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cmblack

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by cmblack » Fri Oct 30, 2015 2:02 pm

Passed PA, still waiting on NJ - 140 MBE, 141 on PA Essays.
* Edit: Passed NJ.

- how many hours of studying per day? varied greatly - I took two trips to Canada during Bar classes, during which I did NOTHING. But most days, 6-8.
- how many essays per day? 3-4 toward the end.
- how many MBEs per day? 50+

Last four weeks, I pretty much gave up on the videos. I was really frustrated because I felt like my statistical deficiencies weren't being addressed. I wrote out a chart of all the subsections in each area, according to the Barbri Outlines breakdowns. Each day I did the same routine for at least one MBE section - so I would pick, say contracts for the day, and look at which section within contracts I had the lowest score that I hadn't addressed yet (For instance, in one section of contract I was scoring 10-20% for the first 5 sets, which skewed my results long term - but I was getting 60-70 of that section by the end, even though the overall score still looked low.)

Each time I picked a section of that day's topic, I spent 2-3 hours taking notes on that section (I.e., equal protection, or contract formation.) from the outlines, which I found the best help - I really didn't want examples, just rules to work from. I then did 2 set of questions in that over all area, reading answers and taking notes on what I got wrong - or what I got right for the wrong reasons. (And added the scoring breakdown to my chart, so I could keep track.) After questions, I did two essays in that area, and then two essays in a non-MBE Area.

IF I finished that cycle early enough, I did the whole thing again for next MBE section. If I got through all MBE subjects in a Monday - Sun, I was allowed to goof off sat/sun - or at least, as much as bar anxiety would let me. I tried to make sure I did at least one essay from each non-MBE subject a week, although towards the end I ignored the stuff I was hitting consistently, or statistically was unlikely to appear. I kept a chart for myself of how many essays I had done in each subject. I never graduated to writing without the state/MBE outline in front of me. I knew jack shit about the state law in PA, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't imprinting CO law onto it.

I felt like the notes helped me address my worst areas within each section, while the question sets and essays kept the overall skills pretty high. I never submitted a graded essay, but I did end up over 90% on barbri.

This was mostly a data dump to avoid refreshing the NJ page.
Last edited by cmblack on Thu Nov 05, 2015 4:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Cscottrun

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by Cscottrun » Fri Oct 30, 2015 2:06 pm

starryski wrote:what Kaplan book is best for MBE practice. Im looking on Ebay and don't know what to go with.
This one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kaplan-PMBR-Bar ... Sw~OdVgLDc

http://www.amazon.com/2015-2016-KAPLAN- ... state+2015

Be aware that Kaplan book contains questions on all topics EXCEPT civ pro. There is a separate book (which is also really good) for that topic.

The emmanuels book is great, but it doesn't have enough questions IMO.

This is the emmanuels http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Tactic ... anuels+mbe

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by NY_Sea » Fri Oct 30, 2015 3:09 pm

Cscottrun wrote:
starryski wrote:what Kaplan book is best for MBE practice. Im looking on Ebay and don't know what to go with.
This one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kaplan-PMBR-Bar ... Sw~OdVgLDc

http://www.amazon.com/2015-2016-KAPLAN- ... state+2015

Be aware that Kaplan book contains questions on all topics EXCEPT civ pro. There is a separate book (which is also really good) for that topic.

The emmanuels book is great, but it doesn't have enough questions IMO.

This is the emmanuels http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Tactic ... anuels+mbe
Would you recommend this or Adaptibar? The only supplements I got so far for this time around are Critical Pass cards. Adaptibar seems the most appealing to me between that and the Kaplan book, tbh.

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by Cscottrun » Fri Oct 30, 2015 3:23 pm

NY_Sea wrote:
Cscottrun wrote:
starryski wrote:what Kaplan book is best for MBE practice. Im looking on Ebay and don't know what to go with.
This one: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kaplan-PMBR-Bar ... Sw~OdVgLDc

http://www.amazon.com/2015-2016-KAPLAN- ... state+2015

Be aware that Kaplan book contains questions on all topics EXCEPT civ pro. There is a separate book (which is also really good) for that topic.

The emmanuels book is great, but it doesn't have enough questions IMO.

This is the emmanuels http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Tactic ... anuels+mbe
Would you recommend this or Adaptibar? The only supplements I got so far for this time around are Critical Pass cards. Adaptibar seems the most appealing to me between that and the Kaplan book, tbh.
I can't speak for Adaptibar, didn't use it. But I will say I really loved the Kaplan books and believe they are the reason I did well on the MBE. Even though Kaplan is in book form and not online, it still lets you sort the questions, not only by general topic (i.e., con, contracts..etc), but also by specific levels (i.e., past consideration, or acceptance of an offer). Are you taking NY? If so, message me your email, I have something to send you. Also, I had the critical pass cards, but didn't really use them much. Some people love them though.

