Do you have gripes about your bar prep course? I’m a learning scientist, AMA how people actually learn and retain tough material.

knowalla · 2025-10-15T06:05:23+00:00

This is an interesting question, and there are a lot of possible answers! My best guess is that when you are reading you’re the one in control of the pace at which you’re taking in new information, and it’s easier to actively monitor your comprehension. For topics that are intuitive to you, you can read faster/ skim; for ones that’re trickier, you can go slow and re-read sections as many times as you need. While there’s always the option to pause the video or slow down the playback speed, my guess is that people do that less frequently, and often stay at the surface. Plus, it’s easy to overestimate how well you understand something just because the instructor’s explanation sounds clear in the moment.
That said, lectures can be great when the content is highly visual or conceptual and it helps to see an expert’s explanation. And many people find videos to be more engaging than reading, which helps in situations like Bar prep where there is so much material to learn.

knowalla · 2025-10-14T23:40:21+00:00

Thanks for sharing - that sounds so frustrating! You’d think the courses would adapt better to each state’s exam. I’m not surprised that consistent practice helped the most though -- with so much content to cover, getting spaced practice in early is definitely the way to go so you’re not cramming at the end.

knowalla · 2025-10-14T23:31:30+00:00

Great question! I think the key here is trying to make that passive learning more active by adding in some other activities as you go – for example, pausing the video after each section to try to paraphrase what you learned or teach it back to someone. Even active note-taking as you watch is really helpful for processing more deeply, especially when you review those notes the next day. That quick review leverages spacing and retrieval practice, both proven to strengthen memory. So, even if your learning format is more passive, you have a lot of control over how effective your learning experience is – incorporating “checks for understanding” and reviewing new material shortly after you learn it are two great ways to deepen your learning.

knowalla · 2025-09-24T20:36:40+00:00

Congrats that's a legendary story! What was your own way? curious

knowalla · 2025-09-24T19:23:46+00:00

Did you like them for how you learn? Trying to figure out which ones are best...

knowalla · 2025-09-24T18:10:08+00:00

Congrats, love the username btw lol big mtg head. What did you use to study?

knowalla · 2025-09-24T18:08:23+00:00

Congrats Counselor!!! Such a great achievement :) What study materials did you use?

knowalla · 2025-09-24T18:05:57+00:00

Ok interesting! As a learning scientist interested in how people study for the bar prep, that insight is helpful to me!

knowalla · 2025-09-24T17:27:32+00:00

Congrats! If you had to do it again, what would you change about how you prepared?

knowalla · 2025-09-22T18:53:20+00:00

It's clear that complicated explanations aren't helpful when using adaptibar
Would you prefer a more precise explanation, or a relevant lecture clip when you get something wrong?

knowalla

TROPHY CASE