February 2008 Bar Results!

Here are a few of the messages we received this evening:

“I passed! Thanks for all of your help.  I will recommend you to everyone I know who needs to take the exam.  James, fourth time taker.

“I fricken passed the bar!!!!!!!! Thank you so much!” Ryan

“My name appears on the pass list!  Thank you so much for all of your support!” Victoria Chan, 1st time taker from Trinity Law School.

“I passed on my seventh attempt.  Thank you so much for helping me end this onece and for all.  I could not have done it without you!” Barbara

July 2008 Bar Exam Preparation

Hello Everyone,

If you are taking the July 2008 bar exam, then I recommend that you begin (if you have not already begun) your studies now.  It is never too early to start preparing for the bar exam.  If you are in your last semester of law school you are probably busy with your final classes and perhaps looking into or seeking employment opportunities.  While these are both important, you should not delay in preparing for your next major hurdle - that of passing the bar exam.  If you have not already chosen a bar review program, then you had better get going on that very quickly.  Whether you have enrolled in a course or not, you should begin your studies now.

Here is what I recommend:

1.     Prepare for your bar prep by determining where you will study when you are not in class (will it be your bedroom, an office, a library?  Think about it and make a plan).

2.     Make a list of your best and worst subjects in law school.

3.     Identify your strengths and weaknesses early (for example, do you have trouble with MBEs or with writing?  You ought to know by now which areas you have difficulty with in terms of testing.  This will be important as you will want to devote more time to the areas that present trouble).

4.     Set aside time each week to study for the bar.  Your bar class will likely not begin until after you graduate from law school.  However, you should NOT postpone your studies until then.  Instead, begin taking practice mbes so that you can begin to familiarize yourself with the format of the bar exam and re-acquaint yourself with subjects that you have not studied in a long time.

5.     Begin preparing your family and friends for your upcoming unavailability (see our post about “disconnecting” during bar studies).  Your family and friends know what it has been like to have you in law school.  They certainly remember that you have midterms and finals and that during those few weeks each year that you were probably unavailable.  However, they may not have an appreciation for the battle that is ahead of you when you begin your preparations for the bar exam.  You will do yourself a great service in explaining to everyone now what this process will require.  Let your family and friends know that you will be unavailable once you begin your bar studies.  It is very helpful to prepare those around you for your absence.  I am not suggesting that you don’t talk to anyone at all for two months.  However, if you are serious about passing the bar exam, you will limit your social activity and focus on your studies.  To really have an excellent chance of passing the bar on your first attempt (or any attempt for that matter) you will need to study all day and everyday for two months.  During this two month period of time you will need to take breaks.  BUT, you will not have time to go out several nights a week, to take lots of phone calls, spend copious amounts of time emailing and text messaging and surfing the net.

Stay tuned for more advice in the coming days and weeks.  Also, if you are interested in receiving our free MBE strategies call our office at (562) 799-5581 or simply send us an email at: pass@barnonereview.com

Congratulations to all of you who are about to graduate from law school and good luck to all who are awaiting bar results from the February 2008 bar exam!

Sincerely,

Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
(562) 799-5581
barnonereview.com

 

February 12, 2008 - A few weeks to go!

Hello Everyone,

What should you be doing in these last couple of weeks before the bar exam? Well, studying of course. But, how should you study? One of the most important things to do over the next two weeks is to keep a positive attitude while you are studying. Tell yourself before you study a topic that you will be able to remember it on exam day. It really makes a difference if you approach your studying with a positive mind set. You will remember more and remember more easily for doing so.

Having a study plan is really critical at this point. Therefore, if you do not have one put together, get to work on it now. Take the remaining days, up through the bar exam, and plot out your time and where you will focus.

You will naturally want to review and memorize every subject. However, how will you do that? Give it some thought and develop a plan for doing it. This might sound easier said than done, but you can do it. Simply divide up every day into sections, a morning section, an afternoon section and an evening section and determine what you will do during each section.

I recommend that you fill your morning and afternoon sections with the most difficult work (like doing MBEs or reviewing and memorizing the law) and reserve the evenings for more passive, less strenuous work (like studying essay exams and answers).

