2020 September California Bar Exam Forum

[Snowflake1]

Update from the cal bar about refund and late fees:

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Exa ... ITw3UHjQGo

People can withdraw until the day before the exam and get a full refund. I wonder if they will give refunds if you have computer issues with the remote proctoring software. I'm guessing at least a couple hundred will have issues, probably more.

This is going to be a mess for sure. Hundreds of people are going to complain about technological issues. If people don't have a laptop with a working webcam are they going to be denied the ability to take the test? When is the bar exam going to put out the technological requirements?

[barjamie8]

Apparently there's a chance they won't be able to test the MBE

https://blog.baressays.com/get-ready-fo ... -bar-exam/

Wow there's so much that can wrong with this online idea. I don't get why the court was so insistent on it. Why not just rent a bunch of extra testing spaces and make sure people are distanced?

I always thought the MBE was dumb. Legal issues do not come with 4 answer choices.

[Anonymous User]

The CA Supreme Court gave a May 11 deadline for the State Bar to inform them of progress towards administering an online exam. We should get more details next week....

[barjamie8]

The CA Supreme Court gave a May 11 deadline for the State Bar to inform them of progress towards administering an online exam. We should get more details next week....

I expect them to say they are looking into it.

[persianprincess]

Thanks for the September version. I'll list some resources that might be helpful, based on years of posting in these California bar threads.


Recommended resources

These resources seem helpful to CA bar takers. Feel free to suggest your ones you've found helpful!

[+] Spoiler

Investing in resources is an indicator of success, but you also shouldn't just buy everything willy nilly. The more choices you have, the more confused you're likely to be (and waste time on things that ultimately don't help).

So what are you supposed to buy? Well, I did the testing for you, as well as gather intel on what seems to be working for other California bar takers. On my second attempt at the CA bar, I've tried some that helped me pass, and I've tried some that didn't add any value. I won't include the latter.

Below is a list of resources I picked out that should give you the most bang for your buck. No need to overcomplicate things or go broke. Do your due diligence, pick a few resources that will work for you, and scrape all the meat off the bone.

You may not have the patience or mental energy to think about this if you're shell-shocked, gripped by anxiety, or overwhelmed with this beast of a task. You might be going through a rollercoaster of feels.

That's OK. Take solace in knowing that all the information and materials are out there. All you need to do is USE them.


Quick notes on the most effective supplements for...

- MBE on a budget? Emanuel's Strategies & Tactics for the MBE Volume 1 7th ed. (see description and an inside look below -- will set you back ~$60-90)
- MBE if you have $365 to shell out? AdaptiBar (see description below and a detailed review)

Which one should you get? You can improve your MBE with either or both of these excellent tools. S&T has a broad selection of questions (over 750 questions including a full simulated exam) as well as excellent explanations, which is where you learn after doing the questions. Get AdaptiBar if you have the budget or if you want more questions to practice on. AdaptiBar has all the official questions (including Civ Pro questions) but not the best explanations. You could alternatively get the NCBE MBE study aids (don't get both since AdaptiBar should include these questions; also, only the Simulated MBEs have answer explanations).

- Essays? BarEssays.com (see info and samples below, as well as a review)

- PTs? I don't know of a sure-kill supplement, but I have put together a guide (ver. 1.6c). Unlike the MBE or essays, PTs are better learned through exposure to a variety of them over trying to deeply understand the answer. Look at the past PTs and the sample answers. Focus a bit more on rules and analysis (vs. issues and rules for essays)


Search by [star-ID] to jump to the description of a featured resource, tagged by sections of interest:

[*1] Strategies & Tactics for the MBE Vols. I & II (Emanuel) + Civ Pro resources [MBE]
[*2] AdaptiBar ($30 off) [MBE]
[*3] Law in a Flash [MBE] [Essays]
[*4] BarEssays.com ($25 off) [Essays]
[*5] Past CA essays and performance tests (and a guide to own the PTs) [Essays] [PTs]
[*6] Options for condensed outlines and approach sheets [MBE] [Essays]


[*1] Strategies & Tactics for the MBE Volume 1 (Emanuel 7th edition): This is the MBE bible.

