July 2017 NY Bar Hangout Thread - Results Are Here!!! Forum

[polkadot12]

The list is also supposed to be on the law journal's website at midnight. Not sure where it'll be up first (BOLE or Law Journal)

Maybe BOLE forgot

haha wouldn't surprise me

Law Journal:
http://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/si ... esdayD.pdf

for some reason it wont load and asks me to sign in..

[Toubro]

You can sign up to see the list on the NY Law Journal website through your firm / law school lexis account

[Shadowcrystal]

You can sign up to see the list on the NY Law Journal website through your firm / law school lexis account

...if only I still remembered my Lexis account login and password...

[hailcaesar34]

Its on BOLE now

[Damage Over Time]

Hey guys if you miss the January swearing in, when are the other swearing in times?

this may be helpful:

https://www.nycourts.gov/courts/ad4/Cle ... Letter.pdf


cliffs: january if you postmarked your stuff by Oct 2, otherwise June 2018


i didn't start compiling my stuff until after results were released last year, then did everything as fast as i could, had no issues/outstanding items, and was sworn in in june

you can probably expect the same unless you've been really on top of things (hard to imagine a lot of people had their stuff postmarked Oct 2, 2017 tho)

[Asroma]

Law Journal:
http://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/si ... esdayD.pdf

for some reason it wont load and asks me to sign in..

I am registered, that's probably why I can see it. But the registration is free.
Anyway, it seems that BOLE woke up: https://www.nybarexam.org/EXJ17/July2017Results.htm

[polkadot12]

Law Journal:
http://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/si ... esdayD.pdf

for some reason it wont load and asks me to sign in..

I am registered, that's probably why I can see it. But the registration is free.
Anyway, it seems that BOLE woke up: https://www.nybarexam.org/EXJ17/July2017Results.htm

i graduated in 2016, so my lexis is expired. OI

[Asroma]

Law Journal:
http://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/si ... esdayD.pdf

for some reason it wont load and asks me to sign in..

I am registered, that's probably why I can see it. But the registration is free.
Anyway, it seems that BOLE woke up: https://www.nybarexam.org/EXJ17/July2017Results.htm

i graduated in 2016, so my lexis is expired. OI

I don't have lexis either. I just registered with my email.

[Scholarstika]

Bear with me, this has been years for me coming.

To those who passed:

Congratulations to all who have passed!

You’ve done those around you, and (most importantly) yourselves proud. Celebrate accordingly, you all have earned it! From what I know about Character and Fitness, it’s smooth sailing from here on out (barring something major), so don’t do anything stupid between now and that swear-in in Albany/Buffalo/NYC.

Special congratulations for foreign takers who've passed. To come into a foreign country, immersing yourselves in a peculiar system, writing in what's (for some) a second language, on one of the hardest tests in the world, while persevering is no joke. Take a well-deserved bow!

Also special congrats to the retakers who have passed this time. You are an inspiration to us all, and remind us that slaying the dragon is doable. I didn’t pass for NY (UBE:260, MBE:142.7), but I got enough for one of my “Plan B” states. That I can legitimately say "I will be an attorney," effective Summer 2018 is beyond unreal (it's just a matter of where, even though I'm still taking Feb ). All that work has finally paid off.


To those who did not pass this go around:

It's not over. Your time is coming.

I’m also there with you. I’ve felt disappointed, while (even now) second-guessing what I would’ve done to score higher. It’s not fun, and even more so with another few months to spend on the bar exam. No matter how many times you've take it, not passing still sucks the same. I'll be taking it again in February, with some wondering (rightly) why, when I could easily ‘declare victory’ and move on. My life story tells me, persistence pays off:

My parents wanted me to be a doctor, to the point of paying for my undergrad (in-state tuition was dirt cheap). I even got into a program where all I had to was maintain a C average and I would’ve gotten a free ride through medical school. I flunked out of that by going to a UN internship (that had no future benefit), and almost failed out of undergrad – I had no interest. I could’ve just given up, or even quit school altogether. Instead, I figured out what really wanted to do - be an attorney - and did what was necessary to get into law school.

