Introduction

Are you attempting the All India Bar Exam this year? 

Are you struggling with the vast syllabus? Do you feel anxious about managing preparation for the exam alongside everyday work?

Do you want guidance on preparation and exam-taking strategy

Don’t make the mistakes that 80% of those who fail the All India Bar Examination make

You might be wondering how someone can fail an open book examination. However, the reality is that around 30% of the candidates fail this exam. It is not their fault - it is just that an open book exam such as AIBE requires a different style of preparation. 

We have successfully coached many of those candidates to crack the exam in their second attempt. 

Here is a list of the top mistakes that people make. 

Not finishing the paper in time

You have a little less than 2 minutes per question. This time needs to be split into reading, finding the answer in your open book materials and then answering the question. Owing to the vast syllabus, candidates spend a lot of time browsing through a mound of carry-in materials. By the time they finish attempting about 30 questions, they get tired and start slowing down. By the end of the exam, several students are unable to attempt more than 70-80% of the questions.

Wrong carry-in materials

We frequently speak to people who take the wrong carry-in materials, often bulky textbooks and guidebooks. They are often unable to find the answers to the questions asked in the exam, in these guidebooks. As a result, they are either unable to find the answers and resort to guesswork, which increases their error-rate, or are unable to complete the paper. 

Here’s the trick - for real-life practice, long and detailed commentaries are useful. For the All India Bar Exam, you need concise materials that enable you to find the answer quickly. 

Faulty exam-taking strategy 

Failure rates also increase because of faulty strategies for attempting exams. For example, candidates often attempt the questions in a sequence. Paper-setters know this, and they jumble up the questions across different subjects, so that you take more time to find the answers.  

Another mistake people make is to resort to guess work when they don’t know the answer. Some take calculated risks when they are in doubt.

This is a grave mistake, because it is an open book exam! You should always verify your answer as a best practice, during the exam. That is the only guaranteed way to pass. 

There are several other exam-taking and preparation mistakes that candidates make, which we address in the course. 

Insufficient practice

Irrespective of the number of insights and knowledge that you acquire, you cannot successfully crack an exam without having some practice. In case of the All India Bar Examination (AIBE), the syllabus is vast. Its precise scope is uncertain as only the subjects are specified. 

One needs practice with one thing - finding the answer enough number of times, to build confidence. That comes with practice. Lack of practice will lead to struggle in the exam and anxiety during the preparation phase, even if you are an intelligent lawyer. 

What happens if you fail to crack the All India Bar Examination?

• You lose about 6-8 months of seniority in the profession, until you crack the next Bar Exam. 
• This period of time can be critical, as you will not be able to practice independently, to file a vakalatnama in your own name to represent a client, to argue in court or to issue a legal opinion in a law firm. 
• You will have to issue it as a junior to someone, until you crack the exam, even if you have all the skills. 
• Your seniority is counted from the date of cracking your Bar Exam. Seniority is relevant for various purposes in future, such as application for allotment of chambers in the High Courts or district courts, or your eligibility to attempt the Supreme Court Advocates on Record examination.

What you need to successfully crack the AIBE (alongside your existing job or practice)

Adapt to tweaks and changes in paper pattern

In the past few years, the All India Bar Exam paper pattern has been subject to a good number of modifications. In order to be abreast with the kind of paper that one must expect it is important to understand these changes that have been made in the exam pattern over a period of time and adapt a strategy accordingly. 

Practice in tackling an open book exam

Attempting an open book exam is very different from a memory-based exam. For one, the types of questions asked become very different. Most of us have not attempted open book exams before. On the face of it, it looks like an open book exam is easier, but in reality it is a different ball-game altogether. In fact, many students become lax and do not prepare at all, which actually backfires in the examination hall, as they struggle to find answers to the questions in limited time. 

At the same time, beware of preconceived notions about your strengths, weaknesses and interests! You may have scored really well in certain subjects during college, or may be practising a particular area of work everyday (which is in the syllabus), but that has nothing to do with how well-prepared you are to attempt an open-book exam! Such notions need to be methodically validated by attempting mocks and quizzes in an exam-environment, as per the format of the exam. 

Creation of an exam-specific strategy

Apart from attempting mocks, you need to prepare a strategy specifically for the AIBE. Here are a few tips on what that strategy should address:

- What material should one carry in the exam hall? 
- How much time must be given to a particular question? 
- When to leave a question on guess work?

To succeed, you need to practice attempting mocks as per the exam’s format. 

Staying focussed while preparing for a vast syllabus

The major difficulty in this area is due to lack of proper mentorship and guidance. It is true that the syllabus of any competitive exam ought to be vast, however the tricks to be able to strategize your study plan in such a way as to focus more on the areas that carry a more significant weightage and brush up other subjects. 

Taking out time to prepare alongside full-time work

As you saw, there are several aspects which are unique to an open book exam. You will need to study and practice attempting mocks. Further, the syllabus is vast, and you need to stay focussed for some period of time. It is very challenging to do this alongside your full-time work, if you are working independently, in a law firm or as a junior. (Now, the time you need gets significantly reduced when you have a mentor.) 

Measurement of progress indicators along your preparation journey

You can study for hours but still not know where you stand with respect to the rest of the competition. You need a measurable mechanism that tells you everyday how much preparation is complete and how much is left. Apart from attempting mocks, which merely indicate your pass/ fail marks, you also need active mentorship on what to focus on next, areas to improve upon, etc. Some of this requires active mentorship - an automated system is not sufficient. From time to time, you also need to have ‘positive’ peer support, else you risk losing focus and slowing down your preparation. 

