Bar Exam Supplemental Study Materials
By BarExam Insider • October 01, 2015 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Careers, Legal Academia, Law School, Features, Bar Exam
“How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.” - G.K. Chesterton Do not put too much weight on a bar prep program’s pass lists. The pass lists are misleading because most bar examinees are not loyal to use only one bar prep resource. The reason for why a person passes may be because of another resource the person used at the same time. It is not recommended to use only one resource. Each resource is limited by the experience and knowledge of the author. Use several resources to learn the tips of…
How to Deal with Anxiety While Studying for the Bar Exam
By BarExam Insider • September 29, 2015 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Careers, Law School, Features, Bar Exam
“We cannot enjoy life if we spend a lot of time worrying about what happened yesterday and what will happen tomorrow. We worry about tomorrow because we are afraid. If we are afraid all the time, we cannot appreciate that we are alive and can be happy now.” - Thich Nhat Hanh Luck The bar exam creates anxiety in people because there are a lot of unknowns. The scoring is based on the population of test takers so whether someone passes or not depends on who else is taking the exam. An examinee does not know what subjects the questions…
Specific Intent Crimes
By BarExam Insider • September 16, 2015 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Careers, Legal Academia, Features, Bar Exam
Specific Intent Crimes “EA CL1FF BARS” 1. Embezzlement-intent to defraud 2. Attempt-intent to complete the crime 3. Conspiracy-intent to have the crime completed 4. Larceny-intent to permanently deprive the other of interest in property taken 5. 1st Degree Murder-premeditation 6. Forgery-intent to defraud 7. False Pretenses-intent to defraud 8. Burglary-intent to commit a felony in the dwelling 9. Assault-intent to commit a battery 10. Robbery-intent to permanently deprive the owner of interest in property taken 11. Solicitation-intent to have the person solicited commit the crime Engage a former California bar grader for California Bar Exam to help with memory techniques:…
Time Management
By BarExam Insider • September 11, 2015 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Features, Bar Exam
Each section of the bar exam is allotted a specific time to complete. For instance, in California, an applicant must finish three essays in three hours. Some applicants wonder how they can possibly read the interrogatories and fact patterns, and then outline and write their answers or choose the best choice on a Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) question within the time allotted. Applicants who worry about not finishing may rush to analyze fact patterns, or go directly to drafting the answers to performance tests or essays without outlining. Finishing the bar exam is key to passing, but do not sacrifice…
Bar Exam is Like a Hocus-Focus Game
By BarExam Insider • August 05, 2015 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Weekly Roundup, Law School, Curriculum and Classroom Dynamics, Features, Bar Exam
One of the reasons why people fail the bar exam is because they do not READ CAREFULLY. Henry Boltinoff was a cartoonist who drew Hocus-Focus puzzles involving two similar panels with six differences between them. The bar exam is like a Hocus-Focus game. Reading for the bar exam requires attention to detail, concentration, and observational skills. To improve in identifying the differences between the two panels in Hocus-Focus, a player has to split the photos into smaller parts, such as drawing a cross to turn the photos into four squares, and then comparing the differences between each of the corners,…
Persuasive Briefs on Performance Tests
By BarExam Insider • May 26, 2015 •Ms. JD, Law School, Other Law School Issues, Features, Bar Exam
On many occasions bar exam applicants have been asked to draft a persuasive brief or memorandum of points and authorities for the performance test portion of the California bar exam. For example, in California July 2005 Performance Test B, applicants had to draft a memorandum of points and authorities for the case Property Clerk v. Paul and Sarah Grinnell, involving a man who drove under the influence of alcohol and then had to forfeit his vehicle. When drafting a brief or memorandum of points and authorities, a bar exam candidate scores high when s/he follows organization instructions, knows how to…