Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Bar Exam Study Planner agent skill (study-plan)
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The study-plan skill is an agent skill for Claude that builds a multi-week study plan for a bar exam, a specific law school exam, or a semester, then updates it as you log sessions. It is aimed at law students who want a structured schedule sized to their real week. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it with natural requests, what it needs, and what to watch for before you rely on it.
Bar Exam Study Planneranthropics/claude-for-legal · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Install the skill. Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload it in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- 2Prepare your config files. Make sure ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/ exists and contains a CLAUDE.md with your bar jurisdiction, exam date, weak subjects, and target hours.
- 3Ask for a plan. Say something like "build a study plan" or "plan my bar prep" to start the --build flow.
- 4Answer the inputs one at a time. Give your exam date, subjects, strongest and weakest areas, realistic weekly hours, methods, and days off. Answer the life-context questions honestly.
- 5Confirm the summary. Read the prose summary of the plan and tell the agent what to change before it saves study-plan.yaml.
- 6Log sessions and update. Record your study sessions and run --update periodically so priorities and hours adjust to what you actually do.
What the study-plan skill makes the agent do
Without a plan, studying often means sitting down and not knowing what to cover. This skill has the agent build a plan with phases, subjects weighted by weakness, and a daily session schedule. It then adapts as you actually complete sessions, rather than being a fixed calendar export.
Before it builds anything, the agent asks about your exam date, subjects, weak areas, realistic weekly hours, life commitments, and days off. It works through these one at a time and waits for each answer.
- --build: creates the phase structure and daily schedule for the first two weeks, then saves the plan to a file.
- --update: re-reads your session history, adjusts subject priorities and weekly hours, and fills in the next stretch of schedule.
- --status: shows what is scheduled today and this week, your score trend, subjects that are slipping, and the next session for each subject.
- --cram: switches to a condensed mode that prioritizes high-yield topics, sets daily MBE volume, and tapers the last 2-3 days.
Install the study-plan skill
You can install the skill in one of three ways. Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into your personal skills folder at ~/.claude/skills/, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder if you want it limited to one project. Alternatively, upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
The skill package contains a single file, SKILL.md, which holds the instructions the agent follows.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Set up the files the skill reads
The skill reads your study context from a plugin config folder. It expects a CLAUDE.md file and a study-plan.yaml file in ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/. The CLAUDE.md file holds your bar jurisdiction, exam format, bar date, weak subjects, target study hours per day, and prep course. The study-plan.yaml file is created and updated by the skill; if it already exists, the skill extends it rather than overwriting it.
If you do not have this folder set up, the skill will not have the context it expects. Check that the path exists before you start.
- ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/CLAUDE.md
- ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/study-plan.yaml (created if missing)
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need to type a command. The skill is designed to be triggered by phrases such as the ones below. You can also use the flags directly, for example with --build, --update, --status, or --cram.
Expect the agent to ask questions before it writes a plan. The skill summarizes the plan in prose and asks you to confirm before finalizing it.
- "Build a study plan"
- "Plan my bar prep"
- "Schedule my studying"
- "How should I study for [exam]?"
- "Show me today's study session" (use --status)
- "I need a cram plan for next week" (use --cram)
What the agent asks you during setup
The skill asks for one input at a time. It covers the exam and its date, the subjects to cover, your strongest and weakest subjects, the hours per week you can realistically sustain, your preferred study methods, and your days off.
It also runs a life-context check. After you give a weekly hours number, it asks about your job, family or caregiving, commute, and other commitments, then tells you whether the number looks realistic. If you have a prep course, it asks whether the plan should supplement that course or replace its calendar. You cannot run both full curricula at once.
- Exam date and jurisdiction (for bar exams)
- Subjects, with a chance to add or drop any
- Weakest subjects get the most sessions
- Hours per week, checked against your full week
- Preferred methods such as MBE practice, essays, flashcards, outlining
- Days off, since plans with no rest days tend to fail
Know the limits and safety notes
The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network. It reads and writes files in your plugin config folder. Its time estimates are general guidance based on typical commercial prep-course weightings, not a measure of your pace. The skill states that past question frequency is not a prediction. Any claim that a topic is definitely on the exam is flagged as uncertain.
The skill is not a source of exam content. It plans your time; it does not replace your prep course, your outlines, or your own study of the law.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Reads and writes files under ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/
- Time-per-topic figures are estimates to be checked against your real pace
- Topic frequency in cram mode is not a guarantee of what appears on the exam
What people use it for
- A bar candidate building a multi-week schedule that splits time across subjects by weakness.
- A law student preparing for a set of finals who wants a daily session plan for one class.
- A student with a part-time job or caregiving duties who wants weekly hours sized to their real week.
- A student who wants today's schedule and a progress check without rebuilding the plan.
- A student one week out from the bar who wants a condensed cram schedule with a taper at the end.
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the study-plan agent skill?
Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
What do I need to run the study-plan skill?
It requires Claude Code or a compatible agent with access to a local claude-for-legal plugin config folder. The skill expects CLAUDE.md and study-plan.yaml files at ~/.claude/plugins/config/claude-for-legal/law-student/.
Is the study-plan skill free?
The source material for this listing does not state pricing or licence terms beyond the listed licence, Apache-2.0. Check the licence file in the repository for the terms that apply.
Does the study-plan skill guarantee what will be on the bar exam?
No. The skill states that past question frequency is not a prediction. Cram mode topic priorities are flagged as uncertain, and time estimates are general guidance rather than doctrine.
Does the skill run scripts or access the internet?
According to the listing, it does not run scripts and does not use the network. It reads and writes files in your plugin config folder.
Who should not use this skill?
Anyone expecting guaranteed exam content should choose a different resource. It is also a poor fit if your setup does not have the expected plugin config folder, because the skill reads and writes files in that specific location.
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Our verdict
The study-plan skill suits law students, especially bar candidates, who want a structured schedule that fits a busy week and that other study tools can follow. It is less suitable if you want exam content itself, or if you cannot set up the expected config folder. Treat its time estimates and topic priorities as a starting point to check against your own pace.
Download the skill