I go to law school thinking it was “Undergrad 2.0,” studying accordingly. I flunked out, coming back home in shame and disgrace. I tried various jobs. I got into an engineering program at my undergrad. I even met a woman who I almost married. I could’ve quit the whole “legal thing” and done something else. Instead, I eventually reapplied to the very institution that failed me out; by some miracle, I got in.

Upon graduating, I took my law school state’s bar exam, studying for it like any other law school test; I failed it. I then wrote the NY exam (it was cheaper and didn’t have CoF attached to the exam application) after that. I flunked that too, followed by a nasty cycle of “spend money-fail exam-spend money.” All while having a shaky job and financial situation (although that’s now stabilized). With much of my extra money going to exam costs, the easy thing would’ve been to stop altogether and get everything else in order first. But knowing that meant indefinite postponement, I kept going and here I am.

Even for July's exam, I thought I had it together. I ended up not studying as much for the MEE, but at least I went in confident with my MBE prep. But while typing, I inadvertently switched my keyboard to Greek…on ESSAY #2. Thanks to ExamSoft’s restrictions, the next 10 minutes were spent figuring out how to switch it back to English; my essay timing was fucked. I could’ve given up then too and walked out (or gone home on MBE Day as some did). Instead, I outlined my remaining answers, which later kept my already destroyed written score from being worse. I also kept my wits together for MBE Day, and it went as expected.

It’s not a matter of being smart/stupid (being a “gifted” student, my going through the above was very "humbling"). It's an exam. The bar exam doesn't ask where you're from/who you are/what your story is. It can be beat. Remember:

Failure doesn’t define you, but what you do after does.

Everyone, from Olympic sprinters, to the average (non-paralyzed) Joe/Jane on the street, began walking as stumbling babies. That’s a lot of falling. Even as walkers, we fall once in a while. But we get up and move on, not dwelling on when we were on the ground. It’s the American way. That’s how we New Yorkers work. No excuses - just keep it moving.

When you do come back to this thread, some of you’ll get plenty of advice. But you MUST do these three things:

1. Know how far you really are from the goal (It's more than just knowing the # of points to pass next time)
2. Make a plan to get there (It’s not just saying: “I’ll study ______ more”)
3. Actually do it (Just going through the motions/increased studying until Feb. won't cut it)

If you do ALL of the three, you’ll be celebrating in April 2018 (or beyond).

You now have a more than a month where you can properly grieve and figure out what to do. Presuming you decide to continue, effective December 1st, GET UP – KEEP IT MOVING. You There's a great community of people here, and I already love it here. I'll be around. Feel free to PM me if you have a questions/suggestions. After all, we're al effectively future colleagues in the profession.

PS: Sorry for the long post, but I'm feeling really inspired right now. Just paying it back

This is quite inspiring and kind-hearted. Do you mind if I show this article(?) to my friends who failed the bar this time? I'm sure this would bring a lot of courage to many people.

[aa22]

Congratulations to those who passed. I missed by 10 points. MBE 135, MEE/MPT - 121. Seems I was underprepared for MEE/MPT. Will retake Feb 2018 exam. I have access to Barbri and I have purchased Emanuel MBE S&T and Critical Pass.

My questions to those who passed -
1. Did anyone use Adaptibar? If I'm using Emanuel MBE S&T to improve my MBE, will it be overkill to use Adaptibar too?
2. Did anyone use Serapac UBE Master? Was it useful? Is it overwhelming/overkill if I use Serapac in addition to Barbri, Emanuel and Critical Pass?
3. Did anyone use ELS' (JD Advising) MBE and MEE services viz. MBE One Sheets, MBE Guides and MEE One Sheets? Were these useful?
4. What are the best resources to learn the black letter law? Conviser? Lean Sheets? Any other suggestions?