The 3 Pronged Approach to Confidently prepare for the All India Bar Exam

#1 - Systematic preparation for quick progress 

In any competitive exam, the best way to prepare is to analyze the past years’ question papers. It can take a lot of time to do this work on your own. It can be difficult to spot periodic deviations and exceptions. Past years’ question paper analysis sets the tone for your preparation. 

If you make mistakes here, or you do not complete this exercise thoroughly, your preparation can go in the wrong direction. 

You will start your preparation with a detailed question paper analysis of past years’ papers, identify the different types of questions and also the method to attempt each type of question. Due to detailed and methodical study, you will develop proficiency in quickly attempting different kinds of questions. 

As the second step, you will also prioritize your preparation, by focussing more on the subjects that carry the most marks. 

This will enable you to cover maximum ground in the least possible time. If you are short of time, this strategy is a boon.

#2 - Easy learning, superior carry-in materials and build familiarity to find answers three times faster in the exam hall

Candidates frequently end up taking the wrong carry in materials to the examination hall, or that they take too much time to find answers. 

You cannot plan your carry-in materials at the last moment. 

You need to have a manageable set of carry-in materials, and practice with them to be able to find answers fast. You can further speed this up by using advanced lists and flowcharts.   

We help you plan your carry-in materials as one of the first steps when you start preparation. You do not need to carry big volumes of commentaries.

Also, you will practice all the mocks and practice tests with the same set of carry-in materials so that you build familiarity and can find the answers to the question paper in the exam hall at least three times faster.     

You will also have access to our proprietary Hacksheets, which help you find answers faster.  

#3 - Reinforcement-based learning and classroom preparation after work hours to learn easily, stay motivated and address doubts 

While most people struggle with cramming, you will find learning easier because of a  reinforcement-based method. Memorization turns easy. Also, study materials are designed in a way that reinforces your learning - you learn a concept by navigating the Bare Act, past year paper analysis, study materials, pre-recorded content, and topic-wise assignments. 5 reinforcements to ensure that you do not forget! 

For the first time, we have added weekly online classrooms (after working hours) to provide you guidance and doubt-clearing. If you do not get time to study or lose motivation, attending the class is one way to re-focus on the exam.  A schedule for the live classes is also provided well in advance. Classrooms are for discussing concepts, doubts and exam-taking strategies. We have some exciting in-class exercises as well, so that you can experience tangible improvements in the one hour that you spend attending class. 

#4 - Phased testing system for assessment and building confidence 

In the real exam, you will be tested on your ability to answer questions on 20 different subjects. How do you build your competence for that? How do you identify where you stand?

- Start by taking a full-length mock to identify where you stand.
- Study the most important subjects and attempt quizzes on one segment of each subject. 
- Move to full-length subject-level quizzes. 
- Repeat this for each priority subject. 
- Practice full-length mocks.
- Do this for the other subjects.
- Measure progress. 

#5 - Last-minute revision plan to stay focussed during the endgame

The last week of the exam is the most crucial. Most students panic or lose direction and focus in this period. Anxiety grips you. Stay on track during the endgame by following our 20 hour study plan. You can also reach out to our team for doubts. We will organize a special doubt-clearing session in the last week.  

Why take this Course?

More than 2,000 people have already used this fully online course since the first bar exam in 2010. We have an unparalleled 100% pass rate. People who failed the exam multiple times have taken this course and passed. Side effect: this is also a great way to brush up on your fundamentals of law in a way that you will never forget.

What’s New?

The BarHacker program is designed to help you ace the bar exam with advanced strategy and preparation techniques that can enable you to prepare effectively, even if you started the last minute.

Check out the all new series of Hack Sheets, topic wise quizzes, pre-recorded lectures (both for content and strategy) and extensive mocks for practice.

Money Back Policy

If you take this course and follow it diligently by attending and participating in all our classes and practice tests; and still do not clear the AIBE, we will refund the entire course fee to you. Please refer to our Refund Policy for more details.

Study Material

The provision for Hard Copies is not available in this Course. However, downloadable hacksheets are made available within the Course and are further mailed to the students at independent requests.

Our Special Features

• SELF PACED
• ONLINE EXAMS
• PERSONAL COACHING
• ANDROID & IOS APP
• 24*7 ASSISTANCE

Class topics (available in premium version only)

Classes will be conducted every week on the themes below. Recordings of all classes will be provided. You can enrol in the course at any time and access recordings of previous classes.  

Every class will include live practice from past years’ papers to build confidence

Overview of the types of questions asked in past years’ AIBE question papers and how to solve each type of question (with live practice)

Topic: How to create your exam preparation strategy for the upcoming AIBE
- Which carry-in materials to procure
- How to prioritize your preparation: which subjects to focus on first
- How to attempt questions in the exam

Topic: How to rapidly find answers in an open book exam using carry-in materials 

Live practice from past years’ AIBE papers and doubt clearing for all types of questions
(In-class practice, as a group, to clear doubts, build speed and confidence)

Topic: How to deal with knowledge-based and case law-based questions for different subjects 
- Identification of subjects which have a focus on case-law and knowledge-based questions
- Identification of principles or criteria based on which knowledge-based questions are asked
- Which materials to use and preparation to answer knowledge-based questions 

Additional class on last minute preparation strategy 
(from July 20th to August 20th, once every week) 

In the last month, there will be 2 weekly classes, that is, one on the themes above and one on last minute preparation strategy. 

*Faculty will provide in-class exercises for practice.