2017 July California Bar Forum

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2807

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by 2807 » Sat Nov 18, 2017 2:44 pm

That asterisk that now accompanies the "improved pass rate" is criminal.
As indicated above, the pass rate actually dropped from last year .01%.

The real rate, as measured by countless exams in the past, is around 43%.
Just like last year...
Click on the link in the post above, see for yourself.
At the bottom of 4-5 pages of past exam results is the " * " explanation indicating that as of 11/2017 they now changed.

Absolutely scandalous that the bar now manipulates the math in their favor.
I do hope the bar is called out on this and their credibility is challenged.

Sorry folks.
Good luck to all of you.

maxmartin

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by maxmartin » Sat Nov 18, 2017 2:55 pm

nsv wrote:As others have mentioned it, definitely work on your MBEs. I didn't do too well on the writing portion the first time, but scored a 1540 on the MBE. However, that was not enough to pass. This time around I focused on doing 50+ questions each day for about 2 months on AdaptiBar. The great thing about AdaptiBar is that you can review the question after completing them, regardless whether you get them wrong or right. This really helps with learning BLL and working on your MBEs. Additionally, I reviewed past essays (baressays.com) to get a sense of what the bar graders are looking for. Lastly, I spent far less time preparing this time around than I did the first, I just focused on my strengths. A week before the exam, I was scoring 80%+ (set of 50s) on most MBE subjects.

To those who have failed, I know how it feels. What worked for me was taking a few days off and then figuring out an attack plan on how to improve my probability of passing. I waited until I got the package from the bar and saw what my weaknesses and strengths were. The second time around I focused on the strengths and improved my weaknesses, and that was enough to show that I was minimally competent.
MBE is the key under the 50% format. I didn't pass the July 2016 with 1590 MBE, missed by 5 points. This time I didn't study hard at all. And I thought I would fail because I wrote less than two pages on my MPT. And I misread the question I thought the letter was addressed to the wife to explain to her why she should accept the plea deal.LMAO. But I passed.

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goldenflash19

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by goldenflash19 » Sat Nov 18, 2017 2:55 pm

Relieved to have passed. Congrats to everyone who did, and best of luck to those retaking in February.

The biggest tip I would offer to future takers is to focus on dominating what you know will be on the test. Focusing on - (1) getting a strong MBE score; (2) using the PT to gain double points; and (3) studying likely essay topics, especially PR - is the most efficient way to study smart.

The MBE is difficult but predictable in terms of content. The PT is worth twice as much as any single essay, requires no external knowledge, and has the potential for a lot of easy points. Time is the only thing about PT's that can be difficult. A couple of friends and I chose to spend 1:50 on the PT and then 50 minutes on essays 4 and 5. Our line of thought was that every five points we score above 65 gave us 10 points to spread to the essays. An 85 on the PT would give 40 points to spread over 5 essays. I felt awesome about my PT and knew that it would cover my abysmal performances on the torts and civ pro/evidence questions.

Regarding the essays, I'd recommend learning Professional Responsibility like the back of your hand. I know that people say topic predictions are bogus, but the Bar Secret guy has a great track record and was right about a lot of topics on our exam. Obviously study for every topic, but it hurts nothing to give the topics he suggests an extra read or two.

nsv

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by nsv » Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:10 pm

2807 wrote:That asterisk that now accompanies the "improved pass rate" is criminal.
As indicated above, the pass rate actually dropped from last year .01%.

The real rate, as measured by countless exams in the past, is around 43%.
Just like last year...
Click on the link in the post above, see for yourself.
At the bottom of 4-5 pages of past exam results is the " * " explanation indicating that as of 11/2017 they now changed.

Absolutely scandalous that the bar now manipulates the math in their favor.
I do hope the bar is called out on this and their credibility is challenged.

Sorry folks.
Good luck to all of you.
I passed the Patent Bar Examination with more ease than the California Bar. It really does suck that the rate keeps declining and the Bar refuses to act.

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catechumen

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by catechumen » Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:58 pm

We need to forward this type info on to the Media. The LA Times has been super critical of the Bar for it's protectionist practices. That seems like a great place to start. Anyone want to tip them off? Only way things are going to change is if we put a spot light on it!

2807 wrote:That asterisk that now accompanies the "improved pass rate" is criminal.
As indicated above, the pass rate actually dropped from last year .01%.

The real rate, as measured by countless exams in the past, is around 43%.
Just like last year...
Click on the link in the post above, see for yourself.
At the bottom of 4-5 pages of past exam results is the " * " explanation indicating that as of 11/2017 they now changed.

Absolutely scandalous that the bar now manipulates the math in their favor.
I do hope the bar is called out on this and their credibility is challenged.

