S.O.U.N.D. Advice for Bar Essays:
On the essay exam, use precise legal terms of art. For example:
* if the applicable principle of law is “adequate provocation,” then you shouldn’t call it “sufficient provocation”
* if the term is “minimum contacts,” don’t write “minimal contacts”
* if the term is “hearsay,” don’t write “heresy"
While you may not necessarily lose points if you don’t state every legal term of art precisely, the graders may pick up on your lack of precision and wonder what else you may be missing. Failure to use precise terms may signal to the examiners that you have a flaw with a basic legal concept with which you should be familiar.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Bar Exam BOOTCAMP Authors in the News
1L BOOTCAMP Author Ursula Furi-Perry gave advice on law school selection on the LSAT Blog
Authors Michael Coyne and Ursula Furi-Perry were interviewed about law student ethics and professionalism in the February National Jurist
Authors Michael Coyne and Ursula Furi-Perry were interviewed about law student ethics and professionalism in the February National Jurist
Monday, April 20, 2009
S.O.U.N.D. Advice for the Bar Exam, 4.20.09
S.O.U.N.D. Advice on Practicing Under a Time Crunch:
Pinpoint the specific areas – both in terms of substantive knowledge and writing or exam-taking skills – where you’re spending too much time, or worse, wasting time. Do you tend to create unnecessarily elaborate outlines that are taking valuable time away from writing? Do you state irrelevant facts or inapplicable principles of law? Do you spend too long on Property questions in comparison with other topics? Figure out where you may have some room for improvement.
Pinpoint the specific areas – both in terms of substantive knowledge and writing or exam-taking skills – where you’re spending too much time, or worse, wasting time. Do you tend to create unnecessarily elaborate outlines that are taking valuable time away from writing? Do you state irrelevant facts or inapplicable principles of law? Do you spend too long on Property questions in comparison with other topics? Figure out where you may have some room for improvement.
Bar Exam Recommended Resources
Need help with bar admissions or information about the exam?
We like the following resources on bar admissions and jurisdiction-specific tests:
The National Conference of Bar Examiners Website
The Multistate Essay Exam Official Website
Directory of State Bar Admission Offices
Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admissions
We like the following resources on bar admissions and jurisdiction-specific tests:
The National Conference of Bar Examiners Website
The Multistate Essay Exam Official Website
Directory of State Bar Admission Offices
Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admissions
Monday, April 13, 2009
S.O.U.N.D. Advice for the Bar Exam, 4.13.09
S.O.U.N.D. Advice for Evidence Questions:
The common law rules of privilege that are tested on the MBE differ dramatically from most state law rules of privilege, which are tested on the essays. It is imperative to know your state’s rules on privilege, such as the marital privilege and the doctor/psychotherapist-patient privilege.
The common law rules of privilege that are tested on the MBE differ dramatically from most state law rules of privilege, which are tested on the essays. It is imperative to know your state’s rules on privilege, such as the marital privilege and the doctor/psychotherapist-patient privilege.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
S.O.U.N.D. Advice for the Bar Exam, 4.6.09
S.O.U.N.D. Advice for Evidence Essay Exams:
Many Evidence questions will have several sub-parts. Answer the sub-parts to the question in the same order as they are presented on the exam: after all, it’s easiest for the examiners to grade your essay in the same order as the question was written.
Many Evidence questions will have several sub-parts. Answer the sub-parts to the question in the same order as they are presented on the exam: after all, it’s easiest for the examiners to grade your essay in the same order as the question was written.
S.O.U.N.D. Advice for the Bar Exam, 3.30.09
S.O.U.N.D. Advice on Criminal Law Essay Questions:
Work with the facts and tie them to the elements of each and every crime as you succinctly address each crime committed. Do not just spout law or your SoundBytes. Do not just simply conclude, either, without a brief analysis that justifies the conclusion. Think of it like math in grammar school: it is important to show your work and explain how you reached your conclusion. Tie the law to the facts in your analysis, so the grader can reach the same conclusion you did.
Work with the facts and tie them to the elements of each and every crime as you succinctly address each crime committed. Do not just spout law or your SoundBytes. Do not just simply conclude, either, without a brief analysis that justifies the conclusion. Think of it like math in grammar school: it is important to show your work and explain how you reached your conclusion. Tie the law to the facts in your analysis, so the grader can reach the same conclusion you did.
The Ten Commandments for Bar Exam Success
What do you need for success on the bar? The authors of BAR EXAM BOOTCAMP and BAR ESSAY BOOTCAMP present the ten commandments for bar exam success:
1. Know your black letter law! Memorize the rules of law so you can quickly and routinely apply them during the exam. Use whatever tools work for you to study the black letter law, whether it’s mnemonics, flash cards, flow charts, audio presentations, or outlines.
