Florida Bar Exam - Official Thread Forum

[florida2015]

Failed for a second time - taking it again in July.

Score: 119 overall, up from 111.5. FL 143 scaled down to a 124. 114 on MBE.

- I've predicted the essays correctly twice now so I'm hoping I'll be able to do that again in July. I made a list of each essay topic tested from 2003 until Feb 2019 and ranked them by how many times they've been tested. Bolded and put at least 10 rules in each essay, and had a section for other rules at the bottom of each essay. Going through highly tested topics and trying to commit certain rules to memory really helped. I was happy with Wills MC but I wasn't fully prepared for Biz Org MC - thought (and prayed) that it was going to be Evidence.

- 1300 Adaptibar questions vs. 258 in July. Saw an improvement but not in the 60's to 80's where Adaptibar says you should be. I felt like I failed after the exam and I had a mini meltdown during the second half of MBE. Had to pull myself together and finish it. My issue is going too fast and then getting too into my head. I'm learning that mindset is everything but I need to figure out how to calm myself down and tell myself that I can do this. We all can!

Any study and/or mindset tips for a third timer? Thanks in advance. Also, if anyone knows of an Adaptibar promo code, that'd be awesome .

124 on Part A.....if you don’t mind, what were your 6 scores for Part A?

No problem! My 6 scores were: Trusts - 38, UCC 9/Prof. - 33, Torts/Ethics - 33, Civ/Crim MC - 10, Biz Org - 12, Wills & Estates - 17.

[florida2015]

Failed for a second time - taking it again in July.

Score: 119 overall, up from 111.5. FL 143 scaled down to a 124. 114 on MBE.

- I've predicted the essays correctly twice now so I'm hoping I'll be able to do that again in July. I made a list of each essay topic tested from 2003 until Feb 2019 and ranked them by how many times they've been tested. Bolded and put at least 10 rules in each essay, and had a section for other rules at the bottom of each essay. Going through highly tested topics and trying to commit certain rules to memory really helped. I was happy with Wills MC but I wasn't fully prepared for Biz Org MC - thought (and prayed) that it was going to be Evidence.

- 1300 Adaptibar questions vs. 258 in July. Saw an improvement but not in the 60's to 80's where Adaptibar says you should be. I felt like I failed after the exam and I had a mini meltdown during the second half of MBE. Had to pull myself together and finish it. My issue is going too fast and then getting too into my head. I'm learning that mindset is everything but I need to figure out how to calm myself down and tell myself that I can do this. We all can!

Any study and/or mindset tips for a third timer? Thanks in advance. Also, if anyone knows of an Adaptibar promo code, that'd be awesome .

Seems like we might have been in the same boat - i had a mini meltdown during the second half as well. Someone close to me who is a lawyer had made a rude comment about passing and not passing and it ran through my head the entire second half then i ran out of time and had to guess on the last 10 questions. So that is an example of how mindset is everything. If anyone has mindset tips I would love to hear them as well.

In July my MBE was 111 - I had not studied much as I was going through some shit and it fucked me. I should have withdrawn from the exam but I thought maybe I would get lucky, but it only destroyed me when I failed and I knew I did.
In February my MBE was 127 so I am hoping I can bring it up - I have to because I have to pass this round.
I think you can absolutely bring up your score you even did in February. Just keep pushing - we got this!!!

I hate that this happened to you. It does make me feel a tiny bit better to know that I'm not alone with how I felt/reacted. My MBE for July was 111 and my Florida was 112. I studied a lot - 98% of Barbri with Adaptibar and PMBR for additional MBE prep but I think my mindset got the best of me. My #1 fear was failing and I would freak out at least once a week about it during the beginning of prep. I just have to remember that I made it through law school, so I can make it through the Bar. We will get through this and we will beat the Bar!! Thank you all for the encouragement!

I'm working now so that's a factor that I have never experienced before with Bar Prep. Only 20 hours a week but I'm going to spread it out to 5 hours a day, 4 days a week. Right now I am at 3 days a week for 7/6 hours a day and I'm finding that I have no motivation once I get home to do anything prep related.

If anyone wants to start a group text or DM for support for the July Bar, I'm open to it! You can PM me.

[Jmart082]

Failed for a second time - taking it again in July.

