2018 February CA Bar Forum

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Honey0808

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by Honey0808 » Sun May 20, 2018 12:48 pm

unitball wrote: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.
Any advice for those who didn't pass this time? What did you do differently studying this time around?

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catechumen

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by catechumen » Sun May 20, 2018 3:13 pm

Looks like we are not the only ones to be upset over the close to 3/4 failure rate. We need to lobby the our state reps to fix this and get the media to report on this. The Governor failed the exam too.. The CA Supreme Court is in on this protectionism, so we won't get any help there. Anyone want to start a change.org petetion?

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2018/ ... 626730002/

Oh and guys suicide is not an option. The way to get back at these monsters is to shame them with truth in the public eye, and to beat this test!

LawQueen777

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by LawQueen777 » Sun May 20, 2018 3:39 pm

FinallyPassedTheBar wrote:
LawQueen777 wrote:So I failed the July 2017 bar by 9 points. I had a high MBE score but bombed the essays. This time around, I hired a tutor that was a former bar grander, did Adaptibar like the first time, and I felt like I had to have passed this time. I didn't. I feel so depressed and worthless right now.
You already received your scores in the mail? What was your MBE score if you don;t mind me asking?
No I was short by 9 points in July. I haven't received my scores from February yet. In July My scaled MBE score was
1539.

FinallyPassedTheBar

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by FinallyPassedTheBar » Sun May 20, 2018 3:52 pm

LawQueen777 wrote:
FinallyPassedTheBar wrote:
LawQueen777 wrote:So I failed the July 2017 bar by 9 points. I had a high MBE score but bombed the essays. This time around, I hired a tutor that was a former bar grander, did Adaptibar like the first time, and I felt like I had to have passed this time. I didn't. I feel so depressed and worthless right now.
You already received your scores in the mail? What was your MBE score if you don;t mind me asking?
No I was short by 9 points in July. I haven't received my scores from February yet. In July My scaled MBE score was
1539.
That's an excellent MBE score. Please update us with your Feb scores when you receive them. It looks like you are right on the cusp of passing.

maxmartin

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by maxmartin » Sun May 20, 2018 3:58 pm

LawQueen777 wrote:
FinallyPassedTheBar wrote:
LawQueen777 wrote:So I failed the July 2017 bar by 9 points. I had a high MBE score but bombed the essays. This time around, I hired a tutor that was a former bar grander, did Adaptibar like the first time, and I felt like I had to have passed this time. I didn't. I feel so depressed and worthless right now.
You already received your scores in the mail? What was your MBE score if you don;t mind me asking?
No I was short by 9 points in July. I haven't received my scores from February yet. In July My scaled MBE score was
1539.
Take the July exam. I didn't even bother Feb exam. If you score 6o, under the nasty Feb raw score formula, your raw score is already 15 points down compared with July exam.

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FinallyPassedTheBar

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by FinallyPassedTheBar » Sun May 20, 2018 3:58 pm

I think we should also accept the possibility that the CA Bar wants less lawyers practicing in this state. They aren't going to explicitly admit that though.

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a male human

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by a male human » Sun May 20, 2018 4:45 pm

In case anyone's wondering, someone created a July CA thread already (a long time ago, for some reason):

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=286381

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chicoalto0649

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by chicoalto0649 » Sun May 20, 2018 5:31 pm

Honey0808 wrote:
unitball wrote: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.
Any advice for those who didn't pass this time? What did you do differently studying this time around?
This was my third time and I passed. I shudder to think what my odds we’re going into this (only 23% of repeaters passed, I’m sure it’s lower for 3+ takers), and I had to work full time and study.

Things that worked:

baressays.com and whatever the extra cost is spring for the higher level subscription. Their model answers to essay questions go back at least ten years and I used them exclusively to check my practice essays. Bottom line was my first two attempts I could not tailor my essays to what the examiners are looking for. Bar essays beats into your head what an essay should look like. Then mix in some sample candidate answers and you’ll quickly understand what a 55 looks like compared to a 65+.

AdaptiBar + Emmanuel’s. I always was good at MC (passed NY bar) and always had 1500+ on MBEs in CA. Anyway I completed Emmanuel’s (first time using- answered everything front to back) + AdaptiBar and I really don’t think there was anything that could have prepared me more for the exam. AdaptiBar helped me get a 1550 last try but I think that combining it with Emmanuel’s was a powerful tool. Just remember the questions you get on the exam may not mirror your practice questions but the subject matter is certainly the same (there’s only so much they can test and they’ll always throw curveballs.