2. Only start reviewing questions after you’ve built a solid foundation and have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the black letter law. Otherwise, you may run the risk of learning the wrong rule of law or variation, by relying on a question you may have gotten right but not understanding fully why you chose the right answer.
3. Know what’s tested by the National Conference of Bar Examiners—right down to the percentage of questions that you can expect on various sub-topics in each of the six major topics tested. You can find a detailed outline of what’s tested on the Multistate Bar Exam on the NCBEX website.
4. Also know what’s tested by your state on any essay, performance, or other exams that your state requires. You should be familiar not only with the format that your state uses, but also the substantive law it tests. In addition, you should familiarize yourself with your state’s exam instructions, and learn to heed those instructions as you practice and prepare for the bar.
5. Study proportionately in return to your investment. Understand which areas of the law are likely to be heavily tested, and study them diligently, spending less time on topics that come up less frequently. If the choice is between having a more thorough understanding of individual rights as opposed to mastering water rights, you should go with the heavily tested area of the former.
6. Learn to think and analyze critically. Also hone your writing skills. Practice, practice, practice: study your state’s old essay exams, practice outlining and writing out answers, and look for common patterns in the questions.
7. Learn to practice multiple choices strategically. Eliminate bad choices that are incorrect statements of law or answers that inaccurately depict the facts—this will improve your odds, statistically, for choosing the correct answer.
8. Move at a deliberate speed. You only have approximately 1.8 minutes to spend on each multiple choice question on the Multistate Bar Exam; on essay exams and performance tests, your time is likewise limited. Time yourself and limit yourself to the allotted time as you practice both multiple choice and essay questions to get into the habit of taking timed exams.
9. Take care of your well-being during bar preparation. Eating, sleeping, and exercise help your mental health, intellectual alertness, and stamina. The diet and schedule of a law student aren’t always conducive to physical and mental well-being, but staying in decent physical and mental shape is paramount to bar exam success.
10. Recognize that bar exam success starts on the first day of law school. Law school GPA directly correlates to the chances of passing the bar examination on the first try. If you haven’t done well in law school, recognize that you should start your bar preparation earlier and you will need to work harder than others who started their preparation on the first day of law school.
Originally published by the Center for Law Student Ethics at the Massachusetts School of Law.
1. Know your black letter law! Memorize the rules of law so you can quickly and routinely apply them during the exam. Use whatever tools work for you to study the black letter law, whether it’s mnemonics, flash cards, flow charts, audio presentations, or outlines.
2. Only start reviewing questions after you’ve built a solid foundation and have a thorough knowledge and understanding of the black letter law. Otherwise, you may run the risk of learning the wrong rule of law or variation, by relying on a question you may have gotten right but not understanding fully why you chose the right answer.
3. Know what’s tested by the National Conference of Bar Examiners—right down to the percentage of questions that you can expect on various sub-topics in each of the six major topics tested. You can find a detailed outline of what’s tested on the Multistate Bar Exam on the NCBEX website.
4. Also know what’s tested by your state on any essay, performance, or other exams that your state requires. You should be familiar not only with the format that your state uses, but also the substantive law it tests. In addition, you should familiarize yourself with your state’s exam instructions, and learn to heed those instructions as you practice and prepare for the bar.
5. Study proportionately in return to your investment. Understand which areas of the law are likely to be heavily tested, and study them diligently, spending less time on topics that come up less frequently. If the choice is between having a more thorough understanding of individual rights as opposed to mastering water rights, you should go with the heavily tested area of the former.
6. Learn to think and analyze critically. Also hone your writing skills. Practice, practice, practice: study your state’s old essay exams, practice outlining and writing out answers, and look for common patterns in the questions.
7. Learn to practice multiple choices strategically. Eliminate bad choices that are incorrect statements of law or answers that inaccurately depict the facts—this will improve your odds, statistically, for choosing the correct answer.
8. Move at a deliberate speed. You only have approximately 1.8 minutes to spend on each multiple choice question on the Multistate Bar Exam; on essay exams and performance tests, your time is likewise limited. Time yourself and limit yourself to the allotted time as you practice both multiple choice and essay questions to get into the habit of taking timed exams.
9. Take care of your well-being during bar preparation. Eating, sleeping, and exercise help your mental health, intellectual alertness, and stamina. The diet and schedule of a law student aren’t always conducive to physical and mental well-being, but staying in decent physical and mental shape is paramount to bar exam success.
10. Recognize that bar exam success starts on the first day of law school. Law school GPA directly correlates to the chances of passing the bar examination on the first try. If you haven’t done well in law school, recognize that you should start your bar preparation earlier and you will need to work harder than others who started their preparation on the first day of law school.
Originally published by the Center for Law Student Ethics at the Massachusetts School of Law.
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