How long should you study for law school exams?
Asked by: Lennie Borer | Last update: February 9, 2026Score: 4.4/5 (38 votes)
You should aim for 30-40+ hours per week during exam periods, following the general rule of two hours of study for every one hour of class, meaning 24+ hours for 12 class hours, but often closer to 40+ hours with full-time review, focusing on outlining and intensive practice exams, and ensuring regular breaks for health and retention. The intense period leading up to finals requires dedication, often involving 8-12 hours daily for several weeks, especially for the bar exam.
How many hours per day should I study for the bar exam?
Studying for the bar exam is a marathon and it's hard work. You should be spending 8-10 hours per day studying or approximately 40 hours per week over an 8-10 week timeframe. You do not want to extend much beyond that as you are going to fatigue your brain and get diminishing returns on your efforts.
Is 4 hours of revision a day enough?
According to The Student Room, students revise 15 to 20 hours per week for their exams, which might sound like a lot until you break it down. You've probably worked it out for yourself, but the recommended time equates to three to five hours of revision per day with weekends off!
How many hours a day should I study for law school?
Law Students' Average Daily Study Hours
All in all, however, law students typically spend around 30 – 40 hours per week studying. That may sound like a lot, but a good rule of thumb is that you should be studying at least two hours for every one hour of class time per week.
What is the hardest year of law school?
Most law students agree the first year (1L) is the hardest due to the steep learning curve, new teaching methods (Socratic/Case Method), intense reading/writing, and high-pressure environment designed to build foundational skills, though 2L brings different stressors like career planning and internships. 1L is a "bootcamp" for thinking like a lawyer with unfamiliar concepts and high stakes for grades, making the transition from undergraduate studies particularly challenging.
How to Study for Law Exams | As on Law School Finals!
Is a 3.3 GPA too low for law school?
A 3.3 GPA isn't "bad" but makes getting into top-tier (T-14) law schools very difficult, as their median GPAs are much higher (around 3.7-3.9+), but it's often sufficient for mid-tier or lower-ranked schools, especially with a strong LSAT score, compelling personal statement, and relevant work experience, which can significantly boost your application by showing resilience and readiness.
Has Kim Kardashian taken the LSAT?
Kim takes the California Bar Exam's “baby bar” without completing a bachelor's degree or taking the LSAT. Kim continues to balance her legal pursuits with media and business ventures, using her platform for criminal justice reform advocacy.
What is the 3/2:1 rule in studying?
The 3-2-1 study rule is a simple, effective learning technique that improves retention by engaging different learning modalities: read a concept three times, speak it out loud twice, and write it down once, all from memory, to enhance understanding and recall. Variations also exist, like a "3-2-1 Go" to start tasks, or a critical thinking prompt asking for 3 takeaways, 2 questions, and 1 key point, but the core method focuses on active repetition and recall.
Did Michelle Obama pass the bar?
Yes, Michelle Obama did pass the Illinois bar exam, but she failed it on her first attempt after graduating from Harvard Law School before passing it on her second try, later becoming a licensed attorney in Illinois and having a successful legal career before becoming First Lady. She was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1989 and went on to work in intellectual property law at a firm where she met her husband, Barack Obama.
What is the 9 8 7 rule for studying?
The 9-8-7 rules for students are time-management techniques aiming for balance, suggesting different splits like 9 hours studying, 8 hours other activities, 7 hours sleep, or 7 hours study/work, 8 hours sleep, 9 hours personal time, with variations like 9-8-7 (prep/study/review) for focused sessions; the core idea is structuring the day for productivity and preventing burnout by ensuring adequate rest, study, and personal life, not just rigid adherence.
What is the 2/3/5:7 revision rule?
The 2-3-5-7 revision method is a spaced repetition strategy for planning study sessions, where you review material on days 2, 3, 5, and 7 after initial learning (Day 1) to strengthen memory before an exam, often by working backward from the exam date or using fixed intervals, with each review involving different active recall techniques like mind maps or practice questions to solidify understanding. This technique uses timed intervals (2, 3, 5, 7 days) to optimize learning and retention, ensuring you revisit challenging topics at increasing gaps.
What is the 1 4 7 rule in studying?
The 1-2-4-7 Rule:
Read a topic for the first time on day 1. Revise on day 2, then on day 4, then on day 7. This way, a topic is revised 3 times after the first reading, and there is an increasing gap between the two revisions gradually.
How to get 100% in every test?