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by jaysnooginz » Sat Oct 31, 2015 9:17 am

I took Barbri.

My Routine:

From May to about the first week in July: All I did was watch the BarBri video of the day at like 1.5X speed.

From July 7 - Bar Exam Night: I did probably 2700 MBE questions. I did as many MBE questions per day as my brain could take, including carefully reading the explanation as to why I got a question wrong or right. I also reviewed the Convisor outline 3-4 times and the BarBri video outline 3-4 times. I used the really helpful statistical tools in BarBri to do extra questions on areas I kept getting wrong, and also reviewed those areas in the outline. For some reason I always sucked at intentional torts. By the end of doing all these questions I was getting 80% plus questions correct in all subjects while taking an MBE set.

I did absolutely zero practice MEEs and MPTs. I ended up getting something like 167 on both my essay score and MBE score in a UBE state.

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goden

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by goden » Sat Oct 31, 2015 3:15 pm

would the barbri takers recommend getting adaptibar or emmanuel to practice with real MBE questions?

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by orangecup » Sat Oct 31, 2015 4:23 pm

Took Kaplan. Passed the NY bar with a high MBE score. Did 2000+ MBEs in their Qbank, along with the 400 associated with the midterm/final.

For the MBE topics, I would watch the videos at 1.5-2x speed and fill in the blanks. I'd then convert those monster outlines into smaller ~15 page ones with just the key information (I had this done before July). I only worked on MBE questions on topics I had covered. Once I had completed all the topics, I started doing mixed sets everyday. I think I averaged 50-67 questions a day.

I started looking at essays early July. Since I didn't know any NY law yet, I spent the first couple weeks doing them open book. I think I started memorizing the law with homemade flashcards the first or second week of July (I started with the most frequently tested topics). Once I had a subject memorized, I'd take a crack at some closed book essays. I definitely missed a lot of issues at the start, but it got easier over time. The last week or week and a half I stopped writing essays and just read as many model answers as I could to see what was tested in the past. I think -- like in law school -- once you know how to approach an essay, there isn't much value added by wasting time writing them out.

I honestly spent way too much time studying for the bar. Although I guess it was nice being more confident on test day. My general routine was lecture in the AM. Workout early afternoon. Do / review MBEs in the late afternoon. Dinner. Once July hit, I did an essay or two after dinner and then spent the rest of the evening making / reviewing flash cards. I'd obviously take breaks throughout the day too -- it wasn't like I was running on full efficiency all day long. By the time the last week rolled around I was pretty burnt out and didn't do a whole lot.

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by cmblack » Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:16 am

goden wrote:would the barbri takers recommend getting adaptibar or emmanuel to practice with real MBE questions?
Apparently, there is a whole untapped section of questions within barbri, that they never told us about. About five days before the bar, they posted something on their face book about how to focus questions on problem areas, and when I followed it, it had 100s of qs on each indvidual area. Would have been nice to know about ahead of time, since I had been wondering why it said I had completed, like 20% of the questions in an area when I had complete everything they assigned.

I don't think adaptibar is a bad idea, but I will say, especially after videos are over, you wont have a ton of brain power/time if you actually complete all your scheduled activities for the day in barbri. It may be helpful earlier on in prep though.

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by NY_Sea » Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:20 pm

cmblack wrote:
goden wrote:would the barbri takers recommend getting adaptibar or emmanuel to practice with real MBE questions?
Apparently, there is a whole untapped section of questions within barbri, that they never told us about. About five days before the bar, they posted something on their face book about how to focus questions on problem areas, and when I followed it, it had 100s of qs on each indvidual area. Would have been nice to know about ahead of time, since I had been wondering why it said I had completed, like 20% of the questions in an area when I had complete everything they assigned.

I don't think adaptibar is a bad idea, but I will say, especially after videos are over, you wont have a ton of brain power/time if you actually complete all your scheduled activities for the day in barbri. It may be helpful earlier on in prep though.
I know they had StudySmart, but I was under the impression that those were just online versions of what they gave us in the book... Oh well. I'll assess and if I want to do Adaptibar I will. Need to do something for extra practice MBEs though... Can't let the MBE be what gets me again.

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cmblack

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by cmblack » Mon Nov 02, 2015 12:24 pm

NY_Sea wrote:
cmblack wrote:
goden wrote:would the barbri takers recommend getting adaptibar or emmanuel to practice with real MBE questions?
Apparently, there is a whole untapped section of questions within barbri, that they never told us about. About five days before the bar, they posted something on their face book about how to focus questions on problem areas, and when I followed it, it had 100s of qs on each indvidual area. Would have been nice to know about ahead of time, since I had been wondering why it said I had completed, like 20% of the questions in an area when I had complete everything they assigned.

