The 80/20 Rule of Bar Prep: Focus on what matters most

May 16 / Benjamin Rozek

The 80/20 Rule of Bar Prep: Focus on What Matters Most


When I was studying for the Ontario bar exam, I fell into the same trap most of us do at first — thinking I needed to read everything. Every paragraph, every sub-bullet, every footnote. But here’s the truth: not all pages are created equal.


Skim First, Learn What to Look For

The Bar materials are overwhelming. Hundreds of pages per exam. If you're trying to retain all of it, you're setting yourself up for burnout. Instead, think of your first read-through as a warm-up — a way to get your bearings and understand how the materials are organized. Focus less on memorization and more on familiarity.

The real skill? Being able to find the answer fast under pressure. That’s what the exam is testing. If you can learn to navigate the Table of Contents efficiently and know what the indexes are good for, you’re already ahead.


Practice > Perfection

Here's where most of your gains will come from: practice questions. They teach you:

  • How to scan for keywords

  • What types of questions actually get asked

  • Which parts of the materials are worth flagging or tabbing

Start practicing even before you finish reading. Seriously. It’ll reshape how you read and help you zero in on what matters.



Time Yourself (With a Timesheet)

As you move into timed practice, create a timesheet that outlines where you should be at various points in the exam . Use it while doing practice sets to make sure you're not spending too long trying to find one answer. This is how you train your pacing and build your instinct for when to move on.



Build Your Toolkit

Some resources that saved me time:

  • U of T Indices – free, detailed, and better than most paid ones

  • Personal Annotations – highlight sections you keep returning to

  • Smart Tabs – one per major section, with a few extras for tricky subsections like the Real Estate section


Final Thoughts

You don’t need to master every single section entirely. You need to be resourceful and smart. Practicing under timed conditions (even just 40–60 questions at a time) builds speed and confidence. Stick with it, refine your system, and remember — the bar exam is open book, but it’s not open time.

You’ve got this!


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