February 2017 New York Bar Exam Forum

[fakemoney]

Any takers? Just registered today. I remember hanging on here helped motivate me for the LSAT, so hoping to rekindle that feeling. Who's with me?

[Ahyis]

I'll give a bump!

[stv]

I did too.

[nelue]

Will be taking it as well!

[fakemoney]

What's everyone prepping with?

I'm not shelling out for Barbri or any of the courses. Today I bought the baroutlines 50-buck package just to start looking over outlines of black-letter law. Figured it wasn't a bad place to start. I have a couple PMBLR supplement books as well. I'm also considering signing up for Adaptibar, probably will.

It's been a year since I graduated and my recollection of a lot of the UBE subject areas isn't great, so passing this exam will likely be quite an endeavor. I haven' taken the bar yet because I've been employed in a non-law job and have been caught up in it. I'm still pretty occupied with the grind of my job, but I don't want to put off taking the plunge into the legal world any longer.

[DrewEl2]

Canadian taking the New York one as well.

Prep course currently taking: THEMIS BAR PREP!

Lets help each other in any capacity to pass!

[Jss]

Canadian taking the New York one as well.

Prep course currently taking: THEMIS BAR PREP!

Lets help each other in any capacity to pass!

Canadian here as well. 2nd attempt, working full time.

Using Critical Pass Flashcards,Emanuel MBE book, Bar Max for MBE questions (similar to Adaptibar) and Leansheets for the MEE.

Probably need something else for the MEE, considering either Bar Max essay grading package or Emanuel MEE book.

[puremorning]

Haven't been on here since law school admissions, but I didn't go to school in NY so this bar is a bit more foreign to me. Went to school in OH, took and failed the OH bar 2 years ago, decided to give it a second attempt. Good timing since NY has switched to the UBE. Was still looking for work when I registered, and of course got a job (non-legal, I was planning on getting an alternative career anyway) after registering. I've decided to just knock the bar out anyway for my own posterity, and this job is grant funded so I'll only be in it for 3 years. I'm familiar with the MPT and MBE, but still learning the ropes of the MEE. The OH bar blows and has 12 essays, thus making it 2.5 days long, and you obviously have to know OH law on top of the federal law being tested. I'm taking it in NYC because I live here, so I mostly was on here trying to figure out how the hell the Javits Center operates on test day (I now see it's not at Javits for Feb 2017). In OH I had to drive 20 minutes from my hotel through numerous corn fields and had to stay in some town very ill-equipped to handle the hordes of law students. I took BarBri for OH but am taking Pieper here on recommendation of some colleagues. So far so good, I didn't have the right focus for the fill in the blank aspect of BarBri, so Pieper making me take all my notes is good. I'm also using AdaptiBar and Critical Pass notecards since my major downfall on the OH bar was the MBE.

[AAMass]

Hey guys,
Just wondering if anyone has received the email to confirm location in NY, Feb 2017? I'm expecting it to come through soon.

Thanks

[pooh_pooh778]

Hey guys,
Just wondering if anyone has received the email to confirm location in NY, Feb 2017? I'm expecting it to come through soon.

Thanks

Not yet, I am out-of-state and have been waiting for it too.

[jaskat]

It came in earlier this morning. By the time that I clicked on it only Albany and Buffalo were left as testing center choices for people in the laptop program.


On a different topic, I have a question for those who are taking BarBri. I'm like 3 days behind thanks to the holiday season, and I decided to skip the contracts lectures because there were sound issues where the lecture would suddenly cut off, and I generally didn't think that this specific lecture was doing much for my understanding of contract law. Instead I'm reading the CMR Contracts Outline, and I was wondering if anyone else had done this? Should I go back to the lectures, or just proceed with the CMR?

[Damage Over Time]

Not sure if allowed to post but trying anyway:

-have a box of unopened NY Kaplan books
-willing to sell for super cheap

PM if interested


best of luck everyone!

[puremorning]

All required documentation has been reviewed and approved. You are now eligible to sit for the February 2017 bar examination. Approximately two weeks before the examination, you will be sent an email where you will be able to view and print your seat ticket. A copy of your seat ticket is necessary to gain entrance into the examination room.

Just got this...it's getting more real by the day.

[lolabear727]

I'm sitting for the test in Buffalo. Florida native here, so that should be fun...

