Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson has made it clear that he could not uphold the oath of office to defend the U.S. Constitution. By claiming that Muslims should be precluded from holding presidential or judicial offices on the basis of practicing their religion, Ben Carson has revealed more than his own personal prejudice and bigotry. He has, in fact, revealed his own personal inability to serve as the President of the United States.

To properly prepare for and pass the bar, you need a plan. And like most things in life, there is no one-size-fits-all strategy for passing the bar. Nevertheless, there are certain issues that you’ll have to address in customizing your plan and certain prerequisites that you simply can’t get around. While I can’t outline a strategy that I know will work for everyone, I can outline the most important questions you will need to ask yourself to prepare and tailor a plan that will work best for you. The road from law school graduate to licensed lawyer may seem daunting at first but it need not. By breaking this journey down into its components, it becomes manageable and much easier than anticipated. As long as you start early, develop a plan, follow it, and don’t panic, you should be able to pass the bar. So let’s get started.