I’ll add more as I think of it or feel free to PM me. I also have materials I’d be willing to sell (tons of Barbra outlines, concise, plus large outline and lecture notes).

Of course YMMV and we’re just about 2 months out before July so sacrifices may have to be made if you know what your strong points are vs your weaknesses. This routine took about four solid months + a two week vacation leading up to the exam.

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chicoalto0649

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by chicoalto0649 » Sun May 20, 2018 5:36 pm

suicide_sally wrote:I wish I had killed myself 2 years ago if I had known a 27% pass rate was even possible for the CA bar. This is one deadline I won't miss!

Hi, I’m sorry things didn’t turn out well. It sounds like you need to talk to someone offline are you

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catechumen

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by catechumen » Sun May 20, 2018 6:11 pm

Possibility? Lol! The CA Supreme Court gave them a pass last year when a series of law schools Dean's sued over the test being too hard. The very next Bar exam has the lowest pass rate ever. If you tell me that's a considence I got a nice bridge to sell you. Lol!

FinallyPassedTheBar wrote:I think we should also accept the possibility that the CA Bar wants less lawyers practicing in this state. They aren't going to explicitly admit that though.

Snowflake1

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by Snowflake1 » Sun May 20, 2018 7:07 pm

chicoalto0649 wrote:
Honey0808 wrote:
unitball wrote: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.
Any advice for those who didn't pass this time? What did you do differently studying this time around?
This was my third time and I passed. I shudder to think what my odds we’re going into this (only 23% of repeaters passed, I’m sure it’s lower for 3+ takers), and I had to work full time and study.

Things that worked:

baressays.com and whatever the extra cost is spring for the higher level subscription. Their model answers to essay questions go back at least ten years and I used them exclusively to check my practice essays. Bottom line was my first two attempts I could not tailor my essays to what the examiners are looking for. Bar essays beats into your head what an essay should look like. Then mix in some sample candidate answers and you’ll quickly understand what a 55 looks like compared to a 65+.

AdaptiBar + Emmanuel’s. I always was good at MC (passed NY bar) and always had 1500+ on MBEs in CA. Anyway I completed Emmanuel’s (first time using- answered everything front to back) + AdaptiBar and I really don’t think there was anything that could have prepared me more for the exam. AdaptiBar helped me get a 1550 last try but I think that combining it with Emmanuel’s was a powerful tool. Just remember the questions you get on the exam may not mirror your practice questions but the subject matter is certainly the same (there’s only so much they can test and they’ll always throw curveballs.

I’ll add more as I think of it or feel free to PM me. I also have materials I’d be willing to sell (tons of Barbra outlines, concise, plus large outline and lecture notes).

Of course YMMV and we’re just about 2 months out before July so sacrifices may have to be made if you know what your strong points are vs your weaknesses. This routine took about four solid months + a two week vacation leading up to the exam.
I agree 100% with this post. Feb was my second time as well and I pretty much did the exact same thing with the same resources. Keep in mind that these resources do not cost a whole lot. You don't need to spend thousands. Just be disciplined and practice!

Nightcrawler

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by Nightcrawler » Sun May 20, 2018 7:32 pm

catechumen wrote:Looks like we are not the only ones to be upset over the close to 3/4 failure rate. We need to lobby the our state reps to fix this and get the media to report on this. The Governor failed the exam too.. The CA Supreme Court is in on this protectionism, so we won't get any help there. Anyone want to start a change.org petetion?

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2018/ ... 626730002/

Oh and guys suicide is not an option. The way to get back at these monsters is to shame them with truth in the public eye, and to beat this test!
I 100% agree with you. It’s a shame and we should do something about this. They can’t keep lying about this minimum competency bullshit. California has the highest scoring applicants and one of the lowest pass rates. The arbitrary cut score needs to change.

plstre

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by plstre » Sun May 20, 2018 7:56 pm

In the interests of passing it on, I'm going over how I approached for the Feb. bar.

Background

I was top quarter at a T-14, and was coming from a UBE state where I had passed a couple years earlier with a 313 (163 MBE). I'd been in litigation (criminal, then civil) for the last three couple years.

