The Bar Exam in a Nutshell
Author:
Darrow-Kleinhaus, Suzanne
Edition:
3rd
Copyright Date:
2016
19 chapters
have results for bar prep
Chapter 4. The Bar Planner 125 results (showing 5 best matches)
- In this chapter, we’ll consider the essential components of a successful bar preparation plan. Such a plan into account two things: first, the lifestyle changes you may need to make to let you concentrate solely on the bar exam for the entire bar review period; and, second, the steps you can take to “jump start” the bar prep process by brushing up on critical skills and targeting key subject areas.
- These are just some of the possibilities. Many schools do not require these courses for graduation, but if you can take courses in the areas tested on your state’s bar exam, it makes sense to do so. You do not need to sacrifice the electives you want to take—just try to balance them with the courses that will help you prepare for the bar exam as well. Besides, these “so-called” bar prep courses are usually basic law courses and should be part of every law student’s legal education.
- Still, it is important to realize that even if you had all the time in the world, there are limits to how much information you can retain and how long you can maintain the level of intensity required during the preparation period. In many respects, it might well be a good thing that the bar prep period is finite. You just couldn’t keep it up much longer!
- Would you benefit from a “head start” on bar prep?
- Assuming you take a morning bar prep course:
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- Nonetheless, much remains the same: bar candidates still need help to get them through the challenge of the bar exam. In addition to such practical information as bar planner checklists, suggestions on how to get a “head start” on bar prep during law school, and advice on how to stay on schedule when taking an online bar review course, I have included information about the UBE and added an Appendix with practice essays, self-assessment rubrics, and MPT exercises.
- Recent changes in legal education and the arrival of the Uniform Bar Examination (UBE) are the reasons for this new edition. Increasingly, law schools are adding bar prep courses to the curriculum to prepare their students for the bar exam while the steadily growing number of jurisdictions adopting the UBE means that more and more candidates are sitting for this exam. These changes factor into bar preparation in different ways and this edition addresses them where applicable.
- The Multistate Bar Examination (MBE®) questions, the Multistate Essay Examination (MEE®) questions, and excerpts from the Multistate Performance Tests (MPT®) have been reprinted by permission from the NCBE®. Copyright© by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. All rights reserved.
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Chapter 1. About the Bar Exam 24 results (showing 5 best matches)
- The problem is that these are practical skills and students spend most if not all of their bar prep time studying only substantive law. Success on the bar exam requires mastery of both.
- If you’re like other bar candidates, you’ve been bombarded with lots of well-meaning advice on how to prepare for the bar exam. You may even have paid thousands of dollars for this advice. So what could another so-called “bar expert” possibly have to tell you that is not already to be found somewhere in the pile of materials growing like Mount Vesuvius on the side of your bed? Simple: I can tell you what you need to know to make all this guidance work for you and not simply overwhelm you. I can share with you what I have learned over the past fifteen years from working with students to prepare for their first bar exam and with others who failed the bar exam multiple times and then passed after we had worked together. I can spare you what they went through trying to figure out what the exam was all about. Then you can pass the bar exam the first time you take it.
- I can’t believe it’s been so long since I sat for the bar exam. The experience is still fresh in my mind—as it remains for all of us who take the bar. I promise that you’ll never forget the struggle of studying for and taking the bar exam; I also promise that you’ll never forget the moment of joy and exhilaration when you learn that you’ve passed. And that is what this book is all about—getting you to that moment.
- While all the questions on the bar exam require an IRAC analysis, different parts of the exam emphasize different elements of the IRAC equation. Consequently, our techniques will vary according to the skills tested by the particular type of question. Forensic principles are outlined for the essay and MBE portions of the bar exam. They are covered in Chapter 10, Legal Forensics.
- The goal of the bar examiners is to test your competency for the practice of law. To pass the bar exam, therefore, you must demonstrate a firm grasp of the “black letter law” and a solid grounding in basic analytical, reading, and writing skills.
