2017 Results Thread - February Exam Forum

[blaze1306]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

[ProspectiveStudent69]

I passed Iowa!! Got a 289 on the UBE. Pretty happy!

[deceptivelyblonde]

Minnesota just said they'll come out April 14, 2017
Tennessee just said they'll come out April 7, 2017

[happyhour1122]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

[Nyjdgirl]

I passed Iowa!! Got a 289 on the UBE. Pretty happy!

Congrats on passing! How did you feel coming out the test I'm still waiting on New York after failing the first time by 5 points

[blaze1306]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.

[maxmartin]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.

I think 25 experimental questions reduce one's chance to get high MBE score.

[happyhour1122]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.

Who knows? your mbe could be fine (perhaps improved) maybe fam law and trust cut short on the score.
I'm so fucken nervous. I did reAL bad in trust essay...

[AP5623]

I think 25 experimental questions reduce one's chance to get high MBE score.[/quote]

Literally my fears...

[RavenAgain]

Hey guys don't want to leave the thread hanging just because I didn't get the news I wanted. Still pushing for those waiting on those results.

Good or bad you will feel the weight start to lift once you find out.

Second-time taker here. Waiting on NY. Failed by 9 scaled points on July. I am a foreign taker (also foreign trained) so, as you probably understand, I kinda betting against the odds here. All in all, my point is that I get you. I get how you must be feeling now.

My circumstances weren't easy when preparing both times. My father was diagnosed with cancer again a year ago after 5 years in remission. It was right before I started studying for July. When my results came out on late October, I didn't get the luxury of grief because I had to wear a smile to cheer him up while he underwent therapy and was hospitalized for about a month during Oct-Nov.

I was about to start preparing for the Feb exam when in early December when my father caught a nasty bug that kept him in intensive care for additional two months and in rehab for another month. Acute pneumonia that sent him into a septic shock and multi-organ failure. Doctors in the unit said there's no chance of him making it as he was in assisted respiration for too long... Well, both my father and I thought otherwise. I coordinated all the doctors I knew from his medical history and managed to bring him back. Today, my mother is having a hard time keeping him in the house...

So I thought that all these hardships meant something = I had to make it. My whole family tried to convince me to either quit or postpone my NY admission efforts and shift my focus on my home country. "You're father is not well", "circumstances are not ideal" (as if they ever are...), "competition is very high". They even told me not to take the exam for a third time if I failed this one - not after the exam but just a couple of days before. Only one person in my family believed in me: Me.

"The odds for a foreign retaker is ~15%": I couldn't care less. "More debt for the trip and application fees": Who gives a f**k?

I watched this video every day I felt my reality was catching up with my determination:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Zjh3AirjU

It really helped. "Those who say they can't and those who say they can are usually both right..."
Although I don't yet know whether I passed, I feel optimistic. Repeated the Kaplan Prep Course I purchased in my first attempt as it was for free and trusted the system. Studied harder and more determined. Left the exam feeling more confident than the first time. In July I was thinking "it's OK to fail, considering the circumstances..."

This time failure wasn't an option. But even if I do fail, I will try again. And again, and again...
The only thing I have to say to bar exam takers: You owe this success to no one else but yourself. It is for you. No one is going to feel like you will, whether you pass or fail. It is a lonely and uphill path; and you'll either fail and tumble down alone or make it to the top and enjoy the view alone.
The only certain way to failure is quitting. No matter how many times it takes for you to pass, you never really failed unless you quit. Remember that.

I agree. Failing is like falling down but you get up and run again. I wish you the best!

I am a fifth time taker. It is tough to make a choice when times are not easy during the bar exam.

Quitting was not an option for me too. I went and took the bar exam just after my mother was diagnosed with cancer, planning to be with her afterwards, as the prognosis was hopeful. My mother sent me an encouraging text message on the first bar exam test day. She died a few days later.

I failed. I wanted to go back in time and felt guilty for having taken the exam. You can not change the past. So I decided to take the exam until I pass.

In Feb 2017 I prepared to re-sit the bar exam when my father-in-law suddenly died just days before the exam itself. To take the test worrying or grieving a loved one is not easy. Still my husband encouraged me to fly to CA and take the exam.

I am a foreign attorney and not an English native speaker. So the odds are also very much against me, particularly so as the 15% foreigner's pass rate includes people who are English native speakers.

Despite all I left the exam this time feeling for the first time encouraged as I completed both MPTs and did not miss any of the big major issues. However classically with each day my confidence gets weaker as I have no idea about the MBEs and doubts about my essays.

6 more weeks until results are out ... And so little to divert my attention from 12 May...

[YalteseFalcon]

Blaze,

I think you're doing the right thing by taking the exam again. There's no reason not to if you still want to practice law. I agree with the other poster, however, to wait and see where your score breakdown shows strengths and weaknesses. Themis (or any full service program) may not be necessary if you're just shy of passing, particularly if it's on the MBE side.

My results are released on Friday. Like everyone else, I'm petrified. I'm admitted in NJ, and am fortunate enough to have a job. However, my firm in Philadelphia handles clients in both PA and NJ. Admission to PA is obviously important.

Not that I'm a pessimist, but I would like to be prepared for bad news if it happens. Any advice on how to discuss a failure with the partners at the firm? Obviously a July retake would be in order...and just the thought gives me more grey hair (which, I shit you not, I did not have prior to bar prep). But any thoughts on how to avoid, you know, getting the boot from the firm? Sure, I could be quite close in score--but "almost" doesn't count, and I don't think the partners will understand or care about whatever effect, if any, the experimental questions had.

[TheJuryMustDie]

Hey guys don't want to leave the thread hanging just because I didn't get the news I wanted. Still pushing for those waiting on those results.

Good or bad you will feel the weight start to lift once you find out.

Second-time taker here. Waiting on NY. Failed by 9 scaled points on July. I am a foreign taker (also foreign trained) so, as you probably understand, I kinda betting against the odds here. All in all, my point is that I get you. I get how you must be feeling now.