It's great (and may be the only MBE supplement you need) because it comes with 750+ representative MBE questions that are all genuine and were previously administered (now including 30 real Civ Pro questions and the author's explanations). I encourage you to study with the real deal for the most part, although you can mix in some simulated questions to vary the style of questions.

Each subject is prefaced with a discussion of the tricky areas and how to deal with them. Some subjects have an overview of the major topics. There will be tips that revolve around multiple choice in general. The 200-question practice test at the back can be done to gauge your progress sometime in the final month leading to the bar.

How to use: Read the primer for each subject, answer every question on a separate sheet, and analyze their explanation in their entirety, including (A) through (D) for each question, including questions you get correctly. So essentially, go through the book cover to cover (which is what I did). It's worth it.

So what does it look like inside? Pics incoming:
Subject overview
Questions
Explanations

Link: 7th edition (2016) -- includes past Civ Pro questions

Get it in very good condition at least so that you don’t see the previous owners’ markings. Will run you about $50-90 (price fluctuates a lot).

If you have the 6th edition, you can still make good use of it. Decide whether these key differences between 6th and 7th are worth it to you:

- 30 actual Civ Pro questions (with explanations by the author). Civ Pro questions were author-written in the 6th edition
- New questions that have been tested more recently in other subjects

If you don't have either the 6th or the 7th edition, get the 7th edition.

I do not recommend the 5th edition.


[*1] Strategies & Tactics for the MBE Vol. 2 (Emanuel): This is the expansion pack to Volume 1, containing different questions. It's in a format where the answer appears right beneath the question. If you're doing a question for practice, you'll have to carefully cover the answer as you do each question.

The valuable feature in Vol. 2 is how the questions are categorized into labeled topics. For example, Q45 on page 166 is filed under Chapter 5 Formal Proceedings -- I. Grand Jury Proceedings -- A. Self-incrimination and immunity.

For better or worse, some headings contain answer spoilers for the concepts, e.g., Q46 on page 167 is filed under B. No right to have attorney present in grand jury room, which gives away the answer.

Nonetheless, if you liked Volume 1, this is great for additional authentic MBE questions, especially if you know or want to improve on specific issues.

How to use: Get it as an optional add-on to Volume 1. Don’t get it without Volume 1. Use as a supplement for specific issues.

What it looks like inside:
Question (1)
Question (2)
Table of contents (index)

Link: 2012 (latest) edition


AdaptiBar (below) is another great addition or alternative to the above Emanuel's books. It comes with the entire universe of questions released by the NCBE, at a higher cost.

Scroll down to [*7] for more information. Here a detailed review. Feel free to PM me for a $30 coupon.

If you're re-enrolling, there's a substantial discount, no need for a coupon.


[*1] What about Civ Pro? There aren't a lot of questions to practice with.

You can still get official Civ Pro questions from the 7th edition of S&T, AdaptiBar, or the MBE study aids store. Note that some study aids may not come with explanations.

For free Civ Pro MBE questions...

- BarPrepHero has a practice exam with 30 Civ Pro questions here, not written by the NCBE.
- The NCBE offers 10 sample questions here.



[*2] AdaptiBar ($395/365): You know what this is for.

If you're on the fence, check my detailed review (which some bar prep person took certain "inspirations" from)... AdaptiBar Review: Is It Worth It?

This program is web-based and accessible via PC (desktop or laptop) and mobile devices. It automatically adapts and adjusts to your individual strengths and weaknesses.

In total, there are at least 1,955 MBE questions (all 1,530 original NCBE-released questions + 200 simulated Civil Procedure questions + 15 new Real Property questions + 210 official questions from the now-unavailable 2017 MBE Study Aid including at least 30 past Civ Pro questions). Subject performance and timing analysis feedback are provided. In addition, the program allows users to create printable PDF reports of questions that were answered incorrectly.