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Chapter 2. Bar Exam Basics 99 results (showing 5 best matches)
- 1. BAR PREP COURSES IN LAW SCHOOLS
- Depending on the law school, bar preparation may begin as early as the first year where bar-simulated or even actual, released bar exam questions are integrated into the curriculum. While the primary goal is not actual bar preparation, working with bar-type questions presents an opportunity for both faculty and students to become familiar with the structure, language, and content of the bar exam. It’s just as easy to develop effective analytical skills when working with bar-type questions for exercises, assignments, and exams as it is with other questions—but with the added bonus of learning about the bar exam.
- As a bar candidate, you need to be aware of changes to your bar exam. While your bar review course will provide you with the most current law tested on your bar exam to study during the formal bar review period, knowledge of what will be on your exam should inform your course selection during law school.
- At the moment, however, our primary concerns are the two major changes in legal education and the bar exam that have taken place since 2008 because they directly affect your entry into the profession: first, the changes in the American Bar Association (“ABA”) standards that allow a law school to offer bar exam preparation courses for academic credit without restriction ; and, second, the arrival of the Uniform Bar Exam (“UBE”) in 2011. your legal education directly since your law school may provide courses to prepare you for the bar exam while the steadily growing number of jurisdictions adopting the UBE means that this might be your bar exam. If so, then it will factor into your bar preparation in different ways and we will be sure to address them as they arise.
- While commercial bar review courses provide some of this information, your state bar examiners provide precise details. If you want to know exactly what to expect on bar day—down to the last detail—check with your bar examiners. And check frequently: even if you checked when you submitted your application to take the bar, be sure to check in the days leading up to the actual exam date: rules may have been modified and you do not want to arrive at the test site unprepared.
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Outline 29 results (showing 5 best matches)
Chapter 7. Bar Exam Essays 66 results (showing 5 best matches)
- A bit of common sense goes a long way. If you have solid writing skills and law school essays were your strong point, then there may be no need to write out complete essay answers. Instead, what you will do is focus on identifying issues and outlining the rules needed to address those issues. You should aim to outline at least two bar examination essays every day during your two-month bar prep period. Pay particular attention to articulating the issues. As you’ve learned by now, it takes skill to move from the interrogatory or general question to the specific issue in controversy. Only sufficient practice will enable you to articulate issues with ease. Outline all of the essay questions available from your jurisdiction, then move on to the essays from your bar review course.
- You can identify the boundaries of your bar exam by checking with your local bar examiner. Your jurisdiction typically provides a list to bar candidates of the state-specific subjects to be tested. Some provide rather detailed outlines of the covered subject matter which should be used as a checklist to guide your studies.
- Before we discuss specific strategies for writing successful bar exam essays, let’s talk about writing in general: I’m sure a good number of you have been very successful in law school and a large part of that success can be credited to your ability to communicate effectively in writing. For you, doing well on the essay portion of the bar exam will be a simple matter of gaining familiarity with the types of essays on the bar and their structure. But for those of you for whom essays posed a bit more of a challenge, I want you to know that you too can do well on bar exam essays. There is a method to scoring points and this is what I am going to share with you.
- • An answer that shows “knowledge and understanding of the pertinent principles and theories of law, their qualifications and limitations, and their relationships to each other.” The State Bar of California Committee of Bar Examiners.
- • “The essay portion of the bar examination is designed to test your ability to demonstrate a basic and essential capacity for the practice of law. Your grade will be based on your ability to identify and analyze issues and to present an organized, coherent and well-written response within the prescribed format. The response must be lawyer-like.” New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners.
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Chapter 9. The Multistate Performance Test 34 results (showing 5 best matches)
- students have not had the opportunity or the need to write subject headings since their first year of law school. And if you’re like most students, you struggled through it and promptly forget about it. Unfortunately, commercial bar prep courses are not going to teach you how to do this because there isn’t time and quite simply, it’s not their job. Still, you have the opportunity to rack up considerable points with just a few sentences.