I don't think adaptibar is a bad idea, but I will say, especially after videos are over, you wont have a ton of brain power/time if you actually complete all your scheduled activities for the day in barbri. It may be helpful earlier on in prep though.
I know they had StudySmart, but I was under the impression that those were just online versions of what they gave us in the book... Oh well. I'll assess and if I want to do Adaptibar I will. Need to do something for extra practice MBEs though... Can't let the MBE be what gets me again.
Yeah, the normal assigned questions were the same as the book - I did all of them in the book, and just inputted them to get my breakdown scoring. If MBE was your weakness, Adaptibar may be perfect for it! Good luck next time!

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by Youppi » Mon Nov 02, 2015 7:20 pm

I miraculously passed in Virginia. They do not provide a score report, but it is weighted 60% Virginia essays/40% MBE.

I studied working full-time, typically 45 hours a week. I was an evening student, so I am used to cramming and prioritizing.

First, I was able to take a Virginia bar review class during my 4E spring semester for credit. I believe we got through about 400 MBE questions and 20 essay questions. We completed broad outlines of the MBE subjects and most of the Virginia subjects.

Second, I took BARBRI. I watched every lecture at 1.5 - 1.75x speed and filled in the outlines. I completed all of the MBE mini-sets (?), the midterm, and the final review sets. I also did my own customized sets whenever I had time, focusing on my weaker areas. I did not write out any essays, but rather reviewed a subject, read topical questions, and reviewed the model answer.

I typically worked about 2-3 hours a night, at least 4 days during the week. On weekends, I worked around 15 hours total but dialed it up as the bar got closer.

I was able to use vacation time and take off work the week before the exam. I downloaded the Critical Pass App on my phone and skimmed through my weak subjects a few times a day. In between custom MBE sets on BARBRI, I condensed outlines and tried to memorize the basics. I studied at the hotel the night before Day 1 and again before Day 2.

I went in emotionally and physically drained with little confidence. The essays did not seem nearly as difficult as I anticipated, but I definitely made up several rules here and there. The MBE questions seemed nothing like the BARBRI practice questions, but I kept my composure and guessed where needed (everywhere). I kept pace through the first 80-85 questions in each set before rushing to beat the clock.

I still have no idea how I passed, but here is my advice:

(1) Do not burn yourself out. Take mental and physical breaks when you need them -- but do not do so simply out of laziness or procrastination. I did not do any studying on July 4th and it was wonderful.

(2) Find something to help you unwind every night. I watched the John Adams miniseries on HBO around midnight every night in the week leading up to the exam. It somehow managed to put my mind at ease.

(3) Do not get bogged down in the details. I panic studied towards the end, simply memorizing terms and their elements and hoping that I could word vomit out a rule statement on the exam. Apparently it worked.

(4) Do as many MBE practice questions as possible. Again, even though I felt like BARBRI's questions did not resemble any of the questions on test day, apparently it worked.

(5) Keep your damn composure. I had a few mental breakdowns, but I got them out before the exam. Once I was in Roanoke, I got into the mindset of giving it my best shot as a warm-up for February.

(6) Limit your drinking. I did not exercise like most people recommend, mostly because I did not have the time. Instead, I tried to keep drinking and binge-eating to a minimum. Or at least gave it my best shot. I ate a lot of ice cream.

(7) Warn your friends/family/dog/etc. that they are not going to see much of you until after the exam. But do not cut them out completely. I went out for a friend of mine's birthday party a week before the exam and it was a needed break.

(8) Trust your instincts and make up shit when needed.

I hope this helps. It probably will not, but I felt the need to type this out.

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by iThwl » Tue Nov 03, 2015 3:44 am

Passed in NY, studied for about 2 months with 6-9 hours per day. My suggestions for bar prep are:

1. Take care of your mental health. I took a walk after dinner everyday with family and friends which took away anxiety (to a certain extent) and increased efficiency.
2. Memorize Barbri essay answers. I read these essays for a total of three times and memorized most of the important points. This is a great way to 1). get comfortable with essay structure, 2). learn key points again and again, 3). if a similar question is asked, you do not need to spend much time thinking about it. A substantial portion of the actual bar exams asked similar questions this past July and I am grateful for the approach I took.
3. Practice MBE questions. Use both Barbri and Emanuel, do the questions and make sure you understand why you selected the wrong choice.
4. MPT. Practice a few questions and make sure you can complete the question with the correct format/structure during exam time.
5. NY MCQ. I could not care less. Left 10 questions unanswered. I didn't really study NY practice, to be honest.

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KTnKT

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by KTnKT » Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:39 am

Youppi wrote:I miraculously passed in Virginia. They do not provide a score report, but it is weighted 60% Virginia essays/40% MBE.

