How to Pass the Next Bar Exam

Summary: If you didn’t pass the bar exam in July, what can you do differently for February’s test?

If you didn’t pass the bar exam in July, don’t worry! You always have a second chance in February, and besides, lots of people like Hillary Clinton, John F. Kennedy Jr., and Franklin Delano Roosevelt didn’t get the results they wanted on the first try and they went on to do big things. So while you may be prepping right now or slowly getting out of your funk, the following are tips from experts on how to pass the second time around.

Related: 10 Ways to Bounce Back After Failing the Bar and Pass on Your Next Attempt

Change the way you study.

Whatever you did during the first time around didn’t work, and that’s okay. But what’s not okay is repeating the same mistakes. So now that you have some time to prepare, think about what went wrong and figure out how to change that. Do you need to take a prep course? Do you need to put in more hours studying? Did certain sections of the exam overwhelm you? Once you determine your flaws, you’ll be able to conquer them.

Take off of work at least for two weeks before the Bar Exam.

It’s commendable to work full-time and study for the bar exam, but it’s nearly impossible to get the most benefit of your study time when your brain is fried from the first eight hours of the day. While it is certainly reasonable to ask for two weeks off of work, Marc Rossen of Supreme Bar Review recommends taking off at least for two months.

“I do NOT recommend working while you study for the bar exam,” Rossen said. “You should treat studying for the bar exam as your full time job during the two months leading up to the exam. To do otherwise, is to put yourself in what I call the “at-risk” category for failing the bar exam. That means, you might still pass, but you are increasing your odds of failing.”

Eat healthy and exercise.

Having a healthy body is as important as having a sharp mind when taking the bar exam. Taking care of yourself while you prepare for the test is important because you’ll feel more energetic and happier, which will help you retain more information.

“Sleep deprivation, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise can all decrease your studying and test taking performance,” Jamie Hopkins of The American College told Lawcrossing. “As such, when studying for the bar exam, try to maintain the healthy lifestyle you had before bar exam preparation.”

The day before the exam–relax.

Stony Olsen of BCG Attorney Search recommends getting a good night sleep before the exam. While the test may be high stakes, there is nothing to be gained by freaking out the night before. So relax, get your materials in order, and good luck!