"Lazy" 3L Looking for a Head Start Forum

[WolverineMachine]

I'm not trying to sound like a gunner or anything like that, but given my credits situation, I will be having a very light course load for my 6th and final semester. I know it may be a little early to consider it, but is there any pre bar prep that can be done?

I'll be using Barbri after graduation, but I wanted to know if there were things that I could do to help prepare with a little head start throughout the semester as my responsibilities will be minimized and my time will be maximized. Thanks!

[BrokenMouse]

.

[mrmojojak]

Just watch the Barbri videos and fill in the lecture handouts for the MBE subjects. Skim through the handouts a couple times throughout the semester.

[JimmyBee]

If you MUST, the above is probably good advice, but I wouldn't do any real practice questions until closer to the exam. Studying for the Bar is about immersion, sucking up as much information as you can, regurgitating, and then leaving it all behind. I just took the NY Bar after graduation from a top law school years ago. My 25th reunion is this year! I took Themis, and passed NY (probably barely). If I can take Themis and do their schedule and pass after all this time, then so can you. If I were you, I'd enjoy your last semester at school. Enjoy being around single, like-minded young people, controlling your schedule, and being on a campus. There's a time and a season for everything, and for you, it's not the season to study for the Bar.

[hangingtree]

Advice heeded to take it easy during final semester, but still I think this would probably be a good use of some of our downtime, right? Especially if one has relaxed pretty much all of 2L and 3L? I'm open to being persuaded otherwise, I'm just not yet convinced.

Could the above two posters elaborate on what you'd advise us to do? Going through the Barbri videos sounds like a good idea. Perhaps we should really try to learn one or two previously unfamiliar topics though, for example? It seems like passively going through videos would be a waste, as opposed to cementing the basics of secured transactions, for example.

I'm also wondering if there are any initial hurdles we could cross now instead of study time/post-exams, i.e. understanding scoring, documentation needed, application procedure, exam structure, etc. As I write this, the answer seems clear, but perhaps those with experience could make things a bit clearer to us?

Note: for almost everyone I assume this is mostly about risk-aversion/anxiety about not passing the bar the first time than it's about being a gunner.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I wouldn't have found any of this helpful - for me as for the poster above, the exam really was about immersion and then forgetting everything about it. There was a lot of short term memorization which would have been a waste of time in March.

Also, it probably depends on your prep course, but the Barbri course doesn't open up until after graduation, and you won't get the books till April or May.

Applying for the bar will take plenty of your down time.

[northwood]

if you must, and you have your books already, use some of your down time to skim the outlines. Or you could always look at model essay answers to try to get a glimpse of what essay graders may be looking for.

Honestly, I would use this time to relax. Even if you relaxed for 2 years in LS- studying for the bar exam can be very stressful. Plus once you are done with the test you have the joy or fretting over it.( and either working full time or looking for work full time).

I agree with the posters who said its all about immersion and short term memorization, so trying to start it now is counterintuitive.

[hangingtree]

Thank you, Northwood and A. Nony Mouse. More convinced. I'm starting to see what you mean - you're going to forget the nuances of real property/conflict of laws if you study them now. However, what if I have no idea what the major themes of evidence are or basically have no idea what a secured transaction even is, would it be a good use of my time to get acquainted with the subjects? Maybe this is just my anxiety talking (it will make me feel better if I know what I'm getting into). But I feel the broader picture things are much easier to remember, it can be useful already thinking about them and it could save me some hours and intellectual energy. Does this make any sense at all?

[KTnKT]

I got critical pass flash cards and read through them a couple of times before bar prep started.

Then when it said to read the outline, I just barely skimmed it before listening to the lecture. Jury is out on if it is better or worse for prep, but it did make me feel a little better starting prep when it all wasn't completely new info.

Also (dorky as this is) I read through the old forums on here for my state before, during and after the past few exams. I was stressed more about the unknown, and it helped to calm me to read through past comments. Some things people seem to ask every year and after reading I don't have to waste time now wondering or worrying about those items.