Score: 119 overall, up from 111.5. FL 143 scaled down to a 124. 114 on MBE.

- I've predicted the essays correctly twice now so I'm hoping I'll be able to do that again in July. I made a list of each essay topic tested from 2003 until Feb 2019 and ranked them by how many times they've been tested. Bolded and put at least 10 rules in each essay, and had a section for other rules at the bottom of each essay. Going through highly tested topics and trying to commit certain rules to memory really helped. I was happy with Wills MC but I wasn't fully prepared for Biz Org MC - thought (and prayed) that it was going to be Evidence.

- 1300 Adaptibar questions vs. 258 in July. Saw an improvement but not in the 60's to 80's where Adaptibar says you should be. I felt like I failed after the exam and I had a mini meltdown during the second half of MBE. Had to pull myself together and finish it. My issue is going too fast and then getting too into my head. I'm learning that mindset is everything but I need to figure out how to calm myself down and tell myself that I can do this. We all can!

Any study and/or mindset tips for a third timer? Thanks in advance. Also, if anyone knows of an Adaptibar promo code, that'd be awesome .

Seems like we might have been in the same boat - i had a mini meltdown during the second half as well. Someone close to me who is a lawyer had made a rude comment about passing and not passing and it ran through my head the entire second half then i ran out of time and had to guess on the last 10 questions. So that is an example of how mindset is everything. If anyone has mindset tips I would love to hear them as well.

In July my MBE was 111 - I had not studied much as I was going through some shit and it fucked me. I should have withdrawn from the exam but I thought maybe I would get lucky, but it only destroyed me when I failed and I knew I did.
In February my MBE was 127 so I am hoping I can bring it up - I have to because I have to pass this round.
I think you can absolutely bring up your score you even did in February. Just keep pushing - we got this!!!

I hate that this happened to you. It does make me feel a tiny bit better to know that I'm not alone with how I felt/reacted. My MBE for July was 111 and my Florida was 112. I studied a lot - 98% of Barbri with Adaptibar and PMBR for additional MBE prep but I think my mindset got the best of me. My #1 fear was failing and I would freak out at least once a week about it during the beginning of prep. I just have to remember that I made it through law school, so I can make it through the Bar. We will get through this and we will beat the Bar!! Thank you all for the encouragement!

I'm working now so that's a factor that I have never experienced before with Bar Prep. Only 20 hours a week but I'm going to spread it out to 5 hours a day, 4 days a week. Right now I am at 3 days a week for 7/6 hours a day and I'm finding that I have no motivation once I get home to do anything prep related.

If anyone wants to start a group text or DM for support for the July Bar, I'm open to it! You can PM me.

I'm happy to jump in on this support group idea, and for my peeps in the Miami area, I'll be looking into possibly arranging study groups for locals, since I feel that this is something that I could have benefited from, but because I went to school in another state, never really got the chance to put into practice.

[florida2015]

I'm happy to jump in on this support group idea, and for my peeps in the Miami area, I'll be looking into possibly arranging study groups for locals, since I feel that this is something that I could have benefited from, but because I went to school in another state, never really got the chance to put into practice.

Great! Having support from people who are going through the same situation as you is wonderful. My friends and family who don't understand this exam can only do so much. If anyone is interested in meeting up to review, I'm in Tampa.

[Dtor05]

Hey everyone! I’m here to provide a little insight. I was a second time taker and thankfully passed the Feb. 2019 exam, granted I only had to take the MBE. For MBE purposes, I would NOT use any source for m/c questions other than real licensed questions. Personally, I used adaptibar and did almost 2000 questions with an overall average of 70% and I studied the law straight from adaptibar at least 4 times a week for each subject. July I only used barbri and scored a 128 on the mbe. February I used adapitbar only and scored a 150 on the mbe. If I can do it, you all can too! Good luck!!

[Allegedly88]

Failed for a second time - taking it again in July.

Score: 119 overall, up from 111.5. FL 143 scaled down to a 124. 114 on MBE.

