2018 February CA Bar Forum

[hope2018]

I looked thru my status admission page and it shows requirement statisfied under bar exam section and at bottom section it states I'm eligible to take oath.

After many years and attempts I finally passed . I had hard time passing the writing section I was stuck at 1400 every time I took it while mbe scores were high. Not until the new format I was then able to pass it.
Finally!
Congratulations for those who passed and for those who didn't don't give up.

[ooda]

was this pass rate the lowest rate in history?

[a male human]

Congrats to all who passed! Not an easy feat by any means... lowest recorded pass rate in CBX history. I sprinkle you with compliments.

If anyone would like to donate their past returned essays, please hit me up at brian [x] makethisyourlasttime.com. Thank you!

[BrainToast]

Congrats to all who passed! Not an easy feat by any means... lowest recorded pass rate in CBX history. I sprinkle you with compliments.

If anyone would like to donate their past returned essays, please hit me up at brian [x] makethisyourlasttime.com. Thank you!

I can’t believe the scores were so low.

[Cem2030]

When do you think folks in LA will get the official mail results? Do you guys think it will be Saturday?

[thisninjanerd]

Didn't bring my bar exam number with me tonight because I didn't want to deal with the anxiety... but when everyone started texting me about it, logged into my account. All done


Hope everyone did well! Plenty of study materials if anyone's interested, and passed with 3 weeks study. I'll talk more about what I did to go into the bar confidently tomorrow... when I'm not so God damned drunk.

Best wishes to everyone.

Yo! I'm down for study material if you're down to sell. I did not make the cut this time around. Here's to July!

[unitball]

I passed and this was my 3rd time; the struggle was real.

For those who didn't pass, no matter how hard you tried this time, remember you CAN still improve and pass next time.

[Mxmasterr]

Congrats to all who passed! Not an easy feat by any means... lowest recorded pass rate in CBX history. I sprinkle you with compliments.

If anyone would like to donate their past returned essays, please hit me up at brian [x] makethisyourlasttime.com. Thank you!

I can’t believe the scores were so low.

February is historically a mid 30% overall pass rate. Plus our essays were pretty hard. Our PT was relatively easy too, which means they likely expected much more to get a 65 on it. I mean we only had to read 3 cases and a short little contract.

[feelingdefeated]

I passed and this was my 3rd time; the struggle was real.

For those who didn't pass, no matter how hard you tried this time, remember you CAN still improve and pass next time.

I’m feeling overly defeated. Failed July ‘17 by 59 points with barbri. Hired a tutor this time, took a different approach, still failed. Feeling like it’s impossible to pass. I was overwhelmed this past bar being consumed with the thought of this happening again, not sure how much that affected me. I am having a hard time comprehending how to approach this 3rd time. Any advice? How did you change it up each time?

[JoeSeperac]

The mean scaled Multistate Bar Examination score on the February 2018 General Bar Exam in California was 1,355; the national average was 1,341.

The national average is incorrect. The national MBE average in F18 was 132.775. The average they are referring to is from F17.
http://www.pabarexam.org/pdf/statistics ... /f2018.pdf
http://www.pabarexam.org/pdf/statistics ... /f2017.pdf

[JoeSeperac]

I just made a calculator that will accurately estimate a Written Scaled Score and Total Score for the July 2017 California bar exam based on the scores you enter. You can use this to estimate your J18 performance.
https://ubeessays.com/california-july-2 ... alculator/

Thanks...one question, on July 2016 I scored a 1550 scaled score, with a 1398 total score. My final written score was 570 ish. This means my final MBE score was around an 830. I see a 1550 on this calculator yields a 790 final MBE score. Can you detail what accounts for this drop and what it would take to score comparably on Feb 18. I know July '16 still had the 35% MBE component.

Yes, the new component weights are the reason. Since CA switched to a different exam format with different component weights in J17, there is not much point in trying to compare pre-J17 performance to post-J17 performance.

