July, 2016 Exam Update - How to Pass the Bar Exam (MEE Predictions, Tips, Outlines and Strategies) Forum

[waxecstatic]

I think the Critical Pass flashcards are a great idea because it's better to know something cold than a lot of things only luke warm if you know what I mean. However, I am convinced the author of these cards is simply copying from BarBri. They go in the order of the barbri outlines but they don't exactly plagiarize, so what happens is sometimes the cards are a little inaccurate. I was doing contracts today and noticed some inaccuracies. Hopefully the cards are better in other subjects.

Also, there is so much information out there, and so many outlines and so many prep companies it becomes a battle just to figure what to study from...just pick something so you aren't printing out an outline for an MBE subject the week before the test.

[Geaux12]

What does everyone's daily schedule look like? I signed up for Kaplan live, but find myself just watching the videos. I'm spending SO MUCH time changing the format of the Bar Notes lecture outlines to suit my preferences - it helps me learn everything thoroughly, but I'm exhausted all those hours later and am negligent re: practicing.

[myrtlewinston]

I taking Barbri. I've tweaked my schedule because sometimes I'm too tired for an active assignment and end up listening to a lecture instead.

[orangecup]

What does everyone's daily schedule look like? I signed up for Kaplan live, but find myself just watching the videos. I'm spending SO MUCH time changing the format of the Bar Notes lecture outlines to suit my preferences - it helps me learn everything thoroughly, but I'm exhausted all those hours later and am negligent re: practicing.

Agreed that the lecture outlines are in a terrible format. I was able to distill the civ pro outline into 10 pages, and have been adding more in based on the MBE Qs since the lecture missed a lot of nuances.

I haven't really settled on a daily schedule yet, but it's looking like:
- Video in the morning/early afternoon (even though I watch 1.5-2x speed depending on lecturer, it still takes me roughly the time of the video since I take so many breaks lol)
- Break for lunch/work out (generally pretty long since I do long workouts)
- Do MBE Qs and review them (typically takes a couple hours if I do 33. Maybe takes longer than it should but I read the explanations for every answer and write out the ones I got wrong). By this time it's basically dinner.
- In evening, I'll do extra MBE questions if I feel like it or outline a topic. I want to start incorporating outlining NY essays a few times a week too.

[Kage3212]

I have been given outlining assignments, but truthfully, do not know the extent to how I would be outlining the answers. I understand Barbri's way is the CIRAC method, but OP do you have any insight as to how to best go about this. Any useful "outlines" that you have created that you would mind sharing as a frame of reference for future outlining assignments? If anyone else has found an effective outlining document method, I would be open to that as well.

[anon sequitur]

Thinking about getting a Conviser Mini Outline on eBay, am I correct that it's just for the MBE so it doesn't matter which state it's labeled for? If it's from 2013 would it still be good, have they changed it?

[underthirty]

.

[lawsearcher]

I think the Critical Pass flashcards are a great idea because it's better to know something cold than a lot of things only luke warm if you know what I mean. However, I am convinced the author of these cards is simply copying from BarBri. They go in the order of the barbri outlines but they don't exactly plagiarize, so what happens is sometimes the cards are a little inaccurate. I was doing contracts today and noticed some inaccuracies. Hopefully the cards are better in other subjects.

Can you share an example of one of the inaccuracies you found?

[Hutz_and_Goodman]

I've just been following the Barbri schedule which is about 5 hours a day (watching videos on 1.5-2x and doing practice essays and MC a little faster than they schedule). Should I be doing more? I'm planning to make flash cards in late June on all the major areas, and then July will be memorization and tons of practice questions and essays.

[waxecstatic]

I think the Critical Pass flashcards are a great idea because it's better to know something cold than a lot of things only luke warm if you know what I mean. However, I am convinced the author of these cards is simply copying from BarBri. They go in the order of the barbri outlines but they don't exactly plagiarize, so what happens is sometimes the cards are a little inaccurate. I was doing contracts today and noticed some inaccuracies. Hopefully the cards are better in other subjects.

Can you share an example of one of the inaccuracies you found?

Sure. Little things but not something you wanna memorize. Card 13-->Intoxication: Intoxicated persons may lack capacity to contract if the other party has reason to know of intoxication. Kind of an awkward way to put it--it's much better stated K is voidable if other party had reason to know of intoxication. Card 19--Destination K--"Anything not FOB"-->Actually, it can be FOB if the contract requires the seller to tender delivery of the goods at a particular destination (e.g., F.O.B buyer's warehouse). Same card--shipment contracts "indicated by FOB--Seller's city"-->it can actually be wherever the seller has NOT agreed to tender at a particular destination--so it seems like the cards have those two terms mixed up. Also card 34: TBP can sue promisor "promisor can assert any of his own defenses" and "promisor can assert of any of the promisee's defenses if promisor made an absolute promise to pay"-->it's actually If the promise is absolute, the promisor CANNOT assert any the promisee's defenses; if the promise is not absolute, the promisor can assert the promisee's defenses. It's really nothing that serious though; it's just the wording of certain definitions are a little awkward.

[chrisz1423]

Posted this in a separate thread, but I'm thinking maybe it belongs here. Sorry, newbie here.
I am a midwest graduate taking the July Bar. I'm taking Kaplan's course, but it's the online version and I feel like I could use some supplemental help. Does anyone know if books like "The Bar Exam is Easy" or "The Bar Exam Trainer" are helpful? They're only a few bucks each, so I guess low risk either way. And as far as non-content coaching, has anyone had any luck with that? Thank you so much!