My circumstances weren't easy when preparing both times. My father was diagnosed with cancer again a year ago after 5 years in remission. It was right before I started studying for July. When my results came out on late October, I didn't get the luxury of grief because I had to wear a smile to cheer him up while he underwent therapy and was hospitalized for about a month during Oct-Nov.

I was about to start preparing for the Feb exam when in early December when my father caught a nasty bug that kept him in intensive care for additional two months and in rehab for another month. Acute pneumonia that sent him into a septic shock and multi-organ failure. Doctors in the unit said there's no chance of him making it as he was in assisted respiration for too long... Well, both my father and I thought otherwise. I coordinated all the doctors I knew from his medical history and managed to bring him back. Today, my mother is having a hard time keeping him in the house...

So I thought that all these hardships meant something = I had to make it. My whole family tried to convince me to either quit or postpone my NY admission efforts and shift my focus on my home country. "You're father is not well", "circumstances are not ideal" (as if they ever are...), "competition is very high". They even told me not to take the exam for a third time if I failed this one - not after the exam but just a couple of days before. Only one person in my family believed in me: Me.

"The odds for a foreign retaker is ~15%": I couldn't care less. "More debt for the trip and application fees": Who gives a f**k?

I watched this video every day I felt my reality was catching up with my determination:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Zjh3AirjU

It really helped. "Those who say they can't and those who say they can are usually both right..."
Although I don't yet know whether I passed, I feel optimistic. Repeated the Kaplan Prep Course I purchased in my first attempt as it was for free and trusted the system. Studied harder and more determined. Left the exam feeling more confident than the first time. In July I was thinking "it's OK to fail, considering the circumstances..."

This time failure wasn't an option. But even if I do fail, I will try again. And again, and again...
The only thing I have to say to bar exam takers: You owe this success to no one else but yourself. It is for you. No one is going to feel like you will, whether you pass or fail. It is a lonely and uphill path; and you'll either fail and tumble down alone or make it to the top and enjoy the view alone.

I wish you the best in your next attempt. The only certain way to failure is quitting. No matter how many times it takes for you to pass, you never really failed unless you quit. Remember that.

Beautiful! You brilliantly captured the essence of life, at least, for me!

[PersistentAttorney]

Hey guys don't want to leave the thread hanging just because I didn't get the news I wanted. Still pushing for those waiting on those results.

Good or bad you will feel the weight start to lift once you find out.

Second-time taker here. Waiting on NY. Failed by 9 scaled points on July. I am a foreign taker (also foreign trained) so, as you probably understand, I kinda betting against the odds here. All in all, my point is that I get you. I get how you must be feeling now.

My circumstances weren't easy when preparing both times. My father was diagnosed with cancer again a year ago after 5 years in remission. It was right before I started studying for July. When my results came out on late October, I didn't get the luxury of grief because I had to wear a smile to cheer him up while he underwent therapy and was hospitalized for about a month during Oct-Nov.

I was about to start preparing for the Feb exam when in early December when my father caught a nasty bug that kept him in intensive care for additional two months and in rehab for another month. Acute pneumonia that sent him into a septic shock and multi-organ failure. Doctors in the unit said there's no chance of him making it as he was in assisted respiration for too long... Well, both my father and I thought otherwise. I coordinated all the doctors I knew from his medical history and managed to bring him back. Today, my mother is having a hard time keeping him in the house...

So I thought that all these hardships meant something = I had to make it. My whole family tried to convince me to either quit or postpone my NY admission efforts and shift my focus on my home country. "You're father is not well", "circumstances are not ideal" (as if they ever are...), "competition is very high". They even told me not to take the exam for a third time if I failed this one - not after the exam but just a couple of days before. Only one person in my family believed in me: Me.

"The odds for a foreign retaker is ~15%": I couldn't care less. "More debt for the trip and application fees": Who gives a f**k?

I watched this video every day I felt my reality was catching up with my determination:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41Zjh3AirjU

It really helped. "Those who say they can't and those who say they can are usually both right..."
Although I don't yet know whether I passed, I feel optimistic. Repeated the Kaplan Prep Course I purchased in my first attempt as it was for free and trusted the system. Studied harder and more determined. Left the exam feeling more confident than the first time. In July I was thinking "it's OK to fail, considering the circumstances..."

This time failure wasn't an option. But even if I do fail, I will try again. And again, and again...
The only thing I have to say to bar exam takers: You owe this success to no one else but yourself. It is for you. No one is going to feel like you will, whether you pass or fail. It is a lonely and uphill path; and you'll either fail and tumble down alone or make it to the top and enjoy the view alone.
The only certain way to failure is quitting. No matter how many times it takes for you to pass, you never really failed unless you quit. Remember that.

I agree. Failing is like falling down but you get up and run again. I wish you the best!

I am a fifth time taker. It is tough to make a choice when times are not easy during the bar exam.

Quitting was not an option for me too. I went and took the bar exam just after my mother was diagnosed with cancer, planning to be with her afterwards, as the prognosis was hopeful. My mother sent me an encouraging text message on the first bar exam test day. She died a few days later.

I failed. I wanted to go back in time and felt guilty for having taken the exam. You can not change the past. So I decided to take the exam until I pass.

In Feb 2017 I prepared to re-sit the bar exam when my father-in-law suddenly died just days before the exam itself. To take the test worrying or grieving a loved one is not easy. Still my husband encouraged me to fly to CA and take the exam.

I am a foreign attorney and not an English native speaker. So the odds are also very much against me, particularly so as the 15% foreigner's pass rate includes people who are English native speakers.

Despite all I left the exam this time feeling for the first time encouraged as I completed both MPTs and did not miss any of the big major issues. However classically with each day my confidence gets weaker as I have no idea about the MBEs and doubts about my essays.

6 more weeks until results are out ... And so little to divert my attention from 12 May...

I feel exactly the same way as we move towards the results. Although I left the exam feeling that everything went OK, the more we move towards the release dates the more insecure I feel. But this is just and illusion. Your performance those two days has nothing to do with how you feel now, as this negativity stems from the desire to pass which in turn causes anxiety. The more you want it, the more likely is to stress you.