And my question to those who passed and especially did well in MEE/MPT -
1. What gameplan/strategy did you follow that helped you ace MEE/MPT?

Any suggestion/advise is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I had a 133 MBE and 138 for MEE/MPT. When I learned my weakness was the MBE, I really just honed in on the essays. I read through every essay in the Barbri essay book, and outlined topics I had trouble remembering. Never did a full essay, just got used to the format and typed as much as I could muster on test day. I also did one MPT timed and skimmed through the different types of MPTs.

I took Barbri and didn't find their MBE prep particularly helpful other than the explanations. Emanuel S&T was the key to get to a decent score. For context, I got an 89 on the Barbri MBE midterm, so

This is a rough process - you're almost there score wise. Feel free to message me if you have any more questions.

[Scholarstika]

is it true that we cannot be sworn before 6/18/18 unless we submitted the whole package before 10/2/17? What a nonsense... Would there be any way to expedite the procedure and be sworn earlier?

[TEIAM]

is it true that we cannot be sworn before 6/18/18 unless we submitted the whole package before 10/2/17? What a nonsense... Would there be any way to expedite the procedure and be sworn earlier?

I successfully requested my date be moved up one month but my promotion was dependent on it. It'll probably depend on your circumstances and the individual that receives the request.

[b290]

This is quite inspiring and kind-hearted. Do you mind if I show this article(?) to my friends who failed the bar this time? I'm sure this would bring a lot of courage to many people.

Go right ahead! No permission needed. Nothing's really "owned" on the internet anyway

[Asroma]

is it true that we cannot be sworn before 6/18/18 unless we submitted the whole package before 10/2/17? What a nonsense... Would there be any way to expedite the procedure and be sworn earlier?

I think it depends on the Department.

[b290]

is it true that we cannot be sworn before 6/18/18 unless we submitted the whole package before 10/2/17? What a nonsense... Would there be any way to expedite the procedure and be sworn earlier?

To be fair, most state bar applications require that you fill out CoF concurrently with your exam app. Also, the Second Department (possibly the First too, not sure with the Fourth) sends you emails not long after the exam to get your stuff in - I got them due to my previous address being in the 2nd. A CoF deadline of about 2 months after the exam is pretty reasonable.

Agreed that it's nonsense to make you wait until June 2018 though. In some states, you can literally walk up to a courthouse after your results, have one of the present attorneys as a sponsor for being motioned (sworn-in), and practice on-the-spot. I'd call.

[polkadot12]

is it true that we cannot be sworn before 6/18/18 unless we submitted the whole package before 10/2/17? What a nonsense... Would there be any way to expedite the procedure and be sworn earlier?

To be fair, most state bar applications require that you fill out CoF concurrently with your exam app. Also, the Second Department (possibly the First too, not sure with the Fourth) sends you emails not long after the exam to get your stuff in - I got them due to my previous address being in the 2nd. A CoF deadline of about 2 months after the exam is pretty reasonable.

Agreed that it's nonsense to make you wait until June 2018 though. In some states, you can literally walk up to a courthouse after your results, have one of the present attorneys as a sponsor for being motioned (sworn-in), and practice on-the-spot. I'd call.

You cant send in paperwork to the first department cause you need to send in your letter of certification that you passed with it, so you gotta wait

[sugrl12]

Third time was the charm. Surprisingly, I got a 149.3 MBE even though it felt like I got every civ pro multiple choice question wrong. There must have been a generous curve. My overall UBE was 278. I completely fucked up on the MPT- the MBE saved me (never thought I'd say that).

I'm a black male. I've heard all of the negativity about repeaters not passing, black people not passing, etc. This is vindication.

Wow, congratulations! I'm annoyed to hear that there has been negativity about black people failing (but I am new to this forum, so I wouldn't know). However, I am a black female and I passed on my first try! I also went to a law school that isn't highly ranked at all. So happy to have this behind me... Good luck with your future endeavors!