I see, however, with a scaled MBE of 1550, how much predictive value does that have for a F18 scaled MBE. If it's any insight, I completed the entire adaptibar course, as well as the entire Emmanuels S&Ts. I had to start studying much earlier, but by the end I was consistently in the 80s for most subjects. In J16 I only completed about 85% of Adaptibar and used that exclusively. If it's any help I found the following excerpt from a press release released in April regarding feb 18:

"The national average MBE score for February 2018 was 132.8, a decrease of about 1.3 points from the February 2017 average of 134.1. The reliability of the February 2018 MBE was 0.92, an all-time high for February."

I'm not sure what the .92 bit means...

Reliability can be interpreted as a correlation coefficient, with values between 0.0 and 1.0. The higher the coefficient (to a maximum of 1.0), the stronger the relationship. Higher values for reliability reflect greater precision and less random error, and low values for reliability reflect a higher proportion of random error and therefore less precision. According to NCBE, "sing a variety of techniques, NCBE conducts ongoing evaluations of the quality of the questions on the bar exam. For each test, we evaluate the reliability of the scores; reliability is an essential component of validity." The industry standard is that any score used for decision making should have a reliability of at least 0.90. NCBE found that for the essays to have a reliability of 0.90, they needed to be 16 hours long with 32 different essay questions. NCBE found that for the MPT to have a reliability of 0.90, it needed to be 33 hours long with 22 different MPT items. see The Bar Examiner: Volume 77, Number 3, August 2008

In June 2015, NCBE stated that “the test score reliability of the July 2014 MBE was 0.92, a new high.” NCBE reported that the reliability of the February 2017 MBE was also a .92, so I am assuming it has consistently been .92 since 2014. A reliability of 0.92 for the MBE is very good. This means that 85% of your MBE score can be predicted by your scores on a prior exam. The other 15% is attributable to non-systematic factors such as random applicant characteristics and uniqueness of the questions. The MBE is highly reliable because it essentially tests the same topics with each exam but presented in different ways.

[Mxmasterr]

Congrats to all who passed! Not an easy feat by any means... lowest recorded pass rate in CBX history. I sprinkle you with compliments.

If anyone would like to donate their past returned essays, please hit me up at brian [x] makethisyourlasttime.com. Thank you!

I can’t believe the scores were so low.

February is historically a mid 30% overall pass rate. Plus our essays were pretty hard. Our PT was relatively easy too, which means they likely expected much more to get a 65 on it. I mean we only had to read 3 cases and a short little contract.

is the thread just cold now?

[BrainToast]

Congrats to all who passed! Not an easy feat by any means... lowest recorded pass rate in CBX history. I sprinkle you with compliments.

If anyone would like to donate their past returned essays, please hit me up at brian [x] makethisyourlasttime.com. Thank you!

I can’t believe the scores were so low.

February is historically a mid 30% overall pass rate. Plus our essays were pretty hard. Our PT was relatively easy too, which means they likely expected much more to get a 65 on it. I mean we only had to read 3 cases and a short little contract.

Agree. Although, I thought the con law and crim pro were softballs. The MBEs were strange too.

[maxmartin]

Sadly the writing is on the wall when that awful Raw written score formula was released. Go take July exam, you have a much better chance in July!

[scard]

Anyone know how to sign up for this “Productive Mindset Intervention Program”

[hope2018]

I passed and this was my 3rd time; the struggle was real.

For those who didn't pass, no matter how hard you tried this time, remember you CAN still improve and pass next time.

I’m feeling overly defeated. Failed July ‘17 by 59 points with barbri. Hired a tutor this time, took a different approach, still failed. Feeling like it’s impossible to pass. I was overwhelmed this past bar being consumed with the thought of this happening again, not sure how much that affected me. I am having a hard time comprehending how to approach this 3rd time. Any advice? How did you change it up each time?

I took this exam like 5x, every time I get my results I hit a wall. I did not know how to improve it. I kept focusing on MBEs, I learned rules and how to apply them the more I practiced. This helped me even with my essays. I used to spend hours on just few questions. I mastered the MBE...in my first and second bar the score was low 120 scaled until last Feb 2017 I was scoring in top 96% and my practice was high 80s.

As for writing I used baressays.com I looked at every model answer and practiced. I sent my scored bar essays for review by baressays graders and they would give me some feedback.
Don't give up..for the last 4 years I felt I was going around a circle...but you can do it if you say I will beat that sucker.

