prioritizes purpose over panic and growth over grind.

So the next time you miss a question or fall short on a practice essay, don’t just get frustrated. Get curious.

You might just be one targeted solution away from your breakthrough.