How friends can help me pass the bar

One of the professors at DePaul runs a bar exam preparation class in the spring semester for graduating 3Ls, and he gave us a handout that's oriented toward explaining bar exam preparation to friends and family.

Since I've gotten lots of questions and a fair amount of misunderstanding about bar preparation, I thought I would pass it along.

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Why bar exams are hard:

• They test some subjects students didn't learn in law school.
• They test many o the subjects students learn during law school, but unlike law school exams, bar exams test all the subjects at the same time.
• Their formats are different from law school exam formats.
• They require students to memorize thousands of pieces of information.
• They are necessary for getting a license to practice law and have a reputation for being difficult - facts that put enormous pressure on bar takers.
  

Whats involved in passing the bar exam:

• Studying at least 600 hours
• Attending dozens of lectures
• Writing dozens of practice essay answers
• Completing at least 2,000 practice multiple choice questions
• Memorizing thousands of pieces of information
• Using analytical skills that are difficult to master
• Managing time to complete all these tasks while making sure to get sufficient sleep, exercise, and nutrition
• Managing stress so that it doesn't interfere with exam preparation or performance

What you can do to help a bar taker pass the bar exam:

• Understand the bar review process.
• Avoid making demands on the bar taker during the preparation and exam process.
• Avoid major conflicts and confrontations with the bar taker.
• Be patient and sympathetic if the bar taker seems tense or anxious.
• Be a source of support if the bar taker needs your support.
• Help the bar taker practice recalling the law he or she needs to know by testing the bar taker's memorization.
• Run interference with people who might make demands on the bar taker's time and attention.
• Take on day-to-day tasks for the bar taker, such as doing laundry, cooking, and cleaning.

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OK, so those last few were for Dave, mainly, but you get the picture. Hope this has been a scary foray into my life studying for the Illinois bar exam...