- In a perfect world, there would be no tests and a test like the bar exam would be “outlawed” instead of required for the practice of law. Short of some kind of a miracle, however, tests and the bar exam are going to be around for a while. But what would you think of an exam where the issue is identified and you’re given all the law that’s relevant to addressing that issue?
- Like the other parts of the bar exam, preparing for the MPT requires practice. Still, preparation for the MPT is unlike preparation for the other parts of the bar exam. Here you’re not tested so much on your knowledge of black letter law as you are on your ability to extract legal principles from cases and statutes and apply these principles to solve a specific client problem. These are the skills you have developed in law school and these are the skills you must fine tune during bar preparation.
- Footnotes hold a special place in the hearts of bar examiners because they know that students tend to ignore them. That’s why bar examiners like to put them in cases. Don’t ignore them. They are there for a
- The good news, and you’re due for some good news by now, is that the MPT can be the easiest part of your bar exam. Unlike the other portions of the exam where you’re called upon to work solely from your memory, here you’re given the legal issue and all the law you need to resolve the issue. You’re given the law because this portion of the bar exam is designed to test your proficiency in the basic skills you’ve developed in the course of your legal education and not just your ability to memorize. According to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, the goal of the MPT is to test “an applicant’s ability to use fundamental lawyering skills in a realistic situation.” Each test, therefore, seeks to evaluate your ability to complete a task which a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish.
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Preface and Acknowledgments 12 results (showing 5 best matches)
- I owe much to my daughter Meredith who believed in my ability to teach before I did, insisting that I was so much clearer and better at explaining how to write than any of her high school or college teachers that I should be the one who wrote her textbooks and taught her classes. She believed in me so strongly that she sent all of her friends to me for help. My sister, Jessica read the early drafts and made some great suggestions. Together we reminisced about our bar prep days and tried to come up with what we would have wanted to know to make the task even the slightest bit more tolerable. Many thanks to my parents, Bernice and Albert, who taught me so much, but especially my dad, who reminded me when I was tired and disheartened that I should never let go of my dream to teach and to write.
- The MBE questions have been “Reprinted by Permission” from the following NCBE publications: Sample MBE February, 1991 (© 1991 by the National Conference of Bar Examiners), Sample MBE 1996 (© 1996 by the National Conference of Bar Examiners), Sample MBE III July, 1998 (© 1998 by the National Conference of Bar Examiners) and the 2001 Information Booklet (© 2001 by the National Conference of Bar Examiners).
- In addition to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, I wish to thank the bar examiners of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut for permission to reprint bar examination materials. The reprinted essay selections and sample answers have all been downloaded from the states’ web sites, in large part to illustrate the accessibility of these materials to bar candidates.
- Still, the bar exam is a challenge and the candidate cannot simply graduate law school and expect to pass without any additional preparation. But law school was also a challenge and presumably the candidate made it through or he or she would not be taking the bar exam. The truth is that law school prepares candidates for the bar by providing a solid foundation in the skills the bar exam seeks to test and in turning out an individual who knows how to handle the competing demands on his or her time, memory, and energy. When a student has learned how to learn the law, then bar passage is not an obstacle that cannot be overcome, but a requirement for entering the profession which must be met like any other.
- I’ve endeavored to make clear throughout the book that the candidate’s best friends during this time are the Bar Examiners. Both the National Conference of Bar Examiners (“NCBE”) and the state boards make numerous materials available to bar candidates.
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Chapter 12. Advice for the Re-Taker 35 results (showing 5 best matches)
- It often helps to speak with someone about your experience. It may not be easy for you to talk about it, but it can be incredibly helpful to speak with someone who has experience with the bar exam and can be objective. Consider contacting someone from your bar review course or the bar examiners from your jurisdiction. They are the experts on the bar exam and are in the best position to offer useful advice.
- Of all bar-takers, it might be said that you face the most daunting task of all: overcoming your fear of failure. My heart is with you. But I know that you can pass the bar exam because I’ve worked with so many re-takers to know that it’s possible. It’s possible because you’re going to follow the plan this time.
