2017 February California Bar Exam Forum

[ur_hero]

[double post - delete please ]

[rcharter1978]

Thank you both, it's so odd that there isn't a real comprehensive breakdown for the feb16 administration

See http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... rnage.html for the reasons.

That article seems to cover the reasons for the drop in pass rates, but not the reason why the breakdown of pass rate by school wouldn't be released. Unless I missed something.

It's a little ridiculous that the CA Bar wouldn't release the numbers by school as they have done for previous exam administrations so I wonder what the deal is.

I mean in this day and age where we're all telling students to make sure to get all the information you can get on a school, wouldn't bar passage rate be a piece of information you would want about a potential school?

Pretty sure they always release this well after the initial summary of bar results.

According to the CA Bar website, its approximately 4 weeks after the initial summary of the results.

So where is the information for February 2016?

[2TimesTheCharm]

Hm yeah 2016 stats are pretty sparse even though the 2015 ones break it down by school

http://admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Examina ... stics.aspx

Since you said you're a UC Hastings alum, I thought you might be interested in this: http://abovethelaw.com/2016/11/recent-l ... -bar-exam/

To everyone else: DO NOT be this guy. The CA bar is a shitshow; there's very little rhyme or reason to it. Many smart people I know have failed it, including folks from Harvard, Yale, Columbia and whatever else US news is pedestalling these days. If you failed once, you're now in the same category as two of our rainmaking partners. If you failed twice, either try again and do what JFK jr did and go into politics. Until you've done everything in life you've wanted to do, you're not permitted to check out... least of all for not passing a bar exam.

(Sorry for the rant. I'm annoyed at the bar exam for inflicting this kind of emotional distress.)

[a male human]

Hm yeah 2016 stats are pretty sparse even though the 2015 ones break it down by school

http://admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Examina ... stics.aspx

Since you said you're a UC Hastings alum, I thought you might be interested in this: http://abovethelaw.com/2016/11/recent-l ... -bar-exam/

To everyone else: DO NOT be this guy. The CA bar is a shitshow; there's very little rhyme or reason to it. Many smart people I know have failed it, including folks from Harvard, Yale, Columbia and whatever else US news is pedestalling these days. If you failed once, you're now in the same category as two of our rainmaking partners. If you failed twice, either try again and do what JFK jr did and go into politics. Until you've done everything in life you've wanted to do, you're not permitted to check out... least of all for not passing a bar exam.

(Sorry for the rant. I'm annoyed at the bar exam for inflicting this kind of emotional distress.)

Indeed, Brian's suicide is a tragic outcome of the bar exam. It's yet another reminder how ridiculously challenging the bar exam can be.

It's not the first suicide I've heard of either. There was at least one other Hastings graduate who committed suicide some time ago. Someone at a lower-ranked school (who was apparently suffering from depression) killed himself before the results came out... and he ended up passing the exam.

Please remember it's just that—an exam, just a big pass/fail class. There is always hope.

[rhs67858]

Hm yeah 2016 stats are pretty sparse even though the 2015 ones break it down by school

http://admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Examina ... stics.aspx

Since you said you're a UC Hastings alum, I thought you might be interested in this: http://abovethelaw.com/2016/11/recent-l ... -bar-exam/

To everyone else: DO NOT be this guy. The CA bar is a shitshow; there's very little rhyme or reason to it. Many smart people I know have failed it, including folks from Harvard, Yale, Columbia and whatever else US news is pedestalling these days. If you failed once, you're now in the same category as two of our rainmaking partners. If you failed twice, either try again and do what JFK jr did and go into politics. Until you've done everything in life you've wanted to do, you're not permitted to check out... least of all for not passing a bar exam.

(Sorry for the rant. I'm annoyed at the bar exam for inflicting this kind of emotional distress.)

Indeed, Brian's suicide is a tragic outcome of the bar exam. It's yet another reminder how ridiculously challenging the bar exam can be.