Basic Approach

Given that Cal had switched over to a format that heavily rewards a good MBE score, I decided to repeat what I did the first time around: focus on the MBE and ignore everything else. I probably averaged 3 hours a day studying over a month. (I had a busy practice and other commitments, so spending more time than that on the bar was not really feasible).

Study Materials


Adaptibar, some BarBri lectures I pirated off the internet, and an old copy of the Conviser mini outline.

Study Regiment

As I said, my approach was pretty simple: score well enough on the MBE that essay scores would not matter much. As other people have noted, this makes sense because the MBE covers 80% of the law you're likely to encounter on the test, and there is tons of compression in essay grading (the vast, vast majority of essays score in the 55-65 range). K

I spent the first week or so listing to the lectures for the MBE topics. I'd usually have them on in the background while playing Fortnite. Once that was done, I added 50-ish Adaptibar questions a day to my routine. I'd usually do these over lunch, or when I was riding the elevator, or stuck in LA traffic. I also added the essay topics to the Fortnite mix.

All told, I got through 700 adaptibar questions, with an 80% or so average. Based on that, I was confident that I would score in the low-to-mid 160s on game day.

In the week leading up to the exam, I spent some time reading the model answers on the state bar's website, and Conviser outlines for subjects I had no real familiarity with.

I did not use flashcards, create an outline, or write-out essay answers (may have outlined a couple though... don't really recall).

Game Day

I did not use IRAC, at least in a convention sense. My thinking here was that even if I had memorized rule statements (and I hadn't), there would not be enough time to thoroughly IRAC issues without compromising analysis. With that in mind, I would just flag the very specific issue that the question appeared to be concerned with, give a very short overview, then jump into analysis. Example: "The issue is whether P relocation expenses count as "just compensation" for purposes of a complete taking. The answer is they don't, because eminent domain is essentially a forced sale; you only get fair market value at the time of the taking, not incidental expenses like moving costs. Therefore, P has no claim to relocation expenses."

As I recall, I wrote between 7500 and 10000 characters for all answers, and used most every fact I saw (although there were plenty I missed, and in hindsight I missed plenty of issues).

For the MBE, I kept my head on my shoulders and, when in doubt, selected the answer that made the most logical sense. I finished the AM and PM sessions with an hour to spare both times.

Results and Final Thoughts

I passed. We'll never know by how much, but if I had to guess I'd say my scores were probably something like 57.5 average on E1-E5, 65 on the PT, and 163 on the MBE.

I did not hire a tutor and have never taken any classes. Total study time was somewhere around 100 hours. Although the Cal bar was, I would say, objectively harder than the previous bar exam I took, I used the same approach and got the same result. For people studying, I would give the following advise:
1. Doing well on the MBE is, obviously, very important, and in a lot of ways the easiest thing to study for;
2. At this point in your life, you should know how to read and write competently. If you don't, I'm not sure that a few hours with a bar tutor will help much, unfortunately;
3. As long as you get (1) and (2) right, then having deep knowledge about non-MBE law isn't very important. High MBE + decent PT = pass.

Anyways, that's what I did. YMMV.

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BrainToast

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by BrainToast » Sun May 20, 2018 8:13 pm

I was a first time passer. I did MBEs in my spare time 6 months prior then hit barbri with all my might.

bellytothebar

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by bellytothebar » Sun May 20, 2018 9:19 pm

Congrats to those who passed. To those who did not, do not despair. It is a ridiculously hard exam. Give it another go. Many talented people have succeeded after failing.

Anyone going to the swearing-in ceremony in San Diego from out-of-state from Eastern time zone? I would be flying in from the east coast.

