Bar None Review will offer free bar exam workshops on November 24th in Orange, California and on November 28th in Los Angeles (near LAX).
To register, contact Bar None Review at: (562) 799-5581 or via email at: pass@barnonereview.com
Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
(562) 799-5581
barnonereview.com
Well, I will never forget my wait for bar results - it seemed to take forever. I was doing pretty well until those final ten days or so (right about where you are now). Suddenly I could no longer sleep, I began to be plagued by visions of having to re-take the exam and I couldn’t concentrate on anything.
There’s nothing you can do but wait (I know, “gee, thanks, that is soooo helpful . . . “). But, you can distract yourself while you wait - - go see a bunch of movies (I highly recommend Dan in Real Life), go to see some live comedy, stay active and stay away from people who constantly say this to you: “Oh, don’t worry, I am sure you passed.” (no one is sure you passed - not even you, and you were the one who actually took the test), try to get some sleep (yeah, right) and just do whatever it takes to not think about it.
Also, try not to make failing seem like the end of the world. Yes, it would really be awful to have to take the bar again. But, it would not be the end of your world. So try to keep it in perspective (easier said than done, but just try).
Hang in there!
Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
(562) 799-5581
barnonereview.com
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
Here’s another article from the New York Times. This one is about online law school study. Concord Law School (an online law school recently acquired by Kaplan - Kaplan also recently acquired PMBR - should be interesting to see where they are headed . . . )
You will find a link to the article below:
newyorktimes.com
Happy reading . . .
Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
(562) 799-5581
barnonereview.com
I just read a recent New York Times article (see a link to the article at the end of this post) about law schools changing their first year curriculum. The article addresses the need for law students to develop other areas of expertise in order to be successful attorneys (for example taking business classes) as well as specialized courses on necessary skills required to be a successful lawyer (for example - how to interpret case law and statutory provisions).
Okay, this may not sound very exciting, but if you are currently a law student, the article is worth a read.
One of the most difficult challenges students face when taking the bar exam is the performance test section. This closed library exam, should be relatively easy. But, for those examinees who never master the ability to interpret statutes and codes and to effectively dissect a case, the performance test could be their downfall.
What is the performance test? It is a closed library exam where the examinee is given a hypothetical client, matching case file and a library of cases and statutes. The examinee is given instructions to prepare a document or documents (for example, a motion to suppress evidence or a summary judgment motion or perhaps a memorandum to a judge). The skills tested are: case law and statutory interpretation, analytical ability, ability to follow instructions, legal writing skills and your ability to apply the law to a hypothetical case.
Not only are these skills necessary to pass the performance test, you will not be an effective attorney without the ability to interpret statutory and case law.
Kudos to law schools like Vanderbilt University for providing their students with courses designed to develop these very skills.
To read the article, go to this link:
nytimes.com
Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
(562) 799-5581
barnonereview.com
The Los Angeles Daily Journal will publish our model answer to Performance Test A from the July 2007 bar exam in the “New Lawyer Supplement” bar exam results issue. The issue will be available at all California law schools. We will also be happy to send you a copy of our model answer via email after November 16th. Good luck to those of you who are waiting for bar results!
Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
(562) 799-5581
barnonereview.com
If you are looking for “model answers” to the last bar exam, check out the following publications: The Los Angeles Daily Journal’s Bar Results edition (delivered to all law schools in California) and The Law Student Journal (also delivered to all California law schools). Both publications are free. Each paper provides sample answers written by bar review instructors and course providers. The answers will vary in style, content and issue coverage since each is written by a different author. However, both publications provide a much needed resource for examinees since the California bar examiners typically do not release their selected answers for the July exam until the following December or January.
Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
barnonereview.com
If you have failed the bar exam, keep in mind that you are in good company. Also, realize that the bar exam is not an IQ test. Many very bright and hardworking examinees fail the exam. If you have failed, you will need to do the following:
1) Get past being devastated as quickly as possible - as harsh as this sounds, you really do just need to get back to work as soon as you can. Those that do, have the best chance of passing the next exam. Start by doing MBEs.