Whatever you decide to do, definitely develop a plan of action and stick to it. One of the biggest mistakes students make during the last couple of weeks is to simply study blindly without any particular purpose. Instead, be proactive and create a plan for yourself. Pace yourself in such a way that you move through assignments throughout the day. If you do this, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and feel more positive about taking the bar exam.

If you do not create a plan for yourself (and I mean setting out tasks to do throughout the entire day, hour by hour) you will likely feel less in control, less satisfied at the end of a study day and less confident about taking the bar exam.

So, make a plan, do it now and follow it. You will feel in control because you are taking control! And, you will increase your chances of success by taking charge of your own future and having the confidence in yourself to do so!

Good luck to you in the next few weeks and on the exam days!

Sincerely,

Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
(562) 799-5581
barnonereview.com

Putting Together Your Study Plan

Hello Everyone,

Well here it is January 2008 and your bar studies for the February 2008 bar exam are hopefully well under way. However, if you feel that you haven’t quite carved out a bar study routine, here are a few pointers.

A SUCCESSFUL STUDY PLAN

Perhaps one of the most important things for those preparing for the bar exam is to have a successful study plan. I don’t mean an assignment list provided to you by your bar prep provider. Instead, I mean a “study plan”, a plan for success. A successful study plan not only includes assignments - like completing MBEs, writing practice essays, reviewing and memorizing the substantive law - but it also takes into account the realities of your day - “I need to eat”, “I need to rest”, “I need to exercise”, “I need to keep my stress level at a manageable level”, “I need to work part time” or “I need to work full time”, “I need to stay healthy”. These are all critical to your success on the bar exam and will play as important a role in your success on the bar as your actual bar study.

HOW DO I CREATE A SUCCESSFUL STUDY PLAN?

A successful study plan requires: taking into account your weaknesses and strengths, establishing a routine and habit of study, creating and adhering to a realistic routine that will address your weaknesses and maintain or improve your strengths while also taking into account the amount of time that you actually have available to study (for example, whether you have all day to study, or you work part time, or you are working full time etc.) See below for a sample one day study schedule.

Finally, a successful study plan should maximize your effectiveness by scheduling the right kinds of work during the right times of day or evening (for example, it does not make much sense to practice MBE questions at 9:00 pm after a long work day when you are exhausted). Instead, get up earlier the next day to do MBEs in the morning before going to work. Even if all you can do is ten MBEs before going to work, do it. And, do it every day and you will establish a routine.

It is important to make adjustments to your study plan based upon what is realistic for you. Once you determine what you will do each day and for how long, you will likely need to make adjustments to your plan. You may discover that your initial plan of completing 50 MBEs after attending a four hour bar review lecture is not realistic for you. While it is very important to do a significant number of MBEs and to write many practice exams, you should also realize that this practice is best done at your peak times - when you are most alert. Therefore, you may decide to complete 20 MBEs before going to your bar review lecture and then an additional 20 MBEs after your bar review lecture.

ESTABLISH A ROUTINE:

One of the key features of any successful study plan is to establish a routine. While you will have some study days where your study day ends earlier or goes later, the key is establishing a regular routine. This includes where you study, how often you eat, exercise, take breaks as well as the types of study you do during the day and when. For example - getting in the habit/routine of completing MBEs every morning at the same time and place every day, writing practice essays on a regular basis (for example, you might use the following routine: write a practice essay every Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

Below you will find an example of a typical study day from a good study plan. Here is a sample study day for someone who does not have to work and can devote their entire time to bar study: Note that other study days would likely incorporate writing practice exams and/or attending a bar review lecture or workshop).

SAMPLE ONE DAY STUDY SCHEDULE:

7:00 am - workout - short run or walk - (For example, 1 mile run/walk through your neighborhood)

7:30/7:45 am - shower, have a healthy breakfast and “disconnect for the day”. By disconnecting for the day, I mean: disconnect from your cell phone, the internet, text messaging and anything else that can lead to wasted time and loss of focus. This is really critical. Protect your study time, commit to certain study hours and refrain from checking email, voice mail, surfing the internet, checking and replying to text messages, and prepare your friends and family for your absence - see post: “Disconnecting to Pass the Bar”).