Moreover, the online app adapts to your strengths and weaknesses and can create customized full-length tests, too. Additional information regarding the program can be found https://www.adaptibar.com/pricing/

Link: AdaptiBar

It is indeed rather expensive, but it’s probably the single best comprehensive option to study for the MBE, assuming you have the budget. Feel free to reach out for an offer code for $30 off.

If you're re-enrolling, there's a substantial discount, no need for a coupon.



[*3] Law in a Flash cards: I bought 6 boxes of these to patch up my weak subjects. They were especially handy when I had to be out, like when I was waiting in line at Starbucks to buy some scones to bribe a friend to give me used Barbri books, and I could whip out a few cards from my wallet to learn some tricky Evidence concepts. Or when I was trying to learn about federal jurisdiction while waiting inside a noisy store.

I'm generally against flashcards, but I have to admit that working through the various hypothetical scenarios helped explain the concepts.

Link: List of LIAF products



[*4] BarEssays.com: One of the most popular resources for California essays you'll see mentioned around the forums.

What does it look like inside?

BarEssays Review.

Here's a sample: Check out this essay that scored an 85! Imagine if you studied this and produced the same results on the bar...

If you're wondering what makes a passing essay vs. what doesn't on the California Bar Exam, this is a large repository of actual graded essays and PTs submitted by those who didn't pass.

But this doesn't mean the essays are all sub-par! While there are essays scored 40 and 50 that show what is not passing material, there are essays that earned 75, 80, or even 85.

The advantage of this repository is the variety of real answers you can study.

The State Bar's selected answers are top of the top answers. It's unrealistic that your essay answers will look like them, although you could study these ideal answers to learn how to apply any rules you're confused about. One answer taught me Rule 12(b)(6) because some nerd had written a treatise on it.

There are over 3,000 essays that you can search by subject, range of score, year/month, and even typed/handwritten/both for anyone worried about handwriting. Some have grader commentary.

These essay examples are useful after you outline or write out an essay to check whether you discussed relevant issues and rules and used the facts properly. I'd look at least one below and one above 65, with grader commentary if available.

High scorers tend to discuss all the issues and much of the nuances—but do not necessarily have excellent rule statements or analyses. While you want to look like the 70-75+ people, you’ll notice that they don’t always look like the impossible Barbri answers. These are real answers you can compare to see where you stand.

Link: BarEssays

Feel free to PM me for a coupon code that will save you $25 on a subscription.

You can also check out a free essay answer bank for more sets of graded student essays.



[*5] Past essays and performance tests: These might be the only free things you get from the CA State Bar. They release exam questions from each administration of the past 5 years.

Link: State Bar of California Past Exams

Note that there aren't too many 90-minute CA PTs posted as of yet. I'd practice with MPTs, which are also 90 minutes long.

I've also put together a guide to own the PTs (v. 1.6c), with a step-by-step approach to answering a PT, strategies (including how to not run out of time), templates, and where to find more MPTs than you'll ever need.

Or find links and downloads to CA essays and PTs and MPTs here.

If you need to quickly find California essays organized by subject, here is an essay locator -- a list of essays organized by subject and issues contained therein (you can help fill in the issues).



[*6] Options for condensed outlines and essay approach

- Lean Sheets are a well-known short outline available for all 50 states. A basic but budget-friendly option.
- Magicsheets are comprehensive condensed outlines organized in logical groups and indentations.
- Approsheets are essay approach sheets (one pager checklists and flowcharts) that take you from a blank page to a finished essay or outline. These sheets help you make sure you’re attacking all relevant issues and answering each essay completely. You get ZERO points for an issue that you never raise, even if you know the rule for it. An IRAC can't sprout from a seed that's never planted.

Extremely detailed guide from a first-time passer of the 2018 CA July bar exam (40.7% pass rate) (forwarded to me by the author)

[+] Spoiler

https://irenehong.co/2019/05/12/the-ultimate-guide-to-how-i-passed-the-california-bar-exam/

Previous TLS threads you can dig through for extra help

[+] Spoiler

2020 February: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=303600
2019 July: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=300726
2019 February: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=298763
2018 July: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=286381
2018 February: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=283574
2017 July: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=274836
2017 February: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=271217
2016 July: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=260090
2016 February: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=260833
2015 July: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=244425
2015 February: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=240022
2014 July: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=225140
2014 February: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 1&t=220409
2013 July: http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... 3&t=213457

a male human Thankyou so much for being on the September bar thread with us and for everything you have posted over the years. I got a lot of my info and narrowed down my materials with your posts. It took a while at first. I have no friends taking the bar so I was on my own with this forum for everything, and I don't know where I would even begin without these forums to look at.

