BarBri Thread: People taking Barbri for July 2013 exam Forum

[bgdddymtty]

partial comparative negligence. Contrib is a total bar.

Damnit I just realized my mistake before I saw your post haha. Thanks for the catch.

all good man. We are all a bit fried.

Agreed. And thanks. I just missed an extremely easy question because I thought the doctrine in question was called "comparative contribution." Motherfather.

[BCLS]

Agreed. And thanks. I just missed an extremely easy question because I thought the doctrine in question was called "comparative contribution." Motherfather.

I hate when that happens. It's the least I can do after all your contracts help.

[Green Crayons]

Hey folks a "forced abortion, forced adoption" legislative enactment doesn't present a substantial federal question, right?

It definitely does. That raises big constitutional issues.

That was the joke.

[Tangerine Gleam]

Hey folks a "forced abortion, forced adoption" legislative enactment doesn't present a substantial federal question, right?

It definitely does. That raises big constitutional issues.

That was the joke.

Great joke!

[Green Crayons]

I thought so, especially after the comments about Barbri hiding the ball re: gestation! The humor was in the juxtaposition of extremes.

[somewhatwayward]

I have this really bad wrist injury that makes it really hard to type or write which for me makes it really hard to study. ...just reading notes or outlines does not help me remember. I have mostly given up on the barbri schedule. I listen to the lectures and turn in the practice essays and do the simulated tests but not all the other stuff. Instead I do practice questions. But I am very worried about the essays, the NY multiple choice and the MPT.

my plan, I guess, is to kill the MBE because memorizing the hunger amount of NY essay material is a hopeless endeavor if I can't write or type (or hopeless period). There is no minimum on any one section, right? I.e. if I can get 2 or 3 on essays if I balance it out, right? Anyone know how the MBE scaling works or is it a big secret like the MPRE? I got 139/200 for the simulated MBE (but felt like I guessed on about 70% and got lucky) so I'm wondering if I got that on there real thing how much leeway I'd have on these essays. Sorry for all the questions.

[Joe Quincy]

I have this really bad wrist injury that makes it really hard to type or write which for me makes it really hard to study. ...just reading notes or outlines does not help me remember. I have mostly given up on the barbri schedule. I listen to the lectures and turn in the practice essays and do the simulated tests but not all the other stuff. Instead I do practice questions. But I am very worried about the essays, the NY multiple choice and the MPT.

my plan, I guess, is to kill the MBE because memorizing the hunger amount of NY essay material is a hopeless endeavor if I can't write or type (or hopeless period). There is no minimum on any one section, right? I.e. if I can get 2 or 3 on essays if I balance it out, right? Anyone know how the MBE scaling works or is it a big secret like the MPRE? I got 139/200 for the simulated MBE (but felt like I guessed on about 70% and got lucky) so I'm wondering if I got that on there real thing how much leeway I'd have on these essays. Sorry for all the questions.

The real MBE has a 10-12 point add-on for the scale for most people. You're doing fine if you got that score...everyone feels like they are guessing. And I'm not taking NY but I'd imagine there is some overlap from MBE to essay subjects.

As for your wrist, have you requested accommodation for the actual bar?

As for the essays, in general you can get a few points on each very easily but getting more points after that becomes increasingly difficult. I wouldn't focus on just a few...I'd try to do a decent amount on each and then maybe just really focus on the ones that are your strongest areas. I'd start studying by frequency of testing at this point.

[Stinson]

I have this really bad wrist injury that makes it really hard to type or write which for me makes it really hard to study. ...just reading notes or outlines does not help me remember. I have mostly given up on the barbri schedule. I listen to the lectures and turn in the practice essays and do the simulated tests but not all the other stuff. Instead I do practice questions. But I am very worried about the essays, the NY multiple choice and the MPT.

my plan, I guess, is to kill the MBE because memorizing the hunger amount of NY essay material is a hopeless endeavor if I can't write or type (or hopeless period). There is no minimum on any one section, right? I.e. if I can get 2 or 3 on essays if I balance it out, right? Anyone know how the MBE scaling works or is it a big secret like the MPRE? I got 139/200 for the simulated MBE (but felt like I guessed on about 70% and got lucky) so I'm wondering if I got that on there real thing how much leeway I'd have on these essays. Sorry for all the questions.

I'm not taking NY so I can't speak directly to the scoring issue, but you didn't just "g[e]t lucky" if you got a 139. That would suggest you're in a good place to do very well indeed.

Sorry about the injury too; that's a crummy situation. On a much smaller scale, I know how you feel, as I have an eye infection and it looks like I will be studying for the next week or so one-eyed with an eye patch.

