Themis Bar Review Hangout - July 2015 Exam Forum

[Worker and Parasite]

1. Are the sample MBE Practice Questions, real past MBE questions?
2. Same thing for the essays..are they real past essays?

[kjartan]

Also, from now on I think I'll start with the lectures and handouts and then work my way through the big outline.

[nativemtneer]

Also, from now on I think I'll start with the lectures and handouts and then work my way through the big outline.

This is what I am doing. Instead of reading the assigned outline for the next day's lecture topic, I am making flash-cards for the topic I just covered.

[numbertwo88]

1. Are the sample MBE Practice Questions, real past MBE questions?
2. Same thing for the essays..are they real past essays?

1. Most questions are real, however, Themis also write some of their own as well or tweaks the released questions. If you use Emanuel's or Adaptibar you'll notice a big overlap due to using the same questions released from the NCBEX. For the Civ Pro questions you'll notice some are the same as the practice questions released by the NCBEX.
2. Essays are real past essay questions from your jx

[zot1]

Having a terrible day due through personal stuff and it showed in my last MBE practice. Considering taking the rest of the day off to regroup. Sigh.

[Pleasye]

Having a terrible day due through personal stuff and it showed in my last MBE practice. Considering taking the rest of the day off to regroup. Sigh.

If you need a break take a break. It's early on in the process and forcing yourself to study when you're not absorbing anything is not helpful.

[Nelson]

Checking in. Starting later than they recommend because fuck starting right after graduation.

So far this is terrible. I am hoping that after the first couple subjects I figure out what I actually need to do and can start skimming because these outlines are unreadable.

[rgucsb]

I relied entirely on themis for the Feb 14 CA bar exam and failed.

I retook Feb 15 using nothing but Adapti Bar and Baressays.com and passed, the exam was one of the hardest ever given 39.5% passage rate.

The key is to memorize the flow and organization of the essays for each subject. I highly rec. using baressays.com and pretty much memorizing all the 80 point essays, specifically how they organize the issues and which issues they decide to focus on.

If you are a terrible mc test taker like I was, use adapti bar. I did about 1500 questions before the exam and was scoring 63% correct. its all about repetition.

Dont fall a sucker to sitting there watching stupid lectures, they will do nothing for you

[lacrossebrother]

I relied entirely on themis for the Feb 14 CA bar exam and failed.

I retook Feb 15 using nothing but Adapti Bar and Baressays.com and passed, the exam was one of the hardest ever given 39.5% passage rate.

The key is to memorize the flow and organization of the essays for each subject. I highly rec. using baressays.com and pretty much memorizing all the 80 point essays, specifically how they organize the issues and which issues they decide to focus on.

If you are a terrible mc test taker like I was, use adapti bar. I did about 1500 questions before the exam and was scoring 63% correct. its all about repetition.

Dont fall a sucker to sitting there watching stupid lectures, they will do nothing for you

Thanks for the advice. What school did you go to and what was your class rank? Also what was your lsat?

[MarcZero]

Dont fall a sucker to sitting there watching stupid lectures, they will do nothing for you

For the most part I agree with that idea, in that you shouldn't view the lectures as the "be-all-end-all" of bar studying. I personally learn better via audio/video so I'm using the lectures to get the substance of the material into my head. Then I'm doing MBE questions and essays to learn the fine details.

After the blind-siding of the lack of topics covered on the contracts lectures that were found on the MBE questions, I decided to change things up. My new strategy for Property was to ignore reading the long outline at first. Instead I went through and made a broad outline of each of the major subjects in property, then I watched the lectures and filed out the handouts. After each chapter, I went through and marked down and read each topic in the long outline that wasn't in the lectures. Finally, I made flashcards for the topics I didn't feel I had down cold yet, trying to make sure it wasn't more than 1 or 2 flashcards per lecture. Then I did the mastering questions and moved onto the next lecture. I'm not saying this method is for everyone, but it works for me. I haven't really missed a "mastering" question once I started doing this, but that doesn't really mean anything until you do MBE questions, which I won't do until tomorrow (I have to do some practice K essays first).