Me too!! AA female, passed by a landslide, and my law school isn't even ranked lol. Congrats to everyone and best of luck!!

[sugrl12]

is it true that we cannot be sworn before 6/18/18 unless we submitted the whole package before 10/2/17? What a nonsense... Would there be any way to expedite the procedure and be sworn earlier?

I think it depends on the Department.

If you're getting admitted into third, there's at least one day each month after January that is reserved for interviews and swearing in.

[Scholarstika]

is it true that we cannot be sworn before 6/18/18 unless we submitted the whole package before 10/2/17? What a nonsense... Would there be any way to expedite the procedure and be sworn earlier?

To be fair, most state bar applications require that you fill out CoF concurrently with your exam app. Also, the Second Department (possibly the First too, not sure with the Fourth) sends you emails not long after the exam to get your stuff in - I got them due to my previous address being in the 2nd. A CoF deadline of about 2 months after the exam is pretty reasonable.

Agreed that it's nonsense to make you wait until June 2018 though. In some states, you can literally walk up to a courthouse after your results, have one of the present attorneys as a sponsor for being motioned (sworn-in), and practice on-the-spot. I'd call.

Shoot, I thought I would fail for sure and there would be no point gathering docs... Am I the only one who procrastinated? Any other passers in my shoes now?
*add: I found in the instruction package that the admission ceremony in the Second Department is conducted generally on a monthly basis. The 10/2/2017 deadline applies to another department, it seems.

[sugrl12]

Congratulations to those who passed. I missed by 10 points. MBE 135, MEE/MPT - 121. Seems I was underprepared for MEE/MPT. Will retake Feb 2018 exam. I have access to Barbri and I have purchased Emanuel MBE S&T and Critical Pass.

My questions to those who passed -
1. Did anyone use Adaptibar? If I'm using Emanuel MBE S&T to improve my MBE, will it be overkill to use Adaptibar too?
2. Did anyone use Serapac UBE Master? Was it useful? Is it overwhelming/overkill if I use Serapac in addition to Barbri, Emanuel and Critical Pass?
3. Did anyone use ELS' (JD Advising) MBE and MEE services viz. MBE One Sheets, MBE Guides and MEE One Sheets? Were these useful?
4. What are the best resources to learn the black letter law? Conviser? Lean Sheets? Any other suggestions?

And my question to those who passed and especially did well in MEE/MPT -
1. What gameplan/strategy did you follow that helped you ace MEE/MPT?

Any suggestion/advise is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I had a 133 MBE and 138 for MEE/MPT. When I learned my weakness was the MBE, I really just honed in on the essays. I read through every essay in the Barbri essay book, and outlined topics I had trouble remembering. Never did a full essay, just got used to the format and typed as much as I could muster on test day. I also did one MPT timed and skimmed through the different types of MPTs.

I took Barbri and didn't find their MBE prep particularly helpful other than the explanations. Emanuel S&T was the key to get to a decent score. For context, I got an 89 on the Barbri MBE midterm, so

This is a rough process - you're almost there score wise. Feel free to message me if you have any more questions.

MBE-Adaptibar is new to me. Luckily, our law school paid for our commercial courses, so I used BARBRI and the S&T book. I made sure I completed every single question in that book. About 60% into bar prep, I deviated from the calendar and made sure I did at least 50 multiples a day. Two weeks before the bar, I did at least 100 multiples a day. I devoted about 30-45 mins reviewing the wrong answers and those answers I got right, but didn't know why. Critical pass is a staple in bar prep. Use that as a supplement to the big outlines. You also need to learn your instincts. If you need a break after answering 20 questions or so in a row, don't hesitate to do so. Believe it or not, that can impact your score.