Regarding your guilt, don't feel this way. I was in the same dilemma this February as my father was hospitalized in my home town and my work is 500 miles away. I had to leave him behind and continue both working and preparing for the bar exam. I said my "goodbyes" and really thought I would never see him again. Felt guilty as hell, but life goes on. And both your mother and my father would never want to see us stop pursuing our dreams because of their misfortunes.

I know CA is difficult. One very close friend of mine, native speaker and excellent student, sat the exam this February for the 3rd time. The second time he failed by so little we couldn't believe it. Be patient and keep working on your skills every day relentlessly. You need to obsess over the exam and your preparation. Everything else MUST wait, otherwise you will carry this as a burden your whole life.

Finally, think of this: Most people in your position would have quit already. Not only you didn't, but you have decided to go the full distance until you reach your goal. This means that you want it more than anyone else out there. Now, imagine what kind of a badass attorney this determination will make. He who wants it the most is the most likely to get it, and by "it" I mean success, no matter how you define it.

I wish you the very best of luck in your results this May. Fingers crossed!

[PersistentAttorney]

Blaze,

I think you're doing the right thing by taking the exam again. There's no reason not to if you still want to practice law. I agree with the other poster, however, to wait and see where your score breakdown shows strengths and weaknesses. Themis (or any full service program) may not be necessary if you're just shy of passing, particularly if it's on the MBE side.

My results are released on Friday. Like everyone else, I'm petrified. I'm admitted in NJ, and am fortunate enough to have a job. However, my firm in Philadelphia handles clients in both PA and NJ. Admission to PA is obviously important.

Not that I'm a pessimist, but I would like to be prepared for bad news if it happens. Any advice on how to discuss a failure with the partners at the firm? Obviously a July retake would be in order...and just the thought gives me more grey hair (which, I shit you not, I did not have prior to bar prep). But any thoughts on how to avoid, you know, getting the boot from the firm? Sure, I could be quite close in score--but "almost" doesn't count, and I don't think the partners will understand or care about whatever effect, if any, the experimental questions had.

Let's say you failed - which I don't think you will, since you have hands on experience and you are already admitted in NJ, which already puts you to the "likely to pass" category - but let's say you do fail: Why the hell do you need an excuse for that? If you haven't been served an ultimatum by your firm saying "we need you in PA buddy - make it happen or else" then what difference will this make to a sane partner, if such partner is already happy with your work?

My point is that an exam cannot negate your so far achievements in your workplace. If the partners trusted you so far and were happy with you, then you have no reason to worry. If they didn't, giving you the boot for failing will mean that they were looking for an excuse.

Think positive. It works wonders.

[PersistentAttorney]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.

Do take it this July. Don't despair. Some people don't fit into boxes as well as others do. And this exam wants you to do exactly that.
There's plenty of advice from people that did make it in here so I won't try to tell you which course works and which does not as it is subjective.

Work harder, focus on your weaknesses and you will make it. You came so far to quit anyway

[blaze1306]

Blaze,

I think you're doing the right thing by taking the exam again. There's no reason not to if you still want to practice law. I agree with the other poster, however, to wait and see where your score breakdown shows strengths and weaknesses. Themis (or any full service program) may not be necessary if you're just shy of passing, particularly if it's on the MBE side.

My results are released on Friday. Like everyone else, I'm petrified. I'm admitted in NJ, and am fortunate enough to have a job. However, my firm in Philadelphia handles clients in both PA and NJ. Admission to PA is obviously important.

Not that I'm a pessimist, but I would like to be prepared for bad news if it happens. Any advice on how to discuss a failure with the partners at the firm? Obviously a July retake would be in order...and just the thought gives me more grey hair (which, I shit you not, I did not have prior to bar prep). But any thoughts on how to avoid, you know, getting the boot from the firm? Sure, I could be quite close in score--but "almost" doesn't count, and I don't think the partners will understand or care about whatever effect, if any, the experimental questions had.

In my first attempt in July 2016 I missed it by 11 points, that gave me some solace. It was all MBE. I got 133 on MEE and 116 on the MBE. I studied the Adaptibar like a fiend because I really wanted to fix my problem areas. I think my problem is ( and I will know better when my scores show up) is I didn't "bank" anything with the MEE. I kept thinking that " Well as long as I do as well as I did last time on the MBE I'm golden". That was an obvious mistake, its not like I cold "save" points form the July bar for the February bar. The family law question was a pure guess for me I never took it and I barely studied it. Trust was a guess. This one is on me, I cant blame the format of this new UBE 25 diagnostic questions or anything like that. I've never taken a commercial study aid until Adaptibar and I feel like it helped ( the truth will come out with my scores) and I hope Themis is the answer.

My advice on telling superiors. I was working as a clerk for the prosecutors office for my first attempt and the position was bar dependent, I thought I would get another chance at the bar when I failed but I was fired after I announced my failure. My boss and coworkers were great, while I felt ( and feel) like a failure, the best thing to do is be brutally honest with the results and your opinions on the exam and why you were not successful. But most of all WAIT UNTIL YOU GE THE SCORES before you discuss the results with anyone. It goes a long way in explaining were the problem is. My eleven point deficiency was in one area, and went a long way in ( excuses to those that missed by only 1-3 points) making the situation a little better. The position I have now with the Nuclear Waste Partnership is (thank God) not bar dependent, but I still feel embarrassed and disappointed. This third attempt will be my last so I am going all out. I will post as soon as my scores come in.

Good luck, let me know if I can help in anyway. While others here need to be secretive because of jobs or etc.I have never been scared to post my honest scores and situation. I don't have much to lose and while I don't think I have much to offer substantial, I don't mind sharing.

[blaze1306]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.

Do take it this July. Don't despair. Some people don't fit into boxes as well as others do. And this exam wants you to do exactly that.
There's plenty of advice from people that did make it in here so I won't try to tell you which course works and which does not as it is subjective.