Sorry folks.
Good luck to all of you.
Last edited by catechumen on Sat Nov 18, 2017 4:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Farmer Bob

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by Farmer Bob » Sat Nov 18, 2017 3:59 pm

I calculated an estimated pass rate based on just my page on the pass list, utilizing the total missing numbers in the sequence versus the range and came up with 44%. 49.6 reported is a surprise.

netrag

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by netrag » Sat Nov 18, 2017 4:19 pm

I passed. Barbri was a waste of time, including their multiple choice questions. I learned more from doing all of the Emanuel M/C Qs and memorizing my Magic Sheets, many of which I didn’t purchase until the week of the exam.

scard

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by scard » Sat Nov 18, 2017 5:18 pm

anyone know if the essay subjects have been released yet? I can't find it

FinallyPassedTheBar

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by FinallyPassedTheBar » Sat Nov 18, 2017 5:20 pm

From what I remember:

Community Property

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mcmand

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by mcmand » Sat Nov 18, 2017 5:34 pm

catechumen wrote:We need to forward this type info on to the Media. The LA Times has been super critical of the Bar for it's protectionist practices. That seems like a great place to start. Anyone want to tip them off? Only way things are going to change is if we put a spot light on it!

2807 wrote:That asterisk that now accompanies the "improved pass rate" is criminal.
As indicated above, the pass rate actually dropped from last year .01%.

The real rate, as measured by countless exams in the past, is around 43%.
Just like last year...
Click on the link in the post above, see for yourself.
At the bottom of 4-5 pages of past exam results is the " * " explanation indicating that as of 11/2017 they now changed.

Absolutely scandalous that the bar now manipulates the math in their favor.
I do hope the bar is called out on this and their credibility is challenged.

Sorry folks.
Good luck to all of you.
http://www.latimes.com/about/la-news-ti ... story.html
Last edited by mcmand on Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

gaddockteeg

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by gaddockteeg » Sat Nov 18, 2017 6:15 pm

catechumen wrote:We need to forward this type info on to the Media. The LA Times has been super critical of the Bar for it's protectionist practices. That seems like a great place to start. Anyone want to tip them off? Only way things are going to change is if we put a spot light on it!

2807 wrote:That asterisk that now accompanies the "improved pass rate" is criminal.
As indicated above, the pass rate actually dropped from last year .01%.

The real rate, as measured by countless exams in the past, is around 43%.
Just like last year...
Click on the link in the post above, see for yourself.
At the bottom of 4-5 pages of past exam results is the " * " explanation indicating that as of 11/2017 they now changed.

Absolutely scandalous that the bar now manipulates the math in their favor.
I do hope the bar is called out on this and their credibility is challenged.

Sorry folks.
Good luck to all of you.
The data manipulation is seriously crazy.

SouthernOutWest

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by SouthernOutWest » Sat Nov 18, 2017 6:18 pm

scard wrote:anyone know if the essay subjects have been released yet? I can't find it
http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... ions_R.pdf

FinallyPassedTheBar

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by FinallyPassedTheBar » Sat Nov 18, 2017 6:25 pm

2807 wrote:That asterisk that now accompanies the "improved pass rate" is criminal.
As indicated above, the pass rate actually dropped from last year .01%.

The real rate, as measured by countless exams in the past, is around 43%.
Just like last year...
Click on the link in the post above, see for yourself.
At the bottom of 4-5 pages of past exam results is the " * " explanation indicating that as of 11/2017 they now changed.

Absolutely scandalous that the bar now manipulates the math in their favor.
I do hope the bar is called out on this and their credibility is challenged.

Sorry folks.
Good luck to all of you.

Yeah its BS that the bar would suddenly change the metrics by which to evaluate passage rate, and then claim a higher passage rate compared to previous years. I think they just want to justify the court's ruling that there is no need to lower the passing cutoff score.

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scard

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by scard » Sat Nov 18, 2017 6:35 pm

SouthernOutWest wrote:
scard wrote:anyone know if the essay subjects have been released yet? I can't find it
http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... ions_R.pdf
this doesn't tell me what the actual subjects were or more specifically, whether that one contriversial question was an evidence or PR or crossover.

ttix67

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by ttix67 » Sat Nov 18, 2017 6:44 pm

scard wrote:
SouthernOutWest wrote:
scard wrote:anyone know if the essay subjects have been released yet? I can't find it
http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... ions_R.pdf
this doesn't tell me what the actual subjects were or more specifically, whether that one contriversial question was an evidence or PR or crossover.
I think page 2 of this is what you're looking for:

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... 201707.pdf

nervous_wreck

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by nervous_wreck » Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:03 pm

ttix67 wrote:
scard wrote:
SouthernOutWest wrote:
scard wrote:anyone know if the essay subjects have been released yet? I can't find it
http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... ions_R.pdf
this doesn't tell me what the actual subjects were or more specifically, whether that one contriversial question was an evidence or PR or crossover.
I think page 2 of this is what you're looking for:

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... 201707.pdf

I think for question 2 I talked about PR/ discoverable evidence. It was way more a civ pro question for me.

FinallyPassedTheBar

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by FinallyPassedTheBar » Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:08 pm

The Civ Pro question was a California Civ Pro question right? I remember answering it using Fed Civ Pro rules and then just writing a generic blurb about how CA rules might be slightly different.