- I've predicted the essays correctly twice now so I'm hoping I'll be able to do that again in July. I made a list of each essay topic tested from 2003 until Feb 2019 and ranked them by how many times they've been tested. Bolded and put at least 10 rules in each essay, and had a section for other rules at the bottom of each essay. Going through highly tested topics and trying to commit certain rules to memory really helped. I was happy with Wills MC but I wasn't fully prepared for Biz Org MC - thought (and prayed) that it was going to be Evidence.

- 1300 Adaptibar questions vs. 258 in July. Saw an improvement but not in the 60's to 80's where Adaptibar says you should be. I felt like I failed after the exam and I had a mini meltdown during the second half of MBE. Had to pull myself together and finish it. My issue is going too fast and then getting too into my head. I'm learning that mindset is everything but I need to figure out how to calm myself down and tell myself that I can do this. We all can!

Any study and/or mindset tips for a third timer? Thanks in advance. Also, if anyone knows of an Adaptibar promo code, that'd be awesome .

Seems like we might have been in the same boat - i had a mini meltdown during the second half as well. Someone close to me who is a lawyer had made a rude comment about passing and not passing and it ran through my head the entire second half then i ran out of time and had to guess on the last 10 questions. So that is an example of how mindset is everything. If anyone has mindset tips I would love to hear them as well.

In July my MBE was 111 - I had not studied much as I was going through some shit and it fucked me. I should have withdrawn from the exam but I thought maybe I would get lucky, but it only destroyed me when I failed and I knew I did.
In February my MBE was 127 so I am hoping I can bring it up - I have to because I have to pass this round.
I think you can absolutely bring up your score you even did in February. Just keep pushing - we got this!!!

I hate that this happened to you. It does make me feel a tiny bit better to know that I'm not alone with how I felt/reacted. My MBE for July was 111 and my Florida was 112. I studied a lot - 98% of Barbri with Adaptibar and PMBR for additional MBE prep but I think my mindset got the best of me. My #1 fear was failing and I would freak out at least once a week about it during the beginning of prep. I just have to remember that I made it through law school, so I can make it through the Bar. We will get through this and we will beat the Bar!! Thank you all for the encouragement!

I'm working now so that's a factor that I have never experienced before with Bar Prep. Only 20 hours a week but I'm going to spread it out to 5 hours a day, 4 days a week. Right now I am at 3 days a week for 7/6 hours a day and I'm finding that I have no motivation once I get home to do anything prep related.

If anyone wants to start a group text or DM for support for the July Bar, I'm open to it! You can PM me.

I wonder if all of the different resources had an effect. I found that for july 2018 i was using a ton of material rather than just barbri and Adaptibar - i was using every little outline or book i got my hands on out of desperation to understand every single concept.
It does feel comforting knowing we arent the only ones dealing with this however as obvious i dont wish this upon anyone.
I am working as well and need to figure out a schedule but i know the feeling of working and then coming home with no Motivation and already being exhausted. We gotta figure out our schedules.
I am down for a group text for sure! Ill PM you!
Wake up tomorrow and tell yourself you got this and you will pass!!

[Allegedly88]

Failed for a second time - taking it again in July.

Score: 119 overall, up from 111.5. FL 143 scaled down to a 124. 114 on MBE.

- I've predicted the essays correctly twice now so I'm hoping I'll be able to do that again in July. I made a list of each essay topic tested from 2003 until Feb 2019 and ranked them by how many times they've been tested. Bolded and put at least 10 rules in each essay, and had a section for other rules at the bottom of each essay. Going through highly tested topics and trying to commit certain rules to memory really helped. I was happy with Wills MC but I wasn't fully prepared for Biz Org MC - thought (and prayed) that it was going to be Evidence.

- 1300 Adaptibar questions vs. 258 in July. Saw an improvement but not in the 60's to 80's where Adaptibar says you should be. I felt like I failed after the exam and I had a mini meltdown during the second half of MBE. Had to pull myself together and finish it. My issue is going too fast and then getting too into my head. I'm learning that mindset is everything but I need to figure out how to calm myself down and tell myself that I can do this. We all can!

Any study and/or mindset tips for a third timer? Thanks in advance. Also, if anyone knows of an Adaptibar promo code, that'd be awesome .

Seems like we might have been in the same boat - i had a mini meltdown during the second half as well. Someone close to me who is a lawyer had made a rude comment about passing and not passing and it ran through my head the entire second half then i ran out of time and had to guess on the last 10 questions. So that is an example of how mindset is everything. If anyone has mindset tips I would love to hear them as well.

