Using Sum And Substance Constitutional Law for Bar Prep
Most people treat the Sum And Substance Constitutional Law book as a first read before they even open the outlines from their bar prep course. That is backwards. The Sum And Substance Constitutional Law book works best as a diagnostic and consolidation tool, not a primary learning source. You will move through it faster if you understand that going in. The series was originally written by Michael Kramer, who taught constitutional law at several law schools before moving into bar prep. That background shows in how the material is organized. Each chapter opens with a brief overview of the doctrine, followed by tightly drafted rules, then short hypotheticals that test your ability to spot issues. The Q&A section at the end of each chapter is where most people waste time, and it should not be.
How I Actually Used Sum And Substance Constitutional Law
I used this book during my own bar prep, and then again while tutoring students across multiple jurisdictions. The way it functions in practice is specific. You read the chapter after you have already gone through the core lectures or outline from your bar course. You are not learning the material for the first time. You are checking whether you can apply it under pressure. The biggest mistake I see is people reading the Sum And Substance Constitutional Law book cover to cover before attempting any practice questions. The book is not designed for passive consumption. It is designed for active testing. Read a chapter, do the questions immediately without looking at the answer explanations, then go back and read the explanation line by line. This usually takes about forty-five minutes per chapter for someone who already knows the material, or roughly twenty minutes per chapter if you are just scanning it. The questions are deceptively simple. They look like they should be easy, and that is intentional. Constitutional law on the bar exam often tests straightforward doctrine applied to slightly unusual facts. The value of these questions is that they force you to write out the rule before looking at the answer. Most students skip that step, read the explanation, feel like they understand, and then fail to reproduce the analysis on a real exam question.
I encountered a specific problem with the commercial speech chapter a few years ago while working with a student who was preparing for the California bar. The book covers the Central Hudson test in a standard four-prong format, which is correct but incomplete for California purposes. California applies a somewhat different framework in certain commercial speech contexts, and a handful of questions in that chapter do not reflect that nuance. My workaround was straightforward. I had my student flag any Central Hudson question, compare the book's answer with the California-specific supplemental materials from the bar prep course, and note where the analysis diverged. That took maybe ten minutes and prevented a real gap in understanding.
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What the Book Gets Right and Where It Falls Short
The Sum And Substance Constitutional Law book excels at First Amendment analysis and equal protection. The structure for rational basis review, intermediate scrutiny, and strict scrutiny is presented clearly, and the cases are organized in a way that makes comparison straightforward. If you need to quickly refresh how compelling state interest analysis works across different constitutional provisions, this is efficient. The due process section is thinner than the rest of the book. It covers procedural and substantive due process but does not go as deep into takings clause doctrine as you might need for some state bars. The commerce clause chapter is adequate but does not address the more recent dormant commerce clause developments that have appeared on newer exams. These are not fatal flaws. They are gaps you need to supplement with your primary bar prep materials. The book also has a known limitation with its question format. Many of the answers explain why the wrong choices are wrong rather than walking through the correct analytical framework from the beginning. That is fine if you are using it for review. It becomes a problem if you are encountering the material for the first time. You will fill in the gaps yourself, but it slows the process down significantly.
Another practical issue is that the book does not include essay questions with model answers. The Q&A section is strictly multiple choice. If your bar exam includes essays or MEE questions on constitutional law, you need additional practice sources. This book alone will not prepare you for that format. The MBE-style questions are useful for testing issue spotting, but they do not replicate the writing pressure of an essay section.
How to Get the Most Out of It
Download or obtain the latest edition, which includes updates reflecting recent Supreme Court decisions. The constitutional law landscape has shifted considerably over the past few years, particularly around free exercise, commercial speech, and state regulatory authority. An outdated edition will mislead you on several points. Work through the book chapter by chapter in this order. Start with the First Amendment chapters because those tend to be the highest yield on most bar exams. Then move to equal protection, due process, and separation of powers. Skip ahead to federal jurisdiction if you are short on time and need to focus your review. Time budget matters. A full pass through the entire book with questions and explanations typically takes between three and four hours for someone doing it for the first time in review mode. If you are going back through it a second time, plan on about ninety minutes. Any longer and you are spending time on material you already know well instead of reinforcing weak areas.
I recommend pairing the book with a separate question bank that includes essay responses. Sum And Substance Constitutional Law is one component of a balanced review strategy, not the whole thing. Used correctly it cuts your constitutional law review time in half and highlights exactly where your analysis is going off track. Used as a standalone resource it leaves significant holes in your preparation.
Download and Access
The book is published by Wolters Kluwer and is available through major legal book retailers and the bar prep course platforms that include it as a supplementary resource. Some bar prep providers bundle it with their materials at no additional cost. Check with your specific bar course before purchasing separately. The digital version is available through most legal database platforms that carry Aspen publications, which is useful if you prefer studying on a screen rather than with a physical copy.
