Florida Bar Exam - Official Thread Forum

[javachip]

why can those topics be more easily manipulated than the others?

[johngotti]

why can those topics be more easily manipulated than the others?

A lot of family law stuff is based on factors instead of elements and literally anything can be a factor. I'm just kinda conspiratorial about the essay grading, you can look at previous posts in this thread expressing similar skepticism.

[Common stock]

So my law employment reference is not getting back to the board. The board sent me a letter saying they would terminate my app if they don’t hear from my previous job. Anyone ever deal with this? Is there some recourse if my previous job just doesn’t comply?

[kinseyjo]

Anyone have a solution to the fact that none of the barbri materials are available as pdf? I want to be able to study on my work computer intermittently throughout the day but every outline/testing is only in the books. If anyone has a Kaplan pdf of FL materials it would also be greatly appreciated. PDF of FL topics in any form is greatly needed.

[Jmart082]

Anyone have a solution to the fact that none of the barbri materials are available as pdf? I want to be able to study on my work computer intermittently throughout the day but every outline/testing is only in the books. If anyone has a Kaplan pdf of FL materials it would also be greatly appreciated. PDF of FL topics in any form is greatly needed.

I'm expecting these within the next day or two. PM me.

[Allegedly88]

Does any repeat takers find themselves frustrated and extra anxious when studying? I have constant anxiety because i do not want to do this a fourth time.

[Bobby_Axelrod]

Hello all. I'm starting up bar prep in the next day or two. Fortunately, I only have to take Part A, but still feel like I need to prep as if I'm taking the full exam anyway since all subjects are fair game. I'm thinking of signing up for a bar review course, but not sure how best to go about it since the courses are geared for the full exam. Anyone have any suggestions/tips on how best to study for Part A only? TIA!

[Jmart082]

Does any repeat takers find themselves frustrated and extra anxious when studying? I have constant anxiety because i do not want to do this a fourth time.

Me. But I found that where I was studying was the problem. I'm going to the local University now and getting a quiet study room whenever possible rather than staying at home. It's helped me, but to be fair, my problem is more ADHD-related than anxiety driven, although being stressed about having to take it again does cause me to retreat to other things more.

[randallh5566]

So I might just be frustrated that I've failed FL multiple times but I think it's crap that the Executive director of the FL Board of bar examiners doesn't even have a law degree. Which means she has no idea what taking the bar exam is like. But she's in charge of the grading of the exam!

She's also the chair of the NCBE. I'm talking out my ass but I smell a conflict of interest. Some transparency would be nice

[Jmart082]

So I might just be frustrated that I've failed FL multiple times but I think it's crap that the Executive director of the FL Board of bar examiners doesn't even have a law degree. Which means she has no idea what taking the bar exam is like. But she's in charge of the grading of the exam!

She's also the chair of the NCBE. I'm talking out my ass but I smell a conflict of interest. Some transparency would be nice

It's all a blatant cash grab. The fact that they pad the numbers the way that they do to make it seem like slightly less of a cash grab than it is, is particularly telling. The Florida section, in particular, I can't understand for the life of me. The fact that it has nearly twice as many topics as the MBE, and can be tested, and is tested, with far greater nuance than the same is also a source of great frustration for me. I'm sort of resigning myself to failing Florida again, yet getting enough points on it to be able to pass on a strong MBE. Granted, this means that I'll be stuck with an exam score that can't be transferred to another jurisdiction, but I'm OK with that at this point. I went to school out of state, and we tend not to do well on the exam for reasons that aren't entirely clear to me yet. Maybe the Florida schools are starting to catch on to the idea that they can inflate their pass rates if they hold back graduating students from getting their degree until they can muster passing scores on a required Florida Bar Prep course (an idea pioneered by FIU).

[johngotti]

So I might just be frustrated that I've failed FL multiple times but I think it's crap that the Executive director of the FL Board of bar examiners doesn't even have a law degree. Which means she has no idea what taking the bar exam is like. But she's in charge of the grading of the exam!

She's also the chair of the NCBE. I'm talking out my ass but I smell a conflict of interest. Some transparency would be nice

I completely understand why they've made it harder but they could at least be transparent about the stats. The fees to take the exam are absolutely ridiculous and as posted above it's a blatant cash grab ($125 just so you can type out your exam give me a break). It's clearly in their interest for more people to fail while continuing to collect those fees and only providing first time taker data.

Everyone loves a good conspiracy and it wouldn't surprise me if they're aware of MBE scores before they really start grading the essays, giving them the ability to group ones with good MBE scores together while grading borderline ones a lot tougher. I'd say 20% of the essays can be graded high with 30 seconds of skimming and 20% can be graded as not even close to passing within the same 30 seconds. I have no idea how you differentiate among the middle 60% that could go either way.