I studied working full-time, typically 45 hours a week. I was an evening student, so I am used to cramming and prioritizing.

First, I was able to take a Virginia bar review class during my 4E spring semester for credit. I believe we got through about 400 MBE questions and 20 essay questions. We completed broad outlines of the MBE subjects and most of the Virginia subjects.

Second, I took BARBRI. I watched every lecture at 1.5 - 1.75x speed and filled in the outlines. I completed all of the MBE mini-sets (?), the midterm, and the final review sets. I also did my own customized sets whenever I had time, focusing on my weaker areas. I did not write out any essays, but rather reviewed a subject, read topical questions, and reviewed the model answer.

I typically worked about 2-3 hours a night, at least 4 days during the week. On weekends, I worked around 15 hours total but dialed it up as the bar got closer.

I was able to use vacation time and take off work the week before the exam. I downloaded the Critical Pass App on my phone and skimmed through my weak subjects a few times a day. In between custom MBE sets on BARBRI, I condensed outlines and tried to memorize the basics. I studied at the hotel the night before Day 1 and again before Day 2.

I went in emotionally and physically drained with little confidence. The essays did not seem nearly as difficult as I anticipated, but I definitely made up several rules here and there. The MBE questions seemed nothing like the BARBRI practice questions, but I kept my composure and guessed where needed (everywhere). I kept pace through the first 80-85 questions in each set before rushing to beat the clock.

I still have no idea how I passed, but here is my advice:

(1) Do not burn yourself out. Take mental and physical breaks when you need them -- but do not do so simply out of laziness or procrastination. I did not do any studying on July 4th and it was wonderful.

(2) Find something to help you unwind every night. I watched the John Adams miniseries on HBO around midnight every night in the week leading up to the exam. It somehow managed to put my mind at ease.

(3) Do not get bogged down in the details. I panic studied towards the end, simply memorizing terms and their elements and hoping that I could word vomit out a rule statement on the exam. Apparently it worked.

(4) Do as many MBE practice questions as possible. Again, even though I felt like BARBRI's questions did not resemble any of the questions on test day, apparently it worked.

(5) Keep your damn composure. I had a few mental breakdowns, but I got them out before the exam. Once I was in Roanoke, I got into the mindset of giving it my best shot as a warm-up for February.

(6) Limit your drinking. I did not exercise like most people recommend, mostly because I did not have the time. Instead, I tried to keep drinking and binge-eating to a minimum. Or at least gave it my best shot. I ate a lot of ice cream.

(7) Warn your friends/family/dog/etc. that they are not going to see much of you until after the exam. But do not cut them out completely. I went out for a friend of mine's birthday party a week before the exam and it was a needed break.

(8) Trust your instincts and make up shit when needed.

I hope this helps. It probably will not, but I felt the need to type this out.

Thanks for posting. I'm evening/part time too and your schedule (minus the class during the semester) is my plan. Nice to know it worked for somebody. :)

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littlepanda

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by littlepanda » Tue Nov 03, 2015 12:03 pm

Took Barbri:

Week 1
Diligently followed Barbri schedule, watched the videos, etc. ~4h a day.

Weeks 2 - 6
Did nothing. It's summertime! Went into lalala mode. Much self-loathing about procrastinating, but at the same time did nothing. Played Witcher 3, enjoyed summer.

Weeks 7 - 8
Regret doing nothing. Caught up by watching lectures at 1.25x speed, making detailed outlines for each subject. Relied on convisor mini review to clarify anything I didn't understand. Didn't do any of the "fill in the blanks". 14h+ days.

Week 9
Freaked out. Did ~2000 MBE questions, reviewing those that I got wrong. Did no essay/mpt questions. 14h+ days.

Taking the actual bar
Spent the day before the bar still doing MBE questions, too much adrenaline to sleep. Spent the night inbetween the first and second day still doing MBE questions, too much adrenaline to sleep. Passed out on the train after the end of the second day.

Passed.... No idea what my score was. Please don't do what I did.

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by joeyc328 » Tue Nov 03, 2015 12:19 pm

Passed UBE Barbri:

Everyday: Live Lecture, all assignments, and made Flashcards on that days lecture.

First Month took off 1 weekend day.

Gym at night (I signed up for Title Boxing because they have 1 hour classes, kind of like cross-fit, in and out stay motivated and in shape).

The Night before my day off I would rage and have a good time and not talk about the bar.

Still did the Barbri Assignments after the lectures were over. Read outlines and flashcards outloud so I could repeat rules like a robot.

2 weeks before I did just MBE (including repeating older questions I got wrong) and Reviewed the Outlines for every Essay. I think this benefitted because in the UBE 3 of the 6 essays were MBE topics. Last thing is I already had a vast understanding of the MPTs before bar exam studying so I spent very little time aside for the lecture (the one I sped through).