Angel66

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by Angel66 » Sun May 20, 2018 9:38 pm

The Feb 2018 result was really depressing... As a July bar taker, I'm a little defeated by the ridiculously low passing rate from Feb... What a monster that we have to deal with! :evil:

It seems that you really need to score on average about 62.5 to 65 on every essay in order to pass CBX (assuming an average, not mediocre, MBE score)? But what percentage of applicants can actually get that type of score? I feel in order to receive that, you pretty much need to hit all the major issues and write (close to) perfectly. So confused... :?

suicide_sally

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by suicide_sally » Sun May 20, 2018 9:48 pm

I think that if the CA Bar REALLY believed that the Bar Exam tests anything other than one's ability to commit hypothetical malpractice, they would require lawyers to be RE-Certified every ex 5 years!
I bet my entire life savings (currently a negative number) that if the CA Supreme Court Justices were forced to take the Feb. 2018 Bar Exam, most of them would have failed too...NOT because they are incompetent, but because:
(1) being of a different generation (like me), they would likely type much slower than younger applicants...and so run out of time,
(2) they would go into the exam thinking that it tests your ACTUAL ability to practice law, ...and so they would run out of time on each essay,
(3) they wouldn't realize that "issue spotting" means writing about a lot of completely irrelevant "issues" that a judge in an ACTUAL court would be livid at you for even mentioning (cuz it would "waste the court's time")...and so their essay scores wouldn't be more than a 55,
(4) they would take one look at the "Performance Exam" and then spend the remainder of the time laughing hysterically and
(5) ....etc...ya get the point (aka: I am a bitter loser who has failed this exam 4 times and curses each night i fail to die in my sleep).
BUT!!!!!!!! The best thing about making practicing lawyers have to take the Bar Exam TODAY would be that it would WIPE THE SMUG SMILES OFF THE FACES OF ALL THE JERK CA LAWYERS CURRENTLY ARGUING THAT THE BAR EXAM SHOULD BE HARDER. Those D-bags would be the first to fail (because, ya gotta protect the public using this nonsensical method of "quality control").

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suicide_sally

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by suicide_sally » Sun May 20, 2018 10:07 pm

catechumen wrote:Looks like we are not the only ones to be upset over the close to 3/4 failure rate. We need to lobby the our state reps to fix this and get the media to report on this. The Governor failed the exam too.. The CA Supreme Court is in on this protectionism, so we won't get any help there. Anyone want to start a change.org petetion?

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2018/ ... 626730002/

Oh and guys suicide is not an option. The way to get back at these monsters is to shame them with truth in the public eye, and to beat this test!
Normally I'm all about fighting the government (it's why I want to be a public defender)...but I'm honestly afraid of retribution from the CA Bar that may come from publicly challenging them. They currently have so much power (ex. the power to commit brazen fraud with NO consequences) that I'm honestly afraid to use my real identity to protest. The people who run the CA Bar Exam are clearly some heartless folks, and the protectionist CA lawyers cheering them on from the sidelines are even worse...I went mental last night after reading the replies to the ventura article you cited on twitter.
The only reason I want to stay in this state is to care for my parents when they get old, but otherwise I would leave this vile state for someplace like Missouri, NY, Colorado, etc... in a heart beat.
I don't know why I have become so cowardly about this (part of the reason is probably the mental health issues that have resulted from the unexpected personal and financial catastrophe that comes from failing 4 times).

suicide_sally

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by suicide_sally » Sun May 20, 2018 10:07 pm

catechumen wrote:Looks like we are not the only ones to be upset over the close to 3/4 failure rate. We need to lobby the our state reps to fix this and get the media to report on this. The Governor failed the exam too.. The CA Supreme Court is in on this protectionism, so we won't get any help there. Anyone want to start a change.org petetion?

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2018/ ... 626730002/

Oh and guys suicide is not an option. The way to get back at these monsters is to shame them with truth in the public eye, and to beat this test!
Normally I'm all about fighting the government (it's why I want to be a public defender)...but I'm honestly afraid of retribution from the CA Bar that may come from publicly challenging them. They currently have so much power (ex. the power to commit brazen fraud with NO consequences) that I'm honestly afraid to use my real identity to protest. The people who run the CA Bar Exam are clearly some heartless folks, and the protectionist CA lawyers cheering them on from the sidelines are even worse...I went mental last night after reading the replies to the ventura article you cited on twitter.
The only reason I want to stay in this state is to care for my parents when they get old, but otherwise I would leave this vile state for someplace like Missouri, NY, Colorado, etc... in a heart beat.
I don't know why I have become so cowardly about this (part of the reason is probably the mental health issues that have resulted from the unexpected personal and financial catastrophe that comes from failing 4 times).