I'm licensed in FL, Feb 2015. This time around I opted to just buy some Barbri books from eBay and do self study. I think hired a MEE coach for a smaller fee than a straight out bar course. I am working full time as an attorney at the moment so I definitely need to be better in managing my study time, but its going... Shout out to all my employed full-time takers!

Question - For those who received the email saying that have all the info they need for you to sit for the exam, how long did it take from when it was sent for you to get that notification email?

[puremorning]

I'm sitting for the test in Buffalo. Florida native here, so that should be fun...

I'm licensed in FL, Feb 2015. This time around I opted to just buy some Barbri books from eBay and do self study. I think hired a MEE coach for a smaller fee than a straight out bar course. I am working full time as an attorney at the moment so I definitely need to be better in managing my study time, but its going... Shout out to all my employed full-time takers!

Question - For those who received the email saying that have all the info they need for you to sit for the exam, how long did it take from when it was sent for you to get that notification email?

It didn't take them too long to process the forms for me. I submitted my handwriting sample sometime between Christmas and New Year's and my school sent out my certification sometime thereafter. My school told me that they send them in a batch around Jan. 20, but clearly they sent it earlier, I'm guessing they didn't have many Feb. takers (I went to school out of state). They were also really prompt about processing my residency papers when I had to submit a utility bill or lease stating that I live in NYC.

[lolabear727]

Got my notice to sit! Yay! Turn around time - approx 10 days.

[cnk1220]

Anyone care to share what they think the MEE essays will be this time? My thoughts are: probably Contracts won't appear again and probably not Evidence either as far as the MBE subjects go. I feel like those are two "big topics" and I think both of those were tested in July, but then again who knows!

[deepseapartners]

Anyone care to share what they think the MEE essays will be this time? My thoughts are: probably Contracts won't appear again and probably not Evidence either as far as the MBE subjects go. I feel like those are two "big topics" and I think both of those were tested in July, but then again who knows!

Barbri doesn't think that we'll get a secured transactions essay, based on where they placed the subject lecture; also, in the past 20 administrations the bar examiners haven't ever given secured transactions an MEE slot more than twice in a row, and February 2017 would make it three times in a row.

Pretty sure there's a civpro essay every MEE administration. Also, I would bet money that we'll see a property question, because they've also not gone more than two administrations without a property question and Feb 2017 would make it three in a row without a property question. I'd also be surprised, based on frequency, if there isn't a wills and/or trusts question, a conlaw question, and at least a partial criminal law question this administration.

[ethanwoo]

Anyone care to share what they think the MEE essays will be this time? My thoughts are: probably Contracts won't appear again and probably not Evidence either as far as the MBE subjects go. I feel like those are two "big topics" and I think both of those were tested in July, but then again who knows!

Well looking at the smartbarprep distribution, and past exams, I think following subjects may be tested:

• Constitutional Law (it's due)
• Real Property (it's due)
• Criminal Law (maybe)
• Civil Procedure (more or less)
• Trust (more likley) OR Wills
• Family

OR
• Criminal Procedure (kind of due)
• Corporation (possibly)
• Agency + Partnership (possibly)

these are my opinion based on http://www.smartbarprep.com/SmartBarPre ... alysis.pdf

Let me know what you guys think.

[cnk1220]

Anyone care to share what they think the MEE essays will be this time? My thoughts are: probably Contracts won't appear again and probably not Evidence either as far as the MBE subjects go. I feel like those are two "big topics" and I think both of those were tested in July, but then again who knows!

Well looking at the smartbarprep distribution, and past exams, I think following subjects may be tested:

• Constitutional Law (it's due)
• Real Property (it's due)
• Criminal Law (maybe)
• Civil Procedure (more or less)
• Trust (more likley) OR Wills
• Family

OR
• Criminal Procedure (kind of due)
• Corporation (possibly)
• Agency + Partnership (possibly)

these are my opinion based on http://www.smartbarprep.com/SmartBarPre ... alysis.pdf

Let me know what you guys think.

I agree with you on most of these. I'm thinking an A&P question is probably more likely than corporations though..just going off what was tested more recently, but NCBE likes curveballs so ya never know!