- Bar review courses continuously update their materials so candidates have access to the current law in preparing for the exam. Generally, your notes from one bar administration to the next will be timely, but you should not take chances with study materials older than that.
- If you plan to work on your own, then follow the schedule from your prior bar review course to make sure that you cover all the topics. However, be sure to adapt the schedule so that you spend more time where you need it. This assumes you’ve kept your bar review materials. If not, get in touch with a law school buddy and see if you can borrow them.
- There are any number of reasons candidates don’t pass the bar exam: the reasons are almost as varied as the test takers themselves. There are always a small minority of candidates who walk into the exam unprepared, knowing that they’re unprepared. But this isn’t typical. The vast majority work hard in preparing for the exam but working hard is not the same as working smart.
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Chapter 6. Learning the Black Letter Law 38 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Just as you studied from your professor’s old exams to prepare for law school finals, you’ll review released exams from the National Conference of Bar Examiners and your state’s bar examiners when you study for the bar exam. While your bar review course includes a good number of simulated practice tests and essay writing exercises, there is no substitute for the real thing. It is essential that you become familiar with the structure, style, and content of the test questions you can expect to see on bar day. Since the ultimate authority on the bar exam are the bar examiners, their questions should be the primary source for your practice questions.
- First, you need to internalize the law. A solid knowledge of the black letter law is required to answer bar exam essays and objective short answer questions. Preparing for the bar exam simply by attending lectures and reading through bar review outlines, even if read several times, does not allow for the type of internalization of the material necessary to respond to these questions. “Knowing the law” means that you internalize the material in such a way that you truly “own” it. This is not the same as thinking you know something because a term or concept seems familiar. There’s a big difference between recognizing something because you’ve seen it before and really knowing it. The bar exam requires you to know the rules with precision and specificity: it also requires a solid understanding of those rules.
- Memorization is essential to success on the bar exam. As you proceed through your bar review course, make it a priority to memorize basic definitions and the elements of rules. Here are some suggestions:
- While you must practice questions in all subject areas tested on the bar exam, you can focus your energies in two ways: where you need the most work and where it will do you the most good. How do you know which subjects require the most work? All subjects are not created equal—not with the bar exam and not with you. This means that you can target your energies where you need them the most.
- The second approach is what I call the “Scarlett O’Hara” philosophy. In this case, the student can’t bear to think about the reality of the bar exam and believes that there’s always tomorrow to get serious about studying. So what if a bar review class or two is missed. What’s the big deal? The missed session is always available online. The problem with this mind-set is that there’s no time to waste. You can no more “ease into” bar review than you could “ease into” law school. Each day counts; there’s no making up for lost time.
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Preface and Acknowledgments to the Second Edition 6 results (showing 5 best matches)
- The Multistate Essay Examination (“MEE”) has been “Reprinted by Permission” from the February 2001 MEE. Copyright © 2001 National Conference of Bar Examiners. All rights reserved. The Multistate Bar Examination (“MBE”) questions have been “Reprinted by Permission” from the following NCBE publications: Sample MBE February, 1991 (© 1991 by the National Conference of Bar Examiners), Sample MBE 1996 (© 1996 by the National Conference of Bar Examiners), Sample MBE III July, 1998 (© 1998 by the National Conference of Bar Examiners) and the 2006 Information Booklet (© 2005 by the National Conference of Bar Examiners). The Multistate Performance Test (“MPT”) has been “Reprinted by Permission” from Test 2 of the July 1997, MPT, State v. Devine (©1997 by the National Conference of Bar Examiners).
- The additions to this book were stimulated by learning what my students needed to help them through this challenging time. Consequently, this edition adds some very practical information absent from the first edition: suggestions on how to get a “head start” on bar preparation, guidelines for selecting a bar review course that suits individual learning styles, bar planner checklists for the entire bar preparation period, from the initial planning phases to the actual days of the bar exam, advice on how to manage the mountains of material you cover in bar review courses, and how to learn the law you need to know in a way that you can remember it and use it to answer exam questions. I have also included a greater range of examples from additional jurisdictions.