[5ky]

I have this really bad wrist injury that makes it really hard to type or write which for me makes it really hard to study. ...just reading notes or outlines does not help me remember. I have mostly given up on the barbri schedule. I listen to the lectures and turn in the practice essays and do the simulated tests but not all the other stuff. Instead I do practice questions. But I am very worried about the essays, the NY multiple choice and the MPT.

my plan, I guess, is to kill the MBE because memorizing the hunger amount of NY essay material is a hopeless endeavor if I can't write or type (or hopeless period). There is no minimum on any one section, right? I.e. if I can get 2 or 3 on essays if I balance it out, right? Anyone know how the MBE scaling works or is it a big secret like the MPRE? I got 139/200 for the simulated MBE (but felt like I guessed on about 70% and got lucky) so I'm wondering if I got that on there real thing how much leeway I'd have on these essays. Sorry for all the questions.

i haven't even started memorizing anything for NY only essays, and honestly most people haven't either. it is just a fact because NY has more state specific subjects that we will have to walk into the test with large gaps in the material and be okay with that.

[bgdddymtty]

I will be studying for the next week or so one-eyed with an eye patch.

I'm sorry for what you're going through, but the visual of this made me smile really big, which I really need as I slog through Real Property Set 6.

[tfer2222]

I have this really bad wrist injury that makes it really hard to type or write which for me makes it really hard to study. ...just reading notes or outlines does not help me remember. I have mostly given up on the barbri schedule. I listen to the lectures and turn in the practice essays and do the simulated tests but not all the other stuff. Instead I do practice questions. But I am very worried about the essays, the NY multiple choice and the MPT.

my plan, I guess, is to kill the MBE because memorizing the hunger amount of NY essay material is a hopeless endeavor if I can't write or type (or hopeless period). There is no minimum on any one section, right? I.e. if I can get 2 or 3 on essays if I balance it out, right? Anyone know how the MBE scaling works or is it a big secret like the MPRE? I got 139/200 for the simulated MBE (but felt like I guessed on about 70% and got lucky) so I'm wondering if I got that on there real thing how much leeway I'd have on these essays. Sorry for all the questions.

i haven't even started memorizing anything for NY only essays, and honestly most people haven't either. it is just a fact because NY has more state specific subjects that we will have to walk into the test with large gaps in the material and be okay with that.

truth. also, if you have mbe subjects down then you're already basically halfway there with essay subjects since 5/10 of the top-tested ones are mbe overlaps.

[phonepro]

whats passing on the MBE? i've heard so many different things.. 115 raw score i head b/c that equates to about 130 scaled. But then today the guy on barbri NY video said 125-130 is the goal. I just want to know ! lol

I got 134 on the simulated, but i suck so hard at the NY essays, that I'm hoping to get as high as possible on MBE to set that off.

[Matteliszt]

whats passing on the MBE? i've heard so many different things.. 115 raw score i head b/c that equates to about 130 scaled. But then today the guy on barbri NY video said 125-130 is the goal. I just want to know ! lol

I got 134 on the simulated, but i suck so hard at the NY essays, that I'm hoping to get as high as possible on MBE to set that off.

125 raw is a 62% (counting the 10 questions that will be discounted). According to Seperac's calculator of raw MBE to scaled scores (http://www.seperac.com/#ANNOUNCE) , 125 is between 134-140 scaled. With a 134 scaled, you need at least a 50 average on your written scores (including the MPT) and a 30 on the NYMC to pass. http://www.seperac.com/calc-bar-f13.php

[phonepro]

whats passing on the MBE? i've heard so many different things.. 115 raw score i head b/c that equates to about 130 scaled. But then today the guy on barbri NY video said 125-130 is the goal. I just want to know ! lol

I got 134 on the simulated, but i suck so hard at the NY essays, that I'm hoping to get as high as possible on MBE to set that off.

125 raw is a 62% (counting the 10 questions that will be discounted). According to Seperac's calculator of raw MBE to scaled scores (http://www.seperac.com/#ANNOUNCE) , 125 is between 134-140 scaled. With a 134 scaled, you need at least a 50 average on your written scores (including the MPT) and a 30 on the NYMC to pass. http://www.seperac.com/calc-bar-f13.php

Thanks - very helpful.

I am freaking the fuck out.

[5ky]

whats passing on the MBE? i've heard so many different things.. 115 raw score i head b/c that equates to about 130 scaled. But then today the guy on barbri NY video said 125-130 is the goal. I just want to know ! lol

I got 134 on the simulated, but i suck so hard at the NY essays, that I'm hoping to get as high as possible on MBE to set that off.

125 raw is a 62% (counting the 10 questions that will be discounted). According to Seperac's calculator of raw MBE to scaled scores (http://www.seperac.com/#ANNOUNCE) , 125 is between 134-140 scaled. With a 134 scaled, you need at least a 50 average on your written scores (including the MPT) and a 30 on the NYMC to pass. http://www.seperac.com/calc-bar-f13.php

Do you know how those essays are scaled? I've never been able to figure that out, so that calculator has been useless to me. Are they just scaled so the average is 50 for each?