[Mxmasterr]

I passed and this was my 3rd time; the struggle was real.

For those who didn't pass, no matter how hard you tried this time, remember you CAN still improve and pass next time.

I’m feeling overly defeated. Failed July ‘17 by 59 points with barbri. Hired a tutor this time, took a different approach, still failed. Feeling like it’s impossible to pass. I was overwhelmed this past bar being consumed with the thought of this happening again, not sure how much that affected me. I am having a hard time comprehending how to approach this 3rd time. Any advice? How did you change it up each time?

I took this exam like 5x, every time I get my results I hit a wall. I did not know how to improve it. I kept focusing on MBEs, I learned rules and how to apply them the more I practiced. This helped me even with my essays. I used to spend hours on just few questions. I mastered the MBE...in my first and second bar the score was low 120 scaled until last Feb 2017 I was scoring in top 96% and my practice was high 80s.

As for writing I used baressays.com I looked at every model answer and practiced. I sent my scored bar essays for review by baressays graders and they would give me some feedback.
Don't give up..for the last 4 years I felt I was going around a circle...but you can do it if you say I will beat that sucker.

Did you use.commercial ones like Themis and barbari

[spmurphy23]

I passed and this was my 3rd time; the struggle was real.

For those who didn't pass, no matter how hard you tried this time, remember you CAN still improve and pass next time.

I’m feeling overly defeated. Failed July ‘17 by 59 points with barbri. Hired a tutor this time, took a different approach, still failed. Feeling like it’s impossible to pass. I was overwhelmed this past bar being consumed with the thought of this happening again, not sure how much that affected me. I am having a hard time comprehending how to approach this 3rd time. Any advice? How did you change it up each time?

I just passed on my fourth try. I learned something every time I failed. Failures 2 and 3 I scored a 1495 on the MBE both times. That means I needed to get a lot better on the essays. On the Feb 2018 exam I crushed the essays. Yeah, I know I won't get the scores but I feel more than confident. This time around I took 6 months to prepare while working full time and keeping up with my responsibilities as a father of 4 kids ages 6 and under. I sent you a friend request and if you'd like I'll tell you what I did step by step.

[Nightcrawler]

I passed and this was my 3rd time; the struggle was real.

For those who didn't pass, no matter how hard you tried this time, remember you CAN still improve and pass next time.

I’m feeling overly defeated. Failed July ‘17 by 59 points with barbri. Hired a tutor this time, took a different approach, still failed. Feeling like it’s impossible to pass. I was overwhelmed this past bar being consumed with the thought of this happening again, not sure how much that affected me. I am having a hard time comprehending how to approach this 3rd time. Any advice? How did you change it up each time?

I just passed on my fourth try. I learned something every time I failed. Failures 2 and 3 I scored a 1495 on the MBE both times. That means I needed to get a lot better on the essays. On the Feb 2018 exam I crushed the essays. Yeah, I know I won't get the scores but I feel more than confident. This time around I took 6 months to prepare while working full time and keeping up with my responsibilities as a father of 4 kids ages 6 and under. I sent you a friend request and if you'd like I'll tell you what I did step by step.

Hi. If I may, which sources did you use to study for the MBE? I feel like even if last time I knew a lot, still on MBE day I had no clue about so many questions. I just perfectly knew what they were asking, it's just that that piece of info wasn't on my outlines. Used Adaptibar and just started also Emanuel. Thank you for your help.

Also, this question is towards anybody who scored high on the past few MBEs. Where the hell did you guys study?? I feel like they keep testing new stuff that is nowhere. I need guidance. Thank you all.

[UmaThurman]

Didn't bring my bar exam number with me tonight because I didn't want to deal with the anxiety... but when everyone started texting me about it, logged into my account. All done


Hope everyone did well! Plenty of study materials if anyone's interested, and passed with 3 weeks study. I'll talk more about what I did to go into the bar confidently tomorrow... when I'm not so God damned drunk.

Best wishes to everyone.

I'm interested in study materials!!!!