suicide_sally

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by suicide_sally » Sun May 20, 2018 10:13 pm

maxmartin wrote:
LawQueen777 wrote:
FinallyPassedTheBar wrote:
LawQueen777 wrote:So I failed the July 2017 bar by 9 points. I had a high MBE score but bombed the essays. This time around, I hired a tutor that was a former bar grander, did Adaptibar like the first time, and I felt like I had to have passed this time. I didn't. I feel so depressed and worthless right now.
You already received your scores in the mail? What was your MBE score if you don;t mind me asking?
No I was short by 9 points in July. I haven't received my scores from February yet. In July My scaled MBE score was
1539.
Take the July exam. I didn't even bother Feb exam. If you score 6o, under the nasty Feb raw score formula, your raw score is already 15 points down compared with July exam.
How did you learn that there is a different scoring formula for February. I feel like I'm constantly scavenging for basic information about this dang test! Ex. I don't remember anyone at law school or Barbi ever saying that CA even had a "cut score"...after I heard about it, I filtered through the CA Bar's website and it wasn't listed ANYWHERE until after the whole CA Supreme Court debacle.

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by Mxmasterr » Sun May 20, 2018 10:42 pm

U think you'll try again or try a different job route. Sunk cost are just that. Being a lawyer blows anyway
suicide_sally wrote:
catechumen wrote:Looks like we are not the only ones to be upset over the close to 3/4 failure rate. We need to lobby the our state reps to fix this and get the media to report on this. The Governor failed the exam too.. The CA Supreme Court is in on this protectionism, so we won't get any help there. Anyone want to start a change.org petetion?

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2018/ ... 626730002/

Oh and guys suicide is not an option. The way to get back at these monsters is to shame them with truth in the public eye, and to beat this test!
Normally I'm all about fighting the government (it's why I want to be a public defender)...but I'm honestly afraid of retribution from the CA Bar that may come from publicly challenging them. They currently have so much power (ex. the power to commit brazen fraud with NO consequences) that I'm honestly afraid to use my real identity to protest. The people who run the CA Bar Exam are clearly some heartless folks, and the protectionist CA lawyers cheering them on from the sidelines are even worse...I went mental last night after reading the replies to the ventura article you cited on twitter.
The only reason I want to stay in this state is to care for my parents when they get old, but otherwise I would leave this vile state for someplace like Missouri, NY, Colorado, etc... in a heart beat.
I don't know why I have become so cowardly about this (part of the reason is probably the mental health issues that have resulted from the unexpected personal and financial catastrophe that comes from failing 4 times).

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by justanotheruser » Mon May 21, 2018 12:08 am

I took and failed this exam 5 times. The Feb 2018 exam was my 6th attempt and I somehow passed. On the one hand, I feel so happy and relieved. It feels like the nightmare is finally over... like a ton of weight has been taken off my shoulders. On the other hand, I know what it feels like to fall short time and time again.

When I failed for the 5th time (last July), I got the closest I've ever been to passing (scoring 1410) -- thanks in large part to MBE now being worth 50%. While my circumstances might not be the exact same as many of yours' here, I thought it would be worth sharing how I studied/prepared this time and finally passed the bar.

1. OVERALL/BACKGROUND

I almost passed the July 2017 exam mainly on the strength of MBEs (scored just under 150.0). What really hurt me was getting a 55 on one essay and getting a devastating 50 on the PT when I ran out of time + barely wrote 2-3 paragraphs.

I'd say the two biggest changes I made up front were (1) setting aside a full 10 weeks to study (as opposed to 7-8 weeks) and (2) making a detailed day-by-day study calendar. I almost always studied at a library. Overall, a typical day of studying would run 9 to 6... but it's not like I was studying the entire time (e.g. break time, lunch, etc.) With all that said, I was in a fortunate position to be able to study full-time for all 10 weeks. I understand that it's not a circumstance that's available for every one. And another thing, I spent practically zero time on watching lectures or reading notes. I think I referred to old outlines I had only when adaptibar's answer explanation wasn't cutting it for me.

Another commitment I made up front was to make sure I prepared for everything. The temptation to double up on my strength (MBE) was alluring, but given that I was failing over and over again I clearly had to try something different. So I told myself I would put in the time to become well-rounded in preparing for the essays and PT.

Based on my study calendar, I did 30 MBE questions and two essay subjects a day. Every 2 weeks (I picked Wednesday), I would swap out the essays for a full practice PT. As I got closer to the exam date, I did a practice PT basically every week. I think in Week 5 or 6 of studying, I did a full practice bar exam, with Tuesday as the written day and Wednesday as the MBE day. Needless to say, it was all under test conditions.

