Maryland Bar Exam (February 2017) Forum

[hopeful420]

Hello there,

Started this forum for our journey to and after the Maryland Bar Exam in February 2017.

What prep are you guys using? For those that recently passed, any studying advice/strategy?

Thanks!

[Amg36]

Good luck to you! I'm looking at Maryland in July. Hopefully you'll get some good advice that I can piggyback off of.

[hndls022]

I strongly advise those studying for the MD bar exam to use Shemer bar prep. They will drill the essay format into your mind.

I failed Feb. 2016 when I didn't take it and I passed the July 2016 exam after taking Shemer.

[Amg36]

I strongly advise those studying for the MD bar exam to use Shemer bar prep. They will drill the essay format into your mind.

I failed Feb. 2016 when I didn't take it and I passed the July 2016 exam after taking Shemer.

Would you also suggest AdaptiBar or anything of that nature? I know the MBE is only 33%, but it's 33%.

[hndls022]

I strongly advise those studying for the MD bar exam to use Shemer bar prep. They will drill the essay format into your mind.

I failed Feb. 2016 when I didn't take it and I passed the July 2016 exam after taking Shemer.

Would you also suggest AdaptiBar or anything of that nature? I know the MBE is only 33%, but it's 33%.

I used PMBR. I scored high enough on the MBE to waive into DC with ease.

[Amg36]

I strongly advise those studying for the MD bar exam to use Shemer bar prep. They will drill the essay format into your mind.

I failed Feb. 2016 when I didn't take it and I passed the July 2016 exam after taking Shemer.

Would you also suggest AdaptiBar or anything of that nature? I know the MBE is only 33%, but it's 33%.

I used PMBR. I scored high enough on the MBE to waive into DC with ease.

Thanks!

[hopeful420]

Thank you for the advice!

[akcheat]

Thank you for the advice!

Just thought I'd contribute as a retaker who (finally) passed this July. What I found most helpful for the essays was going through every past question and answer that the SBLE provides on their website. You get a good idea of how they ask their questions, what subjects are frequently tested, and ultimately what kind of answers are appropriate. I certainly wouldn't recommend this as a way to learn black letter law or anything, but it really helped with feeling prepared for what they throw at you.

As far as the MBE goes, just do as many questions as you can and study the answers and why you were wrong or right. The MBE is what killed me when I failed, so I got adaptibar and just went to town doing questions. More than knowing the law, you have to know the way they code their tricks in the questions. You'll start picking up on the patterns and common themes after doing bunches of them.

Hope I was of help!

[Vantwins]

Just chiming in - I used Themis and passed the July 2016 Bar. I felt well prepared. I did study very hard from mid-May up until the exam, but I've got 3 elementary age kids, so I was more distracted then when I took the VA bar years ago!

I'd love to sell my Themis books and Critical Pass flashcards if anyone is interested. My flashcards are in great condition, some have additional notes on them, and some have MD distinctions in red.

I'm in Rockville, if anyone is interested you can email me at vsophir@yahoo.com.

Thanks,
Vanessa

[NaeDeen]

Thank you for the advice!

Thanks for reaching out. I responded to your PM.

[dgal]

I passed the MD July 2016 Bar after taking the VA Feb 2016 Bar.

My best advice after having been a high school teacher and taking 2 bar exams is DO NOT think that the MD Bar is "easy." Pass rates are getting lower and lower.

When you read through posted MD answers it seems like they are just looking for a "lawyerly answer" like one you might have written as an intern. But don't be deceived, it's the time that will kill you. MD doesn't post an official countdown time like VA does. So during the essays in MD, its really hard to keep your own time (every 30 minutes is easy but 25 min changes how you see the clock): AM Session = 25 minutes x 3 + MPT (90 minutes) and PM Session =25 minutes x 7. You absolutely have to practice doing the 25 min exams within your time limits on your watch(not an alarm on the computer). I also found the MPT time challenging as my school and previous bar prep didn't cover this. (Used Themis for MD and Barbri for VA).So I practiced every MPT I could find.)

For the MBE, I cannot recommend Emanuel's Strategies and Tactics for MBE enough. Not only do you get an analysis of why each answer is the right one, you also get an analysis on why you answered differently. Plus, you get analysis on how to "uncode" the test...invaluable. The "red" book is so worth the money no matter what bar prep you are doing.

