Hi Tito - I took the 2-day attorneys exam and passed this July. I last took the NY bar 8 years ago and was also struggling with whether to do the 2-day or 3-day. You'll hear different opinions but I would recommend going the 2-day route if you know you're a decent writer under pressure. Everyone said the MBE was very tricky this July and there's no guarantee it'll provide a good cushion for essay grading. I also hate multiple choice but you might like that format. Finally, having the second day in between to rest/sleep in/review notes at leisure was great - yes, I kept reviewing each night of the exam using Leansheets
Here's what I recommend for studying for the essays and PTs (copied and pasted from another thread):
-I probably outlined or wrote out 60-70 essays. In the last 2 weeks, I stayed in the library and did 3 essays in a row under timed conditions, would review against model answers, and then repeat in the afternoon. This really helped solidify the rules in my mind so I could type them out very quickly during the actual exam. I did not start feeling okay about the essays until I made myself sit down and write out essays under timed conditions.
-I didn't have a memorization plan for rule statements, but made sure to know certain rules very well: Community Property opener, Contract (applicable law, offer, acceptance, etc), Evidence (definition of legal and logical relevance, hearsay exceptions), elements of negligence claim for Torts, etc
Resources I recommend highly:
-Leansheets (I bought them in a panic 10 days before the exam and read them every day and each night of the actual exam- very manageable and surprisingly pretty accurate, even the CA-specific stuff). They're only around 45 pages, so very quick read.
-Bar Code by Whitney Roberts (this helped a lot, esp for the Remedies question on Day 1, Crim Pro question on Day 3 and a 10(b)(5) misappropriation question on Day 1)
-Baressays.com - gives you a good sense of what you need for a 65. The outlines there are not great and incomplete in random areas so I wouldn't rely on them.
-Barbreaker (Adachi) - I either did or read all the essays in the book. His tips are valuable. I remember his approach for UCC Ks being particularly helpful.
I also purchased a used copy (2011 version) of the Conviser Mini Review which was good to have as a resource (when I was confused about the CA and Federal evidence distinctions, for example). If you go that route, buy 2012 CMR version if you can - mine was slightly outdated b/c of recent changes to the FRCP. I did make my own outlines from a friend's older outlines, the CMR, and some random free outlines on the web (Stanford, barexammind). In the end, I think I spent too much time outlining and should have started writing out PTs and essays earlier, but who knows.
Other thoughts:
-Formatting is KEY to passing the essays. Do NOT write big long paragraphs even though that is sometimes what you will see as a model answer on the CBX website. I underlined, made sure to write a lot of mini-paragraphs (3-4 sentences max), then moved the heck on. Most of the 65 and higher scoring essays on baressays.com have short paragraphs.
-During the essay portions of the exam, i took my highlighter and highlighted each fact in the question after I used it in my answer. Each sentence is important and you need to incorporate it into your analysis - this actually helps you. The bar examiners don't randomly throw useless sentences in there. Then I quickly scanned the question as I was answering to make sure I had highlighted all the sentences/used all the facts.
-Do not panic if the question asks you something pretty obscure or you just blank on something. Just put down something reasonable and move on.
-I did 3 full PTs under timed conditions. I think you need to do at least 3 or 4 practice ones to feel comfortable with them and make sure you finish on time. I felt like the PTs from July 14 weren't super straightforward, esp PT B on arbitration, so I felt pretty crappy on them. I think my essays saved me.
In the end, this worked for me. I, too, was questioning whether I should have taken the full 3-day with the MBEs - hope this is helpful to other practicing attorneys considering taking CBX. I didn't find many threads in detail about the attorney's exam when I was deciding which one to take.
Also, feel free to message me for questions. The bar prep is a little different if you're taking the 2-day. And your essay prep for CA will be drastically different this time. NY was hard b/c you have to know like 26 + subjects and the weird NY multiple choice. I found CA to be harder than NY b/c of the longer time we get to write essays (you can't just BS an issue and move on, you have to use the facts). Bc you are a practicing attorney, the PTs will be the easiest for you to prepare for and do well on, so don't forget about those.
. May be its Feb for me depending upon the scores. If its too low then I am planning on taking up the July next year after full prep as my job does not allow much time for me.
