18 chapters
have results for BAR
Chapter 2: Bar Exam Basics 113 results (showing 5 best matches)
- 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. The changes in the ABA standards affect 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.
- Prior to 2008, law schools were prohibited by American Bar Association (“ABA”) standards from offering bar exam preparation courses for credit that counted toward a student’s minimum requirements for graduation or from requiring such courses as a condition for graduation. Once the ABA eliminated these restrictions, the number and types of such courses grew rapidly. Currently, there is a wide array of bar assistance courses, ranging from one-on-one tutoring and personal coaching to credit-bearing courses that target each component of the bar exam—the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE), the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) and/or the jurisdiction’s specific essay questions, and the Multistate Performance Test (MPT). Some courses are designed to cover the black letter law tested on the bar exam while others are “skills-based” and focus on development of the writing and organizational skills needed to answer the essays and MPTs. Typically, courses that cover the MBE combine both law and skills: these...
- Open Chapter
- Nonetheless, much remains the same: bar candidates still need help to get them through the challenge of the bar exam. This book offers much in the way of practical information, such 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.
- ecent 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.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 4: The Bar Planner 134 results (showing 5 best matches)
- In this chapter, we’ll consider the essential components of a successful bar preparation plan. Such a plan takes into account several 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; second, the steps you can take to get a “head start” on the bar prep process; and finally, the specific phases and tasks of the actual bar review period.
- 4. Does your bar review course allow you to attend its lectures twice—where the first time is your graduation from law school (i.e., before your first taking of the bar exam)? For example, if you are planning to graduate in May and sit for the July bar exam, then you would take the bar review course offered the previous December—which is the course typically taken by candidates sitting for the February bar exam.
- The following Bar Planner Checklists take you through the entire bar preparation period, from the initial planning phases to the actual days of your bar exam.
- Have you set up your bar calendar to record all information about your bar application, bar review, and bar licensing activities? Have you noted:
- t might be just plain common sense to say this but it is true nonetheless: the bar exam requires a major commitment of time and effort to succeed. Bar review courses are structured to lead you through the material, but you must make the effort to learn it. It takes time to memorize black letter law and to practice problems. This part is neither fun nor easy. Still, it is possible to prepare adequately during the usual bar review period of six to eight weeks—
- Open Chapter
Preface and Acknowledgments 7 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Acing the Bar Exam
- The bar exam is not an easy exam, but it is a doable one. As you get caught up in your bar review course, it may help to realize this and to know you are not alone—thousands of students take their state’s bar exams every year and pass. They are not any smarter than you. You must believe that you can pass the bar exam and put in the effort. Then it will happen.
- The Multistate Essay Examination (“MEE”) has been “Reprinted by Permission” from the July 1998 MEE. Copyright © 1999 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).
- 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.
- But attitude will take you only so far. You need to prepare thoroughly and properly. This means understanding the bar review process, using your strengths and weaknesses to define a workable study plan, and learning the black letter law as tested in your jurisdiction. Here is where this book can help: it provides a complete guide to the bar exam—from pre-planning considerations through the bar review course and sitting for the exam. Every aspect of the process is explained in detail and by example. The bar exam is deconstructed, section by section, with suggested approaches for learning the black letter law, setting study schedules, and answering essay and multiple-choice questions. Each task is summarized in checklist format to help you chart and monitor your progress.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 6. Learning the Black Letter Law 44 results (showing 5 best matches)
- A solid knowledge of the 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.
- Work with the “real thing”: just as you studied from your professor’s old exams to prepare for law school finals, you’ll review released exams from the National Bar Examiners and your state’s bar examiners. 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.
- Bar review courses pretty much lead you to believe that you must read everything, learn everything, and do everything they tell you in the way that they tell you or you’ll fail the bar exam. The result is that you can end up feeling overwhelmed and anxious.
- 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:
- You need to know exactly what will be covered on your jurisdiction’s bar exam. Refer to Chapter 2 and complete the This will lead you through the steps to identify the specific subjects tested on your bar exam.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 13: A Bar Exam Make-Over 20 results (showing 5 best matches)
- If it has been more than 12–18 months since you’ve graduated from law school or taken your last bar exam, then I strongly recommend a review course. A bar review course is also essential if you will be taking the UBE for the first time. The preparation will be different and you will need the new materials and guidance. You may not think it necessary but a bar review course is essential:
- Bar review courses continuously update their materials so candidates have access to the current law in preparing for the exam. While your notes from one bar administration to the next will still be timely, you should not take chances with study materials older than that.