[bpnichol1]

Has anyone encountered problems registering for the July exam (as a repeater)? When I indicate "Yes" to the question "Did you take and were you unsuccessful during the February 2018 California Bar Examination?", the following appears in red: "The information you provided does not match the information contained in the immediate repeater file." Any clue what the hell this means?? Do we need to wait until Monday to register??

[Snowflake1]

I passed and this was my 3rd time; the struggle was real.

For those who didn't pass, no matter how hard you tried this time, remember you CAN still improve and pass next time.

I’m feeling overly defeated. Failed July ‘17 by 59 points with barbri. Hired a tutor this time, took a different approach, still failed. Feeling like it’s impossible to pass. I was overwhelmed this past bar being consumed with the thought of this happening again, not sure how much that affected me. I am having a hard time comprehending how to approach this 3rd time. Any advice? How did you change it up each time?

I took this exam like 5x, every time I get my results I hit a wall. I did not know how to improve it. I kept focusing on MBEs, I learned rules and how to apply them the more I practiced. This helped me even with my essays. I used to spend hours on just few questions. I mastered the MBE...in my first and second bar the score was low 120 scaled until last Feb 2017 I was scoring in top 96% and my practice was high 80s.

As for writing I used baressays.com I looked at every model answer and practiced. I sent my scored bar essays for review by baressays graders and they would give me some feedback.
Don't give up..for the last 4 years I felt I was going around a circle...but you can do it if you say I will beat that sucker.

Congrats!! I passed Feb also after failing July and did something similar. My MBE was very high but I failed every essay. I still practiced 50 MBE questions a day but also wrote out 1 essay a day and tried to outline an additional 2. I heavily used BarEssays.com and compared all of my practice essays to the real graded ones. Eventually by practicing enough and looking at the real graded ones on BarEssays I figured out what I needed to do for the essays. It kind of clicked at some point.

If you did not pass and used one of the expensive review courses I highly recommend NOT spending a lot of money on another course but instead using cheaper MBE and essay supplements (Strategies and Tactics, Adaptibar, BarEssays or whatever you need). Then sit down and think about what you are doing right and wrong every day. No course can do this for you. Please do not let this exam deflate you. It is just an exam and you WILL pass and move on with your life. A friend on mine passed on her fourth try! The day after I failed I felt so lost but eventually I got it together.

A huge thanks to everyone on this board for their support and advice!

[hope2018]

I passed and this was my 3rd time; the struggle was real.

For those who didn't pass, no matter how hard you tried this time, remember you CAN still improve and pass next time.

I’m feeling overly defeated. Failed July ‘17 by 59 points with barbri. Hired a tutor this time, took a different approach, still failed. Feeling like it’s impossible to pass. I was overwhelmed this past bar being consumed with the thought of this happening again, not sure how much that affected me. I am having a hard time comprehending how to approach this 3rd time. Any advice? How did you change it up each time?

I took this exam like 5x, every time I get my results I hit a wall. I did not know how to improve it. I kept focusing on MBEs, I learned rules and how to apply them the more I practiced. This helped me even with my essays. I used to spend hours on just few questions. I mastered the MBE...in my first and second bar the score was low 120 scaled until last Feb 2017 I was scoring in top 96% and my practice was high 80s.

As for writing I used baressays.com I looked at every model answer and practiced. I sent my scored bar essays for review by baressays graders and they would give me some feedback.
Don't give up..for the last 4 years I felt I was going around a circle...but you can do it if you say I will beat that sucker.

Did you use.commercial ones like Themis and barbari

I used adaptibar and took my time answering each question . Every time I looked at question I used the free access Themis outlines . I used Barbrie conviser for memorizing rule statement. I used barbrie simulated exam during last week of studying. I used baressays model answers for essays.

[KT33]

Hahaha, omg this was me too. I think I drank more after passing than I did when I failed the first time. Congrats!!! This was a helluva Bar...

I'll talk more about what I did to go into the bar confidently tomorrow... when I'm not so God damned drunk.

Best wishes to everyone.

[bpnichol1]

Has anyone here been able to register for July 2018 exam as a repeater? I've been unable to do so; I get a message stating that my info doesn't match the "immediate repeater file"....