Getting 100% on every test requires consistent, active learning, eliminating careless errors, understanding the teacher's expectations, and strong test-taking habits, focusing on deep comprehension through techniques like active recall, spaced repetition, and practicing problems from notes/homework until you can do them perfectly without aids, all while ensuring proper sleep, nutrition, and time management to minimize errors.
Can ChatGPT pass the bar exam?
Yes, the advanced version, GPT-4, passed the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) with a strong score (around the 90th percentile), demonstrating impressive legal knowledge, but it's considered a powerful tool for lawyers, not a replacement, as it lacks the crucial human elements of judgment, ethical reasoning, and real-world application needed to practice law independently, according to research and legal experts.
What is the 50 10 rule for studying?
🕒 Work for 50 minutes, then take a 10-minute break. It sharpens focus, reduces burnout, and helps you retain more. 💡 Your brain needs breathers — even during the grind. Try it during your next study session and feel the difference.
How many times did Kim take the bar exam?
Kim Kardashian has taken the official California Bar Exam once, in July 2025, and did not pass, but she did pass the "Baby Bar" (First-Year Law Students' Exam) on her fourth attempt in late 2021 after failing it three times previously, allowing her to proceed to the main exam. She has plans to retake the main bar exam, with opportunities in February 2026 and beyond, as California law allows multiple attempts.
Did Joe Biden ever pass the bar?
Yes, Joe Biden passed the bar exam and was admitted to the Delaware bar in 1969 after earning his Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree from Syracuse University College of Law in 1968, despite graduating in the lower portion of his class. He practiced law before entering politics, serving as a lawyer and later becoming the 27th President of the United States, and the first President with a law degree from a non-"T-14" law school in a century, notes Law.com.
What was Obama's LSAT score?
Barack Obama's specific LSAT score has never been officially released, but it's widely believed he scored very highly (likely above 170, potentially near perfect) to gain admission to Harvard Law School despite a lower undergraduate GPA, suggesting he was in the top few percentile of test-takers for his application year. While no official number exists, analyses point to a score in the top tier (e.g., 94th-98th percentile) to overcome his GPA for admission to a top-ranked program like Harvard.
Did JFK Jr pass the bar?
Kennedy earned a Juris Doctor degree from the New York University School of Law in 1989. He then failed the New York bar exam twice before passing on his third try in July 1990. After failing the exam for a second time, Kennedy vowed that he would continue to take it until he was 95 years old or passed.
What is the 20 minute rule for studying?
Goldilocks Of Study: The 20-Minute Rule
In my opinion (and experience of being a student myself), just 20 minutes of study time on one subject is what you should aim for. It's long enough for enough information to be repeated. It short enough to not get tired and/or lose concentration.
How long should your break be if you study for 2 hours?
One approach is to take a 10-minute break after every 50 minutes of study. Another approach is to take a break 5 minutes after every 25 minutes of study. The exact timing doesn't matter so much as long as you take regular, short breaks. Check out the Pomodoro Technique to get you going on this.
What is the 80 20 principle in studying?
What is the Pareto Principle? The Pareto Principle, often called the 80/20 rule, is the broad observation that approximately 80% of outcomes or results come from about 20% of your inputs or effort. Therefore you should concentrate on areas where you can get 'big wins' with comparatively little effort.
How did Kim lose 16lbs in 3 weeks?
She lost 16 pounds in 3 weeks to fit into her vintage Met Gala gown. How did Kardashian lose weight? She says she cut carbs and ate “just the cleanest veggies and protein.” She also ran on a treadmill and wore a sauna suit twice a day. Kardashian's 3-week weight loss sparked concern over the impact on mental health.
Who's richer, Taylor Swift or Kim Kardashian?
As of late 2025, Kim Kardashian is generally reported to be richer than Taylor Swift, with her net worth boosted significantly by her SKIMS brand, pushing her fortune to around $1.9 billion, while Swift's wealth is estimated at $1.6 billion, though both are billionaires. Kardashian's business ventures, especially SKIMS' high valuation, have recently placed her ahead, though these figures fluctuate.
Is baby bar harder than bar?
The Baby Bar (FYLSE) often has a lower pass rate (around 20-25%) than the main California Bar Exam (around 40-50%), leading many to say it feels harder, though the difficulty is debated and often attributed to the different test-taker pool (non-ABA students vs. all law grads) and lack of full law school training, making it a significant hurdle for those on an alternative path like Kim Kardashian. While the main bar tests many subjects over two days, the baby bar is shorter (one day, three subjects) but incredibly challenging due to its low success rate and specific focus on first-year law topics for non-traditional students.