- Should you take an on-line course? Most bar review courses have their lectures available online. If you are pressed for time because of work or other commitments during the bar preparation period, this is a viable option.
- 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 this effort, we are going to use the results from your past bar exam to figure out what went wrong and where. What we’re going to do next won’t be easy but it’s essential if you’re going to pass the bar exam. It’s what you do when you realize that you’ve been traveling down the wrong road: you go back to where you made the wrong turn and proceed again. It’s the going back and finding out where the wrong turn was taken that’s our job.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 1: Preliminary Matters 29 results (showing 5 best matches)
- As a subsequent chapter details in great length, your bar exam will most likely consist of the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ (NCBE) Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) and a written component consisting of essays and a performance test (MPT). The performance test may require you to complete a typical lawyering task such as drafting a client letter or writing a persuasive memo.
- As you’ll learn in a subsequent chapter, the national and state bar examiners define the universe of what is tested on your jurisdiction’s bar exam. I will show you how to use what they provide, what you learn from your bar review course, and what you know of your own strengths and weaknesses to tailor a study program that puts you in control.
- Whether it is a question of time to prepare or if you have one or more of the recognized “risk factors” associated with bar passage—one of which is “time”—you might want to consider beginning your bar preparation earlier than the traditional bar review period. Here a word or two about “risk factors” is in order before we proceed: such factors are based on statistics of groups of past bar takers and you are an individual. Statistics do not decide whether you’ll pass the bar exam—only you will do that. Nonetheless, if you find you have one or more of the traditional risk factors, there are steps you can take to compensate by beginning your bar preparation before graduation.
- The good news is that you have options. For example, since the ABA’s approval of bar courses for credit, many law schools have made such courses available to students. This would give you the option of beginning your bar preparation during your last year of law school and jump start the bar review process.
- assing the bar exam is only one of a number of jurisdictionally-set criteria candidates must meet before gaining admittance to the practice of law. Each state sets its own requirements for admission to the practice of law within its jurisdiction, which includes the precise composition of its bar exam, the score required for passage, and the computation of that score. In addition to bar passage, states typically impose age, education, and moral character requirements.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 7: Practicing Essay Questions for the Bar Exam 106 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Many of you have been very successful in law school and a large part of that success can be attributed to your ability to communicate effectively in writing. For you, doing well on the essay portion of the bar exam will be mostly a matter of gaining familiarity with the types of essays on your state’s bar exam and their structure. However, even if writing was not one of your primary strengths, you can still write effective bar exam essays with adequate guidance, preparation, and practice. And you can begin by taking advice from the bar examiners.
- 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 detailed outlines of the covered subject matter which should be used as a checklist to guide your studies.
- • 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.
- While the substantive law and the essay format will differ between jurisdictions, what does not change is what the bar examiners are looking for when grading an essay. Because of this shared expectation, the process outlined below will allow you to prepare successfully for a bar exam in any jurisdiction.
- Just as you studied from your professor’s past exams to prepare for law school finals, you’ll review released essays from your state’s bar examiners. Released exams should be your primary source for practice essays. 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.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 8: Practicing Questions for the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) 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 to the public. 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
- As this chapter has shown, there are no tricks to be learned to pass the bar exam, only the law. If there is a strategy, it is to prepare through practice and more practice. Your goal is to become so thoroughly familiar with the structure and content of MBE questions that on bar day, you’ll proceed through the questions efficiently and accurately—just as you’ve done during your practice sessions.
- 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 time getting to know how they frame the questions and what they consider the best answer?
- Open Chapter
Chapter 3: Procedural Matters 34 results (showing 5 best matches)
- ypically, 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. We’ll discuss the specifications of the bar exam in the next chapter and we’ll consider these other requirements here.
- 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 exam while the habits of studying and the black letter law are fresh in your mind.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 12: Advice for the Re-Taker 12 results (showing 5 best matches)
- f 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.
- 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.
- It won’t be easy to pick up your books once again, but pick them up you must if you want to be the attorney you went to law school to become. Allow yourself some time to regroup emotionally and physically before taking up the task of bar preparation once again. But once you do, don’t look back! You’re not the same person you were the first time around, and now you’re going to do things very differently.
- Is there an automatic regrading process or may you petition the bar examiners myself?
- Can you have the MBE answer sheet re-scored by hand? Is this information available from your local jurisdiction or must you contact the National Conference of Bar Examiners?