- If you used Mastering the Law School Exam during law school, you may find some familiar sounding passages in the sections on forensic IRAC. I have adapted these sections into the Nutshell. I have also incorporated some material from Acing the Bar Exam, specifically the sections on getting a “Head Start” on bar preparation and the Bar Planner, as well as the material on de-constructing the bar exam and some of the additional jurisdiction-specific information. Although there has been some “borrowing” of material, much has been re-written to comport with the Nutshell’s more conversational style and approach. However, if you find that checklists help you focus on the task at hand, then I would recommend Acing the Bar Exam. It complements the Nutshell with a “checklist approach” to the process of studying for and taking the bar exam. Mastering the Law School Exam and Acing the Bar Exam are Thomson-West Publications.
- In New York, the Board of Law Examiners release answers which received scores superior to the average scaled score awarded for the relevant essay. However, the Board is careful to make no representation as to the accuracy of the answers; they are simply considered above average responses. Like New York, the bar examiners in New Jersey, Florida and California publish essay questions and answers after each bar examination administration. The Florida Board of Bar Examiners Study Guide is copyrighted and the selections reproduced here are under the express written permission of the Florida Board of Bar Examiners.
- I have learned a lot in the five years since writing the first edition—most, if not all, has been from my students. Perhaps because of the intensity of the experience, but the time I spend working with students in the crazy weeks before the bar exam are the best of my teaching times. The hours are insane and the pressure is intense—almost as much for the teacher as the student—but the feeling that comes from sharing such an experience is without equal. It’s not the same as what happens in a regular classroom. The dynamics and the stakes are so different. Everything is heightened—the highs, the lows, and the “gotcha” moments. For many students, it finally comes together when studying for the bar exam and I get to be there when it does. It doesn’t get much better than that—except when I learn that they passed the exam.
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Chapter 8. The Multistate Questions 40 results (showing 5 best matches)
- The bar examiners are an important source of questions. Periodically, as old MBE questions are retired, the bar examiners release them and make them available. The experience in working with actual MBE questions is invaluable in helping you gain familiarity with the bar examiner’s specific use of language and framing of issues.
- Similarly, the bar exam is not the time or place to become “practical” and consider what you think would happen in actual practice. Many candidates have defended their incorrect answer choices by explaining “I know it couldn’t happen like that in practice. That’s why I didn’t choose that answer.” This isn’t “real” life. It’s the bar exam! This is not to say, however, that bar exam questions have nothing to do with the practice of law or the “real rules.” It’s just that on the bar exam, as in law school, we are studying and working with the theoretical rule of law and what should be, not necessarily what is. The bar exam is no time to worry about the great divide between theory and practice—simply apply the rule of law as you’ve
- Preparation for the MBE requires that you combine your knowledge of the theoretical with the practical. Your goal is twofold: to acquire a detailed understanding of the substantive law and to master the specific manner in which it is tested. This chapter will show you how to practice questions for the multistate portion of the bar exam, a major component of nearly every jurisdiction’s bar exam. Although the examples and explanations use “retired” MBE questions, the suggested approaches are applicable as well to preparing for multiple choice questions that may be part of the state-portion of your exam.
- If you’re like most candidates, however, you’re probably thinking that the last thing you need are more “study aids.” On the contrary: these are not study aids but insights into the minds of the bar examiners. Besides, after spending upwards of $100,000 on a legal education, now is not the time to be frugal about an additional $100 or so. Since the bar examiners write and evaluate and score the questions, doesn’t it just make sense to spend your
- After you’ve decided what the answer should be, you’re ready to look at the answer choices. Don’t expect the bar examiners to phrase the answer in precisely the words you’re looking for—these words won’t be there. Instead, you’ll have to “fill the gap” between your words and the words the bar examiners have chosen to express the answer. And they do such a good job of camouflage that candidates often don’t recognize the correct response even though it “says” exactly what they want!
