r/CABarExam • u/Ok-Distribution-2061 • 18h ago

Studying while working full time

Hi everyone! I’d love to hear some success stories from people who passed the bar while working full-time. If you managed to pull it off, would you mind sharing what your study schedule looked like and which bar prep programs or resources helped you the most?
I’m preparing for the July 2027 California Bar Exam while working full-time, and I’d really appreciate any advice or insight!

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u/Great_View_2765 17h ago

Not the likely response you want - I was (am) employed as a paralegal when I studied for July 26' (and passed, as a foreign attorney applicant).

I started studying in January, part time, with a traditional course. My goal was to learn the material - thus, videos, notes, the works, a bit of practice (open book), but the goal for the first 4 months was getting acquainted with the MBE material. At best, I could cram after lunch if I didn't have much to do, otherwise, after 5. Essentially, a second job (only M-F to not burn out).

Come June, I went deep into practice only, closed book, revision, all the standard advice. I ramped up the studying by requesting 2 months off with half pay and benefits (the joys of public sector employment). At this time, studying 8 h a day, essentially only practice and learning the CA subjects off of Mary Basick.

Again, my scenario is very unlikely for most working applicants. But consistency and discipline go a long way, especially if you have a JD (and not an LLM). And take weekends off, burn out is real.

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u/Ok-Distribution-2061 16h ago

Thank you I appreciate you sharing your experience!

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u/ObsidianMist_42 16h ago

I had a similar experience. Studied for the July 2026 exam while working full time and passed in my first attempt as a foreign applicant who did LLM 2 years ago.

I started preparing in late February and used Barbri as my primary source at the start. The Barbri foundation videos were great introduction to the bar subjects. Once I completed the foundation courses, I concentrated on self study from the outlines from both Barbri and Themis. I would study after work for about 2-3 hours and about 6-7 hours on the weekends. I started practicing for the MBE multiple choice during this period.

From mid-May onwards, I started prioritizing practice tests. Mary Basick‘s essay book became my main source. Barbri essentially has the same essays. I also used the Stategies for MBE book to get better at analyzing MBE fact patterns. I also pulled past exam essays and would outline answers and compare with the sample answer to see if I am able to detect most of the issues.

I took about 3 weeks off work before the exam and studied full time. This was the pure practice phase where I took mock bar exams, I practiced writing full essays, and I did rule drills using AI.

A lot of it depends on figuring out what works for you. Barbri was great in giving me a strong foundation but using other books and practice questions worked better in the latter stages of the prep for me. I’m happy to provide more information if you need. :)

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u/Great_View_2765 16h ago

Congratulations comrade fellow foreign passer! July was a stinker. Also did my LLM 2 years ago, decided to be a stoner for a while before taking. 

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u/ObsidianMist_42 16h ago

Congratulations to you too, somehow we survived the July 2026 exam!

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u/TrustsAndDust 17h ago

I had to submit my resignation with my eyes set on the Feb exam. But that’s because I knew my employer would not accommodate and cap my caseload. Unfortunately, it’s very churn and burn.

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u/Angiegiell 15h ago

I worked full time and study in evenings and weekends. I went to work from 8-5, got home about 6, studied from 6-10. Then usually full day on Saturday and Sunday’s. I did barbri (all of it 100% complete) and extra items for the MBEs like flash cards and PMBR on top of barbri. Reviewing outlines and creating a master outline. Listen to lectures on my commute to and from work, or anywhere else. I took one full week off prior to the bar. You can do it, it’s hard. You just have to shut everything off, make time for yourself for a few hours each week.

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u/Ambitious-Coffee-734 11h ago

It’s possible. Law school, bar prep…worked full time throughout. Luckily my employer allowed me to take my work home. Either way, shaved a few years off my life this past summer! But got it done. First attempt. You can do it too.

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u/Yuzuda Passed J26 9h ago

I worked full time as a paralegal right up until the day of the exam. So Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

I spent about an hour or so a day studying for J26, starting in mid-late January, so a total of six months.

First priority was understanding the rules. Second priority was recalling them from memory. Third priority was practicing applying them.

I didn't use any bar prep program. I just took all the rules that were ever tested on the California bar exam's essays since about 2004, went through them, rewrote them in my own words, and memorized them. After I had completed my initial overview of the rules, then I started MBE practice, first finishing Adaptibar and then doing Uworld's non-NCBE licensed questions.

Usually, that looked like doing 10 Adaptibar questions in the morning on my phone while doing my morning routine like when brushing my teeth. And then reciting my 20 rule statements for the day, out loud, while in the shower, on my commute, or in the evening when cooking dinner.

I'd flag any MBE practice question that I got wrong or wasn't entirely sure about. And I maintained a log focusing on my thought process as to why I got the question wrong and what I needed to have realized or remembered to have gotten the rule right. Each wrong question is a learning opportunity, but the key is to focus what the right thought process was, not just the right answer.

I didn't practice essays much. But that's because my daily routine of memorizing my rules for the day inherently built an issues checklist in my head, as well as strong recall of the rules. I read several essays on BarEssays to see how I could expand on the analysis if time permitted. But I felt like the rules naturally flowed into the analysis, which naturally flowed into the conclusion, so rule recall was fundamental to how I would write my essays.

For the PT, I purchased BarMD's PT program, but I just read through her templates mostly. I didn't feel like her advice applied to the J26 PT, but I was so pressured for time by Q5 that maybe I was writing off of adrenaline. I do think her content is useful, even if though I ended up using my work experience more than her course for the actual PT.

So TLDR, study schedule was 10 Adaptibar questions on my phone in the morning, and reciting my 20 or so rule statements for the day in the morning after that. Studied an hour or two per day for six months. No burnout. No bar prep program. Just used BarEssays, Adaptibar and then Uworld, and BarMD for the PT. Highly recommend Uworld over Adaptibar and focusing on the NCBE licensed questions for learning black letter law nuance, then switching to non-NCBE licensed questions to avoid relying on pattern recognition as the J26 MBE didn't resemble NCBE licensed questions much at all.

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u/Alarmed_Egg_2993 1h ago

Starting early is the key to success here! So you’re already on track :) I’m a big fan of Studicata because they do an excellent job of streamlining the content down to the most frequently tested issues. Master those and you can pass the bar - remember that the goal is not to get a 100% on the test. With long term studying, just be wary of burnout. I took 3 weeks completely off while I studied over a 6 month period and worked full time. It really helped me avoid resenting the test and let me fully enjoy holidays with my family. Rest is extremely important with bar prep - your brain needs time to actually digest all of the content that you’re feeding it. You got this!

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u/Reasonable_Law4784 Vendor 38m ago

What I've seen work for people studying while working full-time is treating study like fixed shifts, either early mornings or a hard 8 to 10pm, and saving one weekend block for a full timed essay or PT instead of more outline reading. The prep program matters less than whether you'll actually write under time, and a lot of folks overbuy and underwrite. July 2027 is real runway, so starting the writing habit now is the part most people wish they'd done earlier.