If you’re preparing to write the Ontario Bar Exam, then you already know that it’s an intense experience—and one of the most challenging exams to pass in Canada. As such, you’ll want to make sure you have all the resources and study tools you need to prepare yourself properly and pass on your first attempt. Here are the best study tools for the Ontario Bar Exam:

Color-coding

Once you’ve created your study plan, use color-coding to organize your notes by subject. In each section, assign a different color to different topics and then highlight relevant information as you read. Color-coding makes information stand out—and will help reinforce what you already know and help unearth what you don’t. 

When organizing material in a way that directly correlates to how it might appear on an exam, color-coding can be one of your best study tools. For example, color coding limitation dates can be an effective way to memorize this information. For instance the limitation deadline for delivering a Statement of Defence can be divided into three colors depending on where a defendant was served a Statement of Claim as shown below.

• Blue: Defendants served in Ontario – 20 days;
• Yellow: Defendants served in US or Canada – 40 days; and 
• Red: Defendants served anywhere else in the world – 60 days. 

This approach is just one of many ways to use color-coding to enhance your studying. It’s not foolproof, but it could give you an edge when studying!

Material Organization

One of the most important things to do when preparing for the Ontario Bar Examinations is to organize your materials. Instead of putting your pages on pages of materials in a folder, we recommend binding your exam materials with a binding machine. This method will increase your speed, especially if you sort your materials by practice area. One thing to remember is to use large binding combs to ensure you can fit practice area materials into one booklet. If you want to stand out in your organization, you can even use transparent presentation covers to provide your materials with an elegant look.

Lists and Checklists

You’ll likely see a lot of checklists and bulleted lists when you are studying for any exam. For example, you can use lists to keep track of important dates on your calendar or things to pack (or not pack) before your big day. 

A good checklist will help you stay organized and focused on what needs to be done. Even if it’s just a written list of what you need to do next, having some semblance of order will help keep you motivated and dedicated to finishing your studying—and that, in turn, can help boost your performance on exam day.

You can check out this Ontario Bar Exam Study Guide. It has all kinds of helpful tips about how to prepare for each section of the test and specific strategies that may make a difference during exam time. 

Flashcards 

For memorizing fact-based information, nothing beats flashcards. Simple to make and simple to use, just write out a card with your question on one side and your answer on the other. Once you’ve written them all, go through them repeatedly until you have them memorized. 

According to an experiment by Carnegie Mellon University students studying for their finals, students who used flashcards were twice as likely to remember information two days later than those who didn’t use them. One other benefit of flashcards is being able to study while you move around. 

There’s also evidence that shows how mnemonic devices (like creating mental images or stories) can help solidify what you’re trying to learn, which may be effective when switching through practice areas within the materials. 

Mnemonics and Acrostics

Acrostics and mnemonics can be great study tools to use as you’re learning. For example, with acrostics, each line of a stanza can stand for a word or concept related to what you’re studying. Using mnemonics can help create mental associations between concepts, which can help you remember details regarding those concepts later on. 

Either way, these techniques will help your brain process information more effectively and are worth trying if your memory needs a little boost. For Mnemonics and acrostics, you’ll need a Planner. 

Practice Exams

Many previous licensing candidates have found it very beneficial to simulate both the Barrister and Solicitor examinations. Emond, LexPd, Ontario Law Exam, and Bar Exam Cracker solidified themselves as trusted sources for practice materials. 

As the Barrister and Solicitor examinations are both open book evaluations, indices are very important to assist in navigating the materials. We advise obtaining reliable indices and simulating the examinations before writing both examinations.