BarBri Bar Review Hangout - July 2015 Exam Forum

[kyle010723]

Remember that equity essay I just complained about? Apparently real essay from July 2013 in IL... the other IL essay that year? A whole essay on water rights! I'm going to go hide under a cover now.

[Good Guy Gaud]

Took Emmanuals PM today and got 69/100. I checked my score after the first 50 and was at like 82%. fuck. I wonder who in the fuck is scoring like 160 raw on these exams because I've almost exclusively focused on the MBE and I'm still maxing out below where I'd like to be.

Shit is so frustrating. FWIW I thought the PM was a bit harder than the AM and I'm in full UBE state so I have also basically gonna HAM on the MBE

Eta: 69 is still solid though. Don't overlook that.

[Kage3212]

Remember that equity essay I just complained about? Apparently real essay from July 2013 in IL... the other IL essay that year? A whole essay on water rights! I'm going to go hide under a cover now.

For random things like this, I always wonder why bar examiners test topics that they know students will likely not know. I am assuming that many other people who had this essay were just like WTF.

I think this may be a sort of bar examine trick, to see how exmainees handle the stress of not knowing the subject matter at all. Sink or swim type of mentality. I would guess that a reasonable "college try" would have netted a good amount of points compared to those that didn't even venture a shot.

[Kage3212]

How is everything planning on carrying all of their stuff to the bar exam?

My understanding is that we can take like a bookbag and what not for laptop/lunch carrying, but we have to leave it unattended in a hallway area. Worth taking a decent northface bookbag, or should I be pulling out the beater from college?

[ohhoney]

I've gotten 70%+ on the couple Barbri mixed sets I've done and got 77/100 on the Emanuel A.M. questions yesterday...I was feeling pretty good. Then I scored my Barbri half day and got 57. Kinda panicked. Talk me off the ledge??! Anyone experience anything similar?

I'm getting low 60s on everything and took the BARBRI Half Day. Got a 52.
Feel awful right now.

At least we aren't alone in the awful feeling. I've decided that the Barbri Half Day and its good friend the MBE "Refresher" can both go straight to hell. Like why are you testing me on obscure, nuanced bullshit this close to the test, Barbri?! We should just forget those confidence-killers and forge ahead, I suppose.

[Outis Onoma]

Did essay 3 for trusts. That was a bloodbath.

[charlesxavier]

Remember that equity essay I just complained about? Apparently real essay from July 2013 in IL... the other IL essay that year? A whole essay on water rights! I'm going to go hide under a cover now.

For random things like this, I always wonder why bar examiners test topics that they know students will likely not know. I am assuming that many other people who had this essay were just like WTF.

I think this may be a sort of bar examine trick, to see how exmainees handle the stress of not knowing the subject matter at all. Sink or swim type of mentality. I would guess that a reasonable "college try" would have netted a good amount of points compared to those that didn't even venture a shot.

This is my belief and why I expect at least one curveball essay. There's no way they could expect more than 5% of people to know a few of the questions I've seen. The model answer is typically generic and far from right but it was well written and analyzed.

[zta_themis]

Did essay 3 for trusts. That was a bloodbath.

Was it the one about re-writing the trust to make it conform to the husband's wishes? I'm not sure if we all have the same MEET book but if so I remember LOLing at that question.

[Lawlawpalooza]

Did essay 3 for trusts. That was a bloodbath.

Was it the one about re-writing the trust to make it conform to the husband's wishes? I'm not sure if we all have the same MEET book but if so I remember LOLing at that question.

Me too. And then I shut off my timer and flipped straight to the answer page without writing a word.

[kyle010723]

Did essay 3 for trusts. That was a bloodbath.

Was it the one about re-writing the trust to make it conform to the husband's wishes? I'm not sure if we all have the same MEET book but if so I remember LOLing at that question.

Me too. And then I shut off my timer and flipped straight to the answer page without writing a word.

I've seen that question too. See, with law school, we go in there knowing we know everything there is to know about the subject. With the bar, we don't even know half of the subjects. I usually don't even stress about a law school final, but this is unreal.

