Last-Minute Baby Bar Tips
The California First-Year Law Students Examination, otherwise known as the “Baby Bar” is scheduled for June 23, 2020. Whereas the Supreme Court of California, on April 27, 2020, postponed the summer California Bar Exam scheduled for the end of July to September 9th and 10th, it chose to carry on with the summer Baby Bar as scheduled. Here are some last-minute Baby Bar Exam tips.
CDTA students study and prepare for this test regularly, using weekends to focus their development on test-taking skills. CDTA students have a 65% FYLSX pass rate, one of the highest pass rates in the State of California. Learning and developing skills to prepare for and pass the Baby Bar Exam places CDTA students in the best position to ultimately pass the California Bar Exam.
#1: Designate blocks of time to study.
This is an important tip, especially for examinees who have begun working at a firm (remotely) for the summer. Plan your study schedule for the final week before the test. Set reasonable expectations, observe this study schedule religiously, practice self-discipline, and utilize the remaining tips in this article.
#2: Use leisure time for recreational activities only.
It is important to relieve stress when preparing for an important, upcoming examination. Unless regular study breaks are taken, stress will continue to mount leading up to the examination. Any leisure time must be used efficiently to refresh and rejuvenate oneself. Do not set aside three hours of leisure time but then end up studying for two of the three hours.
#3: Take a complete practice test
One of the more challenging elements of the California Baby Bar, like most law exams, is the length of the test itself, which makes the examinee’s endurance a major factor necessary for achieving success on the test. It is wise to take a practice test just before the actual test. The test should contain four essays for completion in four hours, and 100 MBE questions for completion in three hours, with a one-hour break between these formats.
#4: Simulate test conditions
Find a distraction-free location and simulate the circumstances and atmosphere of the day of the test. Have only those things on your desk that you will actually have on your desk at the exam on June 23rd. Keep track of time closely and be prepared to evaluate your use of time after this practice exam.
Visualize test day and try to go through the same process that you will go through on examination day. Minimize any surprises and make sure that you feel comfortable.
#5: Eat and sleep well the week before the test
Eating and sleeping week the week before the test is vital to feeling your most energetic during the test. Going to bed and getting up at the same time you will go to bed the night before the test and get up the day of the test is recommended. Replacing sugar with protein the last week before the test may help regulate your blood sugar so that you can sustain focus and feel full for longer periods without getting hungry. It is far too easy to cut corners on time by sleeping less when studying for an exam. This must be avoided at all costs. Setting up a schedule for studying may help prevent this problem.
Currently, the important deadlines related to the next California Bar Exam and the California First-Year Law Students Examination are as follows:
| Examination | Exam Date(s) | Application Availability | Timely Filing | Final Filing Deadline |
| June 2020 FYLSX | June 23, 2020 | March 1, 2020 | April 1, 2020 | May 15, 2020 |
| September 2020 CBX | Sept. 9 & 10, 2020 | March 1, 2020 | May 13, 2020 | July 16, 2020 |
| October 2020 FYLSX | Oct. 27, 2020 | July 1, 2020 | August 3, 2020 | Sept. 15, 2020 |
Any student engaged in online, distance learning at a progressive law school like California Desert Trial Academy College of Law, has the freedom to study whenever and wherever, at their utmost convenience. In these current troubled times, CDTA students are at an advantage based on the online resources available to them on campus and at the CDTA website
The CDTA was founded with the philosophy of not only teaching students the substantive law, but on training, educating, and developing students to be exceptional attorney-advocates. The development of trial advocacy tools is essential to success in any judicial or administrative setting. Call us today at (760) 342-0900 or find out more online here.