One piece of advice is to eat a huge bowl of pasta between the 2 days so you fall asleep at night. Also don't try to quit any vices while studying for the bar.

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by NY_Sea » Thu Nov 05, 2015 4:19 pm

So far my study schedule seems to be working... Using a friend's set of CP cards, which I'm finding pretty useful. Might stick to those for MBE subjects and only read outlines for NY Specific Stuff (Wills, Admin, Corps, Dom. Rel., etc.).

If anyone else has started studying, how's it going?

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by Calchexas » Thu Nov 05, 2015 6:47 pm

(Feel free to forward this data to the guy compiling MBE scores and notes on each TLS member in the MBE topic.

-Student data: attended a T2 full-time, finished bottom 25% of my class, 162 LSAT. So I was more or less the profile of someone who needed to study hard, so study I did.
-Program: BarBri (99% completion rate)
-State: Texas
-Result: Passed
-Breakdown: 139.9 MBE, ? Texas Essays, ? MPT, ? Procedure and Evidence


-Schedule (pre-graduation): Before I graduated, I took several work and clinical opportunities. Each experience proved directly helpful to both my studies and actual test questions, especially for the Texas Essays. So if you're a 1L or 2L reading this, work may just save your life on the bar exam. And also before graduation, one of my mentors advised me to just skim some stuff in the final months of 3L. I did bad in my civil procedure class, so I skimmed some outlines to re-familiarize myself with it.

-Schedule (post-graduation): For Texas, I followed BarBri's personal study plan to a T, including getting my graded essays in on time, doing the amp lessons, and watching all lectures/answering all assigned MBE/essay topics. Occasionally I'd do some things early, or do entire large lectures all at once.

Your questions:

"how many hours of studying per day?" At first it was only 4-6 for the first few days, along with skipping a Sunday entirely, but from there on out I pretty consistently did anywhere between 6-10 hours a day, every day with the exceptions of Father's Day and the day before that.

"how many essays per day?/ how many MBEs per day?" Whatever BarBri told me to do. However, in the final three weeks I did a LOT more essays, because I finally caught on that if you just memorize old essay questions, you'll probably pick up a lot of points. So for most of the schedule I must've done only 2-3 essay questions between every 2-3 days, but at the end I was doing upwards to 5-6 or even more. And sometimes it wasn't even writing or outlining, but issue spotting and rote memorization.

I only did a couple MPTs seriously, but after the second or so, I decided I'd fare better just by making sure I finished the damn thing. Unlike every practice MPT I took, I actually completed the real thing....so no matter how bad you think your MPT is, just get the dumb thing done. Don't waste your time and do a million of them.

Miscellaneous:

Some people wholeheartedly suggest you get up to take a break at some point during each administration. I'd suggest you do what's best for you, because that can honestly change with each day. On days one and two, I never once got up, whereas for day three, I took a brief restroom break once I hit the infamous July 2015 lien question. The break refreshed my mind so that I could bullshit as best I could.

The sneaky little thing about the Texas P&E questions is that you don't have to do anything but rote memorization. Don't waste too much time on the barbri lectures for texas procedure, 'cause quite frankly the civpro lecturer was pretty bad. You're best served by starting with the newest questions, memorizing the sample answers, and then going back older administrations until the mid-2000s. You'll learn quickly that the actual test is full of repeats, so it's perhaps the most likely portion of the test where memorizing someone else's answer will give you points.

Do NOT, I repeat do NOT pay for BarBri's extra P&E lessons! I didn't pay for them because I knew that they were trying to play on my fears as a bar examinee and suck even more money out of me. It's basically just more lectures, which again are not the best way to stack up points on the P&E.

I can't underscore how useful it is to memorize the P&E, though. While dumb luck may strike us down on the other 90% of the test, you get a huge confidence boost knowing you'll score at least a 75 raw on that final P&E portion. For more info on killing the P&E, read [url]Carter Sahadi's discussion on the same topic[/url=http://www.cartersahadi.com/bar.htm]

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by NY_Sea » Mon Nov 09, 2015 10:25 am

Just checking in to see how everyone's doing... Started studying a couple weeks ago. Still plugging along... It gets frustrating at times reading through and saying to yourself "I know this already", but gotta do it so I never have to do this again. Way I see it, this is the last test I'm ever going to take (unless I need to take another state), so have to make 100% sure I get it done this time. Nothing but 110% effort. Let's do this guys (and girls)!

Also, thinking of making another thread for NY Feb takers, since I didn't come across one, but let's still keep this one going for tips/encouragement!

