P.A.S.S. The Bar Exam

Good communication requires good preparation!

"You cannot speak that which you do not know. You cannot share that which you do not feel. You cannot translate that which you do not have. And you cannot give that which you do not possess. To give it and to share it, and for it to be effective, you first need to have it. Good communication starts with good preparation."

 --Jim Rohn

 

Effective Bar Exam Preparation requires mastery of substance and skills!

Just did an informal correlation of a set of essay writing assignments with a set of MBE practice questions.  Most of those who had poorer written product scored lower on the multiple choice questions (of those, most missed questions because they did not know the rules).  

This does not surprise me.  Bar exam essays are must easier to write when you know the law well.  The issues pop out, they fly off the page, when you know the elements of each cause of action cold.  The analysis flows clearly when you truly understand what must be established in each instance, and why.  

This is a surprise to many who seem to think they can train bar exam skills separately from understanding the substantive law.  These are inextricably linked pieces of this bar exam success puzzle.  So, whether you are taking the February or July bar exams, strive now to understand and memorize rules --really see how concepts fit together.  Know the law so well than you can easily explain rules and principles to a lay person.  Keep practicing your test-taking skills (writing practice exams and doing practice MBE questions) but watch how your skills improve as you both continue with that practice and begin to master the law.  Keep at it, with dogged persistence!!!!

Your written product is your first impression: make it neat and organized! And, logical!!!

Think of your bar exam essays and performance tests as a "paper interview."  Would you go to an interview for a law job in a stained sloppy suit?  No.  Why present a paper with run-on sentences, page-long paragraphs, few if any headings and subheadings?  Make your exam as grader friendly as possible.  Make it a GREAT first impression.  And, write in IRAC style.  It's most logical and it's what will put your best (most logical!) foot forward.  

 

End of January and feeling run down? Press on!

Bar preparation quote of the day:

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, 'press on' has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race.

--Calvin Coolidge

Burnout? Recharge your batteries!

Several people taking the February bar recently have said, "I'm exhausted!"  It's very normal.  It's the end of January.  When February hits, you'll get an adrenalin rush.  You'll realize it's your month, and you will step up.  But it's easy to drag and lose momentum in these last weeks of January.  And, you cannot afford to miss any study days.  

So, if you need an hour or two (or an evening here and there) off, take it.  Then, get back to the studying, and practice tests!!!!!!! 

READERS: Anyone feel like you are particularly dragging now?  What do you do to combat fatigue?

Bar Exam writing: one element at a time

After an essay workshop recently, I found myself saying how many people wrote about facts that related to one element of a cause of action, while discussing another element.  It is critical to move methodically through the fact pattern, hit one point thoroughly (or as thoroughly as necessary depending on how important the issue is), conclude on that point, and move on. 

Bar Exam Preparation session --"mnemonic party"

Led a bar review session last night for February Bar takers and students shared their favorite memory devices.  What are yours?  What helps you remember key rules.  

READERS: Write in!  Tell us your favorite mnemonics!

Take the bar exam to PASS it. As many of my students say, "One and Done!" Here's a poem for you folks preparing for an upcoming Bar Exam!

If a task is once begun
Never leave it till it's done.
Be the labor great or small
Do it well or not at all.

--Anonymous

Practical Resources for help in drafting documents you may need to prepare on Bar Exam Performance Tests

What if one of your performance test tasks was to write a memo advising your client on whether to appeal a decision of a lower court?  What are some factors, in addition to success on the merits, that you might consider???  Costs, time, emotional toll on client and his/her family.  What else?  Read Represent Yourself in Court to learn about civil litigation, from pretrial stages through appeal.

http://www.nolo.com/products/represent-yourself-in-court-RYC.html

Represent Yourself in Court: How to Prepare & Try a Winning Case

And, read The Criminal Law Handbook to learn about the criminal justice system from arrest to appeal.  Simple explanations of basics in crim law, crim pro, and states of a criminal prosecution.

http://www.nolo.com/products/the-criminal-law-handbook-KYR.html

The Criminal Law Handbook: Know Your Rights, Survive the System

Need help on Bar Exam Performance Tests?

A Secret Weapon in mastering what you need to write passing performance tests!

http://www.nolo.com/products/represent-yourself-in-court-RYC.html

Available on amazon, online, at all bookstores, and @ www.nolo.com

Represent Yourself in Court: How to Prepare & Try a Winning Case

This easy-to-read book written by law professors Paul Bergman and Sara Berman explains in simple, step-by-step language, how to draft most of the commonly tested tasks on performance tests.  Written for lay people so a straightforward read for law students, this guide to the civil justice system walks readers through preparing discovery, opening statement, closing argument, witness examinations, and more.