Bar Exam Study Burn Rate Calculator
Stop guessing whether you are on track for the bar exam. Enter the total hours you plan to complete, the days left on your calendar, and any booked days off to reveal the daily and weekly study pace required to hit your goal.
Adjust pacing based on personal retention, diagnostic scores, and guidance from your bar prep provider.
Examples
- Example 1 — 400 target hours, 75 days remaining, 6 days off, 120 hours completed ⇒ Hours remaining: 280.00 h | Effective study days: 69 | Required daily pace: 4.06 h/day | Weekly equivalent: 28.42 h/week
- Example 2 — 500 hours, 60 days remaining, 10 days off, 0 completed ⇒ Hours remaining: 500.00 h | Effective study days: 50 | Required daily pace: 10.00 h/day | Weekly equivalent: 70.00 h/week
FAQ
How many bar prep hours are typical?
Commercial courses often recommend 400–500 hours. Adjust the target to match your diagnostic scores, jurisdiction, and whether you are working while studying.
Should I include classroom lecture time?
Yes. Count every hour devoted to bar prep—lectures, practice questions, essays, and review—to ensure your pace reflects the full workload.
What if my pace exceeds a sustainable number?
Increase the days remaining (start earlier), trim non-essential days off, or reduce the total hours by focusing on weak subjects to bring the daily burn into a manageable range.
Can I track multiple jurisdictions separately?
Run the calculator for each exam if you are stacking UBE plus a state-specific component, then combine the daily hours to see the aggregate demand.
Additional Information
- Effective study days subtract planned days off so the required pace reflects the sessions you can actually schedule.
- Daily burn rate multiplies to a weekly equivalent to help you allocate lecture blocks versus practice questions.
- Update completed hours each week to watch the burn rate drop as you bank progress.
- If effective days fall below 1, the calculator forces at least one day to avoid division by zero; reassess your plan if breaks exceed available time.