BarBri Bar Review Hangout - July 2015 Exam Forum

[rinkrat19]

If PR shows up on the essay, I think my answer will be:

"Please refer to my MPRE score."

kthxbai

*drops mic*

At this point I am definitely assuming I can remember/BS enough from ethics class and my 6 hours studying for the MPRE. Ethics is waaaaay down at the bottom of my list of priorities.

[BVest]

Dumb question, but I've seen different rules for this in my notes/outlines.

Do merchant's firm offers need to be in writing to be enforceable? Or is it just that they have the three month limitation?

Yes. Offer by a merchant in a signed writing which by its terms gives assurance that it will be held open is irrevocable during the time stated, but period of revocability cannot exceed 90 days.

Unless consideration is given, and then it can last for an irrevocable period past 90 days. I think there was a question in the Simulated MBE about this.

I believe that's right, but someone correct me if I'm wrong!

Just for clarity, UCC 2-205:

An offer by a merchant to buy or sell goods in a signed writing which by its terms gives assurance that it will be held open is not revocable, for lack of consideration,[1] during the time stated or if no time is stated for a reasonable time, but in no event may such period of irrevocability exceed three months[2]; but any such term of assurance on a form supplied by the offeree must be separately signed by the offeror.[3]

Bracketed numbers are my annotations:
[1] I'm guessing this is what would allow consideration to extend the option even longer?
[2] Note "3 months" rather than 90 days, but fuck them if they test that distinction.
[3] I guess this means that there's no exception where offeree seeks open offer in writing but offerer fails to respond but is bound anyway like there is for SOF.

[xfer2013]

I need to boost my MBE score 10%. 20% would be even better and give me an actual chance to pass.

I've been doing small sets of problems and then going back through them and writing down the rule/exception/nitpicky bullshit relevant detail for every one, whether I got it right or wrong, and making sure I understand why I was right/wrong. Last night I decided to try reviewing the LeanSheet for each subject immediately before doing a small of Emanuel questions and was super excited to 90% in ConLaw! Followed by 20% in Contracts. Averaged out to my usual 60% in all categories. (I only get about 5% worse on Barbri questions most of the time.)

I can't seem to get consistently over the 60% hump. What should I try?

Two possible approaches:

1) just keep drilling the MBE stuff because there are a lot of little tricks within each area of each topic and you don't fall for the trick after you've seen it once or twice. That should get you some more points...

2) alternatively, you could start focusing on essay stuff. Your MBE score looks medianish, which is well above passing for the bar. The effort required to move your MBE from median to 60th or 70th percentile might be more than the effort to move your essays from sub median to median or whatever.

I need an overall national median score just to pass. Oregon's passing score is a ridiculous 284. 50% MBE, 25% mixed essay, 25% MPTs

There are essay topics I haven't even looked at yet because I've been stuck for weeks trying to improve my MBE. All along I wanted to ace the MBE so I could bomb the essays, but I got stuck at 60-ish% for so long that I haven't been able to shift gears to put in any time on the essays.

Oh, well then yeah I would keep working MBE. MPT's gonna be a joke, and your essays are only 25% of your grade anyway... if worse comes to worst just apply the national rules on the essays and you'll still get half the points on each essay...

[myrtlewinston]

Definitely. I mentioned a few days ago that the essay that barely failed didn't notice the state actor exception for the DCC and didn't even mention the substantial nexus test for non-discriminatory taxes. Not seeing those issues made their answer wrong on 2 out of the 3 questions. Plus, the organization was okay but surely below average.

What is the state actor exception?

Thankfully, NY barely ever tests Con Law on essays...I think? Right?

I kinda hope that's right. I actually had to check after reading this, the barbri materials say NY essays test the 16 random NY areas "plus all MBE topics" so I guess conlaw essays are fair game?

Dear God, NO Con Law essay.

[reinbowbrite]

Anyone take that 21 question MBE sample set on the NCBE site? Thought it was worth doing because of all the talk about Barbri questions being different from the real ones.