[Jmart082]

So I might just be frustrated that I've failed FL multiple times but I think it's crap that the Executive director of the FL Board of bar examiners doesn't even have a law degree. Which means she has no idea what taking the bar exam is like. But she's in charge of the grading of the exam!

She's also the chair of the NCBE. I'm talking out my ass but I smell a conflict of interest. Some transparency would be nice

I completely understand why they've made it harder but they could at least be transparent about the stats. The fees to take the exam are absolutely ridiculous and as posted above it's a blatant cash grab ($125 just so you can type out your exam give me a break). It's clearly in their interest for more people to fail while continuing to collect those fees and only providing first time taker data.

Everyone loves a good conspiracy and it wouldn't surprise me if they're aware of MBE scores before they really start grading the essays, giving them the ability to group ones with good MBE scores together while grading borderline ones a lot tougher. I'd say 20% of the essays can be graded high with 30 seconds of skimming and 20% can be graded as not even close to passing within the same 30 seconds. I have no idea how you differentiate among the middle 60% that could go either way.

Nobody knows how they scale the essays. I only fell below the mean on one essay topic out of everything tested in the Florida portion (including MC) and that was good enough to fail me by five points. Whatever scaling system they use is obviously intended to fail as many people as possible, because the margin by which you can sleep below mean on any topic and still pass is very very slim. You can have one bad essay and fail the whole thing by a pretty sizable margin.

[Common stock]

Ok....question:

I failed the FL portion by a half point, thus failing overall by a half point (I passed the MBE).

I am retaking the whole thing.

Now, if I pass FL and fail MBE.....do they take my passing FL score and my previous passing MBE score and then I pass?

Or if I pass FL and fail MBE I fail the whole thing again?

Just need some clarification from people that have been in my situation. Please and thank you.

[not guilty]

Ok....question:

I failed the FL portion by a half point, thus failing overall by a half point (I passed the MBE).

I am retaking the whole thing.

Now, if I pass FL and fail MBE.....do they take my passing FL score and my previous passing MBE score and then I pass?

Or if I pass FL and fail MBE I fail the whole thing again?

Just need some clarification from people that have been in my situation. Please and thank you.

You just need to pass part A. Part B is completed. However you can also take part B and potentially use your July 2019 part B score to raise up your July part A score. Your previous scores are all irrelevant at this point.

[johngotti]

So I might just be frustrated that I've failed FL multiple times but I think it's crap that the Executive director of the FL Board of bar examiners doesn't even have a law degree. Which means she has no idea what taking the bar exam is like. But she's in charge of the grading of the exam!

She's also the chair of the NCBE. I'm talking out my ass but I smell a conflict of interest. Some transparency would be nice

I completely understand why they've made it harder but they could at least be transparent about the stats. The fees to take the exam are absolutely ridiculous and as posted above it's a blatant cash grab ($125 just so you can type out your exam give me a break). It's clearly in their interest for more people to fail while continuing to collect those fees and only providing first time taker data.

Everyone loves a good conspiracy and it wouldn't surprise me if they're aware of MBE scores before they really start grading the essays, giving them the ability to group ones with good MBE scores together while grading borderline ones a lot tougher. I'd say 20% of the essays can be graded high with 30 seconds of skimming and 20% can be graded as not even close to passing within the same 30 seconds. I have no idea how you differentiate among the middle 60% that could go either way.

Nobody knows how they scale the essays. I only fell below the mean on one essay topic out of everything tested in the Florida portion (including MC) and that was good enough to fail me by five points. Whatever scaling system they use is obviously intended to fail as many people as possible, because the margin by which you can sleep below mean on any topic and still pass is very very slim. You can have one bad essay and fail the whole thing by a pretty sizable margin.

'

Yeah we've discussed it before, it's ridiculous. Along with the essays I'm worried about another round of Business Entities on the multiple choice since there's basically an infinite number of topics they can choose from.

It's July and I wish I would've focused more so far on Florida stuff but the MBE is the most predictable thing we'll have.

[Jmart082]

So I might just be frustrated that I've failed FL multiple times but I think it's crap that the Executive director of the FL Board of bar examiners doesn't even have a law degree. Which means she has no idea what taking the bar exam is like. But she's in charge of the grading of the exam!

She's also the chair of the NCBE. I'm talking out my ass but I smell a conflict of interest. Some transparency would be nice

I completely understand why they've made it harder but they could at least be transparent about the stats. The fees to take the exam are absolutely ridiculous and as posted above it's a blatant cash grab ($125 just so you can type out your exam give me a break). It's clearly in their interest for more people to fail while continuing to collect those fees and only providing first time taker data.