[Billy Batts]

The biggest problem is that there is no certainty that the exam can/will actually be administered online. They've just been instructed to work on it. You very well could have people start studying full-time in, say, early June, only to have the whole plan scrapped a week or two before the exam date.

[persianprincess]

Some of us were discussing remote exam concerns early on under the July 2020 ca bar thread and I think we will continue our discussions over our concerns about the exam with us all together here now.. No point typing everything twice in two threads.

By the way thanks everyone for the useful links you are all posting.

Animal_Activist in response to this post on the other thread:

"This exam is going to have so many issues. I cannot imagine going through the performance test library and files. I also do not know how the MBE will work if we do not have scratch paper. The problem with a proctor is that we will have to worry about not moving our eyes up or down, even to rest or move around. Even in a test center, I cannot just stare at the laptop for 3 hours straight. I just feel like this will be more stressful."

I didn't even think about that there is NO WAY I could do the essays or PT without the paper in front of me to mark up. I just can't keep track of that many notes in my head or on the computer screen.. I need to scratch up the paper old fashioned style, and even then going as fast as I can to type I still come short on time! Is there any way they would just mail us the test and we break the seal in front of the camera? That makes more sense. Like bring it close to the camera show the seal hasn't been altered. Actually nevermind cuz then one person could break the seal compromise the whole test.. I don't know maybe we can print it out? That would take some time though and walk our laptop camera to the printing machine that half the people don't have at home! lol Also yea my little brother is having remote proctored exams in college and he told me he can't move his eyes. That's not happening in this MARATHON length test! Yea right.. Not look up right left for that long we'll all fail LOL!!!

Hahaha james11 to finding the rule statement under the couch. Seriously that's going to be a real problem! I don't care who says what.. having even FIVE SECONDS to look up a rule statement could be 10 points. Once you have already practiced the key is to REMEMBER the rule statement and elements because then we could just apply it to the facts analyze it etc but when you forget it altogether because there are SOOOOO many you are escrewed.

Also, to that point still (cheating).. Yea Snowflake1 I'm also worried they will photo questions or worst people that have a lot of friends taking will split the questions "you take 1-25 this one takes 26-50" and then they get out phone in the bathroom with all each others answers and memorize "aaabbccdcdaa" with plenty time left over you know like way too easy to cheat the multiple choice. Then the rest of us are screwed competing against THAT.

Animal_Activist to that point about having a colleague vouch.. while that would be nice that will never happen too many people know lawyers who will cheat vouch for them and then us loners who know none would be screwed lol.

Whoever was worried about the wifi.. We discussed the wifi issue over in the july thread if you want to read the full posts there but suffice to say we just need it for the first two min and at the end so unless you're extremely unlucky and it goes out that day we at least don't need it to work perfectly the whole time.

Barjamie8 Yea I also think they should refund people who have issues with the remote testing. What if the camera on the laptop poops out or the computer freezes and you have to restart it (there will be no video on you when you're restarting the computer so they could say you were cheating and throw your test out who knows at least you could get refunded).

Snowflake1 I'm thinking the same thing! They NEED to give the exam at the test center with proper proctors and then seat us 6 ft away from each other. Ppl can wear masks IF THEY WANT (hopefully by then it should be ok if 6 ft distance too) cuz oxygen cut off not something I want breathing my own CO2 the whole time not to mention too uncomfortable testing like that.. and that's that. Simple. Get a few more test locations if spacing out will need that much more room. Done!

[Snowflake1]

Some of us were discussing remote exam concerns early on under the July 2020 ca bar thread and I think we will continue our discussions over our concerns about the exam with us all together here now.. No point typing everything twice in two threads.

