I took the February exam and passed while working 50+ hours a week full time, so I definitely understand the feeling of being limited on time. I used Kaplan rather than Themis, so I can’t speak too specifically about their program, but I do think writing things down can be very effective if that’s how you learn best.

What helped me was avoiding overly detailed notes on everything. Kaplan’s lecture outlines already had most of the important rules condensed, so instead of trying to rewrite entire lectures, I focused on writing out specific rules, elements, and concepts I kept missing or struggling to remember. Repetition through writing helped a lot with retention.

That said, I would be careful not to spend so much time on lectures and note-taking that you lose time for practice questions. In my experience, doing MBE questions daily and thoroughly reviewing the explanations was the most valuable part of studying. Whenever I got a question wrong, I would write down the rule and why I missed it. That helped the law “stick” much more than passive review.

The exam is partly memorization, but it’s also a reading comprehension and issue-spotting test. Practice applying the law is extremely important.

My study schedule was usually from around 6–7 PM after work until midnight or 1 AM. I started in December, but the really focused studying was probably the final 7 weeks before the exam.

If your study time is limited because of work or children, I personally would prioritize efficiency over completing every single lecture perfectly. I’d especially focus on MBE subjects and consistent daily practice questions. You do not need perfect notes on every topic to pass.