[UndecidedMN]

Posted this in a separate thread, but I'm thinking maybe it belongs here. Sorry, newbie here.
I am a midwest graduate taking the July Bar. I'm taking Kaplan's course, but it's the online version and I feel like I could use some supplemental help. Does anyone know if books like "The Bar Exam is Easy" or "The Bar Exam Trainer" are helpful? They're only a few bucks each, so I guess low risk either way. And as far as non-content coaching, has anyone had any luck with that? Thank you so much!

Hey Chris, if you don't mind, what state are you taking? I have a friend right now using Kaplan and he seems to like it. I used Barbri and personally thought it was excellent when combined with the flashcards. Why do you think you need non-content coaching?

[chrisz1423]

Posted this in a separate thread, but I'm thinking maybe it belongs here. Sorry, newbie here.
I am a midwest graduate taking the July Bar. I'm taking Kaplan's course, but it's the online version and I feel like I could use some supplemental help. Does anyone know if books like "The Bar Exam is Easy" or "The Bar Exam Trainer" are helpful? They're only a few bucks each, so I guess low risk either way. And as far as non-content coaching, has anyone had any luck with that? Thank you so much!

Hey Chris, if you don't mind, what state are you taking? I have a friend right now using Kaplan and he seems to like it. I used Barbri and personally thought it was excellent when combined with the flashcards. Why do you think you need non-content coaching?

Thanks for the response! I'm taking the Illinois bar. Yeah Kaplan seems good so far in terms of content. I think I could just use some more guidance in terms of how to work my schedule, how other parts of my life could be affecting my studying, and things like that. Kaplan essentially just says "here's the content now go study and practice." I'm kind of an above-and-beyond sort of person who looks for the "hacks," so maybe I'm just over-thinking things.

[chrisz1423]

Ok, just a quick update to close this out. I ended up buying this ebook called "The Bar Exam Trainer." I already read it and it had some helpful stuff about "optimizing" your lifestyle for the bar exam. Some of it I already knew, but overall it was actually pretty cool. Thanks everyone, happy studying!

[UndecidedMN]

Ok, just a quick update to close this out. I ended up buying this ebook called "The Bar Exam Trainer." I already read it and it had some helpful stuff about "optimizing" your lifestyle for the bar exam. Some of it I already knew, but overall it was actually pretty cool. Thanks everyone, happy studying!

Sorry I could not respond sooner. GL

[mr.hands]

Ok, just a quick update to close this out. I ended up buying this ebook called "The Bar Exam Trainer." I already read it and it had some helpful stuff about "optimizing" your lifestyle for the bar exam. Some of it I already knew, but overall it was actually pretty cool. Thanks everyone, happy studying!

Sorry I could not respond sooner. GL

Any specifics?

[chrisz1423]

Ok, just a quick update to close this out. I ended up buying this ebook called "The Bar Exam Trainer." I already read it and it had some helpful stuff about "optimizing" your lifestyle for the bar exam. Some of it I already knew, but overall it was actually pretty cool. Thanks everyone, happy studying!

Sorry I could not respond sooner. GL

Any specifics?

It talks about stress management, scheduling, and it also talks alot about eating healthy and exercising to improve your learning for the bar. Some cool info and resources. Not perfect but well worth the $9 or whatever it was.

[dietcoke0]

(sorry if this is posted here, but there was a lot of talk about Critical Pass)

Pro Tip for Critical Pass: Go through the checkout process, but get to payment and stop. You'll get an email in a day or two giving you $10 off of your order. Helps offset the fucking $13 shipping they charge for something that should ship free.

Hope that OP still gets the referral fee (but I doubt it)

[anon sequitur]

I did this yesterday and just got my 10% coupon code. Still holding off though, not sure if the hard copy is worth it over the app, which is about $50 cheaper. I'm probably not to the point where I'd use them yet anyway.

[Kage3212]

I will add that it is nice to add notes to the actual cards. Not sure if you have this capability for the online versions. For example, there were a variety of notes that I have recently added to my Property cards to make them align with the Barbri lecture handout. Just FYI.

[UndecidedMN]

I will add that it is nice to add notes to the actual cards. Not sure if you have this capability for the online versions. For example, there were a variety of notes that I have recently added to my Property cards to make them align with the Barbri lecture handout. Just FYI.

Hi Kage, I do not believe the online version has the capability. Also, I added notes to all of my cards. If you look in the dropbox folder I have linked, you can see all of my notes for Torts and I think Evidence.

[myrtlewinston]

Caution:
I was using CriticalPass on my iPad, but it crashed a number of times and I lost my notes.

[UndecidedMN]

Caution:
I was using CriticalPass on my iPad, but it crashed a number of times and I lost my notes.

Yeah, I was afraid of that, that is why I bought the cards.

[waxecstatic]

Undecided, your notes are fantastic. If you're ever wondering if people noticed or care, they did! LOL and if you wanna add more, go ahead. I'll probably be printing it out.

[myrtlewinston]

Ok, just a quick update to close this out. I ended up buying this ebook called "The Bar Exam Trainer." I already read it and it had some helpful stuff about "optimizing" your lifestyle for the bar exam. Some of it I already knew, but overall it was actually pretty cool. Thanks everyone, happy studying!

Sorry I could not respond sooner. GL

Any specifics?

It talks about stress management, scheduling, and it also talks alot about eating healthy and exercising to improve your learning for the bar. Some cool info and resources. Not perfect but well worth the $9 or whatever it was.

Were there any particularly helpful tips? The isolation is getting to me.