When should I write the bar exam?
When should I write the Ontario bar exam? It’s a question we get all the time. And while the answer tends to vary by person, there is some general guidance we can offer that may help make the decision-making process a little easier.
If you’re planning on pursuing the articling or clerkship path to licensure, for instance, you should probably check in with your employer and see what their preferences are. In fact, some firms and courts will include an explicit term in their employment contract stipulating when you are expected to write the barrister and solicitor exams. Often times, this provision will state that you are expected to complete your licensure exams during the summer (i.e., June/July) offerings. From an employer’s perspective this makes sense. They want you focused on your new job — not the bar exam.
If your employer doesn’t have any preferences, however, then you have a decision to make. One of the most obvious benefits of writing the bar exam during the summer offering is that you get it over with. As a result, you may feel less stressed as you progress through the other licensing requirements. For some, this is an enormous benefit. The hovering cloud above your head that is the Ontario bar can be quite anxiety-producing. Getting it over and done with — and in turn having the ability to move on with your life — can be incredibly stress-relieving.
Another benefit was already alluded to. By writing the bar exam in the summer, you’ll be able to focus on your articling placement, your judicial clerkship, or, alternatively, the law practice program. Again, this can be tremendously stress-relieving. The fact of the matter is that the practical aspect of your licensing requirements is going to be a significant draw on your time and energy. Adding bar exam prep on top of all the work-related assignments stemming from your articles, clerkship, or law practice program may turn out to be too much for some people. If you think that this applies to you, then it makes sense to get the bar exam over with sooner rather than later.
One of the cons of writing the bar exam in the summer, however, is that it spoils a good chunk of your summer holidays. Instead of spending your summer at the beach or travelling, you’re going to have to dedicate several weeks to preparing for the bar exam. Some people find this appalling — after all, summers are short in Canada! And so if you’re someone who truly values their summer holidays, delaying the bar exam until the fall or winter sittings may make more sense.
Another con of writing the bar exam in the summer is that you may already be burned out from your final set of law school exams. The turnaround from law school to bar exam prep can be extremely quick. And let’s be real, law school is no slouch: by the time the summer bar exam sittings roll around, you’ll have just finished three years worth of exams and papers. Plus, if you’re a 2022 graduate, you had to do all of this on top of a global pandemic. That’s no easy task! Being burned out and wanting a break is totally understandable.
When it’s all said and done, there’s no right answer when it comes to selecting a bar exam date. The best you can do is sit down and ask yourself whether you need time to re-charge after law school before embarking on your bar prep journey, or whether you’d rather just get it over with (even if it means that you’re summer holidays are going to be cut in half). Think critically about this question and, no matter what decision you end up making, we’re confident that it will be the right one for you!