For the MEE, I went on the Minnestota website and printed out every MEE going back to 2009. I outlined and double-checked the representative answers. I didn't use the onesheets and MBE guides until I memorized the rules cold. Very useful in those last weeks where your eyeballs are tired of looking at 75-pg outlines. Look at EVERY essay in the BARBRI book, even if you cannot answer or outline them. Part of the wills essay we were tested on back in July were identical to the facts in a older wills essay.

I recommend conviser for learning the black letter law, but the big BARBRI outlines are an excellent resource if you are a visual learner and retain info by charting and diagramming. I also created my own one-sheeter of highly tested/large constructed rules so I can just gloss over them when I was studying (only when I was comfortable enough with the rules--this gives you more time to focus on the troubling ones).

MPT- its better to finish and answer every question than to answer half the questions in great detail.

And lastly, write, write, write! dunno if you did this when you studied this summer, but writing out rules (esp those you struggle with) will help you retain the information much better. Whiteboards work wonders! I hope this helps.

[mr1987]

is it true that we cannot be sworn before 6/18/18 unless we submitted the whole package before 10/2/17? What a nonsense... Would there be any way to expedite the procedure and be sworn earlier?

To be fair, most state bar applications require that you fill out CoF concurrently with your exam app. Also, the Second Department (possibly the First too, not sure with the Fourth) sends you emails not long after the exam to get your stuff in - I got them due to my previous address being in the 2nd. A CoF deadline of about 2 months after the exam is pretty reasonable.

Agreed that it's nonsense to make you wait until June 2018 though. In some states, you can literally walk up to a courthouse after your results, have one of the present attorneys as a sponsor for being motioned (sworn-in), and practice on-the-spot. I'd call.

Shoot, I thought I would fail for sure and there would be no point gathering docs... Am I the only one who procrastinated? Any other passers in my shoes now?
*add: I found in the instruction package that the admission ceremony in the Second Department is conducted generally on a monthly basis. The 10/2/2017 deadline applies to another department, it seems.

was so convinced I did't pass that I gave up on doing the MPRE in August. Now I'll have to take a 10-hour flight to NY in March to take the MPRE. I passed the bar anyway, so I'm not complaining

[TEIAM]

is it true that we cannot be sworn before 6/18/18 unless we submitted the whole package before 10/2/17? What a nonsense... Would there be any way to expedite the procedure and be sworn earlier?

To be fair, most state bar applications require that you fill out CoF concurrently with your exam app. Also, the Second Department (possibly the First too, not sure with the Fourth) sends you emails not long after the exam to get your stuff in - I got them due to my previous address being in the 2nd. A CoF deadline of about 2 months after the exam is pretty reasonable.

Agreed that it's nonsense to make you wait until June 2018 though. In some states, you can literally walk up to a courthouse after your results, have one of the present attorneys as a sponsor for being motioned (sworn-in), and practice on-the-spot. I'd call.

Shoot, I thought I would fail for sure and there would be no point gathering docs... Am I the only one who procrastinated? Any other passers in my shoes now?
*add: I found in the instruction package that the admission ceremony in the Second Department is conducted generally on a monthly basis. The 10/2/2017 deadline applies to another department, it seems.

was so convinced I did't pass that I gave up on doing the MPRE in August. Now I'll have to take a 10-hour flight to NY in March to take the MPRE. I passed the bar anyway, so I'm not complaining

You can sit for the MPRE anywhere and send the score to NY. 10 hours sounds like you're coming from across the Atlantic, however, so that may not be much help.

[verejacob]

Congratulations to those who passed. I missed by 10 points. MBE 135, MEE/MPT - 121. Seems I was underprepared for MEE/MPT. Will retake Feb 2018 exam. I have access to Barbri and I have purchased Emanuel MBE S&T and Critical Pass.

