California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread Forum

Discussions related to the bar exam are found in this forum
Forum rules
Anonymous Posting

Anonymous posting is only appropriate when you are sharing sensitive information about bar exam prep. You may anonymously respond on topic to these threads. Unacceptable uses include: harassing another user, joking around, testing the feature, or other things that are more appropriate in the lounge.

Failure to follow these rules will get you outed, warned, or banned."
User avatar
bruinfan10

Silver
Posts: 658
Joined: Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:25 am

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by bruinfan10 » Sun May 18, 2014 10:56 pm

ph14 wrote:
bruinfan10 wrote:
ph14 wrote:Are there any good outlines floating out there for either MBE or CA subjects that follow the Barbri lectures? I'd prefer not to make my own if I can avoid it.
I'm interested in this as well. I thought the Convisor Mini-Review was supposed to be an outline though? I haven't really dug through the materials yet. I paid thousands of dollars for all these books and they expect me to outline myself??
I'd prefer a digital copy of the outline, personally. I guess we also have the fill in the blank outlines too, but that appears to be only for CA subjects? I haven't really looked through everything yet thoroughly either.
Oh, I've seen some people on here recommend the CA "Leansheets" as an outline, but I don't think that solves your digital problem.

User avatar
Charles Barkley

Bronze
Posts: 443
Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 9:56 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by Charles Barkley » Mon May 19, 2014 10:08 am

I'll be joining you guys shortly.

User avatar
2807

Silver
Posts: 598
Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 10:23 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by 2807 » Mon May 19, 2014 11:15 am

Charles Barkley wrote:I'll be joining you guys shortly.

Nice. Charles.

Pass the Bar > Win a Championship

You can do it !

User avatar
Determination3

New
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 11:20 am

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by Determination3 » Mon May 19, 2014 11:33 am

Hey All:

Looks like I'll be joining this thread, unfortunately.

This will be my third time, and I'm determined to make it my last. This exam is such bullshit, and I'm still beyond pissed for not passing. I plan on self studying this time around, no Barbri for me.

But before I commit to anything, I'll be waiting for my results, hopefully it comes in today and I can see where things went wrong. On a scale from 1 to 10, my motivation to study again is about a -10! So I need to start building that up.

LSATNightmares

Silver
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri May 07, 2010 10:29 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by LSATNightmares » Mon May 19, 2014 3:00 pm

Ugh, I wish Barbri hadn't changed the time of the Boston class. I thought it was starting May 26 based on the schedule I checked when it first came out, but just now I learned that it starts tomorrow! So double check your schedules.

I'm also not liking how all the prior homework assignments seem to have disappeared from the online site. I wanted to work on stuff today, but I can't go back and see what was assigned last week. I was too busy with graduation festivities.

Want to continue reading?

Register now to search topics and post comments!

Absolutely FREE!


User avatar
ph14

Gold
Posts: 3227
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:15 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by ph14 » Mon May 19, 2014 3:27 pm

LSATNightmares wrote:Ugh, I wish Barbri hadn't changed the time of the Boston class. I thought it was starting May 26 based on the schedule I checked when it first came out, but just now I learned that it starts tomorrow! So double check your schedules.

I'm also not liking how all the prior homework assignments seem to have disappeared from the online site. I wanted to work on stuff today, but I can't go back and see what was assigned last week. I was too busy with graduation festivities.
I can see stuff from past weeks. Have you tried clicking on "View Interactive Paced Program" and then click "Prev Week"? Or alternatively, going to the left-hand side, under "Bar Review Materials," and click "Paced Program" and then clicking "Prev Week."