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mcmand

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by mcmand » Sat Nov 18, 2017 7:34 pm

6TimeFailure wrote:The Civ Pro question was a California Civ Pro question right? I remember answering it using Fed Civ Pro rules and then just writing a generic blurb about how CA rules might be slightly different.
That's all I did.
Last edited by mcmand on Mon Jan 29, 2018 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

CaliforniaHopeful

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by CaliforniaHopeful » Sat Nov 18, 2017 8:33 pm

:!: If anyone wants my outlines, please PM me and I will send you the URL for the website I've uploaded them too. They're free of course, and I hope they can help you. :) I took Barbri and they basically summarize everything I learnt in Barbri/Adapti Bar. :!:

jman77

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by jman77 » Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:06 pm

ttix67 wrote:
scard wrote:
SouthernOutWest wrote:
scard wrote:anyone know if the essay subjects have been released yet? I can't find it
http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... ions_R.pdf
this doesn't tell me what the actual subjects were or more specifically, whether that one contriversial question was an evidence or PR or crossover.
I think page 2 of this is what you're looking for:

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... 201707.pdf
I guess that finally settles the debate about whether that question was a PR/evidence crossover or pure PR. There were a few here who were pretty adamant it had nothing to do with evidence. It was pretty obvious to me from the start that a discussion on evidence rules was called for by that question. I also threw in some Civ Pro for good measure.
Last edited by jman77 on Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

jman77

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by jman77 » Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:07 pm

gaddockteeg wrote:
catechumen wrote:We need to forward this type info on to the Media. The LA Times has been super critical of the Bar for it's protectionist practices. That seems like a great place to start. Anyone want to tip them off? Only way things are going to change is if we put a spot light on it!

2807 wrote:That asterisk that now accompanies the "improved pass rate" is criminal.
As indicated above, the pass rate actually dropped from last year .01%.

The real rate, as measured by countless exams in the past, is around 43%.
Just like last year...
Click on the link in the post above, see for yourself.
At the bottom of 4-5 pages of past exam results is the " * " explanation indicating that as of 11/2017 they now changed.

Absolutely scandalous that the bar now manipulates the math in their favor.
I do hope the bar is called out on this and their credibility is challenged.

Sorry folks.
Good luck to all of you.
The data manipulation is seriously crazy.
That is indeed pathetic and deplorable. And to think this is the same body that is tasked with making "character and fitness" determinations.

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jman77

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by jman77 » Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:14 pm

Btw, I wonder where that troll dimetech is now. I believe the fellow owes me some money on the bet we made a few months ago...

FinallyPassedTheBar

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by FinallyPassedTheBar » Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:39 pm

jman77 wrote:Btw, I wonder where that troll dimetech is now. I believe the fellow owes me some money on the bet we made a few months ago...

what was the bet?

devastated_examinee

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by devastated_examinee » Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:45 pm

First-time taker and...failed :(

Congrats to those who passed.

jman77

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Re: 2017 July California Bar

Post by jman77 » Sat Nov 18, 2017 10:57 pm

This bet from back in August/September (quotation format got a bit messed up)... Of course I knew it was a BS bet from his end (I was serious on my end as I was pretty confident I'd passed). I just wanted the troll to get out of the forum with his garbage posts. The insufferable fool kept posting negative things here when people were still waiting for the results and talking about whether the court was going to lower the cut score.
jman77 wrote:
dimetech wrote:
jman77 wrote:
Yr back! Just for me? You said you were done. Haha. I can't wait to come back in November to see you bitching about failing and how messed up it is that they didn't change the score. Good luck to everyone else, not this clown. Keep posting too. I'm sure it makes you feel like yr correct when someone ceases to respond. Gotta have that last word or it burns you up.

TL:DR yr post, btw.
Hahaha! I am subscribed to this forum because, yah know, I took the July 2017 CA bar. What are you doing here (hint, how's the bridge you're living under)? Got nothing better to do with your time? You keep shooting your mouth off here. How about backing it up. Let's make a $5,000 bet on whether I pass or fail. Gentlemen's agreement. I'll give you 2-to-1 odds. Are your balls as brazen as your mouth? Put up or shut up, troll. Take me up on my bet and keep posting your BS, or GTFO of this forum and take your weak-ass arguments with you.[/quote]

Deal.[/quote]

Great. Easiest $5K I'll ever make. Don't be a little b*tch and weasel out when the time comes. I'll put my email here: killer_instinct77@hotmail.com. Email me and we'll finalize the details. Better yet, post your email here and I'll email you. We can start by privately exchanging our law firm bio pages. If anyone here wants to volunteer to be a witness to be copied on the emails (just so this little troll doesn't claim that he emailed me or that I didn't email him) PM me. I'll cut you in on the bet.

Let's see if this loudmouth can truly back up his words. Again, if you don't follow through, GTFO of this forum. That's part of the deal.[/quote]
Last edited by jman77 on Sat Nov 18, 2017 11:05 pm, edited 6 times in total.

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