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June 08, 2005
Bar Exam Prep Notes
Thousands of law students across the country are currently engaged in a two month marathon of masochism known as studying for the bar exam. These recent law school graduates are studying to try to master dozens of subjects for a 2-3 day exam that will determine whether they can join the sacred cabal of licensed practitioners. That's why now is a perfect time to check out these Bar Exam Prep Notes from Maine attorney Scheherazade of Stay of Execution. In addition to recommending an absurd amount of multiple choice practice questions, Scheherazade links to her previous advice about how to prepare for the exam and covers the details of what she did herself, including 2,299 practice questions and approximately 239 hours of real studying. (Yikes!) She also recommends a somewhat unorthodox note-taking style:
I can't recommend enough taking notes that incorporate pictures, color, and space (e.g. a poster, not an outline). It will require you to make decisions about what should go near what else. It will be a little bit more like playtime, so you'll do it. And thinking about what kind of symbol or picture to draw to represent a concept will help you grasp the subject . . . .
As an example, check out her Torts study sheet. Pretty cool, huh?
Posted by mowabb at June 8, 2005 05:40 AM
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Comments
that is crazy
Posted by: Melissa at June 11, 2005 12:51 AM
I recently passed the Pennsylvania bar exam in February, and I have taken a few bar exams in the past (New Jersey & New York, to which I passed NJ) Once you have failed the bar exam(s), you quickly get over your fears. Of course if you are taking the exam for the first time, I realize that staying calm is easier for me to say than for you to exercise. Nevertheless, I can't underscore this point any further ... maybe I can: STAY CALM! It has been my experience that if you lose your cool - even for one question - you can bet you will be taking the bar again. Blowing one essay question is all it takes to fail for most states.
Since I've been out of law school for some time now, I do know that you should not answer your essay questions like a law student. You should write like lawyers. Come to think of it, you are lawyers. Think back to your 1L legal skills class or your summer clerkship. The key is not regurgitating every legal nuance from that hornbook you foolishly used to study for the bar (hornbooks are not needed if you have BARBRI, period). The key is to think, analyze, and answer what is asked of you. You must write like an attorney who has just spoken to his/her client on the phone, or who just returned from a meeting with the managing partner. In fact, many of the questions will have this senario, so familiarize yourself with it.
As for the MBE, I've taken PMBR and suggest that you do too. The only way around the MBE is through it. That means if PMBR provides you with 2000 questions, you will do those 2000 questions. If BARBRI provides you with 1000 questions, you will do those 1000 questions. You must saturate yourself to the point of nausea. But guess what? There is no greater feeling than recognizing questions on the exam that you have seen before and are certain of the answer. You should have plenty of time (at the time of this writing) to rip through at least 1000 questions by exam time this summer.
Finally, the materials I used to study may surprise you; it certainly surprised me when I returned my BARBRI books for a refund. Sitting at the waiting room of BARBRI offices in downtown Philadelphia, I noticed for the first time that I hadn’t opened more than half of the books that were given to me. In sum, 85% of my time was devoted to Mini Conviser, professor’s notes/lectures notes, MBE book (either PMBR or BARBRI) and the essay book. 15% of my time was spent with brief references to the large books for clarification purposes. That’s all folks. The remaining two weeks should be lecture notes, lecture notes, lecture notes with Mini Conviser for clarification purposes. Please note that I never stopped doing MBE questions or essay questions during this time.
I hope some of my comments will help you during these stressful days. Remember not to get caught up in the neuroses of your peers taking the exam. Law school is over. You are a lawyer now and in one month or so, you will have a job to do. Think of the questions as your clients to whom you are ethically bound to zealously represent. Once you create this fictitious mental framework, the bar exam becomes less daunting, especially if you remain calm. Good luck and I look forward to seeing you as members of the bar.
Posted by: at June 15, 2005 09:42 PM
If I haven't written enough, I simply would add to the above that failing the bar is not the end of the world. No one asked me how many times I took the exam nor does anyone really care.
Posted by: N. Aversa, Esq. at June 15, 2005 09:46 PM