Kaplan Bar Review Hangout - July 2015 Exam Forum

[despina]

For my state they're self-graded only.

[cmartin5970]

Are our essays/MPTs from the final going to be graded? Or just self-grading?

NC is self grade and only one model answer

[odoylerulez]

Chris Fromm claims in the final review videos that, with a combination of a purposeful final review + the conversion to a scaled score, you can expect a 30 point jump from your raw score to your scaled score on exam day. Woah.

Guess that factors in both the effectiveness of the final review as well as the difficulty of that exam.

So, if you got anywhere near 130 or up on the final, you can expect a 160 scaled on game day. Which is AUTOPASS in almost all states, meaning you could just submit text art on the essays and still probably pass. Nice.

[despina]

...I just did worse on the final than on the midterm. Ugh. Still a relatively solid score overall but not where I wanted to be right now.

Feel slightly better now. At the beginning of day 2 of MBE review Fromm says that the final is "at least 10% harder" than the midterm so would have a more generous scale. "So even if you fell a little bit [compared to your midterm score] you really didn't fall." He says they deliberately put a higher percentage of tough questions on the final than usually appear on the bar. The tough questions aren't tougher, but there are more of them.

Woo.

Extra congrats to those of you who substantially improved your scores from the midterm!

[despina]

So, if you got anywhere near 130 or up on the final, you can expect a 160 scaled on game day. Which is AUTOPASS in almost all states, meaning you could just submit text art on the essays and still probably pass. Nice.

God I hope so, because at this point my essays might as well be text art.

[despina]

Also, I like Chris Fromm a lot.

But damn, if I hear him say "premise" instead of premises, or "forum nonconvenes" instead of nonconveniens again I swear I'll scream.

[orangecup]

I'm skeptical about a 30 point jump, especially if you already did solidly.

But maybe it's a testament to how the final review is more difficult than the actual MBE. Otherwise, I feel like it's not possible to improve THAT much in 1 week. Maybe I'm just pessimistic about this whole process lol

[despina]

Also, I like Chris Fromm a lot.

But damn, if I hear him say "premise" instead of premises, or "forum nonconvenes" instead of nonconveniens again I swear I'll scream.

Also "preemptory" instead of peremptory. It's even spelled "preemptory" on the slide. So distracting.

[theramblinman]

Also, I like Chris Fromm a lot.

But damn, if I hear him say "premise" instead of premises, or "forum nonconvenes" instead of nonconveniens again I swear I'll scream.

Also "preemptory" instead of peremptory. It's even spelled "preemptory" on the slide. So distracting.

I am more distracted by his gigantic tie knot than anything else.

[robinhoodOO]

Also, I like Chris Fromm a lot.

But damn, if I hear him say "premise" instead of premises, or "forum nonconvenes" instead of nonconveniens again I swear I'll scream.

Also "preemptory" instead of peremptory. It's even spelled "preemptory" on the slide. So distracting.

I am more distracted by his gigantic tie knot than anything else.

The guy is fucking swimming in his suits...

[CurryWithTheShot]

I only got 2% better on the final MBE than I did on the mid-term, but I still need a major improvement in order to get in a comfortable MBE range. HELPPPPP MEEEE. IM SCREWED

[robinhoodOO]

I only got 2% better on the final MBE than I did on the mid-term, but I still need a major improvement in order to get in a comfortable MBE range. HELPPPPP MEEEE. IM SCREWED

Your first problem is being a Warriors fan. Passing the bar is secondary...

[coffeeandcream]

Hey, I've got a question about wills - was just reviewing and kind of bummed out - and I'm too anal to wait til the ask and expert people get back to me

On the lecture video for Estates and Wills 2 (@2:10 approximatly), in the answer for Exam application question 4, the lecturer says that the destruction of a copy of a will is not sufficient to revoke the will.

The question says:
Testator’s will left $100,000 to Cousin. After having an argument with Cousin, Testator validly executed a new will that disinherited Cousin, and left two copies of the new will in his safe deposit box, along with the earlier will. Cousin and Testator later reconciled, and Testator went to the safe deposit box, removed a copy of the later will, and tore it up, saying to his neighbor who was present “I feel better now. Cousin is taken care of.”
What, if anything, is Cousin entitled to receive from Testator’s estate?