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by starryski » Mon Nov 09, 2015 12:32 pm

NY_Sea wrote:Just checking in to see how everyone's doing... Started studying a couple weeks ago. Still plugging along... It gets frustrating at times reading through and saying to yourself "I know this already", but gotta do it so I never have to do this again. Way I see it, this is the last test I'm ever going to take (unless I need to take another state), so have to make 100% sure I get it done this time. Nothing but 110% effort. Let's do this guys (and girls)!

Also, thinking of making another thread for NY Feb takers, since I didn't come across one, but let's still keep this one going for tips/encouragement!
i believe there is a NY Feb thread. nvm!

i am also feeling frustrated as I read through my outlines. I get moments of anger (5 freakin points!!!!!) but i'm slowly getting over it. i just can't wait until this is all over and I am finally sworn in. this is too frustrating.

i am still worried however about the higher cut off for passers in Feb. Since I was so close to passing this time, improving 5 points isn't going to cut in Feb, and that also adds to the frustration. At this point I'm telling myself that if i was so borderline, I probably deserved to fail.

NY_Sea

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by NY_Sea » Mon Nov 09, 2015 12:56 pm

starryski wrote:
NY_Sea wrote:Just checking in to see how everyone's doing... Started studying a couple weeks ago. Still plugging along... It gets frustrating at times reading through and saying to yourself "I know this already", but gotta do it so I never have to do this again. Way I see it, this is the last test I'm ever going to take (unless I need to take another state), so have to make 100% sure I get it done this time. Nothing but 110% effort. Let's do this guys (and girls)!

Also, thinking of making another thread for NY Feb takers, since I didn't come across one, but let's still keep this one going for tips/encouragement!
i believe there is a NY Feb thread.

i am also feeling frustrated as I read through my outlines. I get moments of anger (5 freakin points!!!!!) but i'm slowly getting over it. i just can't wait until this is all over and I am finally sworn in. this is too frustrating.

i am still worried however about the higher cut off for passers in Feb. Since I was so close to passing this time, improving 5 points isn't going to cut in Feb, and that also adds to the frustration. At this point I'm telling myself that if i was so borderline, I probably deserved to fail.
1) Gotta stop beating yourself up over it... It's only going to hinder your studying.

2) The fact that you were borderline does not mean you deserved to fail... For every person like you and I who came within 10 and failed, there's just as many who passed. Sometimes you just have an off day... Anyone would understand that.

3) I plan on taking the same approach for Feb as July (except with a little more focus in my studies)... I'm trying to worry about me and me alone. The fact that there is a harsher scale in Feb is that they scale the essays to the mean MBE score, which is lower in Feb than July for the most part, so you need to do better on the essays in Feb to get what you would in July (in theory). In my opinion, that just means there's a tiny bit more emphasis on the MBE as that's going to be the real differentiating part of the test. I wouldn't lose sleep or let it hinder my preparation. You paid the registration fee (like me), just give it all you can in the time that you can devote to studying and let the chips fall where they do.

I'm a competitive person by nature... I decided to take Feb instead of waiting and taking the UBE because I wanted to beat this version of the exam. I don't like losing and this time around I will do whatever I need to do to make sure I don't lose. Adopt that mentality if you want... Or something similar. Just do whatever you need to do to get yourself in that sort of mindset. You were within 5 points of passing the NY Bar... One of the hardest tests in the world. You can pass it for sure if you build on the knowledge you already have from the first time.

Fauxttorney2015

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by Fauxttorney2015 » Mon Nov 09, 2015 1:20 pm

I just passed NJ but I was a repeat taker (passed on my third time).

I struggled the most with the MBE, and could not get my score up. I was always in the low 120's. Not sure if it was BarBri that wasn't clicking for me, or I wasn't studying correctly. So third time around I came up with a different strategy:

I met with a tutor who specializes in essays. My essay scores were decent, but we figured if I could score high enough on the essays, there would be a little less pressure on the MBE. So I focused on "mastering" the essays, and then got Adaptibar to work through the MBE. Adaptibar was really helpful, and I could see my progress and problem areas clearly as compared to BarBri. My score on the MBE went up to a 131 (which was really high for me) and I was averaging 4s and 5s on the essays when I was practicing. I don't know what my test day essay scores were because NJ didn't include it, but I can assume they were 3s, 4s, and 5s.

Hopefully this helps those who are struggling with the MBE...I know NY is a different test, but if you can score high enough on the essays then that should eliminate some anxiety from the MBE.

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starryski

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by starryski » Mon Nov 09, 2015 1:58 pm

NY_Sea wrote:
starryski wrote:
NY_Sea wrote:Just checking in to see how everyone's doing... Started studying a couple weeks ago. Still plugging along... It gets frustrating at times reading through and saying to yourself "I know this already", but gotta do it so I never have to do this again. Way I see it, this is the last test I'm ever going to take (unless I need to take another state), so have to make 100% sure I get it done this time. Nothing but 110% effort. Let's do this guys (and girls)!