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Chapter 3. Procedural Matters 24 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Typically, the matter of where you will “sit” for the bar exam is determined by where you received a job offer or where you want to live. Often you know the answer to this question—or have a pretty good idea—before you graduate and so selecting the state in which to apply for bar admission is not a major consideration.
- Bar passage is only one of a number of jurisdictionally-set criteria you must meet before gaining admittance to the practice of law. While you are probably aware that each state determines the composition and scoring of its own bar exam, you might not realize that there are other requirements for admission besides exam passage. These include age, education, and moral character requirements.
- Security policies have tightened significantly over the years and often change between one administration of the bar exam and the next. Strict adherence to the rules is required. There are no exceptions and a violation can result in your dismissal from the exam site and referral to the bar licensing entity for disqualification.
- Check with your individual jurisdiction for the most recent requirements. You can also refer to the National Conference of Bar Examiners, Chart 2: Character and Fitness Determinations in the
- Some candidates choose to sit for more than one bar exam. Usually, this is based on not knowing for sure where they will finally settle or believing that it increases their employment opportunities. Sometimes this makes sense if you know (or there is a strong likelihood) that you will be relocating in the near future since it is usually best to take the bar
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Appendix: Contents and Materials 43 results (showing 5 best matches)
- UCC Article 2 issues are common on bar exam essays. They present a fertile ground for bar examiners to assess whether candidates are careful to use the appropriate statutory language. Both candidates include the basics:
- New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners, https://www.nj barexams.org/bar-exam-questions-and-sample-answers-july–2015. Copyright © 2015, all rights reserved. (last visited December 29, 2015).
- New Jersey Board of Bar Examiners. New Jersey provides two sample candidate answers for each question. The candidate answers are reproduced . https://www.njbar exams.org/bar-exam-questions-and-sample-answers-july–2015 (last visited December 28, 2015).
- This question is an MEE question but New York bar exam candidates answered it by applying New York law. This is because New York included an MEE as part of its July 2010 bar administration; if New York had been a UBE jurisdiction at the time, candidates would have applied general principles of law.
- This question is an MEE question but New York bar exam candidates answered it by applying New York law. This is because New York included an MEE as part of its July 2010 bar administration; if New York had been a UBE jurisdiction at the time, candidates would have applied general principles of law.
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Chapter 11. Taking the Bar Exam 5 results
- No matter how hard you’ve studied and how many practice exams you’ve taken, once you get to the bar exam, you must let go and “be in the moment.” This means that you respond to what the bar examiners ask of you and not want you what to tell the bar examiners you know. Trust me—there’s no better way to ensure a poor grade than to ignore what is asked of you. By answering the question, you’ll be showing what you know.
- Since you know the composition of the exam from your preparation, there’s no need to scan any part of the bar exam except for the essays. Here you may want to get a sense of the general topics before you begin. More than that is not necessary and may be harmful by wasting your time.
- Try to recall past experiences of success. You’ve taken tests all your life and you’ve done well or you wouldn’t be here now sitting for the bar exam. Just think of all the college exams you’ve taken and the LSAT itself. These were tough exams and you managed quite nicely. There’s something to be said about the value of past experience—if you’ve done it before, you can do it again. And remember it’s only an exam. In the general scheme of things, it’s still only an exam.
- “if so-and-so could pass the bar exam, then so could I.” I’m sure you know someone who can serve as your own negative role model. Just never tell them.
- Everything you’ve been doing during bar review has prepared you for this moment. And, if you’ve prepared properly and you’re willing to surrender to the questions, you’ll find the “exam zone.” Like a “runner’s high,” it’s a feeling that there is only “the now.” It’s where you’re on auto-pilot and your training takes over. You’ve connected with whatever it was you were working to achieve: for the athlete, it’s that connection of mind and body that allows for peak performance; for the law student, it’s that command of the material that lets you see the issues in the facts and allows you to write with clarity and cogency. Your thinking and writing come together—it flows because you flow.