Work harder, focus on your weaknesses and you will make it. You came so far to quit anyway

You know what I am most disappointed in? I convinced myself over these past 6 weeks that I did ok. I knew when I walked out of the MEE that the family law and trust questions where a big problem. I think its part of the mind F@#$ of the bar that I could convince myself that those parts didn't hurt as much as they did. The scores will give me better insight I guess. I hope it changes, but I am trying hard to convince myself to do all this work again, and its going to be even more assuming I do the Themis plan. Thank goodness the lag time between Feb and July bar is short or I wouldn't do this again.

[sdimo]

late checking in, but NJ probably has another month of waiting... wondering if they have released any information about the effects of changing the MBE scoring with their 175/25 nonsense yet. anyone hear anything? i know in the past they liked to release when bar takers hit the lowest MBE scores in decades lol such fun times.

[happyhour1122]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.

Do take it this July. Don't despair. Some people don't fit into boxes as well as others do. And this exam wants you to do exactly that.
There's plenty of advice from people that did make it in here so I won't try to tell you which course works and which does not as it is subjective.

Work harder, focus on your weaknesses and you will make it. You came so far to quit anyway

You know what I am most disappointed in? I convinced myself over these past 6 weeks that I did ok. I knew when I walked out of the MEE that the family law and trust questions where a big problem. I think its part of the mind F@#$ of the bar that I could convince myself that those parts didn't hurt as much as they did. The scores will give me better insight I guess. I hope it changes, but I am trying hard to convince myself to do all this work again, and its going to be even more assuming I do the Themis plan. Thank goodness the lag time between Feb and July bar is short or I wouldn't do this again.

I really didn't think two essays would hurt so much. Do you know what you put in the essay? What could have went wrong? Like you said perhaps you would know more when you get the exam back. I k ow you said you don't know the law well but I thought you still get points for BS-ING. I feel your pain. I messed up my trust essay and have no idea how I did in other exams..... I have a feeling you were really really close to passing.

[blaze1306]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.

Do take it this July. Don't despair. Some people don't fit into boxes as well as others do. And this exam wants you to do exactly that.
There's plenty of advice from people that did make it in here so I won't try to tell you which course works and which does not as it is subjective.

Work harder, focus on your weaknesses and you will make it. You came so far to quit anyway

You know what I am most disappointed in? I convinced myself over these past 6 weeks that I did ok. I knew when I walked out of the MEE that the family law and trust questions where a big problem. I think its part of the mind F@#$ of the bar that I could convince myself that those parts didn't hurt as much as they did. The scores will give me better insight I guess. I hope it changes, but I am trying hard to convince myself to do all this work again, and its going to be even more assuming I do the Themis plan. Thank goodness the lag time between Feb and July bar is short or I wouldn't do this again.

I really didn't think two essays would hurt so much. Do you know what you put in the essay? What could have went wrong? Like you said perhaps you would know more when you get the exam back. I k ow you said you don't know the law well but I thought you still get points for BS-ING. I feel your pain. I messed up my trust essay and have no idea how I did in other exams..... I have a feeling you were really really close to passing.

Full disclosure and honesty. I GUESSED on the family law question. I'm trying to remember exactly what I put down...but I purged it from mind the second I walked out. I will post when I get them back. When you fail here you can pay $30 to get your essays and the 1-6 representative answers for the essays.

I put down something like common law marriage, representing that they were married to others, not recognized in the new State, blah blah blah...I essay dumped on the trust question. I think I mentioned everything, even Totten trust. I was actually expecting a trust question but I was prepared for a general trust question not the nuance that was asked. I will gladly post when I get them back.

This test is just a crap shoot. I am strong in real property and contracts but the subjects I'm strong in have not been on the exams in a combination for me to be successful. For example I got 5's out of 6 on the July secured transactions and LLC questions, but a 2 on the products liability question I wrote the most on. Its so frustrating! I cant wait to see what happened this time.

[happyhour1122]

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?[/quote]


Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.[/quote]

Do take it this July. Don't despair. Some people don't fit into boxes as well as others do. And this exam wants you to do exactly that.
There's plenty of advice from people that did make it in here so I won't try to tell you which course works and which does not as it is subjective.

Work harder, focus on your weaknesses and you will make it. You came so far to quit anyway[/quote]


You know what I am most disappointed in? I convinced myself over these past 6 weeks that I did ok. I knew when I walked out of the MEE that the family law and trust questions where a big problem. I think its part of the mind F@#$ of the bar that I could convince myself that those parts didn't hurt as much as they did. The scores will give me better insight I guess. I hope it changes, but I am trying hard to convince myself to do all this work again, and its going to be even more assuming I do the Themis plan. Thank goodness the lag time between Feb and July bar is short or I wouldn't do this again.[/quote]


I really didn't think two essays would hurt so much. Do you know what you put in the essay? What could have went wrong? Like you said perhaps you would know more when you get the exam back. I k ow you said you don't know the law well but I thought you still get points for BS-ING. I feel your pain. I messed up my trust essay and have no idea how I did in other exams..... I have a feeling you were really really close to passing.[/quote]


Full disclosure and honesty. I GUESSED on the family law question. I'm trying to remember exactly what I put down...but I purged it from mind the second I walked out. I will post when I get them back. When you fail here you can pay $30 to get your essays and the 1-6 representative answers for the essays.

I put down something like common law marriage, representing that they were married to others, not recognized in the new State, blah blah blah...I essay dumped on the trust question. I think I mentioned everything, even Totten trust. I was actually expecting a trust question but I was prepared for a general trust question not the nuance that was asked. I will gladly post when I get them back.

This test is just a crap shoot. I am strong in real property and contracts but the subjects I'm strong in have not been on the exams in a combination for me to be successful. For example I got 5's out of 6 on the July secured transactions and LLC questions, but a 2 on the products liability question I wrote the most on. Its so frustrating! I cant wait to see what happened this time.[/quote]


so its possible that you might have done ok in fam and trust questions and did worse than you expected in other essays?
A LOT of people struggled with ST and LLC question last year. I am now doubting my chances of passing seeing what you just posted.
This is SOOO unpredictable. Everyone always say, MBE is what matters the most, but if you think about it, essay is also important. Unless of course you get real high score on MBE and essay score doesn't even matter.
Please update us once you get the writing back.
From what you briefly indicated in family law, its not too far from the answer many of us wrote...For trust. I don't even know what that Totten trust shit is..