It's not the first suicide I've heard of either. There was at least one other Hastings graduate who committed suicide some time ago. Someone at a lower-ranked school (who was apparently suffering from depression) killed himself before the results came out... and he ended up passing the exam.

Please remember it's just that—an exam, just a big pass/fail class. There is always hope.

I concur with everything you guys said thus far and want to add my two cents. I don't know why people kill themselves, truly. I know what I have read and researched, but there is so much still that we don't know about this. I had a friend do it last year who we all thought was, like, pretty crazily jolly and the last person to ever contemplate something like that (I think he was similar to Robbin Williams in terms of circumstances). It def shook me up to hear. When I was in the military I saw this too in a person who eventually did it as well. Part of this is a mental disability, a handicap, part of it is depression, and it part a plethora of other things for sure. Professionals in the field can narrow it down to "x, y, and z are usually this reasons one takes their life." Yet still, its never certain. What we do know it that depression--if not treated properly--and other mental factors do sometimes lead one down this tragic path. But, BUT, there is a select few who get trapped in this dark world of thought. Most people are able to divorce themselves from this side of depression and seek help. Most people do not have suicidal thoughts, and most usually put things into perspective.

I want to say that I know how stressful all this is. A lot it riding on passing the first time, or the second time, or third whatever. But taking your life is never the answer. Its a quick out and a mistake. You leave behind on pain and suffering for those who love you, and substantially affect the remainder of their lives. You cut yours short because you were so trapped in your thoughts that you never thought to stick your hand out for someone to grab, or perhaps you did but no one grabbed it.

It's fine to speak on this subject, and if anyone has experience on this please share with the rest of us. If anyone needs help with anything, ANYTHING, please send me a message directly and I will give you my cell phone and we will talk. I was part of a reach out program in the military and I will help you too.

Look, this exam is tricky but its absolutely passable. You just need to study right, study smart, be prepared, practice, practice, and go in confident. If bar examiners believe you should be licensed at the end of grading they'll pass you. So give them reasons. Show them how prepared you are. Show them how knowledgable you are. Show them how insofar as you're taking this three day exam... on that forth day, you ARE capable of taking a client's case, and doing work that may substantially affect the rest of their life. Show them, through your performance, that you are ready to have this awesome responsibility. Work hard guys. Hard work and dedication wins the day. Work hard and go in their and take it. And if you don't pass, take it again. Or take a break and take it again. Find that fire and let it burn in you to stay hungry for this.

I can tell you when i didn't pass I was wrecked, but I picked myself up and moved the f**k forward. Be THAT person. Thats who we are. Humans are extremely, extremely relentless when we have to be. Dig down deep and f**king move ladies and gents. Look, this exam doesn't care where you went to school. I went to one of the best schools in the country for both undergrad and grad. I went in unprepared though, as many of you who read my previous posts know. I was arrogant, selfish, and stupid. I failed. I did not deserve a license let. I will though this February. I had a buddy who went to Whittier (spelling?) and fucked off mostly. Worked out alot and just didn't care. I know him, he's a great guy but he's... So if he can get his shit together for 2.5 months are study hard and study right anyone can.

Some are gifted and will pass regardless, but for the rest of us its work, son. Do work. It takes the right mental focus. It takes the right state of mind. It takes a plan of attack and then execution of that plan. It takes practice, practice practice practice, because this will lead to preparedness. And being prepared is your best weapon to passing this exam. These graders aren't monsters, and you are not stupid if you don't pass. This situation is unique. It's fascinatingly bizarre too because some of the most incompetent people pass and some of the smartest take forever to. Theirs people in my office that I'm just like wtf geez how did you get licensed, but they did. They did. They earned it. Earn it too.

It's December 6, we have over 2 months to be prepared. If you have trouble focusing, completing tasks, retaining info, or other ADD/ADHD symptoms, then get treated for it or look to natural remedies. Then get back to it. Make that schedule and follow it. Push yourself. And don't be distraught or get discouraged. And don't listen to too many people. Advice is solid, esp on TLS, but always trust yourself and listen to yourself. Just like in undergrad and grad where everyone freaks out and it rubs onto you... don't let it. Any source of pressure or pain, CUT IT FROM YOUR LIFE AND HANDLE IT AFTER THE BAR. Turn your phone off and leave it off till after the bar. Go into Plato's cave and stay there till after the bar. But don't forget to reward yourselves little by little, caution yourself from burn out, and limit your time on TLS.