Additionally, I found that listening to the lectures from either bar prep was not a good use of my 10 week study time. Although the lectures are "entertaining" and a good guess by the service as to what THEY think is important, I found that doing the hard work with practice questions and REALLY READING THE ANALYSIS of the answers (if you spend 2 minutes on a question spend 10 minutes on the answer even if you get it right), creating my own outline and doing more practice questions (at least 1000) was more productive than just listening and filling out the lecture sheets.

After taking both Themis and Barbri, I wish they could be combined. Both have a GREAT calendar to keep you on track, however:

Themis is way better on the sample MBE questions because they are relatively short.The essay review by a grader is really helpful and I always asked for commentary at the end of the essay and got it. The delivery by lecture is shorter and the mini quizzes are good but analysis is lacking.Themis' STATE EXCEPTIONS is really long and hard to follow.

Barbri gets really long winded on their questions and after a long day it's hard to concentrate. (On the MBE, I have found that the questions are not as long as Barbri's.) However, Barbri's MiniConviser is a gift from GOD!! It gives you what you NEED to know and has a concise STATE EXCEPTION section. The essay analysis is not as thorough as Themis but their "pep talks" are a nice touch.

I definitely know how you feel going into this exam. Good luck and hope this helps.

[dgal]

One thing I forgot on my last post...

MD gives you an essay questions with a Statue citation (Statute will be really long), Themis does not give this citation in their posed questions, don't know about Barbri. I believe that you have to understand the specific issue that you need to cite and that you must cite it in your answer to properly answer the question. The insert is way to long to read the whole thing in the time constraint, so you must know the particular issue that you need. I did not spend time reading all of the insert but went to the specific area I needed.

Again, hope this is helpful.

[Cwarrior57]

Does anyone happen to know where the Feb bar exam takes place for people who use computers? I see two locations and because I'm not from Maryland, I'm not sure of the layout of everything. Additionally, does anyone plan on getting a hotel room or have reservations for a hotel room and need/want a roommate?

PM me

[marie88]

Question: Anyone know of or recommend a MD bar essay tutor? I'm looking to hire someone 2-3 hours a week for the next 4-4.5 weeks.

ALSO: I was looking at the calculation Maryland uses for determining the essay score. For the July bar exams, the calculation is much friendlier to below average essays, e.g., you can get a 43/69 and a below average MBE (125) and still pass the bar. However, February bar exam calculations are ridiculously low, requiring bar takers to score above average essays on most if not all (50/69, minimum to pass) and an above average MBE (138-145) to barley pass (406-412). Question: Am I reading the calculations right? If I am, then is it not smarter/more in your favor to just sit for the July bar exam?

[Cwarrior57]

One month to go. Good luck to everyone.

[NaeDeen]

One month to go. Good luck to everyone.

Same to you!! I'm trying not to panic as this is my second time taking this lovely exam.

QUESTION--how in the world do I create an attack outline that is manageable for MD's 18 subjects?!! I'm not going to mess with commercial transactions and bulk transfers. If I got everything down to 4 pages each, I'd be looking at 64 pages (16 x 4). Anyone have any tips?

[JDanger007]

Good luck everybody!

[NaeDeen]

Good luck everybody!

Same to you!!

[NaeDeen]

I have no idea what to think about the second portion of that exam. No amount of studying can get you prepared for having to answer these fact patterns in 25 minutes. Unless I'm missing something.

[Cwarrior57]

Now that a week has passed since the exam, I hope everyone has had a chance to reflect on the process. Good luck to everyone and I hope to see joyful posts on May 5th.

[NaeDeen]

Hope everyone is doing well...Other states have released scores and they are not looking so good. Just to be safe, i'm going to get a leg up on studying.

[Cwarrior57]

Any chance results come out before May 5th? If not, I'm gonna have a heck of a Cinco de Mayo!

[NaeDeen]

Any chance results come out before May 5th? If not, I'm gonna have a heck of a Cinco de Mayo!

They should be out by the end of day Friday. Good luck...I've started studying again. Not fun.

[Cwarrior57]

Any chance results come out before May 5th? If not, I'm gonna have a heck of a Cinco de Mayo!

They should be out by the end of day Friday. Good luck...I've started studying again. Not fun.

How do you know?

[nervousnervous]

Is it weird that I haven't received any info about scheduling the C&F interview? I recently moved and am having my mail forwarded to my new address, but I'm paranoid.