‘Tis the season for bar exam studying. If you got bad bar exam news or you are studying for the first time, it is possible your holiday season seems to be full of outlines and lectures rather than gifts and wrapping paper. Instead of going to holiday parties, you might be scratching your head and wondering how you should prepare for the February bar exam. If you are coming back from a failure, you may be frustrated and wondering what you need to do differently this time around to make sure you pass the exam. If you are studying for the first time, perhaps you are wondering if your commercial bar review program is going to be enough support. So, how do you know when it is time to hire a bar exam tutor?

For those studying after getting disappointing results:

If you don’t know why you didn’t pass. 

Figuring out what went wrong is the first step to preparing for the bar exam again. But if you self-evaluate and are still struggling, then it is time to call in some help. An expert can guide you go through your score report, past exam answers, as well as talk through what may have happened (so you don’t repeat the same mistakes).

If you don’t know how to study again. 

Sometimes after disappointing bar results, you may just feel befuddled as to how to get started again. You might begin questioning everything you did last time and wondering if any of it worked. The reality is that some of it likely did work. But sometimes you need help determining what worked and what didn’t. An expert can help you make those decisions so you study smart this time around.

If you don’t know how to better your writing skills. 

Most bar exams include a major portion of the exam in essay form. Because of this, many studiers need to better their writing skills to succeed on the exam. But what if you are unsure about what you did wrong? What if you know you need to IRAC, but you aren’t sure why the IRAC you were already doing wasn’t enough? A tutor can help you deconstruct your writing and make it much better for the future. a

If you have struggled with essay or multiple choice in the past.  

Many bar takers who are unsuccessful have struggled in the past either with essays or with multiple-choice questions. If this is you, get individualized help now, if you can. The bar exam only compounds any testing issues you may have had in the past. A tutor can help diagnose what is going on and help you figure out how to fix it.

If you need more feedback. 

One problem a lot of folks experience with their commercial bar review provider is not getting enough feedback. Feedback helps a studier learn what is working and what is not working. It can give a studier some suggestions on what to change. All in all, feedback is an incredible learning tool. If you need more, a tutor can help you with that.

If you need accountability. 

Some bar takers struggle with staying accountable during bar preparation. Perhaps you tend to procrastinate or have a hard time managing your workload. If you need accountability, a tutor can provide that for you too.

Most tutors specialize in helping folks pass the exam after a failure. When you talk to your prospective tutor, however, make sure you feel he or she can help you with your challenges. This person will be your guide through a very difficult time. Make sure you feel confident that the tutor is going to give you the support that you need.

If you are studying for the first time:

If you have struggled with essay or multiple choice in the past.  

If you had academic difficulties in law school, it is likely that you will have the same struggles during bar prep. What sort of problems should you be on the lookout for? You should consider whether you struggled on essays and/or multiple choice especially during your first year (first-year exams are often the most similar to the bar exam). If you struggled in law school, get help ASAP so your bar scores don’t suffer in the same way that your law school grades did.

If you need more feedback. 

Did you get frustrated by the fact that law school didn’t give you enough feedback? Then you are going to likely be frustrated during bar prep as well. If you need more feedback, make sure you figure out how to get it early on so you can benefit from it!

If you need accountability. 

Some of you may feel you don’t need a tutor the first time around, but if you struggle with accountability, you may want to hire some extra help. Sure, a tutor can be expensive, but so is failing the bar and having to study again. Seriously, sit down and do the math.

In the end, no one knows what type of help you got during your preparation for the bar exam, only whether you passed or failed. So get the help you need to make sure that you get a passing score on this next exam.