2) This is going to hurt, but - find out why you failed - this starts by getting your scores back from the bar. The bar will automatically mail score sheets to all examinees who failed the bar. This usually takes 1 - 3 days after bar results come out (so, for July 2007 examinees who fail, it could be as soon as November 17th). When you get your scores, don’t panic and don’t make assumptions about any one section. You will receive both a raw score and a scaled score. Take the time to read the materials that come with your score sheet that explain the raw and scaled scores. See also, other posts on this blog about making it to re-read and interpreting bar scores. And, if you need help interpreting your scores, you can get it free through Bar None Review barnonereview.com
3) Commit to taking and passing the next exam - in almost every case, I would recommend taking the very next bar exam. Obviously there are sometimes reasons to sit out a bar exam administration - but in most cases, the best advice is to take the very next exam. Think about it, the material seems like it has fallen out of your head right now - just think how hard it will be to put it all back together if you wait another six months - that would be a whole year since your last review - not a good plan.
4) Develop a plan of attack - Your plan might include taking another bar review course, hiring a tutor, or continuing your studies on your own. There are many courses available (assuming you already tried barbri) that cater to different needs - small classes, private tutorials. Do your research and due diligence before enrolling in a course. Ask for references, ask to see the course materials before enrolling, make sure the bar review provider is a good fit for your needs. And, don’t abandon your common sense - if it sounds too good to be true - it probably is. But, whatever you do (take a course or study on your own) make a plan - figure out how many hours you will study each day, where you will study, how long will you have to review each topic, how many essays you will write each week, how many MBEs you will do each day, how many PTs you will write - figure it out, map it out and develop a plan.
5) Work hard - no matter how hard you worked the first time, you are going to have to work just that hard again. And, if in your honest assessment of your prior bar studies you conclude that you did not work hard enough - well then you are going to have to work harder. There simply is no magic bullet.
Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
barnonereview.com
The July 2007 bar results come out on November 16th at 6:00 pm. Go to the California State Bar website: www.calbar.org - - you will need your exam number and social security number in order to obtain your results online. Good luck to all of you who are waiting for results!
Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
barnonereview.com
Hello Everyone,
MBEs are tough - you would have to look pretty hard to find someone to disagree with you on that one. However, you CAN make those MBEs easier. Here’s how - make flash cards of every missed MBE. Okay, I know what you might be thinking - Why should you make flash cards when you already go through and read the explanations for the questions you miss and then make notes, isn’t that enough?
Actually that method is not very effective. Here’s why, you never have the ability to store in one place all of the points of law and fact patterns that are causing you trouble. As a result, you never provide yourself the opportunity to continually review those specific trouble areas so that you can fix them.
Also, by only reading through the explanations you are studying in a very passive manner. Passive studying, while useful and better than not studying at all, will not likely work when it comes to making corrections. Think about it this way: if you are having trouble doing something, the way to do it correctly is to practice doing it until you get it right. If you simply read through explanations those explanations will likely leave you pretty quickly - you probably will not remember it the next time you see that same problem or issue.
By making flash cards you will create your own study tool that will be specifically designed (by you) to address your own problems. In addition, you are actively involved in your studying. By creating a flash card that fully explains the reason why you missed the MBE question, you will now have a tool that you can utilize to permanently fix that problem. This will only work if you actually take the time to think hard about the question - ask yourself why you missed it. Was it because you didn’t understand what a taking by force (in a robbery question) could factually include?
Whatever the reason is, write it down, make the correction on a flash card and then go back and “flash” the cards you have made. Re-read your flash cards regularly and you will be on your way to getting higher scores on those MBEs.
Remember that MBEs (the ones written by the National Conference of Bar Examiners) can often turn on little details. By practicing these questions and studying the explanations in an active way you will improve your score. It takes a great deal of work and real dedication to make a significant impact in your MBE scores. But, it is do-able. You simply have to work at it regularly and actively - passive reading of explanations will never cure a low MBE score.
For a free guide to making flash cards for the MBEs, send an email to: pass@barnonereview.com and ask for the free “How to Make MBE Flashcards” Handout. We will be happy to email it you.
Happy flash card making - do it - it really works!
Lisa Duncanson
Program Director/Founder
Bar None Review
barnonereview.com
