2019 February California Bar Forum

[lexingtonhr]

i know i know everyone has their own advice once they pass and it is not always helpful to hear what random things another person has done, but i feel like i studied so differently the time that i passed and maybe it could help someone else never have to take this monstrous exam again!!!

But I took the exam in July 2018 and used barbri and it did not work with my learning style. I ended up not passing that exam. It works for alot of people, i am not one of those people.. i needed more hands on and visual ways to learn (lectures were waste of time as we all now know). For feb 2019 I was worried to do something different than a big name review company because i did not want to fail again and maybe i just wasn't utilizing barbri correctly.. well i listened to my gut and it paid off! For feb 2019 exam i did not use barbri at all i focused on bar essays and adaptibar 100%.

i highly recommend buying the more expensive version of bar essays (only because i dont think its that much more for it) but you get access to these outlines and model answers that list out rules/ rules statements and which rules always appear with one another. I never really outlined in law school, though everyone swore by it, it just did not work for me. Instead i did an alternative thing where i wrote out templates of rule statements/rules for each issue as i would on the exam and left [__] brackets where facts or conclusions would go. Like different options to write depending on which issues you were given. I made these for most subjects or at least the main ones i knew were likely to be tested, and the last two weeks i went through with a white board and wrote these out until i memorized not only rules/rule statements but which triggered other rules to discuss.

a hard part for me with the rules were they were just floating around and i could not pin them down when i needed to use them. doing these templates (flowcharts work too) i was able to put the rules into specific places and recall them a lot better.

also during the last two weeks i used a white board memorizing my rule templates for few hours and then would switch to outlining every single essay available on bar essays for that subject. And by outlining i mean i would read an essay and write out the rules and rule statements i saw on word doc and basically did everything i would for an essay minus the discussion of facts. I know that seems like alot but it actually does not take as long as you think. I would also try to write out a couple as full essays for practice. But i started to see patterns in essays, especially con law, i think i repeated a few versions of that by the end and felt 100% prepared for that subject (of course didn't get a con law one bc i felt prepared lol).

but anyway if you are a visual learner like me, i highly suggest making rule templates, using whiteboard to memorize, and literally outlining as many essays as you can!! i kept blanking on rules or not seeing issues in july but in feb i only felt pressed for time to get issues and rule statements out!

i have my templates saved as word documents too if anyone wants to use them but i think making your own will help with learning/memorization. i used a couple of sources to make mine (barbri outlines and bar essays templates) and wrote it in a way that i would remember.

i guess a summary to my rant is to not throw away things that worked for you your whole life as a student just because everyone else is telling you "YOU HAVE TO DO XYZ" listen to what works for you!

Thank you for the information. Would you be able to send me your template? Thank you so much. It would be a great help. surge2385@gmail.com

yes of course, i will send it over when i get home!

Can you also send me the template as well?

[Pink Summer Always]

Hi. Someone know where I can get Cali Bar Exam questions that go back before 2001? Much appreciated.

[hastingsgal]

Hi. Someone know where I can get Cali Bar Exam questions that go back before 2001? Much appreciated.

Why would you want questions that are more than 20 years old? The exam has changed over the years and you should prob focus on more recent questions.

[annej24]

i know i know everyone ...........
i guess a summary to my rant is to not throw away things that worked for you your whole life as a student just because everyone else is telling you "YOU HAVE TO DO XYZ" listen to what works for you!

Thank you for the information. Would you be able to send me your template? Thank you so much. It would be a great help. surge2385@gmail.com

yes of course, i will send it over when i get home!

Can you also send me the template as well?

yes! can you message me your email?

[lexingtonhr]

i know i know everyone ...........
i guess a summary to my rant is to not throw away things that worked for you your whole life as a student just because everyone else is telling you "YOU HAVE TO DO XYZ" listen to what works for you!

Thank you for the information. Would you be able to send me your template? Thank you so much. It would be a great help. surge2385@gmail.com

yes of course, i will send it over when i get home!

Can you also send me the template as well?

yes! can you message me your email?

Thank you! Shadylady210@yahoo.com. Thanks again!

[a male human]

Hi. Someone know where I can get Cali Bar Exam questions that go back before 2001? Much appreciated.

I'm not aware of where questions BEFORE 2001 might be available, but I can get you questions up to 2001.

[Atmosphere]

Has anyone received their admissions packets/oath card etc.?

[CALTEX]

Has anyone received their admissions packets/oath card etc.?

Yea, received it on Monday.

[Atmosphere]

Has anyone received their admissions packets/oath card etc.?

Yea, received it on Monday.

Thanks - that's weird, I haven't got mine yet.

Is anyone else still waiting?

[WhittyJD]

i know i know everyone ...........
i guess a summary to my rant is to not throw away things that worked for you your whole life as a student just because everyone else is telling you "YOU HAVE TO DO XYZ" listen to what works for you!

Thank you for the information. Would you be able to send me your template? Thank you so much. It would be a great help. surge2385@gmail.com

yes of course, i will send it over when i get home!

Can you also send me the template as well?

yes! can you message me your email?

I would like as well, please! I am an out of state licensed attorney sitting for one-day Attorney Examination. WhittyJD@icloud.com

[NewYorktoCalifornia]

Has anyone received their admissions packets/oath card etc.?

I received mine the Monday after the results were released. If you haven't received it yet, I would recommend you confirm the address you have on file with the Bar and that you have met all the requirements for admission (e.g., active character determination).