- Open Chapter
Chapter 9. Practicing Questions for the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) 22 results (showing 5 best matches)
- Still, the MPT remains the most “doable” portion of the bar exam. It’s not difficult “legally.” The challenge is to get through a vast amount of information and address only that which is required as set forth in the Task Memo. In this chapter, we’ll develop the strategy you’ll use when taking this portion of your bar exam.
- Study aids for the MPT are available from the National Conference of Bar Examiners. NCBE publishes study aids that include the MPTs used in the February and July bar exams and include the corresponding Point Sheets. Point Sheets “describe the factual and legal points encompassed within the lawyering tasks to be completed in each test and outline the possible issues and points that might be addressed by an examinee.”
- The bar examiners include this memo if they think you need guidance in completing the assigned task. Read the Instruction Memos from past MPTs when you study so that you need spend only a few moments reviewing them before proceeding on bar day. You must check the Instruction Memo even if it seems familiar because it’s never safe to assume it’s identical to one you’ve seen before.
- On August 14, 2015, the California Committee of Bar Examiners announced changes to the format of California Bar Exam effective with the July 2017 administration of the exam. The exam will be administered over two days with the following components: one morning session with three one-hour essay questions; one afternoon session with two on-hour essay questions and one 90-minute Performance Test; and, morning and afternoon sessions consisting of three hours each, for administration of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE). The weighting of the components will also change: the written and MBE portions of the exam will be weighted equally at 50% each. The minimum scaled score of 1440 will remain the same.
- he MPT can be the easiest part of your bar exam. Unlike other parts of the exam where you’re called upon to work solely from your memory, here you’re given the rules and the test is to apply them. You’re given the law because the MPT 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.” It seeks to evaluate your ability to complete a task which a beginning lawyer should be able to accomplish.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 5: The Bar Review Course 35 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. 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—and vice versa.
- 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.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 10: Taking the Bar Exam 6 results (showing 5 best matches)
- o 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.
- Some believe that the first twenty questions and the last twenty questions are “easier” and therefore, they should answer those first and then go back to the others. This is nothing but a bar exam “myth.” Since MBE questions appear in completely random order, both in terms of subject matter and complexity, there is no benefit from jumping around but quite possibly there is a detriment: you can lose your place on the answer sheet and enter your selections incorrectly.
- 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, the LSAT, and the law school exams you’ve taken. 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.
- Conjure a “negative” role-model. This worked nicely for me. I knew several people from high school and college who were living full and productive lives as lawyers. I had not considered them particularly exceptional. I thought to myself “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.
- Open Chapter
Chapter 11: When It’s Over 4 results
- The weeks and months following the bar exam will be different for everyone, but chances are that you’ll all experience some of the same things. Truthfully, no one really relaxes until the bar results come out and you know for sure whether this “thing” is really behind you. Until then, no matter how you look at it, you’re still living in limbo. Do the best you can to stay positive, remain confident, and go about the rest of your life. It’s important to remember that being a lawyer is only one small part of who you are—don’t let it become everything.
- ou thought this day would never come—the bar exam is over. It’s almost anti-climactic. All that you’ve been working for since your acceptance to law school is now behind you. Suddenly, after years of studying, and the last few weeks of intense, almost around the clock studying, you’re left with nothing to do. It’s possible—even likely—that you’re feeling strangely out of sorts.
- These feelings are entirely normal. You’re finally on your own—law school is behind you and the bar review course is over. Your usual sources of support, the ones you worked so carefully to cultivate from the moment you started law school are now behind you too. You can feel a sense of loneliness, even isolation.
- AFTER THE BAR EXAM
- Open Chapter
Halftitle 2 results
Title Page 3 results
- Publication Date: June 3rd, 2016
- ISBN: 9781634608060
- Subject: Bar Exam Success
- Series: Acing Series
- Type: Exam Prep
- Description: Acing the Bar Exam provides candidates with a complete guide to the bar exam — from pre-planning considerations through bar review and sitting for the exam. It features comprehensive coverage of the Uniform Bar Exam, including an explanation of each component and how to prepare for it. Every aspect of the process is explained in detail and by example. The bar exam is de-constructed, section by section, where candidates are led through the steps they need to follow to succeed. Approaches for learning the black letter law, setting study schedules, and answering essay and multiple-choice questions are combined to maximize the likelihood of success. Each of these tasks is then configured into checklist format to help candidates navigate each step. This approach puts the candidate in control of the bar exam and not the other way around.
