Hey!
This was my second time and I passed. So I wanted to share advice on prepping for the Beast (though there's tons of advice already on here).
1. The sooner you start to study the better. Meaning, today you should have picked up a book. No time to cry, lament, or wonder "What if."
2. For essays - do as many practice essays as you can, NOT just the ones in essay books from Barbri or whatever course you are using. Handwrite them for now. This will force your brain to retain info. Look at one or two sample answers. Write down the most frequently tested rules for each essay (I can still remember what the most frequently tested rules for trusts/wills/PR/Busn Org/Comm Prop/Contracts/Remedies/Evidence essays are. And yes, I saw them again this February
. And it was a pleasure to see those punks
) . Once you do that, go to your Conviser (or whatever book from your prep course) to clarify any rules you don't understand.
3. RECORD yourselves. Yes! Sounds silly, but it works. Use your iPhone to record yourselves saying the rules from each essay out loud. Also record yourself explaining the reasoning in the essays without looking at your notes- as if you were explaining it to your cousin or friend. This will help you ensure that you understand the rules and that you indeed understand the approach. And then listen to your recording while driving to work, or instead of listening to Rhi Rhi at the gym while working out.
4. PTs. I did one every Sunday early afternoon, just like test day, for two months straight. Yes. I skipped mass on Sundays. lol. The key is becoming familiar, and not being afraid of those PTs on test day. Just like Essays, PTs have patterns. The only way to get there is doing more, and more, and more of them. Do more than those in the Barbri book. The Bar website is pretty generous with giving you previous ones - lots of them.
5. MBEs. I used Adaptibar. Was doing about 30 questions per day. Wrote down the ones I didn't get right. I hand wrote the rules. Again, hand writing the rules helps your brain to process them better. 30 questions a day is NOT a lot. Maybe at beginning. But then you get into it and start having fun. At the end of the study session, I had done about 2000 MBE questions. I felt prepared because of all the practice. Do FULL OUT 200Qs practice exams. I did the four (4) full practice tests that Adaptibar provides.
That's my advice. ALSO, I failed the July 2015 and I was short of 80+ points. I thought it'd be impossible to pass the second time (I thought increments would be the way), but I told myself "screw it. Forget about that low score, and go for it. Go hard." And it worked.
Tell yourself you'll pass. DO NOT GO FOR THE "MINIMUM COMPETENCY" MENTALITY BARBRI OR OTHER PEOPLE GIVE YOU. AIM FOR THE HIGHEST SCORE ON EACH ESSAY YOU PRACTICE. AND FOR EACH PT YOU DO. AND FOR EACH FULL OUT MBE TEST YOU TAKE.
Let me know if you have any questions. G'luck, and go get 'em!
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