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Ridgewood_53

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July 2016 UBE: 266; Feb 2017 UBE 314 (AMA)

Post by Ridgewood_53 » Sun Apr 16, 2017 5:22 pm

Go.

ConfusedL1

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Re: July 2016 UBE: 266; Feb 2017 UBE 314 (AMA)

Post by ConfusedL1 » Sun Apr 16, 2017 7:56 pm

Ridgewood_53 wrote:Go.
Can you give a few of the best reasonons for the improvement?

Ridgewood_53

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Re: July 2016 UBE: 266; Feb 2017 UBE 314 (AMA)

Post by Ridgewood_53 » Mon Apr 17, 2017 10:56 am

ConfusedL1 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:Go.
Can you give a few of the best reasonons for the improvement?
1. Lectures: If you are using a commercial prep company, DO NOT spend hours and hours watching lectures, you will regret it.

2. Read the Law: I know this might sound silly, but you need to read the law and memorize it. Don't spend hours and hours making silly outlines and long mnemonics. Every hour you spend doing that is an hour less you're not memorizing the elements of testable law.

3. Do 2500 MBE Questions: Do every MBE question you can get your hands on. Read the explanation for every question, even the ones you get right. Make a running list of areas of law you struggle with. Then, go back and READ THE LAW. Don't make outlines or waste time.

These were the three biggest things that helped me. I completely changed from my last prep and my score reflected it. I went from a 121 on the MEE to a 153 and from a 144 on the MBE to 160.

blaze1306

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Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:31 pm

Re: July 2016 UBE: 266; Feb 2017 UBE 314 (AMA)

Post by blaze1306 » Mon Apr 17, 2017 11:46 am

Ridgewood_53 wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:Go.
Can you give a few of the best reasonons for the improvement?
1. Lectures: If you are using a commercial prep company, DO NOT spend hours and hours watching lectures, you will regret it.

2. Read the Law: I know this might sound silly, but you need to read the law and memorize it. Don't spend hours and hours making silly outlines and long mnemonics. Every hour you spend doing that is an hour less you're not memorizing the elements of testable law.

3. Do 2500 MBE Questions: Do every MBE question you can get your hands on. Read the explanation for every question, even the ones you get right. Make a running list of areas of law you struggle with. Then, go back and READ THE LAW. Don't make outlines or waste time.

These were the three biggest things that helped me. I completely changed from my last prep and my score reflected it. I went from a 121 on the MEE to a 153 and from a 144 on the MBE to 160.

That is crazy good! So I just got Themis and I am starting early studying now for the July MBE. The outlines they provide are crazy long, how do I best utilize my time. I thought I would learn the law by summarizing the outlines they provide in my own handwriting, but even if I started now the outlines are so long I wouldn't get done. Should I just highlight the outlines provided and concentrate on learning the law?

Ridgewood_53

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Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2017 5:20 pm

Re: July 2016 UBE: 266; Feb 2017 UBE 314 (AMA)

Post by Ridgewood_53 » Mon Apr 17, 2017 2:25 pm

blaze1306 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:Go.
Can you give a few of the best reasonons for the improvement?
1. Lectures: If you are using a commercial prep company, DO NOT spend hours and hours watching lectures, you will regret it.

2. Read the Law: I know this might sound silly, but you need to read the law and memorize it. Don't spend hours and hours making silly outlines and long mnemonics. Every hour you spend doing that is an hour less you're not memorizing the elements of testable law.

3. Do 2500 MBE Questions: Do every MBE question you can get your hands on. Read the explanation for every question, even the ones you get right. Make a running list of areas of law you struggle with. Then, go back and READ THE LAW. Don't make outlines or waste time.

These were the three biggest things that helped me. I completely changed from my last prep and my score reflected it. I went from a 121 on the MEE to a 153 and from a 144 on the MBE to 160.

That is crazy good! So I just got Themis and I am starting early studying now for the July MBE. The outlines they provide are crazy long, how do I best utilize my time. I thought I would learn the law by summarizing the outlines they provide in my own handwriting, but even if I started now the outlines are so long I wouldn't get done. Should I just highlight the outlines provided and concentrate on learning the law?
I would advise against ANY form of outlining, highlighting, or summarizing. It is all a waste of time. You have to read the outlines verbatim, EVERY WORD. Read them and read them again and again and again; trust me, you will start to memorize things.

Do every MBE question that themis offers. Read all of the explanations, even the ones that you get right. Use their data tracking to see what areas of the law you are weak on and then go back and read the outline of that respective section again. Also, DO NOT do one single MBE question until you have read the entire outline. This will give you a more accurate reflection of how much law you are actually retaining.

The bar exam tests your knowledge of the law; not how great of an outline you made or how many lectures you watched.

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seeyouatthenextexam

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Re: July 2016 UBE: 266; Feb 2017 UBE 314 (AMA)

Post by seeyouatthenextexam » Mon Apr 17, 2017 2:42 pm

blaze1306 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:Go.
Can you give a few of the best reasonons for the improvement?
1. Lectures: If you are using a commercial prep company, DO NOT spend hours and hours watching lectures, you will regret it.