[ehleez]

Hi! YES!

First of all, I'm a bad standardized test taker. I just am. I'm a "good little student" in class. I love writing papers, I love sitting in class, I love learning, I love wandering the library and reading on a topic I know zero about. I'm that person. But standardized tests are my Achilles. My SAT was okay. But my ACT was magically pretty great. I got a 4.0 at at at top 8 undergrad university in a difficult major (because I'm a "good little student"...lol), but my LSAT was abysmal (152), and yet I studied for that just as much and as smart as any other prelaw kid there. Heck, my mock trial team and I would do practice LSATs together for weeks on end (lame I know). They all got 170s and up, and I did not. It's just something I know I have to deal with and I know I have to work more at it than others.

So with that in mind...I watched all of the Barbri videos before the Barbri course started. I needed to have that base. I made solid outlines. Then, from those, I made my own box charts and venn diagrams and other similar visuals. I am 100% a visual learner, so putting in the time to do this is a major reason why I ended up passing (eventually).

First time: I did 99% of Barbri. No joke. I did all of it (minus that 1% haha). From my standardized test history, I knew I had to. I kept as sane and as "slow and steady wins the race" mode as I humanly could...so I worked out for an hour every morning at 6am; did my morning routine; had a sensible breakfast by 8:30; and was at it every single day by 9 at the very latest in the law library. Always took a full hour for lunch away from my materials. And stayed in the library until I had done everything for the day (usually around 5 or 6. I stayed longer as it got closer to the exam...because anxiety). My scores were always just over what passes every time in my state. Nothing ever was in the "red," but still I never was complacent. I did everything I was supposed to. And since everyone says, "just do what Barbri tells you to do and you'll be fine," and I was doing just that, I thought, "Great, one and done, baby! Let's do this!" "Embrace the suck!" "This is the official hazing." and blah blah blah, all those mantras earlier graduates tell you. So...I was cautiously optimistic.

....I didn't pass by 14 scaled points. I cried. I was going to move in with my fiance several states over after the bar; in fact I had already packed everything by the time my results came in. But instead I decided the better move was to move in with my parents and assist with my terminal grandmother full-time...which I did, until the day she died. I slowly unpacked everything from the U-Haul I rented. I cried the whole time.

Second time: I was ashamed for moving back in, so to make it up to myself, my parents, and my duty as a grandchild, I made sure I always took care of my last living grandparent (cook, clean, bathe, feed, exercise, everything) and to remove that emotional burden from my parents. I never complained. My hometown is tiny and gossipy, so to avoid people talking, I put myself on "house arrest," ordered my essays and scores from the bar examiners, and studied next to my grandma every single day. I learned that essays are graded pretty tough in my state to begin with and I made some rookie mistakes on a few essays which, had I not done, I would've passed. My study breaks this time were changing adult diapers, washing soiled bed sheets every day, and trying to get my grandmother, a paranoid schizophrenic of 50 years, to understand that I was her grandchild and was trying to help her. I tried my hardest to not feel sorry for myself. Even though it was very difficult time (emotionally, intellectually, everything), it was a blessing in disguise to have failed (the first time), because otherwise, I would not have been able to be with my grandma so much in her last months when she needed it the most. Everyone on this planet takes a hit or more in their lifetime. What distinguishes us is how long we choose to feel sorry for ourselves.

Anyway, this time, I used Barbri's "sorry you failed, here's another one on us" guarantee. But doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results is insanity, right? I wasn't about to do the same thing all the way through again. This time, I went through the program loosely, but deviated a lot to focus on my weaknesses. I self-studied a lot. Did practice bar exams for several Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the weeks leading up and would review my results on the other days of the week and quiz myself on my weaknesses. My MBE score went up considerably, but my essay scores were staying the same (still passing range, but on the low side). I also had my fiance (who had previously passed another state's bar); an older sibling (who had passed my state's bar); and my non-lawyer parents quiz me from my charts and visuals. THAT WAS HUGE. It was painfully obvious I didn't have the information as cold as I honestly thought I did. And it forced me to make myself make sense to people who knew nothing about the law. Besides not having everything down cold, I so overly verbose and flowery in my language that I would confuse myself when speaking. AHHH. That was a frustrating lesson, but I'm SO glad I learned it early on so I could practice saying elements out loud from memorization, again and again and again, like I was prepping for a debate contest or something. I know I looked stupid, but I did just did not care.

...I didn't pass by 3 scaled points. I cried. Slightly comforted by how close I was, but a fail is a fail.

Third and final time: My self-esteem was caput. My grandma has now passed. I'm distraught. I brought special clothes to dress her in for her wake and I watched the funeral directors put her in the crematorium with my mom and dad. I'm an emotional wreck, constantly irritable, and simply not a fun person to be around. At this point, it's a year and a half in bar mode. And I've lost someone that I grew immeasurably close to. That's no way to live and it's not fun for others to be around. I'm trying to keep my spirit afloat, but I'm still a worthless P.O.S. who can't pass a stupid test that I've been studying for for over a year, after 3 years of school. What is wrong with me?! Why can't I be cheerful like other classmates who passed the first time? Maybe I should just throw in the towel and do something else? Hearing that people like Hillary and other famous people who didn't pass on the first try was not even remotely comforting. Unless my last name is actually Kennedy and my parents have been hiding it for years, those "factoids" are just small talk nonsense. Hearing people give you half-assed "oh you'll get it next time" comments just drove me deeper into my dark hole. Not healthy at all. I was getting worse and worse.