Also, thinking of making another thread for NY Feb takers, since I didn't come across one, but let's still keep this one going for tips/encouragement!
i believe there is a NY Feb thread.

i am also feeling frustrated as I read through my outlines. I get moments of anger (5 freakin points!!!!!) but i'm slowly getting over it. i just can't wait until this is all over and I am finally sworn in. this is too frustrating.

i am still worried however about the higher cut off for passers in Feb. Since I was so close to passing this time, improving 5 points isn't going to cut in Feb, and that also adds to the frustration. At this point I'm telling myself that if i was so borderline, I probably deserved to fail.
1) Gotta stop beating yourself up over it... It's only going to hinder your studying.

2) The fact that you were borderline does not mean you deserved to fail... For every person like you and I who came within 10 and failed, there's just as many who passed. Sometimes you just have an off day... Anyone would understand that.

3) I plan on taking the same approach for Feb as July (except with a little more focus in my studies)... I'm trying to worry about me and me alone. The fact that there is a harsher scale in Feb is that they scale the essays to the mean MBE score, which is lower in Feb than July for the most part, so you need to do better on the essays in Feb to get what you would in July (in theory). In my opinion, that just means there's a tiny bit more emphasis on the MBE as that's going to be the real differentiating part of the test. I wouldn't lose sleep or let it hinder my preparation. You paid the registration fee (like me), just give it all you can in the time that you can devote to studying and let the chips fall where they do.

I'm a competitive person by nature... I decided to take Feb instead of waiting and taking the UBE because I wanted to beat this version of the exam. I don't like losing and this time around I will do whatever I need to do to make sure I don't lose. Adopt that mentality if you want... Or something similar. Just do whatever you need to do to get yourself in that sort of mindset. You were within 5 points of passing the NY Bar... One of the hardest tests in the world. You can pass it for sure if you build on the knowledge you already have from the first time.

appreciate this. i am also a highly competitive person and also want to beat this version of the test. i know i'm my harshest critic and i need to cut myself some slack. everyone else in my office seems to have forgotten I failed, except me of course. and i agree, i cannot let the scale or whatever else may or may not happen hinder my studying. if i can improve my MBE 7-10 points and maintain my essay scores i should be ok.

what are the odds of facing a big admin essay again in Feb?

emilybrock1234

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by emilybrock1234 » Mon Nov 09, 2015 3:14 pm

I passed the bar exam this July as a first time taker.

I took Barbri and also purchased the Kaplan Q Bank for extra MBE practice because the MBE was my weakest point. I followed the Barbri schedule, but revised it to fit my own needs. I gave myself more days per subject on most topics. I also skipped the lectures altogether and instead studied from 8:00-6:00 everyday, Monday-Sunday. I found that the lectures were not beneficial to me. If you take Barbri, I only used the Mini Conviser book. It gives you everything you need in a condensed form. I also skipped all of the Barbri assignments except for MBE questions and essays. I didn't find any of the others beneficial.

I took very few breaks during the summer, but I think it would have been helpful if I did. I tried to do at least one essay per day, although I typically did more. Instead of writing them out, I read the question and did an outline of the relevant rules and the answer. Then, I read the Barbri model answer. I also tried to do MBE questions everyday. Typically, I would try to do a subject I had previously covered so that I could have a quick refresher on it (so, if we did contracts the week before, I’d try to do 10-20 contracts questions per day). After doing an essay outline or MBE questions, I would type the relevant rules and why I got it wrong into a word document. I added these to binders for every topic. The few weeks before the exam, I was able to quickly go through and review black letter law that I had previously gotten incorrect. It was really helpful. I also used the Quizlet app to create flashcards for quick review before bed every night (I tried to make flashcards by hand the first two or three weeks--would not advise unless you want to send yourself to an early grave).

In July, I went through the essay topics test frequency chart (that Barbri provided) and made my schedule based on that. I studied the topics tested least frequently at the beginning of July, and gave myself multiple days or longer time periods for the things tested heavily. Everyday, I tried to follow this schedule:
(1) Study topic #1 (8:00-12:00)
(2) Lunch (12:00-12:30)
(2) Do practice essays and MBE (12:30-2:30)
(3) Study topic #2 (2:30-6:30)
(4) Brief review of previously studied topics (9:00-10:00)
I also purchased the NCBE full tests and did two of those. It was very helpful because the questions were a lot different than the Barbri and Kaplan ones, in my opinion. I also did every full-length test Barbri offered to build up my stamina for the actual test. Some days I did veer off my schedule, but all summer I tried to stick to it as much as possible. Treat this like a job and get into a routine. I would also advise you to wake up early, because the actual exam is early in the morning and this will help you get used to that if you are not a morning person.