TLS, I can tell you this. I got D's and F's in high school, so I went into the Navy after to straighten my shit out. I was in special classes in elementary school and middle school. I was such a problem child. It was bad. I was in trouble all the time. I was diagnosed with both ADD and ADHD before they merged. I am naturally an immature person still lol. Yet, somehow I was able to figure my shit out. I took the ACT and SAT while serving overseas and fought for everything I have thus far. From degrees from beautiful schools to this relentless chip on my shoulder. I have always had to fight to be equal to my peers. When people were partying I was in the library, friday and saturady nights too. When people submitted their writing, I had to proof read mine twice. I had to sit in front of every single one of my classes. Assignments that took people 1 hour took me three sometimes. Fuck it, I still fight today. I will be fighting for the remainder of my life to achieve what to want. WE ALL WILL. My story is your story because we have all been through some shit. We all have demons, we all have stories. You found this site because you were searching for answers one day and wanted help. You wanted better help. You're here now. Keep focused now. For the next two months. Keep focused and prepare every day little by little. Give these graders a reason to grant you a license. Give them the reason. Don't think about not passing this time, cross that bridge if it comes. But don't have the plan B out, nor should you allow yourself to marinate on thoughts like that. Hard work and dedication kept Floyd Mayweather undefeated (edit: I know he's a p.o.s in his personal capacity as a man)... but that does not negate this notion: hard work and dedication.

Ok, wow, this was long. I went on several tangents and also kind of ranted. Thanks for reading this peeps, and remember if you need anything please send me a message directly.

[a male human]

Thanks rhs, agreed with what you said.

I don't think anyone here would actually do it, but it's a good reminder nonetheless.

[cal_pushed]

Considering a tutor. Prior CBX grader. Anyone who has used a grader, curious on your experiences? Worth the cost?

[ur_hero]

Considering a tutor. Prior CBX grader. Anyone who has used a grader, curious on your experiences? Worth the cost?

Using one currently. I'm not necessarily happy with the price, but very happy with the tutor. I think it makes a difference, especially considering I'm working while studying until the last several weeks before the exam.

To elaborate: I'm getting a more straightforward idea of organization, what to include/exclude and when, and then ways to methodically approach analysis given a particular issue. One thing to highlight though is, that what you get out of it is what you put in -most of the former bar-grader tutor's value is being able to help you gauge where you stand (although the above tips have been very helpful as well). That means still writing many essays, taking feedback to heart, and honestly making the effort to improve each new essay you work on.

Feeling good so far, so hope this works out for me.

[misterX]

edited

[james11]

Did you guys see this letter from the UC Hastings dean to students, apologizing for their abysmal pass rate on the July 2016 exam?

http://abovethelaw.com/2016/12/whos-to- ... aminers/2/

"I am personally and professionally embarrassed by our bar performance. Indeed, I apologize to our graduates on behalf of myself and the institution. I promise to do everything within my power to support those in the class of 2016 who must retake the bar. We will offer both tangible financial support and study group and faculty mentor support. Specifically, UC Hastings will pay for a subscription to the supplemental MBE preparation service Adaptibar.com or the essay scoring bank BarEssays.com for all of our graduates who did not pass the July 2016 California Bar exam."

[a male human]

Did you guys see this letter from the UC Hastings dean to students, apologizing for their abysmal pass rate on the July 2016 exam?

http://abovethelaw.com/2016/12/whos-to- ... aminers/2/

"I am personally and professionally embarrassed by our bar performance. Indeed, I apologize to our graduates on behalf of myself and the institution. I promise to do everything within my power to support those in the class of 2016 who must retake the bar. We will offer both tangible financial support and study group and faculty mentor support. Specifically, UC Hastings will pay for a subscription to the supplemental MBE preparation service Adaptibar.com or the essay scoring bank BarEssays.com for all of our graduates who did not pass the July 2016 California Bar exam."

