Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion Forum

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houstonlawyer1987

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by houstonlawyer1987 » Mon Nov 09, 2015 2:24 pm

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numbertwo88

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by numbertwo88 » Tue Nov 10, 2015 3:11 pm

Taking MD for the first time this February.

Not sure if I want to shell out $$$ for a prep course having studied for MA previously - I just want the materials. I'm going to be using adaptibar for the MBE, find material for the MPT which should be easy, but ... the MD essays will for a foreign object for me. I can't rationalize spending over 1,000 for a prep course just for Maryland essay materials.

Are you all taking courses so far or doing some type of self-study?

DueProcessDoWheelies

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by DueProcessDoWheelies » Tue Nov 10, 2015 3:23 pm

houstonlawyer1987 wrote:http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... ition=used

I received a 162 on my MBE. Adaptibar and Critical Pass Cards pulled me through with the MBE
Can you elaborate a little on both? I'm a little reluctant to just go throw more money at more products. Adaptibar is pretty expensive.

And this is important to me because the MBE killed me in July (125.9). The Barbri questions were good but were very different from the real thing, so I'm going to need some supplements, most likely.

Is critical pass just pre-made flash cards with MBE subjects? And is Adaptibar similar to Barbri, like a program, but just for the MBE?

ilovetheatre

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by ilovetheatre » Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:10 pm

DueProcessDoWheelies wrote:
houstonlawyer1987 wrote:http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... ition=used

I received a 162 on my MBE. Adaptibar and Critical Pass Cards pulled me through with the MBE
Can you elaborate a little on both? I'm a little reluctant to just go throw more money at more products. Adaptibar is pretty expensive.

And this is important to me because the MBE killed me in July (125.9). The Barbri questions were good but were very different from the real thing, so I'm going to need some supplements, most likely.

Is critical pass just pre-made flash cards with MBE subjects? And is Adaptibar similar to Barbri, like a program, but just for the MBE?
You can make your own critical pass flash cards from the CMR. Adaptibar has old retired MBE Qs (except Civ Pro, of course) and seems to be popular. I found the Kaplan Qbank to be similar to the Qs on test day and recommend it.

gr8scOtt!

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by gr8scOtt! » Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:30 pm

numbertwo88 wrote:Taking MD for the first time this February.

Not sure if I want to shell out $$$ for a prep course having studied for MA previously - I just want the materials. I'm going to be using adaptibar for the MBE, find material for the MPT which should be easy, but ... the MD essays will for a foreign object for me. I can't rationalize spending over 1,000 for a prep course just for Maryland essay materials.

Are you all taking courses so far or doing some type of self-study?
MD puts up example essays http://mdcourts.gov/ble/examquestionsanswers.html
And then you could probably pick up a 2015 MD outline/prep book on ebay or amazon.

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numbertwo88

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by numbertwo88 » Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:34 pm

gr8scOtt! wrote:
numbertwo88 wrote:Taking MD for the first time this February.

Not sure if I want to shell out $$$ for a prep course having studied for MA previously - I just want the materials. I'm going to be using adaptibar for the MBE, find material for the MPT which should be easy, but ... the MD essays will for a foreign object for me. I can't rationalize spending over 1,000 for a prep course just for Maryland essay materials.

Are you all taking courses so far or doing some type of self-study?
MD puts up example essays http://mdcourts.gov/ble/examquestionsanswers.html
And then you could probably pick up a 2015 MD outline/prep book on ebay or amazon.
Thanks! It's kinda sad how I know about approximately nothing about the legal system my home state. This was a huge help!

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rinkrat19

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by rinkrat19 » Sun Nov 15, 2015 2:16 pm

Checking in. Failed Oregon in July. (Fucking Oregon and their stupidly high passing score. Not that I am bitter.)

Now working 50+ hours per week at a DA's office (non-court stuff, obviously), so studying is going to be a treat. I want a mobile MBE app that I can do on my phone during my commute on public transit.

Can't do BarMax because I don't have an ipad. Thinking about Adaptibar.

I have Critical Pass and I think it's kind of useless. It's not actually flashcards according to MY understanding of that concept; it's basically the CMR outline broken into pieces that fit on large cards. Easier to carry around one subject at a time than the CMR book, I guess, but it's not a proper functional flashcard where one side says like "Elements of Assault" and the back lists the elements out so you can check yourself. It'll say 'Assault' on one side and then the outline of everything about assault is on the other side.

I have not seen the bar study Law in a Flash cards, but I used them for a couple of 1L subjects and I wonder if their flashcards are actually more like flashcards.

DueProcessDoWheelies

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by DueProcessDoWheelies » Sun Nov 15, 2015 3:26 pm

Just got my Critical Pass flashcards in the mail.

What's the best way to utilize these? I.e. what's a good study schedule? All these cards are a little overwhelming...

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KTnKT

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by KTnKT » Sun Nov 15, 2015 3:36 pm

DueProcessDoWheelies wrote:Just got my Critical Pass flashcards in the mail.

What's the best way to utilize these? I.e. what's a good study schedule? All these cards are a little overwhelming...
Not sure if it is the best way to use them, but I can tell you what I've been doing. I skim the full outline, watch the videos, then when it says to review my notes and outlines, I just read through the critical pass. I've been carrying around 15 cards per day and flipping through them once or twice in addition to the bar prep program. I can do each subject in about a week that way. Figure with 15 weeks until the bar (ish) it'll be time to read through each subject 2x in addition to whatever is required by the program.

