Check In Time Points
The July 2014 bar exam is scheduled for July 29 and 30. As you will see once you acquire your mentee's assignment calendar, the check ins are meant to correspond with pivotal points during your mentee's exam preparation. However, you should feel free to contact your mentee more or less frequently based on your mentee's needs.
- Week of June 2 – At this point, all mentees should have a copy of their assignment calendar to share with you upon request. During your initial check-in, we recommend that you review the assignment calendar with your mentee, discuss your role, get a sense of your mentee's attitude about preparing for the bar exam, and set expectations about future check-ins. If your mentee was previously unsuccessful on the bar exam, we recommend that you ask your mentee for a copy of his or her score reports and, to the extent possible, use this information to inform your recommendations moving forward. Your mentee has also started his or her bar prep course. Make sure that your mentee is attending/watching lectures, completing assignments, and establishing a study routine that is both rigorous and sustainable throughout the summer.
- Week of June 16 – By now your mentee is at least three weeks into the bar prep course and gearing-up for his or her first full-length practice test (which is usually assigned the first week of July). During this check-in, it is important to make sure that your mentee is keeping up with (or close to it) his or her bar prep assignments and lectures.
- Week of July 7 – Your mentee recently took his or her first full-length practice test. Therefore, this check-in should focus on the results of the test and how your mentee can improve during the final weeks of preparation. Because your mentee will not be exposed to a lot of new material at this point, he or she should focus on completing (and reviewing) as many practice problems as possible.
- Week of July 14 – The objective of this check in is to make sure your mentee is continuing to complete practice problems and forcing him or herself to do so under realistic test conditions (i.e., timed and without notes).
- Week of July 21 – With the bar exam one week away, this check in is an opportunity to help your mentee manage stress and encourage him or her to continue practicing under realistic conditions.
- Monday, July 28 – The day before the exam, this “good luck” check in should be quick and upbeat.
- Monday, August 4 – After giving your mentee a few days to process what happened on the exam, this check in is an opportunity to see how the test went and to support your mentee.
- Post-Exam Results – You should plan on a check in after the bar exam results are released (usually mid-October). Congratulate your mentee if the results are favorable, and help your mentee identify next steps if the results are unfavorable.