2. MBE (Materials used: Emanuel's Strategies & Tactics + Adaptibar)

As mentioned earlier, I did 30 MBEs a day, and that's how I would begin each study day. In total, I did about 1900-2000 questions in total (including repeat questions).

I first used Emanuel's Strategies & Tactics to develop a foundation (in terms of forming a strategic approach to MBEs), and then I used Adaptibar exclusively. As I go through the set of 30 Qs, I'm marking down questions I'm "uncertain" about. Once I finish, I go through not only the wrong questions, but the ones I marked "uncertain" as well. When you're reviewing questions, don't just look at the correct answer... but try to figure out why your wrong answer choice was wrong. In the short run it felt like a burden, but it really benefited me in the long run to do that.

As I review answer explanations, I compiled them on a google doc. Before each 30 question set, I would review the google doc and trim/delete or edit the answer explanations (in my own words) as necessary. Make sure to clean up the doc often because if your experience is anything like mine, the doc can get very lengthy (20+ pages).

Last few thoughts on MBE practice? Don't worry about seeing repeat questions on Adaptibar. Try your best to empty your mind of what you thought the answer might have been, and focus on applying the method/approach you've been rolling with.

3. ESSAYS (BarEssays.com)

If I'm honest, I think I tried too hard to find the path of least resistance here. For past bar exams, I would look up BarSecret's predictions and do 3-5 practice outlines per predicted topic. I figured that if I did decently on 2-3 essays, I could pass the bar based on my MBE performance. I also, admittedly, had a mental block when it came to practicing essays. It felt both like crazy boring work I wanted to avoid as well as overwhelming given the amount of stuff I'd be forced to memorize. In hindsight, I think my fears were largely proven wrong.

An overview of how I practiced essays: During the first 2-3 weeks of studying, I would only do ONE essay per subject (so two total essays that day). In these initial weeks, I would fully write out these essays WITH an open book + a 2-hour time limit. In short, I tried writing as good an essay as I could. It helped me get familiar with the essay topics and start slowly building a foundation. I won't lie, this part was pretty grueling (but it got easier afterwards). After that, for most of the 10-weeks I spent studying (between weeks 3 through 8 roughly), I outlined essays (and increased from 1 essay to 2-4 essays per subject). In the last two weeks before the exam, I just issue spotted going through 8-10 essays (covering 2-3 essay subjects) a day.

In all this, BarEssays was a fantastic resource. After I'd be done writing/outlining/issue-spotting an essay, I would compare what I had written with what had been written (or not) on papers scoring 60, 65, and 70+. If there was a rule or strategy I'd frequently forget, I'd make a note of it on a google doc. I'm only speaking for myself here, but I did not have to rote memorize anything. Some people advocate memorizing the 13 most frequent rule statements per each subject. Do what works for you best.

Once I had a few weeks under my belt, I began to notice how certain details or fact patterns that would implicate various/specific issues. You start seeing how there's only a finite number of issues they test for each subject. In time, I began to slowly articulate the rule statement in my own words... even if they didn't exactly match the "standard" phrasing on BarEssays. A few more weeks later, my momentum would continue to build as I saw how I was spotting most of the issues covered on passing essays. It also helped when I saw how many of these high-scoring essays were filled with typos/errors/etc -- they were far from perfect.

4. PT (http://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpt/preparing)

As long as I've tried passing the bar, the PT was basically the neglected stepchild... even though it counts twice as much as an essay. I think my mindset really changed when I realized I could have passed the July 2017 exam if I had time to finish the PT (and score 60+) instead of running out of time and only scoring a 50 like I actually did.

In terms of approach, I did about 7-8 full practice PTs. My focus each and every time was getting my timing down. Your approach may be different, but my goal was to finish reading+outlining in 30 minutes so I could have an hour-ish to write. During practices, I would mark down how long it took me to finish outlining and start writing. I think my first PT or two, it took me nearly an hour to read/outline everything. But I got better and better. I did all this with the strategy of doing the PT first and then the two essays in the afternoon session.

On the actual bar exam, I spent just under 1 hr 40 minutes on the PT before moving on to the two essays in the afternoon session. Obviously I could have been a bit quicker, but this was far better than when I had only 25 minutes (in total) to start and finish the PT in July 2017.

