How to read the materials for the bar review course.
Everyone learns differently so we will present three approaches here. You will be wise to consider these, talk with friends, ask your bar buddy, and then do what works for you. But to get you started, here are three suggestions:
Method A. Read first, then lecture, then review, using questions.
1. Read the long outline (the short outline has 40% less material) before class.
Read it in 5-7 page chunks – follow the Roman numerals.
Read one chunk. Then do one of these that works for you:
make a flash card;
take notes;
make an outline or a flow chart;
talk it through out loud to any one or any thing that will listen or to no one;
review the short outline for charts, exam tips, etc.
Just do something with the material to make it mean something to you.
Read another chunk and do one of the above.
After 3-4 chunks, review some essay questions (cover up the answers) or multiple choice questions – just to spot issues and see what you can remember.
Continue until you have read all the material.
4. Listen to the lecture; use the lecture handouts and write in the material requested.
5. After the lecture, review any material you just did not understand when you read it and then heard it.
6. Then go to questions for a review. Test yourself. See the recommended essay questions to be used for testing yourself. They are posted here.
7. Start over for the next day.
B. Questions first, then read, then lecture.
Some of you may find it hard to read the material. You might try this method.
1. Go first to the questions and get a sense of what the issues are.
This works best if you review 3-4 fact patterns around one topic, such as specific performance or termination of an agency relationship.
2. Then when you have a sense of what the issues are, how the problem arises, go to the reading on that topic.
After reading just that material,
make a flash card;
take notes;
make an outline or a flow chart;
talk it through out loud to any one or any thing that will listen or to no one;
review the short outline for charts, exam tips, etc.
Just do something with the material to make it mean something to you.
3. Then examine 3-4 fact patterns (essay or multiple choice) on the next issue and repeat.
Be sure to check off the material that you have read because you may need to go back and read some material not studied using the problem method.
4. Then attend the lecture and use the lecture handouts.
5. Then test yourself with additional questions. See the questions we recommend for testing yourself – we handed these out and will soon post some here.
If using this method, watch for the problem postings we will put here to help you find problems to read.
C. Combined.
Perhaps you will want to experiment to see which works for you or maybe you will use one method of subjects you understand fairly well and the other for subjects that are new or difficult for you.