Everyone loves a good conspiracy and it wouldn't surprise me if they're aware of MBE scores before they really start grading the essays, giving them the ability to group ones with good MBE scores together while grading borderline ones a lot tougher. I'd say 20% of the essays can be graded high with 30 seconds of skimming and 20% can be graded as not even close to passing within the same 30 seconds. I have no idea how you differentiate among the middle 60% that could go either way.

Nobody knows how they scale the essays. I only fell below the mean on one essay topic out of everything tested in the Florida portion (including MC) and that was good enough to fail me by five points. Whatever scaling system they use is obviously intended to fail as many people as possible, because the margin by which you can sleep below mean on any topic and still pass is very very slim. You can have one bad essay and fail the whole thing by a pretty sizable margin.

'

Yeah we've discussed it before, it's ridiculous. Along with the essays I'm worried about another round of Business Entities on the multiple choice since there's basically an infinite number of topics they can choose from.

It's July and I wish I would've focused more so far on Florida stuff but the MBE is the most predictable thing we'll have.

Yeah, I definitely don't feel very good with the level of my preparation for the FL stuff so far, and the state nuances for topics that I'm strong in, like Con Law, all but negate my confidence in that area for any essay that might come up. God forbid anything family law/dependency related should come up, because I literally have no background as of this writing. If you want to exchange materials or talk study strategy, I'm available to discuss with you or anybody who is interested.

[Allegedly88]

I am taking only part B and i still dont feel ready with about 3 ish weeks to go. This is my third attempt so this has to be it. On top of it all i caught my boyfriend cheating on me the past two weeks so this is fantastic timing.
Trying to keep my focus on the bar is insanely hard right now.
For part A takers i have heard essays could be property and contracts .. maybe con law.

[johngotti]

I am taking only part B and i still dont feel ready with about 3 ish weeks to go. This is my third attempt so this has to be it. On top of it all i caught my boyfriend cheating on me the past two weeks so this is fantastic timing.
Trying to keep my focus on the bar is insanely hard right now.
For part A takers i have heard essays could be property and contracts .. maybe con law.

Inside info? Those topics suck.

[yennem]

So for the retakers out there, these exams tend to get harder not because the material becomes more difficult, but rather we constantly change the way we study.

I took this exam 6 times before finally passing, albeit I had alot of personal things happening in my life and I worked full time. My Approach the last time I took it (and Passed both MBE & FL) is to approach FL like everything will be on the exam, theres no shortcuts on these types of exam, you will be rewarded for spending more time studying everything then trying to master certain areas and "BSing" what you dont know.

MC is key for FL, so make sure you memorize all the FL specific Laws (know them cold, because the FL MC section focuses on the details).

I have to retake the MPRE since mine expired (went stale ) and March was booked so goodluck to all hopefully we will be sworn in together soon!

[johngotti]

Three weeks to go, time flies by and June felt like it was over in a week. Feeling okay about MBE stuff but seems like I keep making a few stupid mistakes a day. Focusing a lot more on Florida specific stuff which is a nightmare, hopefully we get Evidence as a multiple choice topic since they skipped it in February.

[dawg2018]

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.

Do you have any essay predictions for this one (July 2019) that you’re willing to share??? Please please! Thanks in advance!

[dawg2018]

Does anyone have any predictions as to what the essay topics will be?

[131313]

I just took my simulation and I am panicking. I have every factor against me from GPA, working, English not being my primary language, and school.

I got a 116 on the MBE simulation. I haven’t really focused on Florida and now I’m panicking.

[court_bacon]

Hey guys, just remember this: if the writing team behind the last two seasons of Game of Thrones can get that abomination aired on HBO, you can write a passing essay on the Florida portion of the exam.

This is my new motivational quote to get me through the next few weeks of studying...

[Dayman14]

I've taken 2 of Barbri's Florida day practice exams. I barely scraped by on the MC portions on both according to Barbri's "generally-a-passing-score" indicator (68 and 62 correct out of 100).

I have also randomly pulled 100 real, past MC questions (from the FL Bar website), compiled, and answered them under timed conditions twice and got 82 and 84 correct.

I've done each of these 4 "practice tests" fairly close in time to one another, so I've ruled out that the discrepancy is due to gaining substantive knowledge. I wasn't terribly rushed for time on any, so the improvement likely wasn't because I got better at test-taking skills. Roughly the same subjects were tested (Evidence, Business Entities, Wills, and obviously FL procedure was on each), so I can't say that the discrepancy is because I am better at some subjects that others. I don't know, all things considered, a ~15-question improvement seems a bit off.

So my question is: are the Barbri questions overly difficult, or do the FL Bar examiners purposely post their easier questions? Or is there another reason for the discrepancy?