Got 81% correct, about 10% better than my average for barbri questions...

So maybe there is something to the barbri questions being harder? Anyone else do this?

FWIW: I just did it and I got 15/21, 71 %. That's worse than I did on Refresher and barely better than the Sim MBE. I also only got 6/10 on the Civ Pro thing.

I got 19/21 correct on these, but that has to be a fluke. Only got 6/10 on the Civ Pro questions. That's more like it. Considering:

118/200 on Sim MBE
63/100 on MBE Refresher

[kyle010723]

Meh, 33/50 on Mixed Set 2 after 35+ on several other Mixed Sets. Dumb mistakes aside, there were some weird questions.

[Good Guy Gaud]

Accuracy went down a little on Emanuel PM (maybe i'll tell myself it was just a harder half lol)

Total: 137/200

[kyle010723]

Accuracy went down a little on Emanuel PM (maybe i'll tell myself it was just a harder half lol)

Total: 137/200

That's still not a bad score you know.

[ladylawyer1221]

Anyone take that 21 question MBE sample set on the NCBE site? Thought it was worth doing because of all the talk about Barbri questions being different from the real ones.

Got 81% correct, about 10% better than my average for barbri questions...

So maybe there is something to the barbri questions being harder? Anyone else do this?

FWIW: I just did it and I got 15/21, 71 %. That's worse than I did on Refresher and barely better than the Sim MBE. I also only got 6/10 on the Civ Pro thing.

I got 19/21 correct on these, but that has to be a fluke. Only got 6/10 on the Civ Pro questions. That's more like it. Considering:

118/200 on Sim MBE
63/100 on MBE Refresher

Mine were similar:
19/21 on the sample questions, 7/10 civ pro....
125 on sim MBE
62 refresher

We're still above the "average" so we are ok -- riiiiight?

[Good Guy Gaud]

Accuracy went down a little on Emanuel PM (maybe i'll tell myself it was just a harder half lol)

Total: 137/200

That's still not a bad score you know.

Yea, but it's just frustrating. Like, after so many questions, how are all of us not acing these tests already!?!?!

btw, I struggled (relative to the others) with MPQ Set 2 as well

[JoeAccidentally]

Accuracy went down a little on Emanuel PM (maybe i'll tell myself it was just a harder half lol)

Total: 137/200

Truth. Just went 64/100 on Emanuel P.M. Some of those caught me off guard.

[Good Guy Gaud]

Accuracy went down a little on Emanuel PM (maybe i'll tell myself it was just a harder half lol)

Total: 137/200

Truth. Just went 64/100 on Emanuel P.M. Some of those caught me off guard.

I was 65/100 lol

[nutella123]

Anyone else suddenly not doing as well on MBE questions? ie getting only about 50% right? Freaking out.

[kyle010723]

Yea, but it's just frustrating. Like, after so many questions, how are all of us not acing these tests already!?!?!

btw, I struggled (relative to the others) with MPQ Set 2 as well

I've concluded that there is no way to "ace" the MBE short of a divine intervention.

But yup, I was getting used to seeing 70%+ for a few days then boom, a 66%, lol...

[kyle010723]

Anyone else suddenly not doing as well on MBE questions? ie getting only about 50% right? Freaking out.

Depend on what are these MBE questions that you are referring to. Can be harder questions, or a burn out. Probably the later though.

[old_soul]

Is everyone else still memorizing? I'm sorry, I know the exam is in like 4 days, but there's still a crap load to memorize for my state. >_< I guess the only good thing is that 90% of the rules I'm memorizing are not rules I'm seeing for the first time. I intend to stop memorizing by Sunday night. Then just do a review on Monday, call it quits around 2 pm Mon.

[rickgrimes69]

Definitely. I mentioned a few days ago that the essay that barely failed didn't notice the state actor exception for the DCC and didn't even mention the substantial nexus test for non-discriminatory taxes. Not seeing those issues made their answer wrong on 2 out of the 3 questions. Plus, the organization was okay but surely below average.

