Florida Bar Exam - Official Thread Forum

[johngotti]

Posted in the buy sell trade forum but looking to sell my Critical Pass cards (in really good shape from July) and Emanuel Strategies and Tactics. PM me if you're interested.

[JDlaw17]

I passed the UBE in February 2019. Could someone confirm something for me?

I'm planning on taking the February 2020 Florida Bar Exam...

(1) Am I right that I can (now) transfer my MBE (146.1)? If so, what day is the Florida section (their essays & multiple choice)?
(2) What is the best way to study for the Florida section? (i.e. materials, etc.)

Thanks!

[Derek Vinyard]

I passed the UBE in February 2019. Could someone confirm something for me?

I'm planning on taking the February 2020 Florida Bar Exam...

(1) Am I right that I can (now) transfer my MBE (146.1)? If so, what day is the Florida section (their essays & multiple choice)?
(2) What is the best way to study for the Florida section? (i.e. materials, etc.)

Thanks!

This is what I am trying to figure out, only the opposite. I do know that yes, your mbe will transfer to Florida. However, can your transferred score of 146.1 still be combined with your florida essay score? Conversely, if you transfer a MBE score earned in Florida to one of the UBE states that lets you do this, can your 150 MBE score be combined with the MPT and MEE to calculate your overall score? If so, that would be a cakewalk. You could log into the stupid program, type up a couple of garbage essays, and pass the bar overall with a 117 essay score. That is like a 30th percentile score at most. Pretty easy to do with almost no preparation. I am assuming your MBE score does not count towards the total and you have to earn a passing score on the individual exam. Am I right?

[Lawstudent312]

Is it easier to pass by taking the full default florida bar or by transferring your mbe score ?

[johngotti]

You can transfer your MBE score to Florida but you have to get a 136 on the Florida portion. The Florida portion is on the Tuesday before the MBE.

If you take the MBE and Florida together then you could use one to balance out the other (ie get a 140 MBE and 134 Florida you pass). If you have the time and confidence to do the MBE again then you're better off just taking both parts.

[andersonn22]

However, can your transferred score of 146.1 still be combined with your florida essay score? Conversely, if you transfer a MBE score earned in Florida to one of the UBE states that lets you do this, can your 150 MBE score be combined with the MPT and MEE to calculate your overall score? If so, that would be a cakewalk. You could log into the stupid program, type up a couple of garbage essays, and pass the bar overall with a 117 essay score.

It's actually a valid point.

[JDlaw17]

However, can your transferred score of 146.1 still be combined with your florida essay score? Conversely, if you transfer a MBE score earned in Florida to one of the UBE states that lets you do this, can your 150 MBE score be combined with the MPT and MEE to calculate your overall score? If so, that would be a cakewalk. You could log into the stupid program, type up a couple of garbage essays, and pass the bar overall with a 117 essay score.

It's actually a valid point.

I found out the following: if you transfer your MBE, then you must make a 136 on the Florida section. You cannot average the transferred MBE with the Florida section. In my case, I'll be transferring a 146.1, but it won't be average with the other part. I must still make a 136 on the FL essays/multiple choice.

[Allegedly88]

Is anyone here taking the MBE for the 4th time? I feel so lost and hopeless.

[johngotti]

Is anyone here taking the MBE for the 4th time? I feel so lost and hopeless.

4th time taking the bar but only the FL section on Tuesday. Getting ready to start studying.

I've got PMBR books and an Emmanuel S and T book if you want them for pretty cheap.

[ELerner]

Took the exam in July, and finally, today, got my letter from the Supreme Court advising that the Board recommended my admission. After the grueling investigation process, I feel I should also get top secret, NSA-level security clearance.

I'm bummed out that I missed the October induction ceremony. No big deal for me, but my wife wanted the pomp and circumstance. Silly question: Are circuit court judges open to being approached to privately administering the oath?

Also, once the oath is administered, either by a judge or by signing in front of a notary, am I correct that it's not "effective" until you file it with the Board and then receive your certificate of admission?

Thanks.

[Lglegl04]

I am a practicing attorney in Texas so I will be working full time while studying for the Florida Bar. What is the best online bar prep to take? Kaplan and Themis seem to stand out in my searches. T

[Anonymous User]

I am a practicing attorney in Texas so I will be working full time while studying for the Florida Bar. What is the best online bar prep to take? Kaplan and Themis seem to stand out in my searches. T

I was in the same boat... also a practicing TEXAS attorney who prepped and took the July 19 Florida exam. My MBE score was too old to transfer. So I took the full test. MBE & Florida portion.