Then in the check point quiz QID14170, the answer to the MC question where "a pharmacist executed a valid will, and several years later, wile attending a reunion with her college sorority, she realized how little her family appreciated her. When she returned home from the reunion she took an executed copy of her will out and set it on fire. The correct answer says that the destruction of an executed copy of the will made in duplicate is sufficient to revoke the will - what's the right rule here?

[robinhoodOO]

Hey, I've got a question about wills - was just reviewing and kind of bummed out - and I'm too anal to wait til the ask and expert people get back to me

On the lecture video for Estates and Wills 2 (@2:10 approximatly), in the answer for Exam application question 4, the lecturer says that the destruction of a copy of a will is not sufficient to revoke the will.

The question says:
Testator’s will left $100,000 to Cousin. After having an argument with Cousin, Testator validly executed a new will that disinherited Cousin, and left two copies of the new will in his safe deposit box, along with the earlier will. Cousin and Testator later reconciled, and Testator went to the safe deposit box, removed a copy of the later will, and tore it up, saying to his neighbor who was present “I feel better now. Cousin is taken care of.”
What, if anything, is Cousin entitled to receive from Testator’s estate?


Then in the check point quiz QID14170, the answer to the MC question where "a pharmacist executed a valid will, and several years later, wile attending a reunion with her college sorority, she realized how little her family appreciated her. When she returned home from the reunion she took an executed copy of her will out and set it on fire. The correct answer says that the destruction of an executed copy of the will made in duplicate is sufficient to revoke the will - what's the right rule here?

There is a difference between a copy and an executed copy.

[coffeeandcream]

There is a difference between a copy and an executed copy.

So.. assume its not executed until says otherwise? Never took wills in law school, overwhelming amount of MEE information is overwhelming

[robinhoodOO]

There is a difference between a copy and an executed copy.

So.. assume its not executed until says otherwise? Never took wills in law school, overwhelming amount of MEE information is overwhelming

If it comes up on an essay and you see someone destroying a will (or trying to revoke): Check if the will is an executed copy. It should be obvious.

Start with formation and then discuss revocation: Testator may revoke a will by (1) Express revocation, (2) Implied revocation, or (3) physical act. For a testator to validly revoke a will via physical act, the will must be the original or an executed copy. Revocation via physical act is ineffective if the destroyed will is merely a copy.

I've also seen them test a lost will, where it is presumed destroyed if testator had it in his sole possession prior to death and then it can't be located.

[coffeeandcream]

For a testator to validly revoke a will via physical act, the will must be the original or an executed copy. Revocation via physical act is ineffective if the destroyed will is merely a copy.

That is a beautiful rule statement, thank you <3

[wakeJD15]

Anybody having a hard time getting essays graded?

I have one outstanding that I submitted 9 days ago

[robinhoodOO]

For a testator to validly revoke a will via physical act, the will must be the original or an executed copy. Revocation via physical act is ineffective if the destroyed will is merely a copy.

That is a beautiful rule statement, thank you <3

NP

[despina]

Anybody having a hard time getting essays graded?

I have one outstanding that I submitted 9 days ago

I would email them about that. That's way too long. I have one outstanding now from Tuesday and it's definitely the longest I've ever waited.

[despina]

Oh my god Chris Fromm talking about how his 2L girlfriend dumped him a couple days before the bar.

That's adequate provocation for heat of passion manslaughter, right?

[robinhoodOO]

Oh my god Chris Fromm talking about how his 2L girlfriend dumped him a couple days before the bar.

That's adequate provocation for heat of passion manslaughter, right?

Not as bad as my wife threatening to divorce me if I don't pass

[despina]

Oh my god Chris Fromm talking about how his 2L girlfriend dumped him a couple days before the bar.

That's adequate provocation for heat of passion manslaughter, right?

Not as bad as my wife threatening to divorce me if I don't pass

At least in my state, that's not grounds for divorce.

[Florence Night]

Anybody having a hard time getting essays graded?

I have one outstanding that I submitted 9 days ago

Not that long, but yes. I have 3 outstanding from this week from Wednesday or earlier. So dumb.

[orangecup]

Honestly, I've stopped submitting essays. I feel like their grading is a blackbox and not very insightful. I wish Kaplan had a rubric like Barbri, though since the model answers are really hit or miss