I've attached the file I made below if anyone else is interested to see what topics are in the long outline that are not (in my opinion) covered in the lectures. I was surprised by how much there actually was.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/c3o1uu6hva33z ... .docx?dl=0

[Worker and Parasite]

Yeah I'm learning the hard way that the lectures are incredibly basic. I didn't get any of the fucking auction rules in the Contract Lectures for instance.

Also, some of these MBE questions are driving me up the wall. How would I know it's not foreseeable for a painter to use glass tiles for a mosaic?????

[UnamSanctam]

How would I know it's not foreseeable for a painter to use glass tiles for a mosaic?????

I missed that too but felt dumb when I did. It's not because it's glass tiles in a mosaic. It's because it wasn't in the agreement and the painter was thinking about using it as a signature thing, which meant it wasn't foreseeable.

[sopranorleone]

Just did my first real property essay. Bloodbath.

[lacrossebrother]

Yeah I'm learning the hard way that the lectures are incredibly basic. I didn't get any of the fucking auction rules in the Contract Lectures for instance.

I feel like that's the point of doing MBE questions though? Now you definitely won't forget the auction rules, even though you missed a Q on the practice exam

[GULCPerson]

How would I know it's not foreseeable for a painter to use glass tiles for a mosaic?????

That question sucked. Apparently I don't know anything about art, because I thought a mosaic was just a type of painting and there was nothing in the context (as far as I could tell) that indicated otherwise.


Also, what's the deal with the "Suggested Pace" number on the course progress bar? Mine is perpetually "+1.4%" which I assumed meant I was 1.4% ahead of the default schedule. But no matter how far ahead I go (trying to sneak a vacation this weekend) it's always 1.4%. Not sure if there's just so much material that I can't get far enough ahead for the number to change, or I'm misunderstanding what the number means.

[Pleasye]

Yeah I'm learning the hard way that the lectures are incredibly basic. I didn't get any of the fucking auction rules in the Contract Lectures for instance.

I feel like that's the point of doing MBE questions though? Now you definitely won't forget the auction rules, even though you missed a Q on the practice exam

Came in here to post this. The lectures are a good overview of the big picture and help a ton for the essays. The MBE questions are where I learn all the exceptions and smaller rules. Getting them wrong helps me remember the rules.

[teeshtee]

Have been wondering the same thing. After noticing that my "Suggested Pace" was perpetually "+1.5%" despite the fact that I was ahead of the directed study schedule, the best explanation I could surmise was that "Suggested Pace" is a static daily goal that, if accomplished each day, will result in you completing 100% of the Themis course within the recommended study schedule leading up to the bar. I'm probably completely wrong.

[gr8scOtt!]

How would I know it's not foreseeable for a painter to use glass tiles for a mosaic?????

Also, what's the deal with the "Suggested Pace" number on the course progress bar? Mine is perpetually "+1.4%" which I assumed meant I was 1.4% ahead of the default schedule. But no matter how far ahead I go (trying to sneak a vacation this weekend) it's always 1.4%. Not sure if there's just so much material that I can't get far enough ahead for the number to change, or I'm misunderstanding what the number means.

Have been wondering the same thing. After noticing that my "Suggested Pace" was perpetually "+1.5%" despite the fact that I was ahead of the directed study schedule, the best explanation I could surmise was that "Suggested Pace" is a static daily goal that, if accomplished each day, will result in you completing 100% of the Themis course within the recommended study schedule leading up to the bar. I'm probably completely wrong.

If you are completely wrong, then I am too, because I also thought the perpetual +1.5% was what I needed to finish 100% of the course.

[jlaw14]

How are people handling the work load? I have been working non stop 10 hours a day and still falling behind, and I am a very fast and efficient worker. I have been condensing the lecture handouts into my own outlines and plugging in the gaps from the long outline. Is this a waste of time? I can't see how I'll keep up when the course "ramps up". Also going to be so far behind by next week because going away this weekend.

[djh10]

How are people handling the work load? I have been working non stop 10 hours a day and still falling behind, and I am a very fast and efficient worker. I have been condensing the lecture handouts into my own outlines and plugging in the gaps from the long outline. Is this a waste of time? I can't see how I'll keep up when the course "ramps up". Also going to be so far behind by next week because going away this weekend.