I bought a full set of barbri books off eBay and used those to study for Florida. I used ebay barbri books for Texas and eBay barbri books for another state I took right after law school. I had to take the full test in all these jurisdictions and I passed all 3.

So that eBay barbri book system worked for me and I’d recommend it to others.

I also bought an account on this site. It’s cheap and has a lot of good clear data on frequency that subjects are tested, which is a nice reference to have, among other things.

What did you use to study for Texas? If it worked for you I would consider using the Florida versions.

[Anonymous User]

Took the exam in July, and finally, today, got my letter from the Supreme Court advising that the Board recommended my admission. After the grueling investigation process, I feel I should also get top secret, NSA-level security clearance.

I'm bummed out that I missed the October induction ceremony. No big deal for me, but my wife wanted the pomp and circumstance. Silly question: Are circuit court judges open to being approached to privately administering the oath?

Also, once the oath is administered, either by a judge or by signing in front of a notary, am I correct that it's not "effective" until you file it with the Board and then receive your certificate of admission?

Thanks.

What issues slowed down your character and fitness?

[Anonymous User]

I am a practicing attorney in Texas so I will be working full time while studying for the Florida Bar. What is the best online bar prep to take? Kaplan and Themis seem to stand out in my searches. T

I was in the same boat... also a practicing TEXAS attorney who prepped and took the July 19 Florida exam. My MBE score was too old to transfer. So I took the full test. MBE & Florida portion.

I bought a full set of barbri books off eBay and used those to study for Florida. I used ebay barbri books for Texas and eBay barbri books for another state I took right after law school. I had to take the full test in all these jurisdictions and I passed all 3.

So that eBay barbri book system worked for me and I’d recommend it to others.

I also bought an account on this site. It’s cheap and has a lot of good clear data on frequency that subjects are tested, which is a nice reference to have, among other things.

What did you use to study for Texas? If it worked for you I would consider using the Florida versions.

I took the Texas bar in 2004 and took the BarBri class at my law school.

[katrinax0x17]

Hey guys,

Does anybody have any predictions for the Feb 2020 Florida essays?

[johngotti]

Hey guys,

Does anybody have any predictions for the Feb 2020 Florida essays?

No one knows anything but Contracts and Family Law seem like good bets.

[ELerner]

Took the exam in July, and finally, today, got my letter from the Supreme Court advising that the Board recommended my admission. After the grueling investigation process, I feel I should also get top secret, NSA-level security clearance.

What issues slowed down your character and fitness?

(1) Insistence on tracking down docs from small claim matter 40 years ago (which of course the court no longer had), (2) Discovery of another small litigation 30-plus years ago, which I'd completely forgotten, (3) Questioning why I "omitted" something from one answer, when in fact I'd disclosed it in another answer. Ridiculous stuff like that.

[mjpwhite]

What is the best laptop for the Florida bar exam?

[The_CW]

What is the best laptop for the Florida bar exam?

I had some issues w/ my MAC and its compatability with their software so a PC may be a better bet.

[Tony48]

What is the best laptop for the Florida bar exam?

Honestly any one that will work. You definitely don't need a "special" laptop for it. Just make sure it's compatible with the exam software.

[Usernameavailable]

I know they are pretty mysterious about how scoring works for Florida day, but I just want to confirm, is MBE scoring and Florida scoring a 1:1 average? Florida is my second state and I passed the MBE in my previous state with a score above a 160. So if I replicate that on this exam upcoming, I could achieve a 116 on Florida day and still pass? Also, MBE is a national score, so Florida and New York and Texas all average it the same, right? Mainly just trying to assuage my concerns with the fact that there are 10305858 rules for Florida and I can't learn them all.

[The_CW]

I know they are pretty mysterious about how scoring works for Florida day, but I just want to confirm, is MBE scoring and Florida scoring a 1:1 average? Florida is my second state and I passed the MBE in my previous state with a score above a 160. So if I replicate that on this exam upcoming, I could achieve a 116 on Florida day and still pass? Also, MBE is a national score, so Florida and New York and Texas all average it the same, right? Mainly just trying to assuage my concerns with the fact that there are 10305858 rules for Florida and I can't learn them all.

Yes. If you're sitting for the MBE again and get a 160 and a Florida Score of 116, that would average to 138. If you sit for both days, your scores need to average out to at least 136 per day to pass. If you only take the Florida part, you need a 136 minimum to pass. Hope this helps!

[johngotti]

Out of curiousity what are the essay topics barbri (or kaplan/themis) has for the practice FL exam?

[NY-Lawyer]

Dependency and Juvenile Delinquency have been removed from the Florida Bar Exam!! Two less subjects to study!