User avatar
ph14

Gold
Posts: 3227
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:15 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by ph14 » Mon May 19, 2014 4:09 pm

bruinfan10 wrote:
ph14 wrote:
bruinfan10 wrote:
ph14 wrote:Are there any good outlines floating out there for either MBE or CA subjects that follow the Barbri lectures? I'd prefer not to make my own if I can avoid it.
I'm interested in this as well. I thought the Convisor Mini-Review was supposed to be an outline though? I haven't really dug through the materials yet. I paid thousands of dollars for all these books and they expect me to outline myself??
I'd prefer a digital copy of the outline, personally. I guess we also have the fill in the blank outlines too, but that appears to be only for CA subjects? I haven't really looked through everything yet thoroughly either.
Oh, I've seen some people on here recommend the CA "Leansheets" as an outline, but I don't think that solves your digital problem.
I found the digital copies of the handout lectures, they're under the "Bar Review Lectures" under "Bar Review Materials" on the left hand side. Seems much more convenient than to manually fill in the blanks on the lecture handouts.

I wish they had Word versions of the lecture handouts, though.

LSATNightmares

Silver
Posts: 535
Joined: Fri May 07, 2010 10:29 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by LSATNightmares » Mon May 19, 2014 4:52 pm

ph14 wrote:
LSATNightmares wrote:Ugh, I wish Barbri hadn't changed the time of the Boston class. I thought it was starting May 26 based on the schedule I checked when it first came out, but just now I learned that it starts tomorrow! So double check your schedules.

I'm also not liking how all the prior homework assignments seem to have disappeared from the online site. I wanted to work on stuff today, but I can't go back and see what was assigned last week. I was too busy with graduation festivities.
I can see stuff from past weeks. Have you tried clicking on "View Interactive Paced Program" and then click "Prev Week"? Or alternatively, going to the left-hand side, under "Bar Review Materials," and click "Paced Program" and then clicking "Prev Week."
Thanks -- I couldn't have found them otherwise! Now to tackle all that homework...

User avatar
rburgundy

New
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu May 15, 2014 4:18 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by rburgundy » Mon May 19, 2014 6:58 pm

2 months. That's how much time we have. I've pinned down a couple of libraries I'll be holing at most days. Let's kill it.

Want to continue reading?

Register for access!

Did I mention it was FREE ?


User avatar
a male human

Gold
Posts: 2233
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:42 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by a male human » Mon May 19, 2014 8:22 pm

Jay Heizenburg wrote:Information on how the bar (CBX) has changed and predictions:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ragLMAoTnUI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hL4HXoPIBpQ

There's value here, hope you can glean it.
Whatever value you glean here (e.g., noting sub-issues you forgot about), do not listen to the predictions. I urge everyone to study all subjects thoroughly, and:

1. Nail the PTs. Get 65+ on both PTs. Extra 5 points on a PT = extra 10 points on an essay. Corral those pesky facts. Easy points.

2. Practice getting down as many relevant issues as you can on each essay. Within IRAC (do not use CRAC), I think the MOST important is finding all the issues and sub-issues (knowing the rules is a given). Because essays are not real life, you do NOT need to be inventive or creative with issues (or anything else). What you want is a finite list of testable issues. Rather than thinking of it as spotting issues, you are now checking for issues. Once you get an idea which major area is being tested (e.g., personal jx), you can then check for issues that arise (e.g., traditional bases, statutory basis, constitutional basis, minimum contacts, purposeful availment, reasonable foreseeability, fair play, specific/general jx). You can simply outline essays instead of writing them out. I probably did more outlining than full answers.

3. Do real MBE questions.

PM user 2807 if you have problems with crafting issue statements. Some people have had success after switching the way they frame the issue statements. I'm happy to answer questions over PM as well.

User avatar
ph14

Gold
Posts: 3227
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:15 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by ph14 » Mon May 19, 2014 8:26 pm

a male human wrote: PM user 2807 if you have problems with crafting issue statements. Some people have had success after switching the way they frame the issue statements. I'm happy to answer questions over PM as well.
Why would the way you craft your issue statement be important? Seems like if you didn't score enough points the much more likely explanation is a failure to spot, analyze, and correctly dispose of enough issues.