[Matteliszt]

whats passing on the MBE? i've heard so many different things.. 115 raw score i head b/c that equates to about 130 scaled. But then today the guy on barbri NY video said 125-130 is the goal. I just want to know ! lol

I got 134 on the simulated, but i suck so hard at the NY essays, that I'm hoping to get as high as possible on MBE to set that off.

125 raw is a 62% (counting the 10 questions that will be discounted). According to Seperac's calculator of raw MBE to scaled scores (http://www.seperac.com/#ANNOUNCE) , 125 is between 134-140 scaled. With a 134 scaled, you need at least a 50 average on your written scores (including the MPT) and a 30 on the NYMC to pass. http://www.seperac.com/calc-bar-f13.php

Do you know how those essays are scaled? I've never been able to figure that out, so that calculator has been useless to me. Are they just scaled so the average is 50 for each?

I don't know either - I think he scaled them to 50 and multiplied by 5 and then multiplied by .4. I don't really know though. my underlying assumption is that to you need to make at least a 50 average on the entire written section to have a good shot at passing (assuming you score in the 60-70 percentile range on your MBE portion). That being said, for New York you essentially know the topics they're going to ask you about to the point that if you're 60-70% of the MBE portions for Crim/Contracts/Torts, you only really need to learn Corps/Family Law/Wills/PR/NY Practice to pass. Since invariably the majority of the essays are coming out of those 8 topics. if Barbri is at all reliable for average scores, you can get a 4/5 by basically just identifying the issues and making up the law, so I don't know that a 50 average is that hard to obtain.

The real wildcard for me and I assume most of you guys who have been pretty intensely studying the MBE portion is the NYMC. I haven't done today's set but the first set I was consistently scoring 30-40%. From what i've read from Seperac et al, knowing NY practice will make or break that section of the exam (I e knowing the SoL for med mal etc), but the Barbri question's i've done seem to be completely random wildcard questions.

[remz]

Simple property question:

O conveys “To A for life, and if B has reached the age of 25, to B.”

If B dies under 25, does A keep the estate until his own death, or does the estate automatically revert back O upon B's death and A gets screwed over?

[5ky]

There's no way you need at least a 50% average on the writings if you're in the 60-70th percentile range for the MBE. Barbri said to shoot for 68% correct on MBE (50th percentile) and 5s on all the essays (which we are assuming would put you at the 50th percentile).

What is it, roughly 75% or so of first time takers that pass? That means even if you're under the median for both, you'd still have some room to play with and still pass.

[bgdddymtty]

Simple property question:

O conveys “To A for life, and if B has reached the age of 25, to B.”

If B dies under 25, does A keep the estate until his own death, or does the estate automatically revert back O upon B's death and A gets screwed over?

Well, A doesn't get screwed; he has a life estate no matter what. But, yes, if B has not reached 25 at the time of A's death, then the property reverts to O/O's heirs in fee simple.

[Matteliszt]

There's no way you need at least a 50% average on the writings if you're in the 60-70th percentile range for the MBE. Barbri said to shoot for 68% correct on MBE (50th percentile) and 5s on all the essays (which we are assuming would put you at the 50th percentile).

What is it, roughly 75% or so of first time takers that pass? That means even if you're under the median for both, you'd still have some room to play with and still pass.

I mean't 60-70% correct on the MBE. 68% on the MBE I think would be GREAT, and I completely agree with you. Also to the guy who was nervous who 138'ed the practice MBE, you're already WAAAY ahead of where you need to be. You're going to be fine. Your MBE puts you in the top 15% of people enrolled in Barbri from that little chart that's floating around from last year.

[dudders]

I'm about to start making flashcards. Any idea whether the lecture outlines or the CMR are better for this? (I literally haven't touched CMR.)

[AdamatUCF]

I'm about to start making flashcards. Any idea whether the lecture outlines or the CMR are better for this? (I literally haven't touched CMR.)

I'm about to do the same. I'm interested in the answer to your question as well.

I was planning on using the handouts, because I'd imagine the CMR has all kinds of things that aren't tested often or just aren't that important.

I'm open to being wrong, though.

[remz]

I'm about to start making flashcards. Any idea whether the lecture outlines or the CMR are better for this? (I literally haven't touched CMR.)

I assume writing out the flashcards is helpful for you. But if you're strapped for time and have a cellphone download the Quizlet app. Once you do that you can go on Quizlet.com and download hundreds of MBE, Barbri, Kaplan, Themsis, etc. flashcards right to your phone.

[kaiser]

I'm about to start making flashcards. Any idea whether the lecture outlines or the CMR are better for this? (I literally haven't touched CMR.)

I make the cards based on the handouts. For my trouble areas, I read the CMR, and make some cards with some additional points that aren't noted in the handouts just in case a Q comes up. But vast majority come from handouts.

[hrcycle]

What is this percentile chart people are talking about?