[Anonymous User]

Dependency and Juvenile Delinquency have been removed from the Florida Bar Exam!! Two less subjects to study!

WOOOHOOO!! ***If anyone is interested, here is the Court's Ruling below (copy and pasted):

Supreme Court of Florida
____________
No. SC19-2018

IN RE: AMENDMENTS TO THE SUPREME COURT RULES RELATING TO ADMISSIONS TO THE BAR.

January 23, 2020

PER CURIAM.

The Court, on its own motion, amends the Rules of the Supreme Court
Relating to Admissions to the Bar. We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 15, Fla. Const.
Rule 4-22 of the Rules of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar enumerates the possible subjects that can be tested on Part A of the General Bar Examination, which is administered to individuals seeking admission to The Florida Bar.1 At the suggestion of the deans of Florida’s twelve law schools, and
1. The Florida Bar Examination currently consists of a General Bar Examination and the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE). Fla. Bar Admiss. R. 4-11. The General Bar Examination consists of two parts, Part A and Part B. Fla. Bar Admiss. R. 4-20. Part A is developed by the Florida Board of Bar Examiners and includes a combination of essay and multiple-choice questions, and Part B is the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), which is

following a discussion between the deans and the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, with members of the Court participating, we amend rule 4-22 to remove two subject areas, juvenile delinquency and dependency, from the list of possible subjects to be tested. We remove these two subject areas because we agree with the law school deans that these subjects test specialized knowledge falling outside the general competency that the General Bar Examination is intended to test. Rule 4-21 of the Rules of the Supreme Court Relating to Admissions to the Bar provides that the purpose of the General Bar Examination is to “test the applicant’s ability to reason logically, to analyze accurately the problem presented, and to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the fundamental principles of law and their application.” We believe that amending rule 4-22 to eliminate these two subject areas will increase the validity of the Florida Bar Examination by allowing law school graduates to engage in more thoughtful analysis of core legal subjects instead of memorizing highly technical rules and information for a limited period of time.
Accordingly, we thank the law school deans for their input and amend the Rules of the Supreme Court Relating to Admission to the Bar as reflected in the appendix to this opinion. The new language is indicated by underlining; deletions are indicated by struck-through type. These amendments shall take effect
developed by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. Id.; see Fla. Bar Admiss. R. 4-23.


immediately upon the release of this opinion and will apply prospectively, beginning with the first 2020 examination. Because the amendments were not published for comment prior to their adoption, interested persons shall have seventy-five days from the date of this opinion in which to file comments with the Court.2
It is so ordered.

CANADY, C.J., and POLSTON, LABARGA, LAWSON, and MUÑIZ, JJ., concur.


THE FILING OF A MOTION FOR REHEARING SHALL NOT ALTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THESE AMENDMENTS.
Original Proceeding – Rules of the Supreme Court of Florida Relating to Admissions to the Florida Bar
2. All comments must be filed with the Court on or before April 7, 2020, with a separate request for oral argument if the person filing the comment wishes to participate in oral argument, which may be scheduled in this case. If filed by an attorney in good standing with The Florida Bar, the comment must be electronically filed via the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal (Portal) in accordance with In re Electronic Filing in the Supreme Court of Florida via the Florida Courts E-Filing Portal, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC13-7 (Feb. 18, 2013). If filed by a nonlawyer or a lawyer not licensed to practice in Florida, the comment may be, but is not required to be, filed via the Portal. Comments filed via the Portal must be submitted in Microsoft Word 97 or higher. See In re Electronic Filing in the Florida Supreme Court, Fla. Admin. Order No. AOSC17-27 (May 9, 2017). Any person unable to submit a comment electronically must mail or hand-deliver the originally signed comment to the Florida Supreme Court, Office of the Clerk, 500 South Duval Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1927; no additional copies are required or will be accepted.


APPENDIX
4-22 Part A. Part A will consist of 6 one-hour segments. One segment will include the subject of Florida Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure and the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration. Questions on the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration will address only the following areas: disqualification of trial judges; public access to judicial branch records; minimization of the filing of sensitive information; the qualifications, restrictions, and conditions pertaining to attorneys in their representation of clients in Florida courts; and the signature of attorneys and parties on pleadings and other papers. The remaining 5 segments, each of which will include no more than 3 subjects, will be selected from the following subjects including their equitable aspects:

(a) – (h) [no change]
(i) criminal law, and constitutional criminal procedure, and juvenile delinquency;
(j) – (k) [no change]
(l) family law and dependency;
(m) – (o) [no change]