[941law]

We set the grade scaling, not them. Obviously there is a minority of us that will be over prepared and ready for anything, and then a chunk that underestimated the exam, but the majority of us will know just enough. We will define "just enough."

Relax.

[Ludacrispat26]

We get scrap paper for the essays, right? New York here.

Just a bump

[vulaw]

We set the grade scaling, not them. Obviously there is a minority of us that will be over prepared and ready for anything, and then a chunk that underestimated the exam, but the majority of us will know just enough. We will define "just enough."

Relax.

"Just enough" is fine with me.

[LSL]

Just wanted to give a shout-out/reminder to a tool that's been helping me drill in areas I need improvement or more confidence on for the MBE subjects.

In Barbri Study-Smart MBE, go to "self-study" mode and then expand the subject matter (ex: Evidence--->Impeachment). You can isolate the exact topic of questions you want to practice. Moreover, you can pick the difficulty (introductory/intermediate/difficult/or all). Going with the lower levels of difficulty in topic areas I've still wanted practice with has helped weed-out some of the "WTF Barbri?" effect of having to deal with really nuanced, hyper-specific questions that are less likely to show up on the test (and confidence killers) while also giving me some practice in the fundamentals of that topic.

[gk101]

got 147/200 on the Barbri MBE thing. Have yet to write out a single essay but I have given up on practicing those. going to read through those condensed outlines for essay topics today and tomorrow and hope I can throw in enough buzzwords on game day

[charlesxavier]

Anybody else reached the point of just semi-consciously reviewing their outline? Granted, I'm in a 1/3 MBE state and 1 essay point is worth about 4 MBE points. But, I'm just ready for this to be over and feel like the next few days are going to drag by. For the essays, will I be able to recall the difference between a quorum for shareholders and a quorum for directors? I hope so, but if not I'll just say it is a majority, act like I'm absolutely sure that's right and move on.

[rickgrimes69]

Just wanted to give a shout-out/reminder to a tool that's been helping me drill in areas I need improvement or more confidence on for the MBE subjects.

In Barbri Study-Smart MBE, go to "self-study" mode and then expand the subject matter (ex: Evidence--->Impeachment). You can isolate the exact topic of questions you want to practice. Moreover, you can pick the difficulty (introductory/intermediate/difficult/or all). Going with the lower levels of difficulty in topic areas I've still wanted practice with has helped weed-out some of the "WTF Barbri?" effect of having to deal with really nuanced, hyper-specific questions that are less likely to show up on the test (and confidence killers) while also giving me some practice in the fundamentals of that topic.

Wow I wish I had known this a month ago

[cdelgado]

To hell with these essays. A majority of examinees cannot know this material.

At least, that's my hope.

[LSL]

Wow I wish I had known this a month ago

Yeah, my thoughts too. Found out about it a few days ago and have been trying it out with success. At least it can help a bit with trying to drill down the trickier shit in these last few days.

[kyle010723]

To hell with these essays. A majority of examinees cannot know this material.

At least, that's my hope.

I'm trying to convince myself this

[charlesxavier]

To hell with these essays. A majority of examinees cannot know this material.

At least, that's my hope.

I'm trying to convince myself this

I feel like our goal should simply be to avoid answering a question in a way that has the grader respond with:

"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

[BearState]

I think if you just throw in "reasonable" a bunch you're fine

[Rudolph]

How are people remembering the distinction between claim preclusion and issue preclusion? I seem to confuse which doctrine will bar a subsequent action with some regularity.

Bumping this question -- any help appreciated!

[kyle010723]

I feel like our goal should simply be to avoid answering a question in a way that has the grader respond with:

"Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul."

Oh God, I would be so tempted to put in an essay that the Supreme Court cannot have the final say on what is constitutional and Congress can override them by simply passing a bill. But then I will surely fail.

[victortsoi]

just so we're not all confused next week- assuming we get anything related to same sex marriage on either our state essays or mbe, we address it with intermediate scrutiny, despite the fact that last month the SC basically shuffled the issue into the strict scrutiny category (forgive me, I'm not a con law savant). ?