2. Read the Law: I know this might sound silly, but you need to read the law and memorize it. Don't spend hours and hours making silly outlines and long mnemonics. Every hour you spend doing that is an hour less you're not memorizing the elements of testable law.

3. Do 2500 MBE Questions: Do every MBE question you can get your hands on. Read the explanation for every question, even the ones you get right. Make a running list of areas of law you struggle with. Then, go back and READ THE LAW. Don't make outlines or waste time.

These were the three biggest things that helped me. I completely changed from my last prep and my score reflected it. I went from a 121 on the MEE to a 153 and from a 144 on the MBE to 160.

That is crazy good! So I just got Themis and I am starting early studying now for the July MBE. The outlines they provide are crazy long, how do I best utilize my time. I thought I would learn the law by summarizing the outlines they provide in my own handwriting, but even if I started now the outlines are so long I wouldn't get done. Should I just highlight the outlines provided and concentrate on learning the law?
Obviously Ridgewood knows what s/he is talking about because - outstanding score! But I'm a total visual learner and I memorize best by writing. Follow the advice of those that have proven they know what they're doing; but in the end, the best thing you can do is figure out your learning style and tailor your study plan accordingly.

Congrats, RW!

Estecontre

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Posts: 164
Joined: Wed Oct 12, 2016 6:03 pm

Re: July 2016 UBE: 266; Feb 2017 UBE 314 (AMA)

Post by Estecontre » Mon Apr 17, 2017 6:32 pm

blaze1306 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:Go.
Can you give a few of the best reasonons for the improvement?
1. Lectures: If you are using a commercial prep company, DO NOT spend hours and hours watching lectures, you will regret it.

2. Read the Law: I know this might sound silly, but you need to read the law and memorize it. Don't spend hours and hours making silly outlines and long mnemonics. Every hour you spend doing that is an hour less you're not memorizing the elements of testable law.

3. Do 2500 MBE Questions: Do every MBE question you can get your hands on. Read the explanation for every question, even the ones you get right. Make a running list of areas of law you struggle with. Then, go back and READ THE LAW. Don't make outlines or waste time.

These were the three biggest things that helped me. I completely changed from my last prep and my score reflected it. I went from a 121 on the MEE to a 153 and from a 144 on the MBE to 160.

That is crazy good! So I just got Themis and I am starting early studying now for the July MBE. The outlines they provide are crazy long, how do I best utilize my time. I thought I would learn the law by summarizing the outlines they provide in my own handwriting, but even if I started now the outlines are so long I wouldn't get done. Should I just highlight the outlines provided and concentrate on learning the law?
I haven't gotten my results yet, but I definitely feel better about my chances this time around than last time (I even had a dream about me passing the bar instead of nightmares of me failing like I did the first time). Anyways, let me give you a little insight into what I did in order to prepare myself this time around and why I felt like I did better this time around than the first. First of all, I've been hearing a lot of people talking about ignoring the videos, but I think most of these people didn't do Themis so they really struggled with watching videos for hours on end. One of the best things I liked about Themis is that the videos are short enough that you can blow through them and that's what I did. I would watch, fill out their outlines, and then re-write those outlines completely. I hardly took anything out and if I was missing something or needed more info, I added it. The only difference between my outline and those outlines was that I took out the examples. I tried to read and then make my own outlines from the readings, but they never stuck with me. I get it, watching videos either way sucks, but if you're going to do it. Just get it over with. Once I had that done then I just read and memorized, read and memorized. I would read my outline day in and day out, I would try to do every single one in one day, but sometimes I would alternate. I was doing Texas, so I only did this for the essay portion, because all of my practice for the MBE came from Themis and Adaptibar questions (reading why I was getting something right and wrong, you just have to do both, you need to know if you were getting right because of luck or because you had the right area of law correct and applied it correctly).

I agree with Ridgeweood_53, the bar exam isn't about how great you can outline or how many lectures you watched but is all based on the knowledge of the law, but I disagree with how you get there. We all don't learn the same and we all don't apply it the same. If you feel like outlining and watching lectures is your thing, then do it, but don't half-ass it and DON'T condense it to make it easier. Towards the end of my bar studies I was running out of time making my own outlines that I resorted to the outlines that Themis sends you and just read those for hours. IT SUCKED, but I feel like I did okay. Out of the 12 essays for Texas I only neglected one because I was tired and honestly didn't know the subject well, but the rest ranged from great to good to okay. Only time will tell if it paid off. You don't know what will be on the test and you can't for sure say a subject won't be on and completely neglect it. But also only you really knows what works for you.

blaze1306

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Posts: 152
Joined: Mon Apr 18, 2016 4:31 pm

Re: July 2016 UBE: 266; Feb 2017 UBE 314 (AMA)

Post by blaze1306 » Tue Apr 18, 2017 9:46 am

Estecontre wrote:
blaze1306 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:Go.
Can you give a few of the best reasonons for the improvement?
1. Lectures: If you are using a commercial prep company, DO NOT spend hours and hours watching lectures, you will regret it.