I guess my ultimate advice for you is to do as many practice questions as possible in your weakest subjects. Focus on whichever part of the test you are weakest in as well. So, if you are doing fine at essays but not at MBE, then try to add more MBE questions. Don't be afraid to stray from your bar prep course schedule and also do not try to change up what worked for you in law school. You know how you study best. At the beginning of the summer, I tried to do what Barbri recommended, rather than what I knew worked for me. I wasted a few weeks doing that.

Oh, and do not freak out if you aren’t doing as well as you think! On my Barbri questions, I consistently hit the average score (usually around 60%) and on the midterm I scored 115/200, but I still passed (I can't tell you what my score was because my state does not release them if you pass). Also, do not freak out if you feel like you are not retaining things. You are!

If you need any help or have questions, feel free to message me and I will help any of you retakers or first time takers! I am happy to help, honestly.

NY_Sea

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by NY_Sea » Mon Nov 09, 2015 5:14 pm

starryski wrote:
NY_Sea wrote:
starryski wrote:
NY_Sea wrote:Just checking in to see how everyone's doing... Started studying a couple weeks ago. Still plugging along... It gets frustrating at times reading through and saying to yourself "I know this already", but gotta do it so I never have to do this again. Way I see it, this is the last test I'm ever going to take (unless I need to take another state), so have to make 100% sure I get it done this time. Nothing but 110% effort. Let's do this guys (and girls)!

Also, thinking of making another thread for NY Feb takers, since I didn't come across one, but let's still keep this one going for tips/encouragement!
i believe there is a NY Feb thread.

i am also feeling frustrated as I read through my outlines. I get moments of anger (5 freakin points!!!!!) but i'm slowly getting over it. i just can't wait until this is all over and I am finally sworn in. this is too frustrating.

i am still worried however about the higher cut off for passers in Feb. Since I was so close to passing this time, improving 5 points isn't going to cut in Feb, and that also adds to the frustration. At this point I'm telling myself that if i was so borderline, I probably deserved to fail.
1) Gotta stop beating yourself up over it... It's only going to hinder your studying.

2) The fact that you were borderline does not mean you deserved to fail... For every person like you and I who came within 10 and failed, there's just as many who passed. Sometimes you just have an off day... Anyone would understand that.

3) I plan on taking the same approach for Feb as July (except with a little more focus in my studies)... I'm trying to worry about me and me alone. The fact that there is a harsher scale in Feb is that they scale the essays to the mean MBE score, which is lower in Feb than July for the most part, so you need to do better on the essays in Feb to get what you would in July (in theory). In my opinion, that just means there's a tiny bit more emphasis on the MBE as that's going to be the real differentiating part of the test. I wouldn't lose sleep or let it hinder my preparation. You paid the registration fee (like me), just give it all you can in the time that you can devote to studying and let the chips fall where they do.

I'm a competitive person by nature... I decided to take Feb instead of waiting and taking the UBE because I wanted to beat this version of the exam. I don't like losing and this time around I will do whatever I need to do to make sure I don't lose. Adopt that mentality if you want... Or something similar. Just do whatever you need to do to get yourself in that sort of mindset. You were within 5 points of passing the NY Bar... One of the hardest tests in the world. You can pass it for sure if you build on the knowledge you already have from the first time.

appreciate this. i am also a highly competitive person and also want to beat this version of the test. i know i'm my harshest critic and i need to cut myself some slack. everyone else in my office seems to have forgotten I failed, except me of course. and i agree, i cannot let the scale or whatever else may or may not happen hinder my studying. if i can improve my MBE 7-10 points and maintain my essay scores i should be ok.

what are the odds of facing a big admin essay again in Feb?
So I know a lot of people who were blindsided by that Admin essay... I was pretty much planning for one to be there because of how recently they had added it to the testable subject matter. They said that it would be up for grabs in Feb... There was no Admin essay in Feb, so I just assumed that it was going to be on there in July since they made such a big stink about it and now they only have July and Feb to test it.

For Feb, idk if they will do a whole essay on it like they did in July, but I would bet on it being tested in some capacity because it's the last test they can test it on. That being said, I would imagine they would only test the bigger stuff in Admin, Article 78 SOL (4 months), SAPA and notice requirements, evidentiary stuff (like that Admin proceedings don't follow the major evidence rules, so hearsay is fine).

starryski

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Re: Pls share study schedule or routine - passers, retakers and new examinees

Post by starryski » Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:26 pm

i wasn't blindsided by the Admin essay much, as I took a lot of admin courses (environmental law) in law school. i guess i didn't give them what they wanted. had i just gotten a 40 on that one I would have passed. but the past is past. the good thing is that now we actually get to see what they expected on that one once i get my essay materials.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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


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