[jptx]

Has anyone received their admissions packets/oath card etc.?

Yea, received it on Monday.

Thanks - that's weird, I haven't got mine yet.

Is anyone else still waiting?

It took them 5 weeks to get me mine, but I am out of state. Calling did help move it along, but you need to wait on hold-- they aren't real good with email or returning a message in voicemail. I never did learn what the issue was but I got a "oh" "you should get it in a few days." I said thank you.

[Atmosphere]

Has anyone received their admissions packets/oath card etc.?

Yea, received it on Monday.

Thanks - that's weird, I haven't got mine yet.

Is anyone else still waiting?

It took them 5 weeks to get me mine, but I am out of state. Calling did help move it along, but you need to wait on hold-- they aren't real good with email or returning a message in voicemail. I never did learn what the issue was but I got a "oh" "you should get it in a few days." I said thank you.

Thanks. Yeah, I’m just going to show up at the LA bar office and get my oath card if it doesn’t come next mon/tues. I’ll report back with what happens.

Edit: came as soon as I submitted this post

[MBernard]

Thanks. Yeah, I’m just going to show up at the LA bar office and get my oath card if it doesn’t come next mon/tues. I’ll report back with what happens.

Edit: came as soon as I submitted this post

Congrats, man! I remember you from the J18 bar thread.

I know I’m late, but I’m glad to see that a lot users were able beat the examiners despite the odds. Hope you all have a chance to celebrate now with family and friends. To those who didn’t pass, I highly recommend self-study; specifically going through past exams/MBEs and really reviewing mistakes (e.g. keeping a notebook of what you need to work on). It’s certainly a hard test but it’s definitely beatable with practice.

[Atmosphere]

Thanks. Yeah, I’m just going to show up at the LA bar office and get my oath card if it doesn’t come next mon/tues. I’ll report back with what happens.

Edit: came as soon as I submitted this post

Congrats, man! I remember you from the J18 bar thread.

I know I’m late, but I’m glad to see that a lot users were able beat the examiners despite the odds. Hope you all have a chance to celebrate now with family and friends. To those who didn’t pass, I highly recommend self-study; specifically going through past exams/MBEs and really reviewing mistakes (e.g. keeping a notebook of what you need to work on). It’s certainly a hard test but it’s definitely beatable with practice.

Thanks dude - biggest hurdle was the mental one for me. Self study was the truth, no wasted time. Adaptibar/BarEssays/Magicsheets/Mary Basick.

Great stuff.

[Pink Summer Always]

Hi. Someone know where I can get Cali Bar Exam questions that go back before 2001? Much appreciated.

I'm not aware of where questions BEFORE 2001 might be available, but I can get you questions up to 2001.

Hi a male human. Thank you. I found the essay questions. But they have no answers. lol. It's a start to the search.

[MBernard]

Hi. Someone know where I can get Cali Bar Exam questions that go back before 2001? Much appreciated.

I'm not aware of where questions BEFORE 2001 might be available, but I can get you questions up to 2001.

Hi a male human. Thank you. I found the essay questions. But they have no answers. lol. It's a start to the search.

I’d think that an older essay testing book for like Barbri or Themis would probably have questions and solutions for older exams. I have a secondhand essay testing book from Barbri (2016-2017 edition) which contains some questions and answers from the 1980s and 1990s test administrations.

TBH though, I think that you don’t need to look that far back. Early 2000s is fine, I know the J18 test I took pulled a question from F2005 (Con Law).

[a male human]

Yeah, as MBernard says, going before 2001 is probably overkill. Better to redo the same questions if you somehow run out of essays.

[ReasonablePersonSSC]

Yeah, as MBernard says, going before 2001 is probably overkill. Better to redo the same questions if you somehow run out of essays.

Mary Basick’s book charts all issues for each of the 12 essays subjects back to 1987, and it includes selected essays prior to 2001.

[Underoath]

I live in Sherman Oaks area. Does anyone want my Themis material? I don’t want any money for it. We can meet at a Starbucks or other public location. Also, people are giving bad advice on here, yes the exam has changed over time, but why not look at old essays. I studied the past 17 years of exams, the writing style, the question, etc. and I passed. Do what you will, but does anyone want this Themis material? Just have to meet me in Sherman Oaks area.

[Underoath]

don’t let this test beat you....keep pushing. It took me over 5 times to pass...no not 6...more than that. Point is I kept at it. Never give up.

[hastingsgal]

don’t let this test beat you....keep pushing. It took me over 5 times to pass...no not 6...more than that. Point is I kept at it. Never give up.

Wow congrats!!

[CALTEX]

If you want to meet me somewhere in the Glendale/Burbank area, I am GIVING away the books listed below.

I have a full set of the Themis 2018-2019 books, Emmanuel Strategies and Tactics for the MBE, California Bar Tutors 2018 California Bar Exam Total Preparation Book, and Mary Basick's CPT Workbook.

I am a practicing lawyer (for many years) and this was my 2nd bar exam (also licensed in TX). If you want my books, I can meet you at a Starbucks in the Burbank/Glendale area. Just let me know how to get in touch with you and I will meet you and hand these over. Good luck to all!!!

[surge2385]

Is it better to do the PT first or last?

[ReasonablePersonSSC]

Is it better to do the PT first or last?

I did it last because I didn’t want to be tempted to spend more time on it at the expense of time on the other two essays. I passed the bar.