[mrmojojak]

The Barbri mbe lectures were open for me by this time. I wouldn't stress about it or blow anyone off for your pre-bar course prep, but it made me a lot more comfortable after graduation. Memorization comes later in the summer. This is a good way to pull ahead a little bit so you can relax a little when Barbri's schedule starts getting hectic. Your bar review summer is going to be your last summer you aren't working, enjoy it.

[A. Nony Mouse]

I suppose if you'll actually absorb anything, skimming an E&E type of resource wouldn't be terrible (or barbri outlines if you can get hold of them, although personally I learn really badly from outlines - making outlines for me is very different from trying to read/learn something in outline form). I am lazy enough that I wouldn't have done it/wouldn't have retained anything, and am of the theory that studying for the bar sucks enough, there's no point in extending it, but if you really will put in the work, learning some of the basic vocab isn't going to hurt you.

[InTheWideLand I Walk]

If you MUST, the above is probably good advice, but I wouldn't do any real practice questions until closer to the exam. Studying for the Bar is about immersion, sucking up as much information as you can, regurgitating, and then leaving it all behind. I just took the NY Bar after graduation from a top law school years ago. My 25th reunion is this year! I took Themis, and passed NY (probably barely). If I can take Themis and do their schedule and pass after all this time, then so can you. If I were you, I'd enjoy your last semester at school. Enjoy being around single, like-minded young people, controlling your schedule, and being on a campus. There's a time and a season for everything, and for you, it's not the season to study for the Bar.

I disagree. unless you have a photographic memory (like about 60% of first time takers do), then you will probably fail if you don't get a head start. good luck.
for the bar, there is about 20-30 times as much information as you will have to memorize in any given semester you had in law school. a lot of this is the standard of grading- an essay that would be a B in law school could realistically be a failing grade on the bar.

everything must be It must be logged deep into your long term memory. there is no way you can just memorize everything real quick and then forget it unless you are in the 60%

[ellewoods123]

does anyone have any experience/success stories with using Barbri's early start program?

[WolverineMachine]

does anyone have any experience/success stories with using Barbri's early start program?

This was why I posted the question in the first place. I got an email from Barbri over this past weekend, and started checking out the civ pro amp questions. Like I said, I have a ton of down time so I'll probably use it to get the juices flowing, but it really does seem like immersion and forgetting is the most effective way to study (i.e. over the summer and not so much now).

[scruffy556]

there is about 20-30 times as much information as you will have to memorize in any given semester you had in law school. a lot of this is the standard of grading- an essay that would be a B in law school could realistically be a failing grade on the bar.

There's no way this is accurate. I had 6 exams one semester, so you're saying there's 120-130 subjects on the bar?

K

[Youppi]

I took a bar prep class for credit as a 4E, knowing I would be working 40-50 hrs/week while studying.

We did condensed outlines for the MBE and state-specific subjects, practice essays, and 600 NCBE MCs throughout the semester.

Obviously not an option--or frankly necessary--for everyone, but it helped me get a jumpstart and get into the right mindset.

[InTheWideLand I Walk]

there is about 20-30 times as much information as you will have to memorize in any given semester you had in law school. a lot of this is the standard of grading- an essay that would be a B in law school could realistically be a failing grade on the bar.

There's no way this is accurate. I had 6 exams one semester, so you're saying there's 120-130 subjects on the bar?

K

Ok well you have seven sujects just on the MBE, and they test different rules than the essays even if they are the same subject (with few overlapping). then you have the PT, which you actually have to memorize stuff for.

and the real thing is that essays on the bar exam are, in my opinion, graded much harder than law school essays, so you might have to memorize 3 times as much information per subject than you did in a lawschool exam.
its hard to say how many subjects are on the bar. e.g. crim pro is sometimes considered the same subject as crim law, sometimes peole categorize them separately. same with wills-trusts... some people consider it one subject.
so yes, you might have to learn "120 subjects" for the bar depening on how you categorize the word "subject".

but my point was not to take the "20-30 times" figure so literally. just know you might have to start studying now.