[lolabear727]

Anybody staying at or near Adam's Mark and going to the airport on Wednesday afternoon/evening? Want to split a cab? $50-$65 to go 13 miles.. How? Why? Ugh.. On top of not allowing Lyft/Uber. Come on now!

[Poets]

What does it mean? We should upload our answers DURING/BEFORE the MEE/MPT exams, right?

"(e) Unless granted extended time, after the conclusion of the exam, you must upload your exam answer files to ExamSoft by 11:59 pm (ET) on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. It is highly recommended that you upload your exam files as soon as possible after leaving the test site to insure that your essay answers are on file with the Board for grading. The upload instructions are available on the ExamSoft website and a copy will also be emailed to laptop candidates on the day of the bar exam. If you fail to upload both the AM and PM exam files by 11:59 pm (ET) on Wednesday, February 22, 2017, your essay answers may be nullified and your seat cancelled. Note that a copy of your essay answer files are not backed up to either a disk or thumb drive on the date of the exam, therefore, it is critical that you timely upload your exam files to ExamSoft." The NY bar instruction

[puremorning]

What does it mean? We should upload our answers DURING/BEFORE the MEE/MPT exams, right?

"(e) Unless granted extended time, after the conclusion of the exam, you must upload your exam answer files to ExamSoft by 11:59 pm (ET) on Wednesday, February 22, 2017. It is highly recommended that you upload your exam files as soon as possible after leaving the test site to insure that your essay answers are on file with the Board for grading. The upload instructions are available on the ExamSoft website and a copy will also be emailed to laptop candidates on the day of the bar exam. If you fail to upload both the AM and PM exam files by 11:59 pm (ET) on Wednesday, February 22, 2017, your essay answers may be nullified and your seat cancelled. Note that a copy of your essay answer files are not backed up to either a disk or thumb drive on the date of the exam, therefore, it is critical that you timely upload your exam files to ExamSoft." The NY bar instruction

Unlike law school where you're connected to wifi and stuff during the exam and it automatically uploads at the end, the Bar requires you to do it on your own (I think after that huge snafu 3 years back). When I took the OH bar in July 2015 most of the other test takers would set up a hotspot on their cell phone and use that to upload the exam (because the wifi in there was super slow from others trying to use it). I didn't want to be in the test center a second longer so I uploaded my exams in my hotel, and then on the last day (because OH is 2.5 days), I actually uploaded my exam in the parking lot of a Wendy's. Whatever it takes. But yeah, it's weird. It's pretty self-explanatory though once you're on the software and after you take the exam and everything.

[lolabear727]

Anyone bringing a laptop bag and putting it in the personal belongings room "at your own risk"? Not sure I want to risk walking the 6 blocks in the cold and likely rain (as the forecast shows right now) without a cover. Just wondering if anyone has heard of stuff being taken, etc.? I guess if someone desperately needs my bag they can have it sans the good stuff..

One bad thing about not have a car on test day.

Btw, the softtest nightmare happened to me in FL July 2014. It was terrible. Didn't get a good night sleep on Day1-Day2 because it never uploaded. Some people got theirs uploaded, others did not. It had to be uploaded the night of the written portion by 11:59. Needless to say, the anxiety in the room on day 2 was insane.

[puremorning]

Anyone bringing a laptop bag and putting it in the personal belongings room "at your own risk"? Not sure I want to risk walking the 6 blocks in the cold and likely rain (as the forecast shows right now) without a cover. Just wondering if anyone has heard of stuff being taken, etc.? I guess if someone desperately needs my bag they can have it sans the good stuff..

One bad thing about not have a car on test day.

Btw, the softtest nightmare happened to me in FL July 2014. It was terrible. Didn't get a good night sleep on Day1-Day2 because it never uploaded. Some people got theirs uploaded, others did not. It had to be uploaded the night of the written portion by 11:59. Needless to say, the anxiety in the room on day 2 was insane.

Ugh I couldn't imagine being part of the hell that was the July 2014 bar. I'm taking the bar in NYC and taking public transit there, so I'm def taking a bag and wearing my coat. I think I'll try to minimize the valuables I'm taking (if someone steals my old Eddie Bauer coat, that's kinda shitty, and I don't think I'll bring my phone because I know my way around), but I get if you're unfamiliar with an area and need your phone or something. Idk. I'm not super concerned, but I am curious about other's experiences with the personal belongings room.