Oh, and I was getting married in January. My fiance and I had booked all of the major wedding elements before I took the bar the first time. Had I been given access to a crystal ball, I would have neverrrr made the lineup of bar administrations sandwich my wedding. Never ever! Haha. [It's funny now...not so much a few months ago]. It ended up snowing on our wedding day (which is good luck apparently....and God knows I needed some good luck bad). It prevented many guests from even coming, but I was okay with it because it meant one less person to explain my situation to. (How sad is that?!!) At the reception, I became an expert at "answering the question I wish I had been asked" every time a family member or friend asked me about a very specific job or law-related question at the wedding. It just kept getter sadder for me. I'm not an unintelligent person! And neither are you guys! The exam is just HARD. And this cut-throat world we live in makes it harder to pass and harder to be okay with failing. I constantly felt unworthy and living a lie.

At this point, I'm still on a self-imposed "house arrest." We didn't have a honeymoon. After I got married, I went back into my childhood home and was talking to myself about piercing the corporate shield and how exactly covenants are different from equitable servitudes. Seriously, FML. I should have been a case study on the long term effects of cabin fever. To lift my spirits, I asked my brother if I could babysit his dog while I was studying. Yay! A furball of happiness! I also completely ditched electronics (minus watching lectures...see below), and studied only from my handwritten notes and box charts (which had evolved into even better charts at this point LOL). I bought a big poster board for each subject and put all of my (now) kick ass charts and diagrams on it. I would literally give my (er, my brother's) dog presentations on equal protection and strict products liability. It made it kinda fun! (for once!) I studied outside in the beautiful weather on my parents' porch for a total of one month before the exam, in a fuzzy bathrobe, with the dog always wagging his tail. I ate whatever I wanted and drank LaCroix exclusively to convince myself I was hydrated. I. WAS. A. WRECK. But I was trying! And I was going to make the best out of my situation. And I constantly refused (the best I could) to not feel sorry for myself. It's not like I had a terminal illness or was dealing with a stalker or anything. I was going to pass this test, damn it! And so will you!!

I ditched Barbri (from Parts 1 and 2 of this absurd saga). I couldn't fathom spending more money on Kaplan at sticker price. So I used my negotiating skills and got a major discount on Kaplan. Told them my story and said I'd only use it for the videos. And I did. I played their class lectures at 2x the speed and understood almost everything. It was very helpful hearing all the material from a different brand. I didn't do a single fill-in-the-blank or a single MBE question [more on that below]. I just used the videos as a refresher to the real studying on my own.

I gambled big time for this Feb 2017 bar, because like I said above, I didn't do really any MBE practice. My scores the first two times were always where they needed to be and were even better the second time. So I said, "Forget this. I'm doing essay work only." [Essays in my state are 60% and MBE 40%]. My [now] spouse thought that was a very bad idea [it was], but I did it and it paid off. The only MBE practice I did was watching the video on the answers to Kaplan's last 200 MBE practice set (apparently their hardest MBEs) on 2x the speed the week before the exam. I didn't even do the MBEs. I just watched the video on 2x speech and followed along in the book. I did that to refresh myself and remind myself that I had the MBE side of the exam on lock still.

What ultimately pushed me over to passing finally was this..... I wasn't convinced that Kaplan alone would save me. So I went to a seminar done by young attorneys in my state geared at helping you with essays. I needed help with essays bad. While my MBE was considerably higher the second time, my essay score the first time was the SAME the second time. After all that work too! That was a major red flag for me. This 2 hour seminar was a rehash of a Barbri essay I had done twice before, so I was bummed. I drove 2 hours in rush hour traffic to our state's capital for this only to drive back in shame? UGH. So I went up to the lady who gave the seminar and told her what I just told you, because....what did I have to lose? She was SO nice and put me in contact with her best friend from law school who had also failed the same bar 2x and passed on the 3rd try. This woman was a godsend for me. She was just as nice! She just KNEW what it was like and that was so comforting. We only talked on the phone once, but it was enough to shut me up and get moving. She sent me all of her practice essays. All of them. She had about 20+ for every subject. So I printed them all off (sorry, trees) and spent a whole day at a time on one essay subject. I'd read through all of the essays, fact patterns, questions, and responses, and verbally answer the question to the dog LOL. Forcing myself to do essay practice on one subject at a time from start to finish in a single day made me realize how the bouncing around from subject to subject in Barbri was not helpful to me at all. I needed to go through a single subject from start to finish in one day and be done with it. Doing this (mostly outlining and issue spotting practice) got me to see exactly what my bar examiners wanted and exactly how they approached their essays every time. This helped me more than anything. >>>More than anything<<< When I was done for the day, I would neatly pack up the essays and put them all in a single yellow folder and stick in in the trunk of my car...in case I needed to consult something during my lunch break during the bar.

I honestly think that pulled it off because I was able to get into my state's bar grader's minds finally and know exactly what they wanted on the essay. Barbri's sample essay answers are trash (for my state at least) (Yes, that's hyperbole, but hear me out). They are just way too complicated and detailed to be done in the time allotted. The sample rubrics and high-scoring responses from the essays that lady sent me were so helpful compared to Barbri's. Several were repeat Barbri essays, but the sample essays and rubrics specific to the state were the key for me. These samples were from the board itself, not from Barbri. The state's board of law examiners were no longer "the great and powerful Oz" anymore. They were just speed readers who have a straight forward rubric. The material is still hard, don't get me wrong, but I finally felt like I knew what was needed for writing a successful essay (and knowing it's solid when you're writing it on gameday, and not just hoping they like it).

Side note: don't even bother getting an essay tutor. The "go-to bar tutor" in my state that everyone suggested was beyond worthless. She cost several hundred dollars, demanded to grade my previous bar essays immediately upon hiring her, yet mailed only some back to me the day before the Feb 2017 bar. She doesn't even have a JD, but she teaches people to pass the essay portion. She was the equivalent of a cross country coach saying, "you'll never run fast if you never run fast! Why aren't you running faster?! You need to run faster." Thank you, captain obvious.