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Chapter 5. The Bar Review Course 19 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Here’s where a bar review course plays an integral role: it puts together a master template of all the law tested in your particular jurisdiction. It structures and sequences the material, providing a comprehensive and organized approach to study. But it’s no substitute for what you learned in law school and you’ll need both to succeed on the bar exam.
- Where do you learn about bar review courses? The answer is pretty simple: you learn about bar review courses from all the usual sources. First, you can and should do your own research on the web and then check out each program by calling and speaking with a representative. This is essential to learn the details about the program. Ask to see sample study materials and a course schedule. Bar review reps are eager to work with you and may even provide a guest login to the website so that you can navigate the program and see what bar review sessions and practice questions will be like. There is no substitute for this kind of hands-on experience to decide what works best for you.
- Depending on your own strengths and weaknesses, you might want to consider one of the add-ons to supplement your basic bar review course. Typically, these are specialty courses designed to provide additional assistance in particular areas of the bar exam, most notably in essay writing and MBE preparation. Once again, the options are numerous and you can choose from in-class or home study versions.
- Typically, bar review courses offer day and evening sessions. Don’t rule out taking an evening session just because you are available during the day—a day session is not always the most productive use of your study time. If you are a “morning person,” you might be better off taking an evening bar review course and leaving your days free to study.
- Another area of concern is whether you require a structured learning environment or are a self-regulated learner. If you need discipline, then the structure of a traditional bar review course that requires daily attendance with a schedule of study activities should be your primary choice. In contrast, if you are primarily a self-learner, capable of setting your own study goals and schedule, then consider a home study program. Most courses allow you to access lectures online and this works well for those unable to attend regularly scheduled sessions. This is also a viable option if you must work during the bar review period or would have difficulty reaching one of the bar review locations.
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Chapter 10. Legal Forensics 11 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Sometime the next day, or much, much later that same day, take out the bar exam question and your essay. Re-read the question and then your answer.
- Here, you’ve decided to show the bar examiners how much time you’ve spent
- For example, suppose your problem concerns whether Ben and Dylan entered into an agreement for Dylan to purchase Ben’s house and the problem presented in the facts was whether the acceptance was “timely.” If you were to include a lengthy discussion of the Uniform Commercial Code and why it doesn’t apply to the sale of a home, you are way off base. There is rarely a need to discuss non-applicable law. I hate to say “never” because there might be a time when you may need to make a comparison or analogy, but a good general rule to follow is not to discuss non-applicable rules. There’s hardly enough time during the bar exam to write a bar exam essay
- No doubt these are both very serious problems. However, while the bar exam grader treats both problems alike with respect to the amount of points lost on your exam, we need to figure out which problem is yours. It makes a difference in how we go about fixing it.
- Like every other profession, the legal profession has its own specialized language and your job upon entering the field is to speak it fluently and precisely. The bar examiners are looking for evidence in your writing that you have learned the language of the law.
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- Publication Date: May 3rd, 2016
- ISBN: 9781634606189
- Subject: Bar Exam Success
- Series: Nutshells
- Type: Overviews
- Description: This edition walks you through the entire bar preparation process from getting a head start during your last year of law school to taking the exam. It features comprehensive coverage of the Uniform Bar Exam, including an explanation of each component and how to prepare for it, to the larger question of what “portability” really means for the bar candidate. This edition also provides guidelines for selecting a bar review course, bar planner checklists, advice on how to manage the material you cover in bar review courses, and advice on how to learn the law so you can remember it and use it to answer exam questions. It identifies the basic skills the exam tests and the precise manner in which these skills are tested, showing you how to target your study efforts to maximize results. An Appendix provides practice materials for the MPT and essays, including the MEEs, with “answer de-constructions” to explain why bar examiners chose those answers as “better than average.”
