Bar Review Support Group Forum

[chris0805]

Has anyone tried BarBri at 1.5x speed yet?

I think I'm going to try it tomorrow, to save some time (faster video and eliminating an hour-and-a-half commute), but I can't help but feel a bit guilty for not going to class.

Holy shit. This is awesome. Thank you so much.

NewHere, thanks. I only have a 25-minute drive to the lecture hall, but it's getting harder and harder to go when all the shit is online. The times I have foregone the commute and studied in my underwear, it's been just as effective. I just don't want to get hooked. I guess it makes me feel a little more disciplined and structured, but in reality it's just eating up gas and turnpike fees.

Kansas BarBri for the woot!

Yea, I've been doing my whole course online because its a NY specific company and I'm up in MA for the summer. As long as you schedule a time that you do the lecture every day and stick to it, I can't see how you're any worse off than if you actually attended class. It's not like there's a whole lot of classroom interaction. Plus, you can use the time you save commuting to work out every day and keep yourself sane... or study more, but at some point I think there's only so much the brain can take.

[TTT-LS]

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[PKSebben]

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[nealric]

Anybody else getting destroyed on the property multiple choice? I'm barely hitting the BARBRI target numbers.

Tips from the property masters?

[ggocat]

Anybody else getting destroyed on the property multiple choice? I'm barely hitting the BARBRI target numbers.

Tips from the property masters?

Kaplan lecture said the average score on the MBE is about 55% on property questions. So if you beat that, you're "above average." Think of it that way.

[TTT-LS]

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[nealric]

Are sets 2-4 just as rough?

Two was just as rough for me.

Hopefully 3-4 will be better. Why can't the MBE just be conlaw and torts? I like those questions.

[Matthies]

Anybody else getting destroyed on the property multiple choice? I'm barely hitting the BARBRI target numbers.

Tips from the property masters?

Proprty was my worst subject (go figure I'm a slumlord too) and I bascilly pretty much did not really study it, and passed, just know everything eslse cold and the landlord/tenat stuff and you'll be fine.

[nealric]

Proprty was my worst subject (go figure I'm a slumlord too) and I bascilly pretty much did not really study it, and passed, just know everything eslse cold and the landlord/tenat stuff and you'll be fine.

That's good to hear.

Hopefully you will never have to grant any of your slums with a springing executory interest

I really don't understand why that stuff is even on the bar. I imagine only a tiny fraction of lawyers practicing in the 21st century will ever come across a real-live rule against perpituities problem.

[Matthies]

Proprty was my worst subject (go figure I'm a slumlord too) and I bascilly pretty much did not really study it, and passed, just know everything eslse cold and the landlord/tenat stuff and you'll be fine.

That's good to hear.

Hopefully you will never have to grant any of your slums with a springing executory interest

I really don't understand why that stuff is even on the bar. I imagine only a tiny fraction of lawyers practicing in the 21st century will ever come across a real-live rule against perpituities problem.

Yea RAP is not even the law in our state, but there were two MBE questions on it, as soon as I read them I just picked a letter and moved on, did not even waste time trying to figure it out, just picked a letter and got going to the next question. We also had one that nobody in my study group got except me, and this was just from personal experince, about somome having a dog in thier apartment against the lease and the aswer being service anaiml realted even though the person's "disase" was like migraians or something. If the Dr says it medical, u can have the dog.

[ggocat]

Proprty was my worst subject (go figure I'm a slumlord too) and I bascilly pretty much did not really study it, and passed, just know everything eslse cold and the landlord/tenat stuff and you'll be fine.

That's good to hear.

Hopefully you will never have to grant any of your slums with a springing executory interest

I really don't understand why that stuff is even on the bar. I imagine only a tiny fraction of lawyers practicing in the 21st century will ever come across a real-live rule against perpituities problem.

I could see it coming up for anyone who does probate work. Buddy of mine got his LLM in tax at GULC last year and now does estate tax work--says he deals with this stuff (including RAP) all the time.