Snowflake1 I'm thinking the same thing! They NEED to give the exam at the test center with proper proctors and then seat us 6 ft away from each other. Ppl can wear masks IF THEY WANT (hopefully by then it should be ok if 6 ft distance too) cuz oxygen cut off not something I want breathing my own CO2 the whole time not to mention too uncomfortable testing like that.. and that's that. Simple. Get a few more test locations if spacing out will need that much more room. Done!

Agree! Just find more testing locations and space people out. Seems like the obvious and easy solution. I don't know why the Supreme Court jumped so fast to mandate online.

[a male human]

a male human Thankyou so much for being on the September bar thread with us and for everything you have posted over the years. I got a lot of my info and narrowed down my materials with your posts. It took a while at first. I have no friends taking the bar so I was on my own with this forum for everything, and I don't know where I would even begin without these forums to look at.

Glad to hear that I could help!

[Anonymous User]

The state bar posted an update for the online exam:

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/Exa ... aLH6CvqqC8

[RVP11]

Apparently there's a chance they won't be able to test the MBE

https://blog.baressays.com/get-ready-fo ... -bar-exam/

Wow there's so much that can wrong with this online idea. I don't get why the court was so insistent on it. Why not just rent a bunch of extra testing spaces and make sure people are distanced?

I always thought the MBE was dumb. Legal issues do not come with 4 answer choices.

We all better hope the MBE is part of the exam. Just look at the difference in pass rates among practicing attorneys between the full bar exam, one hand, and the attorney exam, on the other. Without the MBE, passing the California bar exam becomes a lot harder for most people.

[a male human]

Apparently there's a chance they won't be able to test the MBE

https://blog.baressays.com/get-ready-fo ... -bar-exam/

Wow there's so much that can wrong with this online idea. I don't get why the court was so insistent on it. Why not just rent a bunch of extra testing spaces and make sure people are distanced?

I always thought the MBE was dumb. Legal issues do not come with 4 answer choices.

We all better hope the MBE is part of the exam. Just look at the difference in pass rates among practicing attorneys between the full bar exam, one hand, and the attorney exam, on the other. Without the MBE, passing the California bar exam becomes a lot harder for most people.

I don't think the MBE makes the exam any easier or gives you a better chance at passing the bar, unless you excel at it enough to make up for any deficiencies in essays and PT. Some are better at MBE. Some are better at essays.

Also, where can I find stats for practicing attorneys taking the General Bar Exam vs. Attorneys' Exam? Looking at the most recent exam results here https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/doc ... istics.pdf

from https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/La ... Statistics

(In this case, the attys' pass rate was actually higher, so it's not always the case that it's lower.)

I can't tell how many taking the GBX are attorneys unless I'm missing something.

[Anonymous User]

ABA Journal: After California announces online bar exam, some testing experts wonder whether it will work

https://www.abajournal.com/web/article/ ... oBiggrp7XI

[RVP11]

Apparently there's a chance they won't be able to test the MBE

https://blog.baressays.com/get-ready-fo ... -bar-exam/

Wow there's so much that can wrong with this online idea. I don't get why the court was so insistent on it. Why not just rent a bunch of extra testing spaces and make sure people are distanced?

I always thought the MBE was dumb. Legal issues do not come with 4 answer choices.

We all better hope the MBE is part of the exam. Just look at the difference in pass rates among practicing attorneys between the full bar exam, one hand, and the attorney exam, on the other. Without the MBE, passing the California bar exam becomes a lot harder for most people.

I don't think the MBE makes the exam any easier or gives you a better chance at passing the bar, unless you excel at it enough to make up for any deficiencies in essays and PT. Some are better at MBE. Some are better at essays.

Also, where can I find stats for practicing attorneys taking the General Bar Exam vs. Attorneys' Exam? Looking at the most recent exam results here https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/doc ... istics.pdf

from https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/La ... Statistics

(In this case, the attys' pass rate was actually higher, so it's not always the case that it's lower.)

I can't tell how many taking the GBX are attorneys unless I'm missing something.