TL;DR: Don't be afraid to self-study, especially after doing a commercial bar prep already. Sit down and figure out what kind of learner are you. I am a visual learner. And then I seal the deal by doing "verbal presentations" over and over and over again. After I figured out what kind of learner I was, I finally was able to push though!! What helped me was (i) figuring what kind of learner I was; (ii) ditching the commercial review course and instead (iii) making box charts and other visuals, printing them off, and rewriting rules by hand until I had them cold; then putting each subject all on its own poster like a middle schooler giving a presentation and actually give presentations, even if it's just to yourself (iv) having intelligent non-lawyers quiz you from those materials; and (v) having all the essays you could possibly find with real grading rubrics (or sample high scoring responses) and running through ALL of them for one subject in one day (e.g. all of the con law essays on Monday, all of the sec trans essays on Tuesday, etc.).

You guys, I really hope this helps you. I know what it's like to feel down and out. You've spent 3 years in law school. Don't you dare let an exam that you are more than capable of owning keep you from passing the finish line!!!

This really touched me. I also did Barbri both times switching it up on the second but still feeling unsure. I'm actually saving this in word to read as a reminder. I know I don't know you but I'm sincerely, 100%, from the bottom of my heart happy for you and proud of you. God bless everything you do! Your will and commitment carried through and there is literally nothing you can't handle. Thank you for sharing this with us!

This was such a Godsend. I failed my first time using Barbri, and switched everything up the second time and used only Adaptibar for MBE and just the multiple choice Barbri offered for my state since they are unavailable elsewhere, unless I switched commercial companies. I, too, and a visual learner. I ditched my computer, aside from using it for practice questions, and wrote over 2000 flashcards--one set for MBE and one set per possible essay topic with subtopics topics tested per topic...months later, and my fingers are still blistered! I gave both of my dogs verbal presentations, too...paced at 3 am giving those verbal presentations...walked the dogs while giving a verbal presentation...floated around in my pool giving a verbal presentation...drove while giving a verbal presentation...pretty sure the dogs are tired of my voice!

I have a little less than a week until my results are posted and cannot be any more anxious and afraid. Seeing that "fail" last time was, and still is, the worst thing I have every experienced. I share in your 4.0 GPA, but a 150 LSAT score both times I took it...I was actually told that my resume and GPA saved me for acceptance into my law school, which actually happens to hold the top bar passing rate in my state for the past few years....except for me and few others, so it's easy to imagine how worthless and small I feel! Confidence is a hard thing to have when you already have that "fail" under your belt...the feeling resonates with you, and no matter how hard you try, you can't shake it off. I have fallen into a pretty deep depression since failing last year, and have been struggling with the possibility of another "fail" yet again...my state grants essay graders a lot of discretion when grading, so the unfairness of the process really hits hard, too. Despite all this, I have to say that your post has really hit close to home and has helped make me feel at least a little better...thank you.

hope you update us once you get your score

I will. fingers crossed I'm allowed to take the day off from work...I'd much rather check in the privacy and comfort of my own home, than be in an office full of attorneys waiting to hear from me

[PersistentAttorney]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.

Do take it this July. Don't despair. Some people don't fit into boxes as well as others do. And this exam wants you to do exactly that.
There's plenty of advice from people that did make it in here so I won't try to tell you which course works and which does not as it is subjective.

Work harder, focus on your weaknesses and you will make it. You came so far to quit anyway

You know what I am most disappointed in? I convinced myself over these past 6 weeks that I did ok. I knew when I walked out of the MEE that the family law and trust questions where a big problem. I think its part of the mind F@#$ of the bar that I could convince myself that those parts didn't hurt as much as they did. The scores will give me better insight I guess. I hope it changes, but I am trying hard to convince myself to do all this work again, and its going to be even more assuming I do the Themis plan. Thank goodness the lag time between Feb and July bar is short or I wouldn't do this again.

I had the exact same feeling and only failed by little (9 points..). You have to convince yourself that there is an upside in this. You did this before and you can definitely do this again. Lag time is short but a couple of days before the exam it will feel too short (as you probably already know by experience).

Step 1 - wait for the actual breakdown of your results. Chances are you didn't fail by much. This will mean than not everything you did in preparing was wrong.

Step 2: pick a solid prep course that will structure your work towards the exam. I was happy with how Kaplan made me feel confident on my progress. I don't know whether I passed or failed yet but on my way to the exam I felt fine (and I felt even better leaving the exam). Each day was dedicated to separate topics and the available material was very helpful.

Step 3: No matter which course you pick: Do at least 1200 MBE questions (33 to 50/day every day to build your stamina) and make sure to write down the main facts on the ones you missed, why the answer you picked was wrong and why the correct one is correct. This exercise will also help you with your essay skills as for each question you do this, you will be isolating facts, issues raised and how certain rules apply to the given facts each time. Make sure to do at least two mock exams (midterm and final) and do not miss those video reviews for each mock exam of your prep course (Kaplan has two in the course and one extra optional). I can safely say that the Final Kaplan Exam video review corrected at least 20 questions I had gotten wrong in the Kaplan exam and I am positive I got right later in the actual exam.

Step 4: Write essays in conditions simulating the exam. From the very first one. Don't treat those essays as detailed outlines which you will use later in your revision to memorize because even if you do memorize everything time won't be enough in the actual exam to write it all down. Don't try to learn detailed rules and information that you won't have a chance in hell putting together in an essay in less than 20 minutes. Trust me on the 20' limit as you will deviate in the actual exam at least 5' on each essay.

Step 5: Make sure you leave nothing looking unfinished. And I say "looking" because in such timeframe no one can give complete answers. Prioritize the info you actually write, make sure you show that you completely understand the issue at stake and do not lose time explaining things not directly related to the issue. What I found out both from practicing with Kaplan and my previous attempt (MEE/MPT 128) was that the rule is not that much of an issue as long as you apply the facts to the rule properly. This way you might get some leniency for missing the rule as you show the grader will understand that you are on the right track and in normal conditions the facts & issues you identified would have led you to the correct rule you need to apply. In some cases, you might remember the rule too.

Step 6: Flexcards. Short rule statements on one side and the relevant question on the other side. Great memorizing tool. Helped me a lot both in the MBE and the essays.

For me, essay writing in the exam is a combination of demonstrating knowledge and doing proper damage control. You have to remember to do and practice on both to succeed.

This was my strategy. I hope it will bring positive results. At least it made a difference in my confidence from one attempt to the other.