My questions to those who passed -
1. Did anyone use Adaptibar? If I'm using Emanuel MBE S&T to improve my MBE, will it be overkill to use Adaptibar too?
2. Did anyone use Serapac UBE Master? Was it useful? Is it overwhelming/overkill if I use Serapac in addition to Barbri, Emanuel and Critical Pass?
3. Did anyone use ELS' (JD Advising) MBE and MEE services viz. MBE One Sheets, MBE Guides and MEE One Sheets? Were these useful?
4. What are the best resources to learn the black letter law? Conviser? Lean Sheets? Any other suggestions?

And my question to those who passed and especially did well in MEE/MPT -
1. What gameplan/strategy did you follow that helped you ace MEE/MPT?

Any suggestion/advise is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I had a 133 MBE and 138 for MEE/MPT. When I learned my weakness was the MBE, I really just honed in on the essays. I read through every essay in the Barbri essay book, and outlined topics I had trouble remembering. Never did a full essay, just got used to the format and typed as much as I could muster on test day. I also did one MPT timed and skimmed through the different types of MPTs.

I took Barbri and didn't find their MBE prep particularly helpful other than the explanations. Emanuel S&T was the key to get to a decent score. For context, I got an 89 on the Barbri MBE midterm, so

This is a rough process - you're almost there score wise. Feel free to message me if you have any more questions.

MBE-Adaptibar is new to me. Luckily, our law school paid for our commercial courses, so I used BARBRI and the S&T book. I made sure I completed every single question in that book. About 60% into bar prep, I deviated from the calendar and made sure I did at least 50 multiples a day. Two weeks before the bar, I did at least 100 multiples a day. I devoted about 30-45 mins reviewing the wrong answers and those answers I got right, but didn't know why. Critical pass is a staple in bar prep. Use that as a supplement to the big outlines. You also need to learn your instincts. If you need a break after answering 20 questions or so in a row, don't hesitate to do so. Believe it or not, that can impact your score.

For the MEE, I went on the Minnestota website and printed out every MEE going back to 2009. I outlined and double-checked the representative answers. I didn't use the onesheets and MBE guides until I memorized the rules cold. Very useful in those last weeks where your eyeballs are tired of looking at 75-pg outlines. Look at EVERY essay in the BARBRI book, even if you cannot answer or outline them. Part of the wills essay we were tested on back in July were identical to the facts in a older wills essay.

I recommend conviser for learning the black letter law, but the big BARBRI outlines are an excellent resource if you are a visual learner and retain info by charting and diagramming. I also created my own one-sheeter of highly tested/large constructed rules so I can just gloss over them when I was studying (only when I was comfortable enough with the rules--this gives you more time to focus on the troubling ones).

MPT- its better to finish and answer every question than to answer half the questions in great detail.

And lastly, write, write, write! dunno if you did this when you studied this summer, but writing out rules (esp those you struggle with) will help you retain the information much better. Whiteboards work wonders! I hope this helps.

Very helpful advise. Thanks a lot. I guess I tripped on the MEE/MPT because I took it for granted that if I prepare well only for the MBE subjects (by making own outlines, etc), I'll probably be able to get a passing score in MEE during the exam. I took a calculated risk by not studying enough for the MEE-specific subjects (Wills, Trust, Secured Transactions, Conflict of Laws, etc) and I guess it backfired. Ditto with MPT.

[Ariboohowyoudo]

Congratulations to those who passed. I missed by 10 points. MBE 135, MEE/MPT - 121. Seems I was underprepared for MEE/MPT. Will retake Feb 2018 exam. I have access to Barbri and I have purchased Emanuel MBE S&T and Critical Pass.

My questions to those who passed -
1. Did anyone use Adaptibar? If I'm using Emanuel MBE S&T to improve my MBE, will it be overkill to use Adaptibar too?
2. Did anyone use Serapac UBE Master? Was it useful? Is it overwhelming/overkill if I use Serapac in addition to Barbri, Emanuel and Critical Pass?
3. Did anyone use ELS' (JD Advising) MBE and MEE services viz. MBE One Sheets, MBE Guides and MEE One Sheets? Were these useful?
4. What are the best resources to learn the black letter law? Conviser? Lean Sheets? Any other suggestions?

