Study Skills Workshop

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COACHING | RESOURCES | WORKSHOPS

Beyond the Grades: Navigating the Legal Exam Storm

Insight and Strategy for SQE, LPC, CILEX, and LL.B Candidates

It's that time of year again.

Results are in for some of you. Next sittings are starting to feel real for others. Whether you're celebrating, regrouping, or quietly dreading what's coming- this season has a particular kind of weight to it, and I want you to know I see that. 💙

I've been in law study for a long time- as a student myself, juggling distance learning alongside running businesses and raising children, and now as a coach who's sat with hundreds of students at exactly this crossroads. One thing I know for certain: the students who pass aren't always the ones who work the hardest. They're the ones who work in the right direction.

So here's some of what actually moves the needle — not generic advice, but the specific shifts I see make a real difference for SQE1, SQE2, CILEX, and LPC students....actually having purpose alongside a study system.

 But before getting started with a system, you need the mindset shift which will support this...laying the foundations is key. 

1. Stop treating every topic as equally urgent

Not all material needs your deepest attention. Before your next study session, spend 10 minutes asking: What areas am I weakest in? What would have the highest impact if I truly understood it? Then build your week around that- not around what feels comfortable to study.

2. Design your study week on a Sunday, not a Monday morning

When you sit down without a plan, you end up studying whatever feels least scary. Block specific topics to specific days in advance. Treat it like client appointments. 

3. Your hardest material deserves your best hours

If you're sharpest at 9am, that window is for the complex areas. Save lighter study for when your energy dips.

4. A broken study session costs more than you think

Every time your phone buzzes, every time you drift to a tab you didn't mean to open — research suggests it takes around 20 minutes to return to the same level of cognitive depth. That's not a blip. That's the whole session. Close the tabs. Put the phone in another room. Give yourself permission to be unreachable for an hour. 🧠

5. Repetition only works if it has a shape

If you're re-reading the same notes and wondering why it isn't sticking - it's probably because there's no consistent structure. Build a revision routine and repeat it. Same format for case law review, same format for practice questions. Don't reinvent the approach every week — refine it, but keep the bones.

And one that doesn't get said enough:

Rest is not a reward for finishing. It's part of the method.

I've never coached a student whose results improved by sleeping less and grinding more. Planned rest - actual deliberate recovery built into your week — makes everything else sharper. Please give yourself permission for it.

Upcoming: Study Skills Workshop

On 15 September, I'm running a Study Skills Workshop.

A focused, practical session where we go deeper on exactly this — structuring your approach, identifying where your time is going, and building a study rhythm that holds through exam season.

If you're already one of my students, this is included in your coaching.

If you're not currently working with me, you're very welcome to join for £20 — a genuine introduction to how I work and a great way to get real clarity before the next sitting.

To secure your spot, just reply to this email or head to www.merindasmentoringservices.co.uk

DATE & TIME

15 September 2026 Online Seminar

Secure Your Spot Today

REGISTER NOW

SQE 1 & 2

Strategic application of functional legal knowledge.

CILEX

Mastering specialised modules with clear structure.

LPC

Bridging the gap between theory and practice.