8:30 - 9:30 am - Complete 30 - 33 Torts MBEs

9:30 am - Take five minute break (do a couple of jumping jacks, just move around for a bit, eat a quick and healthy snack - for example, grab 6 or 8 almonds. Healthy snacks throughout the day are important to ensure a successful study day. We have all heard that eating small amounts throughout the day will help to keep your blood sugar level steady. This will help maintain your energy level through out the day as well and will lead to a much more productive study day).

9:35 am - check answers for the Torts MBEs above, review the explanations and make flashcards for each missed MBE. (Note: the amount of time this will take will vary and depend upon how many MBEs you missed, so take the time you need - the corrections you make now will result in a higher MBE score later on).

10:30 am - ten minute break - get up from your desk, move a bit, eat an apple or some other healthy snack like a couple of stalks of celery with peanut butter.

10:40 am - BEGIN ESSAY ISSUE SPOTTING EXERCISE. Read through four torts essays. For each essay, use the following method: 1) read and issue spot the essay, 2) quickly check the model answer to see if you correctly identified the issues, 3) if you did not spot all of the issues then go back to the fact pattern and try to identify which facts trigger the issues that you missed, 4) read the entire model answer, 5) study the model answer and create your own outline from the answer - this outline should be your model for how to approach this essay in the future. You will likely spend about 40 - 50 minutes per essay (15 minutes to issues spot, 5 minutes to check your issues, 20 - 30 minutes to sort out missed issues and to create your own outline/approach for tackling this essay in the future).

10:40 - 11:20 am - Torts Essay One (from “Essay Issue Spotting Exercise” above)

11:20 am - five minute break - get up from your desk, move around.

11:25 am - 12:05 pm - Torts Essay Two (from “Essay Issue Spotting Exercise” above)

12:05 pm - 12: 50 pm- lunch break - eat healthy, have something you enjoy, relax (AVOID: email, cell phone, t.v., surfing the net - these are all potential distractions that could lead to lost time - how many times have you just intended to “quickly check your email” and found that it lead to getting involved in replying to emails, becoming emotionally engaged in someone else’s problem, or simply just wasting an hour surfing the web. Don’t take the risk of picking up your cell phone or checking your email. Instead, protect the time you have promised to yourself to study - guard it. See also: post about “Disconnecting to Pass the Bar”).

12:50 - 1:30 pm - Torts Essay Three (from “Essay Issue Spotting Exercise” above)

1:30 - 1:35 pm - five minute break - get up from your desk, move around.

1:35 - 2:15 pm - Torts Essay Four (from “Essay Issue Spotting Exercise” above)

2:15 - 2:25 pm - ten minute break - get up from your desk, move around, perhaps go outside for some fresh air, have a healthy snack.

2:25 pm - OUTLINE REVIEW - Study/review Contracts substantive outline - it is recommended that you conduct your review in 50 minute increments, taking a 5 or 10 minute break every 50 minutes. This will enable you to study more hours per day and to study more effectively/productively because the breaks will prevent fatigue and will allow for more alert study periods. See recommended outline study intervals below:

2:25 - 3:15 pm - Review Contracts outline (see above).

3:15 - 3:25 pm - 5 or 10 minute break (get up, move around, stretch).

3::25 - 4:15 - Continue Contracts outline review.

4:15 - 4:25 pm - 5 or 10 minute break (get up, move around, stretch, eat a healthy snack).

4:25 - 5:15 pm - Continue Contracts outline review

5:15 - 6:15 pm - Dinner break - get up, move around, stretch, eat something healthy, make a short phone call to a supportive friend, spouse or family member - the key here is to only contact someone who is supportive of you, positive and aware and respectful of your commitment to study for and pass the bar).

6:15 - 7:15 pm - REVIEW TWO CONTRACTS ESSAYS (Spend 30 minutes for each essay and do the following: 1) Read and issue spot Contracts essay (15 minutes), 2) Check issues against the answer, read entire answer and make note of missed issues (15 minutes).

7:15 - 7:20 pm - Take a 5 minute break.