Got it in my inbox. At least he was transparent about it to the alumni.

[RickSanchez]

I have heard that WSGR are firing stubs who have failed the bar exam. I am so thankful I didn't go there.

[SFSpartan]

While studying for the July Bar, I typed up large chunks of the Convisor Mini Review and formatted it so that I could print, cut, and paste the CRM onto flashcards. Willing to share the files via Dropbox with those that are interested - typing was by far the longest part of that process. Please PM me with your Dropbox acct if you want the files.

[james11]

Did you guys see this letter from the UC Hastings dean to students, apologizing for their abysmal pass rate on the July 2016 exam?

http://abovethelaw.com/2016/12/whos-to- ... aminers/2/

"I am personally and professionally embarrassed by our bar performance. Indeed, I apologize to our graduates on behalf of myself and the institution. I promise to do everything within my power to support those in the class of 2016 who must retake the bar. We will offer both tangible financial support and study group and faculty mentor support. Specifically, UC Hastings will pay for a subscription to the supplemental MBE preparation service Adaptibar.com or the essay scoring bank BarEssays.com for all of our graduates who did not pass the July 2016 California Bar exam."

Got it in my inbox. At least he was transparent about it to the alumni.

It's also nice of Hastings to pay for Adaptibar and BarEssays.

[Lawless!]

Anyone selling their july 2016 mini-conviser? If so, PM me.

[rcharter1978]

Hm yeah 2016 stats are pretty sparse even though the 2015 ones break it down by school

http://admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Examina ... stics.aspx

Since you said you're a UC Hastings alum, I thought you might be interested in this: http://abovethelaw.com/2016/11/recent-l ... -bar-exam/

To everyone else: DO NOT be this guy. The CA bar is a shitshow; there's very little rhyme or reason to it. Many smart people I know have failed it, including folks from Harvard, Yale, Columbia and whatever else US news is pedestalling these days. If you failed once, you're now in the same category as two of our rainmaking partners. If you failed twice, either try again and do what JFK jr did and go into politics. Until you've done everything in life you've wanted to do, you're not permitted to check out... least of all for not passing a bar exam.

(Sorry for the rant. I'm annoyed at the bar exam for inflicting this kind of emotional distress.)

Indeed, Brian's suicide is a tragic outcome of the bar exam. It's yet another reminder how ridiculously challenging the bar exam can be.

It's not the first suicide I've heard of either. There was at least one other Hastings graduate who committed suicide some time ago. Someone at a lower-ranked school (who was apparently suffering from depression) killed himself before the results came out... and he ended up passing the exam.

Please remember it's just that—an exam, just a big pass/fail class. There is always hope.

When I failed the first time my father simply said "It's a disappointment, not a disgrace."

Truer words were never spoken.

[unclepete]

Any thoughts from other folks who are working full time and studying on top of it for this cycle? Unfortunately, I can't take more than a week or so before the exam off, so it will be strictly evening + weekend (plus every other Friday) study for me. There's nothing I can do to change that, so I guess I`m just looking for encouragement and/or advice on strategies given this major time constraint.

Also, January is shaping up to be an unusually busy time at work. FML...

[TheLegalOne]

Checking in for Feb 2017. I took July 2016 off after studying and withdrawing because I did not feel prepared. I got a second read in Feb 2016 and July 2015. I need to make it happen in Feb 2017. I'm working full time now, with a horrendous commute to and from work (I drive, so I can only listen to lectures). I've been using Adaptibar and practicing PTs over the past month.

Hitting the books hard beginning Sunday.

Let's do this!

[rhs67858]

Checking in for Feb 2017. I took July 2016 off after studying and withdrawing because I did not feel prepared. I got a second read in Feb 2016 and July 2015. I need to make it happen in Feb 2017. I'm working full time now, with a horrendous commute to and from work (I drive, so I can only listen to lectures). I've been using Adaptibar and practicing PTs over the past month.