5. FINAL THOUGHTS

I think planning out a 10-week study schedule, making a detailed day-by-day calendar, and ensuring I'd do xxxx number of MBEs, essays, and PTs come the real thing was HUGE. Gave me not only structure, but assurance that no day was going to waste. I would just add that I designated 4-5 days as "free" days. I ended up using them for extra review, a day off to go to a friend's wedding, and another day off to go see Japanese Breakfast live.

If my experience is any indication remaining positive is huge -- in both the small things (not letting a tough MBE question hang you up for the next 10 minutes) and big things (believing you can overcome the bar after multiple tries). It's also being honest with yourself with the adjustments you need to make in your studies. For me, it was admitting I shouldn't overly rely on my MBE performance for the bar and putting in the requisite work for essays/PT.

This is already a long enough post as it is, but feel free to message me if you have any specific questions.

maxmartin

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by maxmartin » Mon May 21, 2018 12:57 am

suicide_sally wrote:
maxmartin wrote:
LawQueen777 wrote:
FinallyPassedTheBar wrote:
LawQueen777 wrote:So I failed the July 2017 bar by 9 points. I had a high MBE score but bombed the essays. This time around, I hired a tutor that was a former bar grander, did Adaptibar like the first time, and I felt like I had to have passed this time. I didn't. I feel so depressed and worthless right now.
You already received your scores in the mail? What was your MBE score if you don;t mind me asking?
No I was short by 9 points in July. I haven't received my scores from February yet. In July My scaled MBE score was
1539.
Take the July exam. I didn't even bother Feb exam. If you score 6o, under the nasty Feb raw score formula, your raw score is already 15 points down compared with July exam.
How did you learn that there is a different scoring formula for February. I feel like I'm constantly scavenging for basic information about this dang test! Ex. I don't remember anyone at law school or Barbi ever saying that CA even had a "cut score"...after I heard about it, I filtered through the CA Bar's website and it wasn't listed ANYWHERE until after the whole CA Supreme Court debacle.
Written scaled score = (Raw written score x 4.6947) – 601.6471.

For comparison, July was (Raw written score x 4.3038) - 420.5653

suicide_sally

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by suicide_sally » Mon May 21, 2018 1:18 am

Mxmasterr wrote:U think you'll try again or try a different job route. Sunk cost are just that. Being a lawyer blows anyway
suicide_sally wrote:
catechumen wrote:Looks like we are not the only ones to be upset over the close to 3/4 failure rate. We need to lobby the our state reps to fix this and get the media to report on this. The Governor failed the exam too.. The CA Supreme Court is in on this protectionism, so we won't get any help there. Anyone want to start a change.org petetion?

https://www.vcstar.com/story/news/2018/ ... 626730002/

Oh and guys suicide is not an option. The way to get back at these monsters is to shame them with truth in the public eye, and to beat this test!
Normally I'm all about fighting the government (it's why I want to be a public defender)...but I'm honestly afraid of retribution from the CA Bar that may come from publicly challenging them. They currently have so much power (ex. the power to commit brazen fraud with NO consequences) that I'm honestly afraid to use my real identity to protest. The people who run the CA Bar Exam are clearly some heartless folks, and the protectionist CA lawyers cheering them on from the sidelines are even worse...I went mental last night after reading the replies to the ventura article you cited on twitter.
The only reason I want to stay in this state is to care for my parents when they get old, but otherwise I would leave this vile state for someplace like Missouri, NY, Colorado, etc... in a heart beat.
I don't know why I have become so cowardly about this (part of the reason is probably the mental health issues that have resulted from the unexpected personal and financial catastrophe that comes from failing 4 times).
No, but only because working as a public defender during law school and post-bar, made me realize that this is the job I'm destined for. Before law school I tried Social Work, but I felt dissatisfied at how powerless I was to fight for my client's rights. I still have a lot to learn, but my personality and areas of legal interest don't seem to fit anything as perfectly as advocating for clients as a public defender sadly.

Bla Bla Bla Blah

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Re: 2018 February CA Bar

Post by Bla Bla Bla Blah » Mon May 21, 2018 10:20 am

.
Last edited by Bla Bla Bla Blah on Mon May 21, 2018 10:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


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