User avatar
a male human

Gold
Posts: 2233
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:42 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by a male human » Mon May 19, 2014 8:46 pm

ph14 wrote:
a male human wrote: PM user 2807 if you have problems with crafting issue statements. Some people have had success after switching the way they frame the issue statements. I'm happy to answer questions over PM as well.
Why would the way you craft your issue statement be important? Seems like if you didn't score enough points the much more likely explanation is a failure to spot, analyze, and correctly dispose of enough issues.
Some people had trouble parsing the issues and setting up the rules and analysis that came after the issue. For example, if the issue is "tort remedies," where do you go from there? It might be obvious to you that you discuss the liability theory, legal remedies, restitutionary remedies, then equitable remedies. Instead saying "Whether D breached his contract with P" forces you to think about the sub-issues. Then you can pull out the rule and facts that answer the issue statement.

I'll be the first to say I opted not to use his style, but others found success with it.

User avatar
ph14

Gold
Posts: 3227
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:15 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by ph14 » Mon May 19, 2014 8:47 pm

a male human wrote:
ph14 wrote:
a male human wrote: PM user 2807 if you have problems with crafting issue statements. Some people have had success after switching the way they frame the issue statements. I'm happy to answer questions over PM as well.
Why would the way you craft your issue statement be important? Seems like if you didn't score enough points the much more likely explanation is a failure to spot, analyze, and correctly dispose of enough issues.
Some people had trouble parsing the issues and setting up the rules and analysis that came after the issue. For example, if the issue is "tort remedies," where do you go from there? It might be obvious to you that you discuss the liability theory, legal remedies, restitutionary remedies, then equitable remedies. Instead saying "Whether D breached his contract with P" forces you to think about the sub-issues. Then you can pull out the rule and facts that answer the issue statement.

I'll be the first to say I opted not to use his style, but others found success with it.
I see. That makes sense. I think I will probably just stick with what worked for me in law school.

Register now!

Resources to assist law school applicants, students & graduates.

It's still FREE!


User avatar
ilovesf

Diamond
Posts: 12837
Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:20 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by ilovesf » Tue May 20, 2014 11:04 am

Got that dreaded Barbri prep e-mail with links to our pace program, etc., and everything we "should" do before our first class. Will be doing none of it because of vacay, and skipping the first class. Off to a poor start already.

hiima3L

Silver
Posts: 911
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:26 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by hiima3L » Wed May 21, 2014 4:16 pm

ilovesf wrote:Got that dreaded Barbri prep e-mail with links to our pace program, etc., and everything we "should" do before our first class. Will be doing none of it because of vacay, and skipping the first class. Off to a poor start already.
Barbri is the hugest flame. You can do 1/2 the work they say you need to do and pass. Focus on the MBE topics, btw.

hyc9598

Bronze
Posts: 151
Joined: Thu Dec 19, 2013 1:15 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by hyc9598 » Wed May 21, 2014 4:45 pm

Barwinners, CA Bar Style, Barpassers Tutorial (Bob Hull)

Which one do you recommend? Personally I like Themis or Barmax outlines. But people say any outline is OK. I got 1556 in mbe so I guess the raw is 140. I give up typing and will handwrite. I got 2 50s in PTs. So I need 65 for each PT so that I can make up 100 deficit. PtPtPt. From the viewpoint of how to increase pt score dramatically, reasonably or humanly possibly, which course would be the best course for me? I took John Holtz and it was above my ability or time constraints. Dunno. Can you say it something is expensive, generally it will be good? Maybe I need to increase my mbe to 160 so that it can compensate deficit in pt/writing. PtPtPt.