And my question to those who passed and especially did well in MEE/MPT -
1. What gameplan/strategy did you follow that helped you ace MEE/MPT?

Any suggestion/advise is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

1. I have no idea what Adaptibar is. I took Kaplan and followed it as closely as I could until I realized that the MC were way too "out there" for me personally and didn't appear similar to questions I'd seen on NCBE's website. Following my Kaplan midterm (106/200), I reevaluated my life a bit and looked at which subjects I was doing horrible in. I ordered the Emanuel S&T book (minus Civ Pro) and went through each subject for at least 2-3 days and then took Emanuel's set of questions and read/re-read every answer and incorrect answer and their explanations.
2. I have no idea what Serapac is. I personally would not use multiple sources, 1-2 seems sufficient.
3. JD advising is great at predicting MEE essay topics for the UBE. They guessed every single MEE question correctly for July 2017, and while I spent my time making index cards for all MEE subjects, I extra focused on the ones JD Advising had predicted a few days before the exam. Personally, I found that Kaplan's cheat sheets were pretty useful for MBE memorization. Their MEE book was also very useful, specifically in terms of memorizing their headers for mini-subjects within the MEE subjects.
4. For black letter law I recommend going over those Barbri lectures day in and out. Go to the gym and listen to a lecture. I did and it helped drill mortgages into my head forever. Lectures and the MBE cheat sheets, as I've previously mentioned. Also, take as many MC questions as you possibly can. I probably took over 3,000 with the Emmanuel book and Kaplan.

MEE:
1. I got a ~169.6 on my MEE-MPT (higher than my MBE) so I guess I did "well"? (idk, seems subjective to say that). Read as many essay questions as you can. Formulate an outline in your head, and write that outline out. I think I only wrote out 5-6 "full" and "complete" MEE essays while practicing. I let Kaplan grade mine (because I'm a sick fuck and liked to cry when Kaplan told me I did horrible and that I'll probably fail) and read most specifically what their formatting issues were. I honestly think a lot of my points came from (besides word-vomiting the law) formatting the questions and answers into IRAC format with noticeable headings, underlining, etc.

Good luck! 10 points missed now, and you will pass with flying colors in February, especially if you follow what it seems you're ready to do.

[b290]

Any suggestion/advise is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Ariboohowyoudo, verejacob, and sugrl12 pretty much said what I would regarding to memorization, and MBE studying. No need to repeat

A note on the model NCBE answers: they are roughly between 1000 and 1400 words. They are also written by practicing attorneys, who have notes, with unlimited time. So right there, the model answers are reflective of two things you don't have on the exam: extra time and available references. With 30 minutes per essay and between 3-6 sub-parts per question, you're realistically spending only 15-20 minutes actually typing (presuming that nothing goes wrong AND you're on point with what to write). Unless you type upwards of 50-60 WPM (the average person types 35-40 WPM), you're not producing such answers if you answer all 6 questions. Handwriting means even less words.

Also, anybody who's done/worked on real-world legal writing (I've had my fair share, up to state supreme court briefs) knows that you can't produce anything of quality under such conditions. Thankfully, graders know this and their checklists reflect that. Some states require their board of law examiners to release the top MEE answers, and you'll see the vast difference between them and the model NCBE ones. Some of them are quite minimal - the 2 essays I did well on were organized and minimal (I doubt they were more than 600 words). For example, you can have a rough outline per answer, and flesh out that outline and...you're done. Just like that.

Try to find out how fast you type. If you're hand-writing, see how long it takes to answer a question. You need to know what you're capable of first, to make improvements. Part of game planning is knowing how you'll do for test day; that comes with planning and repetition. It also takes away some (but not all) of the stress. You'll might even be able to come up with a contingency plan should things go wrong.

Once I learned the above, it was like night and day. Do as you plan and you'll be celebrating in April.

My $.02