A friend of mine who just graduated from law school, and who is currently prepping for the bar exam, called me last night to ask my advice. It’s not that she hasn’t heard her fair share of tips and tricks (no doubt thanks to those friendly folks down at BarBri...), but she wanted my perspective, for whatever it’s worth. Also, I think that since I took (and passed) the two states that she is sitting for, she was curious to know what I did to ensure success. It can be hard to stomach bar prep, period, but when you are heading into a clerkship (like I was... she’s also going to clerk--for a State supreme court judge), it can be even tougher to motivate. First, chances are that you will not be required to pass the bar right away and second, even when you do pass, you are forbidden from ever using your newly-minted law license. (Hell, you can’t even talk about work, let alone be a “real” lawyer.) Plus, after spending three years gunning for As and nailing down a job to-die-for, the last thing you want to do is study for the bar. That said, here are my top five tips for prepping for and passing the bar. I am not saying they are fail-safe, but I think they are nonetheless practical and realistic.
1. Pack Now
No matter whether you are driving, flying, taking the subway, etc., get your bar packing done this weekend. Trust me. I drove between two states and actually packed my clothes, etc., and everything else on July 4th. I made a checklist of everything that I could possibly need and did my “bar shopping” at Target on the morning of the 4th. It was a great study break, too. I packed everything from my clothes for the exam, running stuff, pjs, etc., right down to extra contacts and toothpaste. I also bought a flat of Vitamin Water and assorted snacks and treats at Costco and packed those in a large Rubbermaid container. Most importantly, I made up a clear, Ziploc bag for each day of the bar exam and labeled it accordingly (i.e., “NY - Tuesday”). I put everything in that bag that I would need/be permitted to take in for that day--right down to a photocopy of my ID and admissions ticket in case I forgot them at the hotel, and a tiny “snack size” baggy of unwrapped mints and jelly beans. I did this for each day so that I could just come back to the hotel, throw that day’s bag in my spare Rubbermaid and put the next day’s bag in my purse. OCD, maybe... One less thing to stress about... definitely! OCD Tip: Pre-sharpen your pencils for each bag and then loosely wrap them in a cotton ball and Saran Wrap--the tips won’t break and you won’t have to worry about fighting the line for the sharpeners at your test site.
2. When You Don’t Think You Can Do Another MBE Question... Do 10 More! (And Keep Tab on Your Mistakes!)
IMHO, the key to success on any bar exam is the MBE and, to that end, it will not matter one iota if you can recite verbatim all 16 pages of your condensed property outline a la Chemerinsky. You must do MBE questions everyday. At least 50--ideally, 100. And, you have to go for quality review of these questions, too. Here is what I did: 1. In addition to going to BarBri, I ordered an old copy of the Micromash software and did 17 questions per day (at least) in each subject. (I did not do any of the BarBri questions, except for the simulated exam.) 2. I went out to Staples and bought a 6-subject notebook. 3. For each question that I missed on MM, I would summarize the rule/exception in the corresponding section of the notebook. 4. In addition to my condensed outlines for each subject, I would reread the notebook everyday. I cannot stress how much this helped me. Plus, the notebook was my friend by the end of the process. I actually read it over breakfast before the MBE. It comforted me to be reminded of all of the traps I learned to avoid in the minefield that is the MBE.
3. Essays = Timing and POA!
Timing... You MUST practice essays in real life conditions! I don’t think that it matters so much for the MBE (unless you are an unusually slow reader or you just have not prepared adequately (i.e., 1800-2200 practice questions) for the exam), but you MUST do essays under exam conditions! I did three in the morning and three in the evening for the last two weeks. I actually used the MM state books (also purchased off of Ebay) because they contained actual old exams. I would pre-flag the six essays for that day, then clear out my carrel of everything but my clock, pen and scratch paper... I wrote FULL ESSAYS, too! This is essential. One source that proved excellent for me was the Gallagher book, “Scoring High on Bar Exam Essays.” I think that her advice on reading, rules, and outlining is great. To that end, I think that it is also essential to have a POA by subject for your essays, and Gallagher’s book is actually very good for getting you to think about that. For example, my essays in one of the two states all began with the same 3 sentences (some variation, of course). It calmed me down and got me into the same mode I was during studying.
4. It’s Elementary, My Dear
Essays are really where you will need to regurgitate bblaw elements verbatim. I used mnemonics a lot, but in order to memorize I did the following: 1. Culled mnemonics from BarBri, PMBR, blogosphere, my own, etc. 2. Made sheets with bblaw terms or mnemonics on the far left had side and the definition or elements on far right. 3. Quizzed myself each day by folding the paper over in half. 4. To reinforce this learning through kinetics, I went out and purchased a small dry-erase board.; 5. I would then quiz myself by again folding the sheet in half but this time, writing out the “answer” to the term or mnemonic in “bar exam essay rule style” on the dry-erase board. The rules on my essays just flew onto the books during the actual exam. (This must have worked, I guess, because one of my essays (evidence) was actually reprinted by the BBO as a sample answer! Sa-weeet!)
5. Expect the Unexpected.
Everyone, including you, will have a “bar exam story.” Just be prepared for ANYTHING to happen. Your testing center, like life, can be unfair. For example, you may SLICE open your finger when removing the MBE answer sheet from the exam book, only to discover that none of the proctors know if and where the hotel/BBO staff keeps a band-aid. Or, you may be assigned to a seat in the last row of a ballroom, 10 feet away from the kitchen staff who take great delight in banging every pot and pan in the joint while rockin out to Shakira. Don’t let ANY OF THESE THINGS GET TO YOU. You will laugh about it later, trust me.
P.S. - This is also true for the exam itself. The MBE folks love to harp on some obscure point in the outline that you glossed over. For my bar, it was sentencing hearings... Also, there will be at least ONE totally new property term that you’ve never heard before. Trust me. Don’t let it throw you. Remember... ANSWER. BLACKEN CIRCLE. MOVE ON. REPEAT.
GOOD LUCK!
That is all.