User avatar
a male human

Gold
Posts: 2233
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:42 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by a male human » Wed May 21, 2014 5:21 pm

hyc9598 wrote:Barwinners, CA Bar Style, Barpassers Tutorial (Bob Hull)

Which one do you recommend? Personally I like Themis or Barmax outlines. But people say any outline is OK. I got 1556 in mbe so I guess the raw is 140. I give up typing and will handwrite. I got 2 50s in PTs. So I need 65 for each PT so that I can make up 100 deficit. PtPtPt. From the viewpoint of how to increase pt score dramatically, reasonably or humanly possibly, which course would be the best course for me? I took John Holtz and it was above my ability or time constraints. Dunno. Can you say it something is expensive, generally it will be good? Maybe I need to increase my mbe to 160 so that it can compensate deficit in pt/writing. PtPtPt.
If you want to improve on PTs (which is a must, given that if you get both your PTs to 65 from 50, that's like an extra 10 points for each of your essays), you don't need a course or outline. Practice old ones released on the Bar's website: admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Examinations/PastExams.aspx

BarEssays.com ($99) has actually graded answers you can compare yours to.

If you want that extra edge, consider getting a "pay as you go" tutor who can review your work, but it would be significantly more expensive than BarEssays.

July 2013 has the hardest PTs in my opinion. If you can do well on those (save them for later in your prep), you're set. Feb 2013 PTs are also interesting. PT-B of Feb 2008 (Snyder v. Regents) is very striaghtforward. Start with that to see where you are.

Looks like your MBE is solid. Keep it up.

Get unlimited access to all forums and topics

Register now!

I'm pretty sure I told you it's FREE...


User avatar
catechumen

New
Posts: 50
Joined: Wed May 21, 2014 11:20 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by catechumen » Thu May 22, 2014 1:48 am

I got a 1308. Already signed up to retake in July. And yes I know a 1308 is rather bad. :D Would the other repeaters mind posting their scores? Would love to compare notes?

hiima3L

Silver
Posts: 911
Joined: Sun Mar 25, 2012 10:26 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by hiima3L » Thu May 22, 2014 12:50 pm

a male human wrote:
hyc9598 wrote:Barwinners, CA Bar Style, Barpassers Tutorial (Bob Hull)

Which one do you recommend? Personally I like Themis or Barmax outlines. But people say any outline is OK. I got 1556 in mbe so I guess the raw is 140. I give up typing and will handwrite. I got 2 50s in PTs. So I need 65 for each PT so that I can make up 100 deficit. PtPtPt. From the viewpoint of how to increase pt score dramatically, reasonably or humanly possibly, which course would be the best course for me? I took John Holtz and it was above my ability or time constraints. Dunno. Can you say it something is expensive, generally it will be good? Maybe I need to increase my mbe to 160 so that it can compensate deficit in pt/writing. PtPtPt.
If you want to improve on PTs (which is a must, given that if you get both your PTs to 65 from 50, that's like an extra 10 points for each of your essays), you don't need a course or outline. Practice old ones released on the Bar's website: admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Examinations/PastExams.aspx

BarEssays.com ($99) has actually graded answers you can compare yours to.

If you want that extra edge, consider getting a "pay as you go" tutor who can review your work, but it would be significantly more expensive than BarEssays.

July 2013 has the hardest PTs in my opinion. If you can do well on those (save them for later in your prep), you're set. Feb 2013 PTs are also interesting. PT-B of Feb 2008 (Snyder v. Regents) is very striaghtforward. Start with that to see where you are.

Looks like your MBE is solid. Keep it up.
I don't know how you can practice or prep for PTs. They're all so completely different and generally just test your writing and organization and attn to detail.

User avatar
a male human

Gold
Posts: 2233
Joined: Tue Mar 31, 2009 2:42 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by a male human » Thu May 22, 2014 1:05 pm

hiima3L wrote:
a male human wrote:
hyc9598 wrote:Barwinners, CA Bar Style, Barpassers Tutorial (Bob Hull)

Which one do you recommend? Personally I like Themis or Barmax outlines. But people say any outline is OK. I got 1556 in mbe so I guess the raw is 140. I give up typing and will handwrite. I got 2 50s in PTs. So I need 65 for each PT so that I can make up 100 deficit. PtPtPt. From the viewpoint of how to increase pt score dramatically, reasonably or humanly possibly, which course would be the best course for me? I took John Holtz and it was above my ability or time constraints. Dunno. Can you say it something is expensive, generally it will be good? Maybe I need to increase my mbe to 160 so that it can compensate deficit in pt/writing. PtPtPt.
If you want to improve on PTs (which is a must, given that if you get both your PTs to 65 from 50, that's like an extra 10 points for each of your essays), you don't need a course or outline. Practice old ones released on the Bar's website: admissions.calbar.ca.gov/Examinations/PastExams.aspx

BarEssays.com ($99) has actually graded answers you can compare yours to.