In July my MBE was 111 - I had not studied much as I was going through some shit and it fucked me. I should have withdrawn from the exam but I thought maybe I would get lucky, but it only destroyed me when I failed and I knew I did.
In February my MBE was 127 so I am hoping I can bring it up - I have to because I have to pass this round.
I think you can absolutely bring up your score you even did in February. Just keep pushing - we got this!!!

I hate that this happened to you. It does make me feel a tiny bit better to know that I'm not alone with how I felt/reacted. My MBE for July was 111 and my Florida was 112. I studied a lot - 98% of Barbri with Adaptibar and PMBR for additional MBE prep but I think my mindset got the best of me. My #1 fear was failing and I would freak out at least once a week about it during the beginning of prep. I just have to remember that I made it through law school, so I can make it through the Bar. We will get through this and we will beat the Bar!! Thank you all for the encouragement!

I'm working now so that's a factor that I have never experienced before with Bar Prep. Only 20 hours a week but I'm going to spread it out to 5 hours a day, 4 days a week. Right now I am at 3 days a week for 7/6 hours a day and I'm finding that I have no motivation once I get home to do anything prep related.

If anyone wants to start a group text or DM for support for the July Bar, I'm open to it! You can PM me.

It wont allow me to PM you - i think i am too new for that feature to work? Are you able to PM me?

[Allegedly88]

Hey everyone! I’m here to provide a little insight. I was a second time taker and thankfully passed the Feb. 2019 exam, granted I only had to take the MBE. For MBE purposes, I would NOT use any source for m/c questions other than real licensed questions. Personally, I used adaptibar and did almost 2000 questions with an overall average of 70% and I studied the law straight from adaptibar at least 4 times a week for each subject. July I only used barbri and scored a 128 on the mbe. February I used adapitbar only and scored a 150 on the mbe. If I can do it, you all can too! Good luck!!

Does adaptibar have only lectures and questions? Or do they have outlines as well? When you say you studied the law straight from adaptibar what exactly do you mean? - books, the answer explanations, etc?

[Jmart082]

Hey everyone! I’m here to provide a little insight. I was a second time taker and thankfully passed the Feb. 2019 exam, granted I only had to take the MBE. For MBE purposes, I would NOT use any source for m/c questions other than real licensed questions. Personally, I used adaptibar and did almost 2000 questions with an overall average of 70% and I studied the law straight from adaptibar at least 4 times a week for each subject. July I only used barbri and scored a 128 on the mbe. February I used adapitbar only and scored a 150 on the mbe. If I can do it, you all can too! Good luck!!

Does adaptibar have only lectures and questions? Or do they have outlines as well? When you say you studied the law straight from adaptibar what exactly do you mean? - books, the answer explanations, etc?

They have lectures, and I found them to be far more concise and helpful than what I got with BarBri. I regret not using them instead from day one.

[Jmart082]

well I will be repeating this stupid exam for the third time in July. I sat for it last July and failed both parts and then in February I passed only Florida part. Now I have to take the MBE and I have no motivation to study or where to start again.
Not only that, since I failed twice my CLI got revoked so I no longer can work my job in court, doing trials, representing clients. My job even gave me 8 weeks off to study for February and I still did not pass.
This has ruined my life. I do not know what to do from here.

I'm sorry to hear this. It's hard when this exam starts to cost you your livelihood. I myself feel immense pressure to get it done on this attempt since my parents are not in great health of late, and I want to be able to be independent and hopefully provide for them the way that they have provided for during this long slog toward practicing law. I'm strongly considering looking for work elsewhere because of the difficulty of the Florida exam, especially for people who attended school out of state.

I am sorry to hear about your parents health - I can understand the pressure you have as well. This is the hardest things some people have experienced. What bar prep program are you going to use this time around? I am guessing July will be insane with the new takers and repeaters - I wonder how much they will mess will the curve then.