What is the state actor exception?

Thankfully, NY barely ever tests Con Law on essays...I think? Right?

I kinda hope that's right. I actually had to check after reading this, the barbri materials say NY essays test the 16 random NY areas "plus all MBE topics" so I guess conlaw essays are fair game?

Con Law is the least frequently tested topic on NY essays along with Worker's Comp. Of the last 40 examinations, it's only been tested 3 times.

So in other words, I'm not preparing for it at all and rolling the dice.

[Good Guy Gaud]

Is everyone else still memorizing? I'm sorry, I know the exam is in like 4 days, but there's still a crap load to memorize for my state. >_< I guess the only good thing is that 90% of the rules I'm memorizing are not rules I'm seeing for the first time. I intend to stop memorizing by Sunday night. Then just do a review on Monday, call it quits around 2 pm Mon.

Other than general review, nah. My brain is full. If I can't pass the bar I'll just retire my cap and become a rodeo clown.

[nutella123]

Anyone else suddenly not doing as well on MBE questions? ie getting only about 50% right? Freaking out.

Depend on what are these MBE questions that you are referring to. Can be harder questions, or a burn out. Probably the later though.

Con law mostly.

[kyle010723]

Anyone else suddenly not doing as well on MBE questions? ie getting only about 50% right? Freaking out.

Depend on what are these MBE questions that you are referring to. Can be harder questions, or a burn out. Probably the later though.

Con law mostly.

I wouldn't let it get into your head. Review what you did wrong, but stay confident. We've made it this far, we can make it through this.

[reinbowbrite]

Accuracy went down a little on Emanuel PM (maybe i'll tell myself it was just a harder half lol)

Total: 137/200

That's still not a bad score you know.

Yea, but it's just frustrating. Like, after so many questions, how are all of us not acing these tests already!?!?!

btw, I struggled (relative to the others) with MPQ Set 2 as well

I actually improved from MPQ Set 1 to 2 t0 3 (went from 60% to 70% to 84%). I was feeling awesome, but then I really bombed Set 4 and got less than half of them right. I did these several days ago, and I think/hope I did so poorly on Set 4 just because of burnout. But, in all honesty, my multiple-choice practice scores are all over the place. I don't have any idea what to expect on game day.

Edited to say that Set 5 and 6 for the individual MBE topics are just ridiculous. I answer them, laugh at my scores, and refuse to take them into consideration since they are so over-the-top.

[nutella123]

Anyone else suddenly not doing as well on MBE questions? ie getting only about 50% right? Freaking out.

Depend on what are these MBE questions that you are referring to. Can be harder questions, or a burn out. Probably the later though.

Con law mostly.

I wouldn't let it get into your head. Review what you did wrong, but stay confident. We've made it this far, we can make it through this.

Thanks. I just hope a lot more is in my head than I'm feeling right now....

[RufioRufio]

Anybody else officially burned out? Not that I think I'm ready for it, but to be honest, at this point every second spent studying, while possibly good to get the unfamiliar topics/to do list down, seems to be equally setback by blows to whatever confidence I've built up.

[kyle010723]

Anybody else officially burned out? Not that I think I'm ready for it, but to be honest, at this point every second spent studying, while possibly good to get the unfamiliar topics/to do list down, seems to be equally setback by blows to whatever confidence I've built up.

I'm with you, but this is the Tour de France and we are so close to Paris, must. keep. pedaling

[mr.hands]

Anybody else officially burned out? Not that I think I'm ready for it, but to be honest, at this point every second spent studying, while possibly good to get the unfamiliar topics/to do list down, seems to be equally setback by blows to whatever confidence I've built up.

Yep, I could be studying commercial paper and secured transactions but i can't force myself to do anything else. After 1400ish questions and 50 practice essay, i'm officially done. If I can't pass with that prep, I probably don't deserve to pass at all