7:20 - 8:00 pm - REVIEW ESSAY APPROACHES FOR TORTS (Review the approaches/outlines that you created for the four Torts essays earlier during the day. The reason this makes sense is that you will reinforce the issue spotting and organization that you learned from your earlier review. And, since exam fact patterns repeat over and over again from one bar exam to the next, this review of past bar essays is one of the most effective ways to improve your issues spotting ability and to prepare for writing a well organized essay. Spend about ten minutes to review each essay outline/approach).

8:00 pm - End your study and relax.

Ultimately, your success on the bar exam will not come down to counting up how many MBEs you complete or how many hours you spend memorizing but instead, it will come from a combination of things.

Be positive, be flexible and adhere to a regular and realistic routine. In addition, keep in mind that your goal when reviewing a topic on a given day is not necessarily to master the entire subject that day. Instead, your goal should be to gain a better understanding of the topic that day and to recognize that you will need to repetitively review every topic over a period of time (two months is typical) in order to truly master it.

Students often find themselves frustrated by their own unrealistic expectations and goals. Instead of embarking on an eight or ten hour review of your Contracts outline, review it for three hours (taking a short break every hour) and then follow that with a review of two or three Contracts essays. By reviewing essays in the same topic, you will give yourself a context to the rules you are reading and trying to memorize. Repeat this several times during the weak while alternating your review of other topics, completing MBEs and writing practice essays.

Above all, work at maintaining a positive attitude. This will be much easier to do if you begin with realistic goals.
Good luck to you!

Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
(562) 799-5581
barnonereview.com

July 2007 Bar Exam Results

Hello Everyone!

Good luck to everyone who is waiting for bar results! As you know, the results will be available on Friday, November 16th at 6:00 pm via the California bar exam’s website: calbar.org. Results will only be available to examinees who have their exam number and password. The bar results will become available to the public on Sunday, November 18, 2007.

Hang in there and the best of luck to you!

Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
(562) 799-5581
barnonereview.com

Should I study while I am waiting for bar results?

One of the common questions examinees ask is whether or not they should study while they wait for their bar exam results. My answer depends upon two things: 1) whether you took the July bar exam or the February bar exam and 2) whether you are a worrier or not.

JULY vs. FEBRUARY: If you have taken the July bar exam and are currently waiting for bar results, then my answer to you would be that it is safe for you to put your books away and wait for bar results. Here is why: because of the timing of the July bar exam results (November 16th) those who find out they did not pass the July bar exam, will know enough in advance to still adequately prepare for the next bar exam (the February bar exam). Since results come out on November 16, 2007, examinees who find out they failed the July 2007 bar exam will have almost 3 and 1/2 months to study for the February 2008 bar exam.

However, if you are awaiting results from a February bar examination, then your results will come at the end of May - only about eight weeks before the next July bar exam. This does not leave a lot of time to study before the next exam. As a result, my advice to February examinees is to study some in advance of the results so that in the event you do not pass the February bar exam you have already hedged your bet for the next bar round by reviewing early.

WORRIERS: For those of you who tend to worry more than others (and don’t get me wrong, worrying about your bar results just comes naturally, but some of us worry a lot more about things in general than others do) then it will just make sense for you to study at least some while you are awaiting your results.

So, what did I do when I took the bar? Well, after I packed up my bar review materials, lugged them back home after I took the last day of the bar exam, I didn’t turn another page in those books again. BUT, the week before bar results I tortured myself over the fact that I didn’t continue studying after taking the bar exam . . . what if I failed?

Well, fortunately I passed. But, I look at it this way: if you are worried about it, then go ahead and review your outlines for the MBE topics and even take a few MBE practice questions. If you receive passing results in November, you won’t be angry with yourself because you wasted a few hours studying while you waited for bar results. On the other hand, if you find out in November that you did not pass the bar exam, then at least you have a jump start on your studies.

In any event, I wish you the very best of luck to those of you who are waiting for bar results!

Bar Exam Guru

July 2007 Bar Exam Results

Hello Everyone!

Good luck to everyone who is waiting for bar results! As you know, the results will be available on Friday, November 16th at 6:00 pm via the California bar exam’s website: calbar.org. The bar results will become available to the public on Sunday, November 18, 2007.

Hang in there and the best of luck to you!

Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
barnonereview.com