[nealric]

I could see it coming up for anyone who does probate work. Buddy of mine got his LLM in tax at GULC last year and now does estate tax work--says he deals with this stuff (including RAP) all the time.

Yeah, probate and/or estate planning work would be the only time I would expect to see that stuff. That has to be less than 1% of all lawyers.

[ggocat]

Yeah, probate and/or estate planning work would be the only time I would expect to see that stuff. That has to be less than 1% of all lawyers.

Could probably make the same argument for any of the MBE topics. Like most people need to know conlaw on a regular basis? Or any civil attorney needs to memorize the homicide distinctions? Pfft, bar exam, pfft.

[nealric]

Could probably make the same argument for any of the MBE topics. Like most people need to know conlaw on a regular basis? Or any civil attorney needs to memorize the homicide distinctions? Pfft, bar exam, pfft.

Fair enough. Though by the same token, they don't test subjects like corporate tax or bankruptcy either. Got to wonder how they picked the random subjects they did.

[Matthies]

Also now that I am thinking about some general advice for exam atekers (not all will apply depnding on where your taking it)

For at least a week if not more before the exam limit your studying to the same hours of the day as the bar exam. You need to know your w=peak/and weak times, and coming off sleeping till noon and studying till 2Am just fuckes with you on game day.

Get plently of sleep leadning up to the exam, get your sleep schedual right (see above)

Scout out places to eat close to bar location, if there are not may, brging your lunch. Most people at my bar location did not bring food and everyplace was packed at lunch break so some did not get to eat or had to rush to eat. I just went to my car open my cooler, ate a samich, had an evergy drink and relaxed for an hour, Was nice not having thet stress trying to eat and get back.

No digital watchs at my bar, and you have to take it off and put it on the desk, so get used to that if it applies to you bar.

read the freaking directions BEFORE the bar exam. No seriously, read the directions, it will tell you still like "you are to assume the juristiction is a pure negligance juridiction UNLESS told otherwise" they will test you on this crap, its on of thier favorite tricks on the MBE, give you an answer that is CORRECT except the directions say its not. READ THE DIRECTIONS NOW so you can not watse time during the exm.

[PKSebben]

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[Matthies]

Scout out places to eat close to bar location, if there are not may, brging your lunch. Most people at my bar location did not bring food and everyplace was packed at lunch break so some did not get to eat or had to rush to eat. I just went to my car open my cooler, ate a samich, had an evergy drink and relaxed for an hour, Was nice not having thet stress trying to eat and get back.

This is great advice and exactly what I'm going to do. My wife will be in town so perhaps we can have some sammichs in the car and chat. Anything but be around nervous fucking bar takers.

I had been going each morning to enstines at like 5:30 to have breakfest and review my outlines, the enstiens guy found out I was taking the bar, so the next morning when i came in on the first day he had a whole lunch packed for me. Bagle smaich, chips, cookie, pickel, I just put it in my cooler with 2 enegry drinks and drove to the palce. Give your self PLEANTY of time to account for road clsures, accuidents, wahtever. The bar starts exactly on time (well the seating does, the actual bar allways takes longer cuase people have computer problems, so you will never get out on time on essay day) and they will not let u in even 1 min late!

[ggocat]

Thanks Matthies!

[Matthies]

Some other thoughts from what i remember (again your state might be a bit different so check your states bar website for the rules, but I bet its the same or close to it)

We have to use the 1 gallon bags like for the LSAT and everything had to fit in there.

You could bring in a snack or a soda or something, but no wrappers, meaning you have to take the packadging off. Wrap a snack bar in clear platic wrap then so it does not get everything else sticky.

Take pencils on MBE day, at least 4, they may have a pecil sharperner, they may not, so take a small one if you can.