Hitting the books hard beginning Sunday.

Let's do this!

How long have you been practicing with AdaptiBar? How are you feeling in terms of the results from it thus far? I'm trying to get through my old Barbri lecture notebook before I begin the 50 question diagnostic ish.

[Rap Genius]

Is anyone retaking Barbri or Kaplan (or other programs)? Did your program update their material to reflect the changes in the Bar Exam? I still see the same old property videos, same civil procedure videos, etc. Shouldn't these be updated to reflect new information representatives of these ridiculously priced courses learned from the most recent administration?

I would expect new commentary on how the bar has changed, how civil procedure is being tested, what we should expect from property... feel me?

[Rap Genius]

Additionally, does anybody have the link to Barbri's analysis of the July 2016 exam? I remember searching and finding a document with a table saying "If you scored this overall, then you needed X points on MBE, and Y points on Written."

[a male human]

Is anyone retaking Barbri or Kaplan (or other programs)? Did your program update their material to reflect the changes in the Bar Exam? I still see the same old property videos, same civil procedure videos, etc. Shouldn't these be updated to reflect new information representatives of these ridiculously priced courses learned from the most recent administration?

I would expect new commentary on how the bar has changed, how civil procedure is being tested, what we should expect from property... feel me?

I have a feeling their course material updates every year. If that's the case, the new content should be labeled "2017-2018".

I'd be curious to see if Barbri does provide supplementary files, though.

[Rap Genius]

I guess the books will be updated but I do hope other materials are updated too- like an addendum to the lectures explaining the seemingly huge differences in the mbe this year (property and less questions per subject). Kaplan's foundation course is the same as last administration despite these changes.

[TheLegalOne]

Checking in for Feb 2017. I took July 2016 off after studying and withdrawing because I did not feel prepared. I got a second read in Feb 2016 and July 2015. I need to make it happen in Feb 2017. I'm working full time now, with a horrendous commute to and from work (I drive, so I can only listen to lectures). I've been using Adaptibar and practicing PTs over the past month.

Hitting the books hard beginning Sunday.

Let's do this!

How long have you been practicing with AdaptiBar? How are you feeling in terms of the results from it thus far? I'm trying to get through my old Barbri lecture notebook before I begin the 50 question diagnostic ish.

I have been using Adaptibar since early November. I like the convenience of being able to do MBEs on the fly but the answers are not as detailed as I'd like. I like Kaplan's old Red Book and S&T for more comprehensive explanations. I have completed 310 and my score is above average. I'm not loving it but it's more convenient since I practice whenever I can catch a break. I do like the ability to see my weaknesses at a glance (there could be more sub-categories, however).

[pml87]

Thank you both, it's so odd that there isn't a real comprehensive breakdown for the feb16 administration

See http://taxprof.typepad.com/taxprof_blog ... rnage.html for the reasons.

That article seems to cover the reasons for the drop in pass rates, but not the reason why the breakdown of pass rate by school wouldn't be released. Unless I missed something.

It's a little ridiculous that the CA Bar wouldn't release the numbers by school as they have done for previous exam administrations so I wonder what the deal is.

I mean in this day and age where we're all telling students to make sure to get all the information you can get on a school, wouldn't bar passage rate be a piece of information you would want about a potential school?

Sorry for the confusion. I probably have read too many articles and mis-cited one for the other. The materials that I have read (and can no longer find) related to the State Bar's being cautious about releasing any data that might be used to deduce bar passage performance across races. Essentially releasing school-specific data may also reveal data of racial disparity, which is recently prohibited by a state court (https://iapp.org/news/a/court-rules-in- ... r-results/). Such revelation is possible if one looks at data from historically black law schools, or dominated by ethnic minority. Also a new rule from the State Bar hinges on the same prohibition. This is pure speculation, but considering the timing of the state court decision (see the link) and the release date of the July Bar results, it is good speculation.