Edited to add that I'm not trying to memorize the cards... I'm just straight up reading them and trying to internalize the rules. For MBE I'm trying to understand the rules, their purpose, and have some recall, but I'm mostly focusing on doing as many practice problems as possible and understanding the right vs. wrong answers and learning from my mistakes.

I'm saving most of my memorization for P&E and state essays.

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numbertwo88

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by numbertwo88 » Tue Nov 17, 2015 3:28 pm

DueProcessDoWheelies wrote:Just got my Critical Pass flashcards in the mail.

What's the best way to utilize these? I.e. what's a good study schedule? All these cards are a little overwhelming...
I gave myself 3 days with each subject of cards. Day 1: read & take notes. Day 2: Re-read cards. Day 3: Write my own mini condensed MBE outline. Then I'd just review that outline I wrote and would add to it for clarification of issues I always got wrong (i.e. mortgages & deed recording and some aspects of contracts) with information my a long outline. The cards are pretty good themselves though! Making them into my own outline was key for me.

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fear_no_evil

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by fear_no_evil » Thu Nov 19, 2015 3:12 pm

ilovetheatre wrote:
DueProcessDoWheelies wrote:
houstonlawyer1987 wrote:http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... ition=used

I received a 162 on my MBE. Adaptibar and Critical Pass Cards pulled me through with the MBE
Can you elaborate a little on both? I'm a little reluctant to just go throw more money at more products. Adaptibar is pretty expensive.

And this is important to me because the MBE killed me in July (125.9). The Barbri questions were good but were very different from the real thing, so I'm going to need some supplements, most likely.

Is critical pass just pre-made flash cards with MBE subjects? And is Adaptibar similar to Barbri, like a program, but just for the MBE?
You can make your own critical pass flash cards from the CMR. Adaptibar has old retired MBE Qs (except Civ Pro, of course) and seems to be popular. I found the Kaplan Qbank to be similar to the Qs on test day and recommend it.
I also used Kaplan big book, but not the Qbank. There were acouple of questions on the real exam that were identical to questions I remembered from the Kaplan book.

numbertwo88

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by numbertwo88 » Tue Dec 01, 2015 1:18 pm

Starting to study today!

I'm praying failing & then passing one jx will make this second jx easier.

... I secretly hope MA has another terrible winter. It made for the best study environment.

jem112

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by jem112 » Wed Dec 02, 2015 7:14 pm

Got some barbri books and started studying this week for my second jurisdiction. Still trying to decide on the best program to use for MBE practice questions. I'm just hoping that since I took the bar in a different state this past July, some of the information is still fresh in my mind.

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storge

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by storge » Wed Dec 02, 2015 8:19 pm

If anyone is looking for a Critical Pass Flashcard discount, use link below to get $10 off. I searched everywhere for a coupon/discount code and couldn't find one anywhere so I figured I'd share.

I got this as a referral so you have to use the link to get the discount: http://criticalpass.refr.cc/NQBJZZ7
Wish I had access to someone else's referral link before I paid full price, but didn't have any luck finding any current ones :( . Sharing the love. Anyone interested, feel free to utilize.

Neko1

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by Neko1 » Thu Dec 03, 2015 6:07 pm

Hi there--I have a full set of critical pass flashcards, Strategies & Tactics 5th edition (unused), and Essay Writing for the California Bar Exam book (light highlighting), and Barbri CMR California (In good condition) I am looking to get rid of if anyone is interested--pm me.

carcollector

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Re: Feb 2016 Bar Exam discussion

Post by carcollector » Sun Jun 17, 2018 3:26 pm

waxecstatic wrote:I know how all you guys feel tho. I took the bar in February because I was totally unprepared for the July 2014 bar. I studied hard, I knew the blackletter law, but I got completely fucked on the MBE. Even if I scored in the 30th percentile on the MBE, I probably would have passed. On one essay I got a perfect score. I failed by about 10 points and I was really disappointed in myself. It was totally my fault for not doing enough MBE questions and figuring out the mechanics of the questions. I thought to myself I got a perfect score on an essay and yet I failed, something is definitely not right here.

I studied extremely hard for this July bar exam. I had the BarBri Conviser Mini Review on my computer in PDF form and I looked at it like it was a script to a play and I had to memorize every line. And you know what, I almost did. I did Adaptibar on top of that and had the state outlines from BarBri as well. I did about 90% of the Adaptibar questions and felt way more prepared for the MBE than I did in February. I felt almost like a different person altogether.

As we know, the MBE was extremely difficult for July. The questions were on every area that people will not answer correctly no matter how much they study like RAP and mortgages and severing claims in civ pro, or knowing when res judicata applies and collateral estoppel doesn't, whether an executive action can override a legislative action etc etc. (BTW, when is a lawyer ever going to have a client call him and ask about a decision by the President? As if that small-town lawyer can do anything about it anyway).

My point is, I know I'm rambling, I feel like shit too sometimes, and it's completely ruined my life. I don't talk to people from law school, and I try to avoid any conversation with relatives about my life. I basically am completely handicapped socially and work-wise. I don't know what to look for as far a job goes, and I feel like having failed the bar has basically scarred my resume and my life.

But I try to think that I gave it my all this time. But I don't know--all I can do is keep a positive attitude.
Hey super random but how did you get the Conviser Mini Review on PDF. It would be amazing if I could get a copy on PDF. I have the actual book but it would so much more convenient on PDF. Thanks!

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