2. Read the Law: I know this might sound silly, but you need to read the law and memorize it. Don't spend hours and hours making silly outlines and long mnemonics. Every hour you spend doing that is an hour less you're not memorizing the elements of testable law.

3. Do 2500 MBE Questions: Do every MBE question you can get your hands on. Read the explanation for every question, even the ones you get right. Make a running list of areas of law you struggle with. Then, go back and READ THE LAW. Don't make outlines or waste time.

These were the three biggest things that helped me. I completely changed from my last prep and my score reflected it. I went from a 121 on the MEE to a 153 and from a 144 on the MBE to 160.

That is crazy good! So I just got Themis and I am starting early studying now for the July MBE. The outlines they provide are crazy long, how do I best utilize my time. I thought I would learn the law by summarizing the outlines they provide in my own handwriting, but even if I started now the outlines are so long I wouldn't get done. Should I just highlight the outlines provided and concentrate on learning the law?
I haven't gotten my results yet, but I definitely feel better about my chances this time around than last time (I even had a dream about me passing the bar instead of nightmares of me failing like I did the first time). Anyways, let me give you a little insight into what I did in order to prepare myself this time around and why I felt like I did better this time around than the first. First of all, I've been hearing a lot of people talking about ignoring the videos, but I think most of these people didn't do Themis so they really struggled with watching videos for hours on end. One of the best things I liked about Themis is that the videos are short enough that you can blow through them and that's what I did. I would watch, fill out their outlines, and then re-write those outlines completely. I hardly took anything out and if I was missing something or needed more info, I added it. The only difference between my outline and those outlines was that I took out the examples. I tried to read and then make my own outlines from the readings, but they never stuck with me. I get it, watching videos either way sucks, but if you're going to do it. Just get it over with. Once I had that done then I just read and memorized, read and memorized. I would read my outline day in and day out, I would try to do every single one in one day, but sometimes I would alternate. I was doing Texas, so I only did this for the essay portion, because all of my practice for the MBE came from Themis and Adaptibar questions (reading why I was getting something right and wrong, you just have to do both, you need to know if you were getting right because of luck or because you had the right area of law correct and applied it correctly).

I agree with Ridgeweood_53, the bar exam isn't about how great you can outline or how many lectures you watched but is all based on the knowledge of the law, but I disagree with how you get there. We all don't learn the same and we all don't apply it the same. If you feel like outlining and watching lectures is your thing, then do it, but don't half-ass it and DON'T condense it to make it easier. Towards the end of my bar studies I was running out of time making my own outlines that I resorted to the outlines that Themis sends you and just read those for hours. IT SUCKED, but I feel like I did okay. Out of the 12 essays for Texas I only neglected one because I was tired and honestly didn't know the subject well, but the rest ranged from great to good to okay. Only time will tell if it paid off. You don't know what will be on the test and you can't for sure say a subject won't be on and completely neglect it. But also only you really knows what works for you.

So I just started Themis and the information detail is excellent. I don't know how I got the scores I got without it. I can only hope it continues. I like contracts and thought I had a good handle on them but I have learned so much in just a few days its scary how much I didn't have. I anticipate using your suggestions. Update with your scores when you get them and good luck!

Ridgewood_53

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Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2017 5:20 pm

Re: July 2016 UBE: 266; Feb 2017 UBE 314 (AMA)

Post by Ridgewood_53 » Mon Apr 24, 2017 11:34 pm

seeyouatthenextexam wrote:
blaze1306 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:
ConfusedL1 wrote:
Ridgewood_53 wrote:Go.
Can you give a few of the best reasonons for the improvement?
1. Lectures: If you are using a commercial prep company, DO NOT spend hours and hours watching lectures, you will regret it.

2. Read the Law: I know this might sound silly, but you need to read the law and memorize it. Don't spend hours and hours making silly outlines and long mnemonics. Every hour you spend doing that is an hour less you're not memorizing the elements of testable law.

3. Do 2500 MBE Questions: Do every MBE question you can get your hands on. Read the explanation for every question, even the ones you get right. Make a running list of areas of law you struggle with. Then, go back and READ THE LAW. Don't make outlines or waste time.

These were the three biggest things that helped me. I completely changed from my last prep and my score reflected it. I went from a 121 on the MEE to a 153 and from a 144 on the MBE to 160.

That is crazy good! So I just got Themis and I am starting early studying now for the July MBE. The outlines they provide are crazy long, how do I best utilize my time. I thought I would learn the law by summarizing the outlines they provide in my own handwriting, but even if I started now the outlines are so long I wouldn't get done. Should I just highlight the outlines provided and concentrate on learning the law?
Obviously Ridgewood knows what s/he is talking about because - outstanding score! But I'm a total visual learner and I memorize best by writing. Follow the advice of those that have proven they know what they're doing; but in the end, the best thing you can do is figure out your learning style and tailor your study plan accordingly.

Congrats, RW!
Thanks a ton. I just paid my first Bar dues and it was amazing.

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