Take at least 2 PENS on essay day, even if your uing the computer. They will not provide them and if you computer dies, or power goes out and have you ahve to write you want black pens. They photo copy the handwritten essays, and other colors don't copy as well, so black ONLY

No highlighters, they will take hem from u, here was a huge pile by the door, man i should have grabed some one the way out.

No backpacks, purses, cell phones, jackets ect. Leave that stuff in the car. Not even a case for your computer. If you get cuaght with a cell phone they consider you a cheater, check your pockets twice before you go in. Put your cell phone in your trunk, thives know when bar day is and if you phone is out where they can see it in your car your asking for a break in.

Get a mini surge protector

Once you instal the bar software on your computer don't install any new programs, who knows what might make it fuck up

I got two platcic bags and put my stuff for each day in one of them, including my ID, bar name tag and whatever else I have to bring. Then put a sticky note on the outside of each bag TUESDAY and WEDNESDAY (and diffrent colors) and laid them on my dining room table. That way i did not have to think about or take the chance of forgeting something on exam day, it was already packed.

Let you freinds/family/classmates know that from the Sunday before until the day after the exam to please not call you, e-mail, or stop over to your house. let them know you will be cut off from the world those X days and you will call them all back/e-mail/facebook day after, or day after u sober up.

You will be mentally and phiscally exhausted after day one. You will likely be scared too, feel like you failed, and want to review everything in a desprate last minuet attept becuase you think things went horrible day one. Everyone feels like this. DO NOT DO IT. Your done studying, you won't learn anything more that night and your barain needs rest and sleep. Go home, go to bed.

If your taking anything like ambein or tylonal PM to help you sleep start at least a week before the exam so you know what effect it has on you.

Set sevral alarms, your alarm clock, your cell phone, whatever, but have aback up.

Stop studying the Sunday before the tuesday of the exam. You brain need rest, you need rest. Relax on Monday, get to bed erly.

Eat breakfest, if you don't normally do this, start a week before the exam so you know when the tried part kicks in.

Its really important, I think, to start your schedual like its bar day at least a week before it really is. Your gonna be running on addrenaline on bar day, and you need everything else to be second nature, what time you eat, snack, sleep so your can focus soley on the task at hand.

All the menaial prep you do before hand just eans you don't have to worry about those things the days before the exam.

Finally, after the last day of the exam go out and have fun. But don't be like a few classmates of mine and get DUIS, take cabs.

Last and most important all you need is a pass, your not going for an A here. And pass on the bar, depnding on the satte, can be like a 60%, so your just trying for mininimum compnctncy.

[ggocat]

gracias. I say "minimum competency" to myself every day. It calms me down.

[ggocat]

Fair enough. Though by the same token, they don't test subjects like corporate tax or bankruptcy either. Got to wonder how they picked the random subjects they did.

Totally agree.

BTW, I just got a question wrong b/c I didn't know that the President's recess appointments can stay in power until the end of the next term of Congress.

That's gotta be much less useful than the rule against perpetuities!

[Matthies]

Fair enough. Though by the same token, they don't test subjects like corporate tax or bankruptcy either. Got to wonder how they picked the random subjects they did.

Totally agree.

BTW, I just got a question wrong b/c I didn't know that the President's recess appointments can stay in power until the end of the next term of Congress.

That's gotta be much less useful than the rule against perpetuities!

Wait till you get one on the 3rd amendment. WTF

[ggocat]

Don't you hate it when you read a prompt like this:

If the tourist, on behalf of her daughter, brings a personal injury action against the equestrian, is she likely to prevail?

And then begin reading the hypo:

The owner of a chain of sandwich shops was approached by his good friend...

Too many characters!

[nealric]

Don't you hate it when you read a prompt like this:

Yeah, I'm not a fan of them using generic names like "landowner" or "investor" for the parties. It gets really easy to confuse the parties. Would it kill them to make up a real name?

It gets really bad when you have the "landowners" the "buyer" and the "speculator" as three different parties.

[Corsair]

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