[blaze1306]

New Mexico just posted...I'm to afraid to look!!!


Im at work...I think I will try and wait till I get home so I can celebrate or cry in the privacy of my home.

Two time loser...

oh man...
I read your post about how much you've studied with adaptibar.... Did you score change (improved?). I remember you said essay score was average. How did you do in your mbe score?

Results just came out online today, a letter with my score is inbound. I'm shocked but not really crazy mad about it. I concentrated on MBE because that is what caused me to fail last time. The true answer if I am honest with myself is I was not as prepared for the essay as I should have been. I didn't take family law in law school and studied it very little, I really did not expect it.While I expected the Trust question I was not WELL prepared for the nuance the question asked. I have no one to blame but myself. I did a butt load of MBE on Adaptibar, my score letter will let me know where I really failed.

If I take it for a third consecutive time (shudder) this July, I will take Themis. I have to take a big swing, this will be my last attempt.

Do take it this July. Don't despair. Some people don't fit into boxes as well as others do. And this exam wants you to do exactly that.
There's plenty of advice from people that did make it in here so I won't try to tell you which course works and which does not as it is subjective.

Work harder, focus on your weaknesses and you will make it. You came so far to quit anyway

You know what I am most disappointed in? I convinced myself over these past 6 weeks that I did ok. I knew when I walked out of the MEE that the family law and trust questions where a big problem. I think its part of the mind F@#$ of the bar that I could convince myself that those parts didn't hurt as much as they did. The scores will give me better insight I guess. I hope it changes, but I am trying hard to convince myself to do all this work again, and its going to be even more assuming I do the Themis plan. Thank goodness the lag time between Feb and July bar is short or I wouldn't do this again.

I had the exact same feeling and only failed by little (9 points..). You have to convince yourself that there is an upside in this. You did this before and you can definitely do this again. Lag time is short but a couple of days before the exam it will feel too short (as you probably already know by experience).

Step 1 - wait for the actual breakdown of your results. Chances are you didn't fail by much. This will mean than not everything you did in preparing was wrong.

Step 2: pick a solid prep course that will structure your work towards the exam. I was happy with how Kaplan made me feel confident on my progress. I don't know whether I passed or failed yet but on my way to the exam I felt fine (and I felt even better leaving the exam). Each day was dedicated to separate topics and the available material was very helpful.

Step 3: No matter which course you pick: Do at least 1200 MBE questions (33 to 50/day every day to build your stamina) and make sure to write down the main facts on the ones you missed, why the answer you picked was wrong and why the correct one is correct. This exercise will also help you with your essay skills as for each question you do this, you will be isolating facts, issues raised and how certain rules apply to the given facts each time. Make sure to do at least two mock exams (midterm and final) and do not miss those video reviews for each mock exam of your prep course (Kaplan has two in the course and one extra optional). I can safely say that the Final Kaplan Exam video review corrected at least 20 questions I had gotten wrong in the Kaplan exam and I am positive I got right later in the actual exam.

Step 4: Write essays in conditions simulating the exam. From the very first one. Don't treat those essays as detailed outlines which you will use later in your revision to memorize because even if you do memorize everything time won't be enough in the actual exam to write it all down. Don't try to learn detailed rules and information that you won't have a chance in hell putting together in an essay in less than 20 minutes. Trust me on the 20' limit as you will deviate in the actual exam at least 5' on each essay.

Step 5: Make sure you leave nothing looking unfinished. And I say "looking" because in such timeframe no one can give complete answers. Prioritize the info you actually write, make sure you show that you completely understand the issue at stake and do not lose time explaining things not directly related to the issue. What I found out both from practicing with Kaplan and my previous attempt (MEE/MPT 128) was that the rule is not that much of an issue as long as you apply the facts to the rule properly. This way you might get some leniency for missing the rule as you show the grader will understand that you are on the right track and in normal conditions the facts & issues you identified would have led you to the correct rule you need to apply. In some cases, you might remember the rule too.

Step 6: Flexcards. Short rule statements on one side and the relevant question on the other side. Great memorizing tool. Helped me a lot both in the MBE and the essays.

For me, essay writing in the exam is a combination of demonstrating knowledge and doing proper damage control. You have to remember to do and practice on both to succeed.



This was my strategy. I hope it will bring positive results. At least it made a difference in my confidence from one attempt to the other.

I appreciate the advice. I am confident in my stamina and time management. The first exam I was wiped out, back spasms stress and anxiety, but I still finished each section with time to spare. This time I finished and walked out (without back spasms) right on time. Your 5th step resonates with me. I think that is my main issue. I am putting things down that relate to the issue but how do you know enough about EVERYTHING to be able to write a complete, effective answer (in 20 minutes) on a subject you are not strong on when these essays are getting more and more specific and nuanced? I went over my notes on the subjects from the Feb. Bar and I didn't skip them there was just to much information to know the nuances of, for example the Trust issue for example. Maybe it wasn't a nuanced issue it could have been a core issue I just don't know. Looking at what you studied did you feel like you had the information and studied it and knew all of it cold, or did you know enough about the wider issue to BS a good answer.

One of the problems I have with the representative answers is they are so perfect it is obvious the person knows everything about the subject. Are they really that smart or did they get lucky and just happen to have this specific question memorized. I got 5's last year on the LLC question but I didn't feel confident, the secured transactions (5) was pure luck. How do you get that confidence of actual knowledge about all these subjects? There's just to much. Maybe I don't know enough black letter law? I hope Themis can help.

[happyhour1122]

I'm not in the best position to say anything as I am also waiting on my results and failed the first time, but perhaps its not the content of the essay?
Are you using IRAC? or CIRAC? or does it look like you finished the essay? Are you "only" answering the given question? (Sometimes you have a couple of issues under the main question), I've heard sometimes graders don't even read the essays properly.

I used CIRAC this time. I failed big time using IRAC last time. Maybe it wasn't the content. It will be funny and I will surely believe it was my organization that will pass my essay if I pass this time because I spent some more time in trying to "look neat" and organized. I probably wrote more "laws" in my first exam essay