If you want that extra edge, consider getting a "pay as you go" tutor who can review your work, but it would be significantly more expensive than BarEssays.

July 2013 has the hardest PTs in my opinion. If you can do well on those (save them for later in your prep), you're set. Feb 2013 PTs are also interesting. PT-B of Feb 2008 (Snyder v. Regents) is very striaghtforward. Start with that to see where you are.

Looks like your MBE is solid. Keep it up.
I don't know how you can practice or prep for PTs. They're all so completely different and generally just test your writing and organization and attn to detail.
Some possible ways to get feedback:
1. Get it graded by your bar prep graders
2. Get it graded by a tutor
3. Compare your answer (issues, rules, facts used) with model answers on CalBar
4. Compare your answer (issues, rules, facts used) with 50s and 70s on BarEssays.com

I did a PT a week and mainly #1 and #4 in my last prep. #1 or #2 might be the best ways to get actual feedback if you are consistently struggling.

"They're all so completely different and generally just test your writing and organization and attn to detail."

Writing: Read Plain English for Lawyers by Wydick or recall your legal writing activities like law journal, legal writing and research class, research papers, etc.
Organization: Two ways.
1. If PT has specific call(s) that tell you what to analyze. Those calls are the major headings/issues.
2. If PT has general call(s). Use the rules you pull out of the case as a guidepost. For example, one rule might have 8 elements. Is that rule relevant? Make the 8 elements a heading.
Attention to detail: Focus, read slowly, and mark important parts with your pen, pencil, highlighter. Or note it on your outline. Collecting relevant nuggets of fact across the dozens of pages is important.

se7en

New
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2012 6:39 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by se7en » Thu May 22, 2014 7:15 pm

What is everybody's status so far for prepping for the exam?

Did Barbri's torts mbe today and got 68% :(

Communicate now with those who not only know what a legal education is, but can offer you worthy advice and commentary as you complete the three most educational, yet challenging years of your law related post graduate life.

Register now, it's still FREE!


jarofsoup

Gold
Posts: 2145
Joined: Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:41 am

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by jarofsoup » Thu May 22, 2014 8:12 pm

se7en wrote:What is everybody's status so far for prepping for the exam?

Did Barbri's torts mbe today and got 68% :(
Did the diagnostic and got 50%. Just doing the pace program. Why are you ahead?

User avatar
jdx2014

Bronze
Posts: 171
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 1:20 am

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by jdx2014 » Thu May 22, 2014 8:17 pm

How many of your guys are non-aba grads if from CA?

User avatar
jdx2014

Bronze
Posts: 171
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 1:20 am

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by jdx2014 » Thu May 22, 2014 8:18 pm

se7en wrote:What is everybody's status so far for prepping for the exam?

Did Barbri's torts mbe today and got 68% :(
fyi, 68% on the actual bar is a pass (even if scaled)
you are doing good if this is the start and we are talking raw

se7en

New
Posts: 25
Joined: Thu Mar 15, 2012 6:39 pm

Re: California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread

Post by se7en » Thu May 22, 2014 8:37 pm

jarofsoup wrote:
se7en wrote:What is everybody's status so far for prepping for the exam?

Did Barbri's torts mbe today and got 68% :(
Did the diagnostic and got 50%. Just doing the pace program. Why are you ahead?
Barbri started last week for us. Today's hw was MBE Workshop Torts Questions in MPQ (1-25)

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

Now there's a charge.
Just kidding ... it's still FREE!


Post Reply Post Anonymous Reply  

Return to “Bar Exam Prep and Discussion Forum”