10 hours per day already? I'm ahead of the schedule and I've put in 6-7 per day with a lot of breaks. I stick with the schedule by reading outlines, watching the lectures, filling in the handout, and then studying both the handout and Critical Pass Flashcards.

Condensing the handouts into your own outlines may be beneficial to you but I'd be worried about burning out. This is my first (and hopefully only!) time taking the bar so I am having my own struggles as well, but 10 hours a day this early in the game just seems like a lot. In my experience knowing many people who have taken the bar, two types of people fail --- those who don't prepare enough and those are overwhelmed & overworked.

[Nanosoft]

How are people handling the work load? I have been working non stop 10 hours a day and still falling behind, and I am a very fast and efficient worker. I have been condensing the lecture handouts into my own outlines and plugging in the gaps from the long outline. Is this a waste of time? I can't see how I'll keep up when the course "ramps up". Also going to be so far behind by next week because going away this weekend.

Honestly, I've been getting through everything feeling as though I had time to spare, and I'm a bullshit, ADHD/addled worker who would die if he had to concentrate on something for more than 10 minutes at a time.

Of course, I'm not doing nearly as much as you in regards to the large outlines. I skim them to get a BASIC understanding of what the lecture will be about...but I'm basically just relying on the hope that the extra information is either presented in the MBE questions, or that it's just not on the bar. As Worker & Parasite just said...there wasn't much in the lectures about auctions, but there were a hefty amount of MBE questions...I feel as though I'm relatively okay with those rules now.

I'm more concerned about the essays. The distinctions outlines/lectures seem relatively bare.

This week has been harder in regards to concentration, I feel like at the beginning I had that enthusiasm and excitement, but I'm already at the point where my mind wants to wander. Going to have to just buckle down.

[texlaw]

How would I know it's not foreseeable for a painter to use glass tiles for a mosaic?????

I missed that too but felt dumb when I did. It's not because it's glass tiles in a mosaic. It's because it wasn't in the agreement and the painter was thinking about using it as a signature thing, which meant it wasn't foreseeable.

This was my 5th question in a string of 5 in a row that I got wrong. By then I was ready to throw my laptop out the window.

[gr8scOtt!]

I've been paying attention to the lectures, because I feel like those are more helpful to me than even glancing at the long outlines. I'll look something up in the long outline if it doesn't make sense during the lecture.

I started making my own outlines from lecture notes, but realized that was going to take up too much time. So I took the short outlines, added in the info from lecture notes that wasn't already there, and have been adding in info from the MBE questions as needed. Critical Pass flashcards are ordered and on their way for memorization.

I'm probably spending 6-8 hrs a day (with most days closer to 6 or 7).

[zot1]

My last Ks practice essay was horrid. Oh well, 'til the next time.

Hi torts....

[sd5289]

How are people handling the work load? I have been working non stop 10 hours a day and still falling behind, and I am a very fast and efficient worker. I have been condensing the lecture handouts into my own outlines and plugging in the gaps from the long outline. Is this a waste of time? I can't see how I'll keep up when the course "ramps up". Also going to be so far behind by next week because going away this weekend.

10 hours per day already? I'm ahead of the schedule and I've put in 6-7 per day with a lot of breaks. I stick with the schedule by reading outlines, watching the lectures, filling in the handout, and then studying both the handout and Critical Pass Flashcards.

Same. I'm a little ahead because I'm taking the day off for graduation (good job school in making it so late when everyone's sure to be in the middle of bar prep).

Some days are full 7-8 hour days with a 1 hour lunch break and smaller breaks, and other days have been shorter (like 5-6 hours) with the same amount of breaks. I've been spending the most time with the MBE practice Q's and explanations.

As for the long outlines vs lectures, I skim the outlines now and play the lectures on 1.5x speed and actively fill in the lecture handouts. I'm finding that a good refresher on topics I did during 1L and a good basic starting point for topics my 1L profs didn't cover (also the auction stuff is in the "Advanced Sales" lecture, not the Contracts lecture).

I missed that too but felt dumb when I did. It's not because it's glass tiles in a mosaic. It's because it wasn't in the agreement and the painter was thinking about using it as a signature thing, which meant it wasn't foreseeable.

Right. I got that question right, but only because of the "signature" language in the question, which is what I latched onto in deciding it wasn't foreseeable.