It's OK, hopefully this time things change. I'm using BarBri again, only because it is free since I failed. But this time, I do think that I'll pare down a lot of the work from the schedule that they tell me to do, because it is overwhelming, and a big part of what I think caused me trouble last time around was working hard and not working smart. I'll also be adding Adaptibar so that I can drill MBE until I'm blue in the face. Regardless of what happens though, if I fail again, I won't be trying again in February. I already scored well enough on the MBE to just have to take the MEE in many other jurisdictions and become a lawyer by just passing that section of the UBE. I'm only doing Florida because my family lives here and because I want to look after my parents.

I agree that Barbri was very overwhelming and their questions seem very hard - almost harder than the bar exam. Adaptibar was more accurate I thought. Do you know what states accept certain MBE scores? How does transferring the MBE score work? We would only have to take the UBE part of another state, correct? I was looking into this but I was not able to find a list scores each state accepts.

My suggestion is to look at the NCBE website. They have all of the various scores accepted by every jurisdiction out there. The way that it would work is that you would report your MBE score to the particular jurisdiction using the reporting service that they offer and then register and sit for the written component of that jurisdiction's bar exam. For me specifically, my plan was to get admitted in Missouri (the required MBE score is a 130 and the total required score is a 260). The catch is that if you do it this way, the admission that you get from this transferred score is only good for the state that you end up selecting to take the written portion of the bar exam, and I don't think you can get in elsewhere via reciprocity. In any event, consult the NCBE site for details on scores.

I stand corrected on my statements regarding transferred scores. Any jurisdiction that takes them also requires that you pass every portion of the exam based on the standards set out by the bar association of the jurisdiction where that score was earned. So I guess that rules this option out too.

[Common stock]

I'm really disappointed with the FL Bar exam. I failed in February 2019 for the second time. It's hard for me because I've been in the practice of Law in Puerto Rico for more than 10 years and dedicated two whole months out of work (January and February 2019). I studied really hard in those two months for more than 10 straight hours daily. The problem is that I'm running out of money and only been able to work in FL as a paralegal but wanna keep living here for the best of my family.

What most bothers me is that I failed FL part for 2 points. I don't understand how the scores are measured or scaled. I think my essays were not that bad except for Secure Transactions and Commercial Paper (Essay 2). My scores were 53 in Trusts, 20.5 in ST and Commercial Paper and 41.5 in Torts. My Raw Score was 164 but then my Scaled Score was 134. How the heck did I get down to a 134 Scaled Score on FL part???? My MBE was 127 so my overall was 130.5.

Does anyone think that I can make it next time??? I'm really afraid not to pass or do worst in July 2019. I'm starting next week to study part-time because I need to make some money.

Any thoughts?? Any recommendations???

I failed by half a point.

[Jmart082]

I'm really disappointed with the FL Bar exam. I failed in February 2019 for the second time. It's hard for me because I've been in the practice of Law in Puerto Rico for more than 10 years and dedicated two whole months out of work (January and February 2019). I studied really hard in those two months for more than 10 straight hours daily. The problem is that I'm running out of money and only been able to work in FL as a paralegal but wanna keep living here for the best of my family.

What most bothers me is that I failed FL part for 2 points. I don't understand how the scores are measured or scaled. I think my essays were not that bad except for Secure Transactions and Commercial Paper (Essay 2). My scores were 53 in Trusts, 20.5 in ST and Commercial Paper and 41.5 in Torts. My Raw Score was 164 but then my Scaled Score was 134. How the heck did I get down to a 134 Scaled Score on FL part???? My MBE was 127 so my overall was 130.5.

Does anyone think that I can make it next time??? I'm really afraid not to pass or do worst in July 2019. I'm starting next week to study part-time because I need to make some money.

Any thoughts?? Any recommendations???

I failed by half a point.

This takes the cake.

[donexyz]

I'm really disappointed with the FL Bar exam. I failed in February 2019 for the second time. It's hard for me because I've been in the practice of Law in Puerto Rico for more than 10 years and dedicated two whole months out of work (January and February 2019). I studied really hard in those two months for more than 10 straight hours daily. The problem is that I'm running out of money and only been able to work in FL as a paralegal but wanna keep living here for the best of my family.

