20 Hours a Week

We're now less than 4 months from the Feb 2012 exam and this is a time when I encourage students to actively begin their studies. My suggestion is that a Feb student starting now spend between 10-20 hours per week in study at this point.

Why an upper limit of 20 hours? Shouldn't you spend more, cram more, memorize more, stress more? Isn't that what the bar exam is all about?

Not really. It makes for good drama and a few "sympathy rounds" from friends and family but it's really not necessary to spend more than 20 hours a week studying.

And why that top limit? Well, in my experience, most people can manage up to 20 hours of study time ON TOP OF work, family, church, social commitments and such. Go much beyond that number and you're into full time study mode (which is fine for those just graduating from school but unnecessary and unlikely for everyone else). Above 20 hours a week and you'll burn out or something else will have to go (not a good option for children, spouses and employers!). 

The good news is that 15-20 hours right now is plenty of study time if you know WHAT and HOW to study. As one of my current students who has passed three other bars wrote to me today:

"I have heard numerous people say the couldn't do law school because

they couldn't "memorize all the cases."   When I said that you could sail
through lawschool at the top of your class without knowing the name of more
than a few cases -- Palsgraf, Miranda -- and that you never had to cite them
by name in a test, they probably thought I had smoked my lunch.  It is all
about thinking like a lawyer, I tell them, and it is that style of thinking
that makes people hate lawyers."

He's right. You don't need to memorize for the bar exam either and that's why a "smart" course won't push you to memorize and recite and spend more than 20 hours per week trying to cram it in when it's not necessary. Just something to think about today...