Barbri Essay Graders Forum

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titusandromedus

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Barbri Essay Graders

Post by titusandromedus » Mon Jun 11, 2018 7:37 pm

Are barbri essay graders tougher than on the actual bar exam? I got all the substantive law correct, and answered each question fully - but was given a two sentence comment by the grader to the effect of "you need to CRAC...too much analysis, not enough rule" and got an 11 out of 20. Should I be concerned that my score was so low? The comments were sparse and unhelpful except for the CRAC suggestion.

barmagot

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Re: Barbri Essay Graders

Post by barmagot » Sat Jun 23, 2018 12:25 am

Couple other posters (me included) have talked about the same issue. I'm taking barbri, got all the substantive law right, and got a 65/100. I was honestly shocked.

The consensus is: yes, they grade harder

NonbindingPrecedent

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Re: Barbri Essay Graders

Post by NonbindingPrecedent » Sat Jun 23, 2018 9:56 am

Barbri essay graders are not really grading for substantive law, but instead mainly grading for style and writing skills. Honestly, this is the reason graded essays are in the program. Substantive content is really easy to self grade. You turn to the model essay and see if you hit all of the points. Style is hard to grade based on a model essay. From what I heard Barbri graders tend to give consistent comments. While it may in part mean they are just churning out crap, they are also absolutely right. CRAC matters! Barbri graders (much like real bar exam graders) are spending 4-5 minutes on your essay after going through a giant stack before it (and a stack below them too). If you give them something ascetically pleasing and organized it is bound to receive a higher score (even then an essay that hits more of the substantive law). Just look at model essay answers from real exams (if your state releases them). You will see they are all well organized, however, do not always cite correct law.

NonbindingPrecedent

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Re: Barbri Essay Graders

Post by NonbindingPrecedent » Sat Jun 23, 2018 9:58 am

Also Barbri essay graders have little shits to give. They are required to be licensed attorneys, but also paid $25 per hour (seriously, look it up on Indeed and Glassdoor). Thus, you are getting a bunch of unemployed or underemployed attorneys who would much rather be doing something different than grading bar exam essays.

nthp

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Re: Barbri Essay Graders

Post by nthp » Sat Jun 23, 2018 2:14 pm

I'm taking the Maryland Bar, and the essay graders have been super detailed in their feedback. It's been really helpful. They tell me exactly where I went wrong and how to fix it, and they do it in a constructive way. Basically, I'm not applying the law to the facts well enough as I should be doing. They seem to give you points, even if you don't have the law quite correct, as long as you are able to apply them to the facts. The fact application is the most important.

Sorry to hear that you don't get that much feedback. It probably depends on the who is grading. Also, I'm not sure if they grade harder or not, though I think it is in their best interest to grade harder so that you work harder to pass the Bar. Depending on how well I knew the subject when I wrote the essay, I've gotten anywhere from failing, right below failing, to passing without issue. If you are confident in the subject matter you will most likely apply the rules better to the facts.

Good luck.

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storpappa

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Re: Barbri Essay Graders

Post by storpappa » Sun Jun 24, 2018 1:38 pm

I would hope harder, to increase your pass rate.

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