How to Study for the Bar — SI Law School Tutorials

The four phases

Phase 1 — Learn (weeks 1–4 of a 12-week plan)

Build the rule base, one subject at a time. Short learning bursts, then immediate retrieval: close the outline and write the rules from memory. If you can't state the rule without looking, you haven't learned it.

Phase 2 — Drill (weeks 5–8)

Volume. Timed MBE sets every day, essays every other day. Every miss becomes a flashcard and a rule restatement — the error log is the most valuable document you'll make.

Phase 3 — Mixed review (weeks 9–10)

Stop studying subjects in isolation. Mixed sets force you to identify which subject a question tests before you answer it — that's the actual exam skill. Full timed simulations start here.

Phase 4 — Polish (weeks 11–12)

No new material. Weakness repair from the error log, timing drills, and rest. Our read: the last week is won by confidence management — sleep, routine, and trusting the work.

The three habits

Active recall. Retrieval beats re-reading every time. Flashcards, blank-page rule dumps, and explaining rules aloud to Eli.
Spaced repetition. Revisit every subject on a widening schedule. The exam app's study mode handles the spacing — your job is showing up.
Timed writing from week one. Essays and MPTs are skills, not knowledge. Untimed practice builds knowledge; only timed practice builds the skill.

Eli check-ins

At each phase change, ask Eli to quiz you on the phase's rules Socratically before you move on — he'll find the gaps your confidence is hiding. And if there's a topic he doesn't know well, tell him to “learn about” it: he'll research it and save it to your personal profile on your device.

Our read: most failed bar exams are failed in Phase 1 habits, not Phase 4 knowledge. The student who re-reads outlines for eight weeks and starts timed essays in week 10 has built knowledge without the exam skills to show it. Flip that order: skills early, volume middle, polish late.

Ready for a schedule? See the 12- and 16-week study plans.