What most bothers me is that I failed FL part for 2 points. I don't understand how the scores are measured or scaled. I think my essays were not that bad except for Secure Transactions and Commercial Paper (Essay 2). My scores were 53 in Trusts, 20.5 in ST and Commercial Paper and 41.5 in Torts. My Raw Score was 164 but then my Scaled Score was 134. How the heck did I get down to a 134 Scaled Score on FL part???? My MBE was 127 so my overall was 130.5.

Does anyone think that I can make it next time??? I'm really afraid not to pass or do worst in July 2019. I'm starting next week to study part-time because I need to make some money.

Any thoughts?? Any recommendations???

I failed by half a point.

It's hard to digest this fact but do not give up if you want it badly. You can do it!!!!!

[johngotti]

Working on stuff for the essays using past ones, anyone have a crystal ball and ability to determine the essay topics for July?

[Jmart082]

Working on stuff for the essays using past ones, anyone have a crystal ball and ability to determine the essay topics for July?

Well, for what it's worth, we can probably count on either FL or Federal Con Law now that they've actually skipped it for once.

[johngotti]

Working on stuff for the essays using past ones, anyone have a crystal ball and ability to determine the essay topics for July?

Well, for what it's worth, we can probably count on either FL or Federal Con Law now that they've actually skipped it for once.

Yeah I think FL Con Law seems likely and maybe Property or Criminal Law/Procedure. I'm worried about reading too much into trends but that's all we really have available.

[Jmart082]

Working on stuff for the essays using past ones, anyone have a crystal ball and ability to determine the essay topics for July?

Well, for what it's worth, we can probably count on either FL or Federal Con Law now that they've actually skipped it for once.

Yeah I think FL Con Law seems likely and maybe Property or Criminal Law/Procedure. I'm worried about reading too much into trends but that's all we really have available.

That reads like a greatest hits compilation of all of the subjects I suck at (maybe with the exception of Con Law), and the only way that it could get any worse is if they were to throw some contracts in for good measure.

[Jmart082]

LOL at the letter that I just got from the bar saying that my results had been miscalculated, but that I still failed. Best troll ever.

[johngotti]

LOL at the letter that I just got from the bar saying that my results had been miscalculated, but that I still failed. Best troll ever.

I saw there was a revised first time pass list of the FL law schools. Who knows what happened with their bs scaling system. Did they change your score at all?

[Jmart082]

LOL at the letter that I just got from the bar saying that my results had been miscalculated, but that I still failed. Best troll ever.

I saw there was a revised first time pass list of the FL law schools. Who knows what happened with their bs scaling system. Did they change your score at all?

Nope. Score was exactly the same, but my confidence in their methods isn’t. I can’t discern what changed. I’ll have to look at my results side by side

[jmc15]

If anyone wants FL essay outlines, I did every essay FL released so far and built my outline from that and barbri materials. I passed first time and am more than happy to share!

[Hooyah]

If anyone wants FL essay outlines, I did every essay FL released so far and built my outline from that and barbri materials. I passed first time and am more than happy to share!

Hey JMC, that would be excellent.

I’m taking the Florida portion only in July.

Thanks for your help.

Edit: Could you send me a PM and then I’ll send you my email address, I tried to PM you, however I don’t have the ability to send messages yet since I’m a new user.

[johngotti]

If anyone wants FL essay outlines, I did every essay FL released so far and built my outline from that and barbri materials. I passed first time and am more than happy to share!

Yes that would be great. Thanks for the help.

[QContinuum]

If anyone wants FL essay outlines, I did every essay FL released so far and built my outline from that and barbri materials. I passed first time and am more than happy to share!

Hey JMC, that would be excellent.

I’m taking the Florida portion only in July.

Thanks for your help.

Edit: Could you send me a PM and then I’ll send you my email address, I tried to PM you, however I don’t have the ability to send messages yet since I’m a new user.

New users also can't reply to PMs until they hit 5 posts. But if jmc15 is willing, jmc could PM you their email address and you could then email jmc directly.

[Hooyah]

I'm happy to jump in on this support group idea, and for my peeps in the Miami area, I'll be looking into possibly arranging study groups for locals, since I feel that this is something that I could have benefited from, but because I went to school in another state, never really got the chance to put into practice.

Hey Jmart, let me know if you’d like to meet up sometime to study.

I live in Miami and am taking the Florida only portion of the exam this July.

Thanks.