studying for the bar Forum

[perfunctory]

currently studying for the bar. ive only done 4 subjects and the sheer amount of information/exceptions i have to memorize is massive. like for contracts, there are so many rules. i can usually remember a lot of rules and knock out clearly wrong answers on multiple choice questions, but i can't imagine being able to regurgitate everything for an essay question. how do i memorize everything, when do i memorize everything, how do i handle this?

[caitlin1016]

currently studying for the bar. ive only done 4 subjects and the sheer amount of information/exceptions i have to memorize is massive. like for contracts, there are so many rules. i can usually remember a lot of rules and knock out clearly wrong answers on multiple choice questions, but i can't imagine being able to regurgitate everything for an essay question. how do i memorize everything, when do i memorize everything, how do i handle this?

are you taking a prep class? you do it slowly and methodically. it sounds like you're freaking yourself out. you don't just seek to memorize it, you seek to understand it, drill drill drill with practice questions and essays, and get it down to rule statements you can understand, apply, and yes, memorize to an extent. but you don't just sit around all day, especially at the start, trying to memorize every part of the black letter law. critical pass flashcards have helped me. but your approach should be about learning, practicing, applying, and getting it down to rule statements you remember. and if you're talking about exceptions in terms of state exceptions, I would recommend not focusing on getting those down until you've mastered MBE subjects

[265489164158]

I am not worried about memorizing until I finish the first pass of all subjects (towards the end of the month). Also, I am not worried about the minutiae. I plan to focus on what was covered in the lectures, mainly, and what I see on practice questions. I feel like a lot is sinking in just from doing m/c questions, actually. Don't stress yet, because that makes it really hard to actually learn.

[SilvermanBarPrep]

Especially for essays you don't need to know anything even close to everything in the outlines. Rather the graders are looking for competence; they are going to give you a legal problem to solve and they want to see that you address it with a reasonable knowledge of the relevant law so that you can draw reasonable conclusions based on your analysis. Try to have a big-picture understanding of those essay subjects.

For the MBE some more detail is required for sure but even on that test there is a lot of strategy that one can use to answer questions correctly without knowing all the details of every subject tested.

It's a grind for sure, but if you needed to know everything this would be an impossible (or nearly impossible) task.

Sean Silverman (Silverman Bar Exam Tutoring)

[b290]

Especially for essays you don't need to know anything even close to everything in the outlines. Rather the graders are looking for competence; they are going to give you a legal problem to solve and they want to see that you address it with a reasonable knowledge of the relevant law so that you can draw reasonable conclusions based on your analysis. Try to have a big-picture understanding of those essay subjects.

For the MBE some more detail is required for sure but even on that test there is a lot of strategy that one can use to answer questions correctly without knowing all the details of every subject tested.

It's a grind for sure, but if you needed to know everything this would be an impossible (or nearly impossible) task.

Sean Silverman (Silverman Bar Exam Tutoring)

+1

currently studying for the bar. ive only done 4 subjects and the sheer amount of information/exceptions i have to memorize is massive. like for contracts, there are so many rules. i can usually remember a lot of rules and knock out clearly wrong answers on multiple choice questions, but i can't imagine being able to regurgitate everything for an essay question. how do i memorize everything, when do i memorize everything, how do i handle this?

You will be able to recall it. But your biggest enemy is time management, not knowledge. Your brain can only hold so much information, and the bar examiners can only test so much. You need to PRACTICE. As you do that (and review), you'l be able to refine your essay skills.

If it helps, get into the habit of outlining your answer. That will help with your timing, and force you to get into the habit of recalling quicker. That will help you a lot more on the essays (i.e. get you more points) than memorizing every (rarely used) exception.

My $.02