Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Monday, September 20, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Timing the Study Schedule
In preparing for the Bar Exam, you should design a study schedule that works around your daily life. Ideally you would be able to study for two months before the exam without having to work but for most of us, that is not possible. I have learned from experience that you must give yourself time to prepare and if that means skipping an exam and planning for the next one so be it.
If you allow time to review the substantive material and take plenty of practice exams then you will significantly improve the probability of you passing the bar exam. One thing I have learned for certain after failing the bar exam more than once, is that there is no way around practicing, particularly writing essays.
I encourage anyone preparing for the bar exam to visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners web site (www.ncbex.org) and order past exams to use in your exam practice. Also check with your State Bar office to obtain copies of past exams in your jurisdiction. When you design your study schedule use timed conditions. For example, if you jurisdiction has one hour essays, schedule one hour for a single essay.
In many cases you will want to delay practicing exams because you will believe you do not know enough substantive law. That is a mistake. You will learn more substantive law by working through practice exams then you will by reading outlines. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! If possible find someone who has already passed the bar exam to review your essay answers and critique the for you. The feedback is invaluable.
If you are a bar exam repeater and you are planning to take the February 2011 bar exam, it is not too early to begin a study schedule now. Be careful not to burn out early but pace yourself and you will feel more confident come February 2011.
Good luck!
If you allow time to review the substantive material and take plenty of practice exams then you will significantly improve the probability of you passing the bar exam. One thing I have learned for certain after failing the bar exam more than once, is that there is no way around practicing, particularly writing essays.
I encourage anyone preparing for the bar exam to visit the National Conference of Bar Examiners web site (www.ncbex.org) and order past exams to use in your exam practice. Also check with your State Bar office to obtain copies of past exams in your jurisdiction. When you design your study schedule use timed conditions. For example, if you jurisdiction has one hour essays, schedule one hour for a single essay.
In many cases you will want to delay practicing exams because you will believe you do not know enough substantive law. That is a mistake. You will learn more substantive law by working through practice exams then you will by reading outlines. PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE! If possible find someone who has already passed the bar exam to review your essay answers and critique the for you. The feedback is invaluable.
If you are a bar exam repeater and you are planning to take the February 2011 bar exam, it is not too early to begin a study schedule now. Be careful not to burn out early but pace yourself and you will feel more confident come February 2011.
Good luck!
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Bar Review Course or NO Bar Review Cource
I posted two opposing views regarding whether or not to use a Bar Review course. From my experience it is up to the individual to determine whether or not they will benefit from a structured program. It did not work for me. I felt like I was drinking from a firehose! I do believe the material you receive coupled with the lectures provides you all of the information you need to pass the Bar Exam but if you do not find time to practice then you will still have difficulty with the bar exam. I cannot over emphasize the importance of practice. Practice all parts of your bar exam under test conditions. If you jurisdiction uses one hour essay exams then complete a practice essay in one hour. Do the same with your MBE and MPT. The more you practice the better. Don't wait to practice until you think you know enough substantive law. You will learn the substantive law as you practice. It is possible to pass the bar exam without taking an expensive bar review course and many who take the bar review course fail the bar exam. The key is to get your hands on the study material and practice, practice, practice!
Good luck!
Good luck!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Study Checklist
This has been posted on the Web for several years but is as useful today as the day it was posted. Thanks to Professor Vernellia Randall from the University of Ohio for posting this checklist and other helpful tips for bar exam candidates. Click on the title above to go to the web site for more information.
Survival Series for the Bar Exam
Jeff Adachi is a practicing attorney in California and author of several publications designed to help those who are preparing for the California Bar Exam. BarBreaker 1 and 2 will help anyone wanting to improve their essay writing skills. Click on the title to access the survival series website for more information.
Bar Advisor reports success on the bar exam boils down to three things
After I created this Blog I began to discover other Blogs designed to help bar exam applicants. One excellent Blog I discovered is the Bar Advisor. The author of the Bar Advisor has passed the Oregon and California Bar exams while married with a family. I will share a brief excerpt from his Blog and encourage you to visit the link for the full articles.
Here is a brief excerpt from the Bar Advisor's article on three things important to your success on the bar exam:
Success on the bar exam boils down to three things: diligence, anticipation of conditions, and stress reduction. Each of these three topics is discussed in detail in future posts on this blog. Diligence is simply the requirement that you prepare continuously and systematically for the examination without interruption or distraction. Anticipation of conditions is the need to understand how the test is administered, to practice under test-like conditions, and to understand how the test is graded. Stress reduction involves the mediation of anxiety and fear so that these states of mind do not interfere with maximum preparation and performance.
Here is a brief excerpt from the Bar Advisor's article on three things important to your success on the bar exam:
Success on the bar exam boils down to three things: diligence, anticipation of conditions, and stress reduction. Each of these three topics is discussed in detail in future posts on this blog. Diligence is simply the requirement that you prepare continuously and systematically for the examination without interruption or distraction. Anticipation of conditions is the need to understand how the test is administered, to practice under test-like conditions, and to understand how the test is graded. Stress reduction involves the mediation of anxiety and fear so that these states of mind do not interfere with maximum preparation and performance.
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