Not sure where you're looking. I just followed the links you posted, and it looks like the pass rates for "U.S. Attorneys Taking the General Bar Exam" are much higher than the pass rates for "Attorneys' Examination". Typical difference is like ~50% pass rate for the general exam vs. ~30% for the attorneys exam, and it looks to be pretty consistent across nearly every exam administration.

Are there other possible explanations for the difference? Sure. Maybe those electing to take the one-day attorneys examination aren't studying as much, or maybe it selects for a lower quality of test-taker. But I also think that it's a fair assumption, given what we know about the California essays and how they are graded, that not having the MBE simply makes the overall exam substantially more difficult.

[a male human]

Apparently there's a chance they won't be able to test the MBE

https://blog.baressays.com/get-ready-fo ... -bar-exam/

Wow there's so much that can wrong with this online idea. I don't get why the court was so insistent on it. Why not just rent a bunch of extra testing spaces and make sure people are distanced?

I always thought the MBE was dumb. Legal issues do not come with 4 answer choices.

We all better hope the MBE is part of the exam. Just look at the difference in pass rates among practicing attorneys between the full bar exam, one hand, and the attorney exam, on the other. Without the MBE, passing the California bar exam becomes a lot harder for most people.

I don't think the MBE makes the exam any easier or gives you a better chance at passing the bar, unless you excel at it enough to make up for any deficiencies in essays and PT. Some are better at MBE. Some are better at essays.

Also, where can I find stats for practicing attorneys taking the General Bar Exam vs. Attorneys' Exam? Looking at the most recent exam results here https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/doc ... istics.pdf

from https://www.calbar.ca.gov/Admissions/La ... Statistics

(In this case, the attys' pass rate was actually higher, so it's not always the case that it's lower.)

I can't tell how many taking the GBX are attorneys unless I'm missing something.

Not sure where you're looking. I just followed the links you posted, and it looks like the pass rates for "U.S. Attorneys Taking the General Bar Exam" are much higher than the pass rates for "Attorneys' Examination". Typical difference is like ~50% pass rate for the general exam vs. ~30% for the attorneys exam, and it looks to be pretty consistent across nearly every exam administration.

Are there other possible explanations for the difference? Sure. Maybe those electing to take the one-day attorneys examination aren't studying as much, or maybe it selects for a lower quality of test-taker. But I also think that it's a fair assumption, given what we know about the California essays and how they are graded, that not having the MBE simply makes the overall exam substantially more difficult.

Woof, I totally missed that "U.S. Attorneys Taking the General Bar Exam" row, thanks.

[BarEssays]

Good luck to everyone getting results today from the Feb 2020 exam!

[a male human]

2020 February pass rate = 26.8%

I don't think it's ever been this low.

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... ummary.pdf

[BarEssays]

2020 February pass rate = 26.8%

I don't think it's ever been this low.

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... ummary.pdf

Wow!

[rcharter1978]

There are and always have been, from my understanding, multiple versions of the MBE. Not everyone gets the exact same one and I do not believe they are in the exact same order.

Not everyone gets a unique MBE, but there are multiple versions.

And by the bathroom caucus method someone has to take 20+ questions that are detailed and are about different areas of law and then everyone meets in the bathroom and gives you a sequence of answers. Assuming 100 questions on each session that's like 5 bathroom breaks. In a two hour session. That generally takes no less than an hour and a half even for those who really know it like the back of their hand.

If this is the plan for passing, it's not a great plan.

[Heyall]

As mentioned, it'll be interesting to see if they come up with rules regarding computers freezing or peoples internet connections having a temporary pause. That would suck if a person was almost done on the second day and there was a small tech glitch at the end.

But overall, I fully expect this to be like last year's exam when the topics leaked the passrate jumped. I think the reduction of stress is going to boost peoples score. And I think the pressure of the latest low passrate may cause the Bar to ease up a little.

[persianprincess]

2020 February pass rate = 26.8%

I don't think it's ever been this low.

http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/docu ... ummary.pdf

Unbelievable!.. so unfair. We need to get in line with all the other supposedly incompetent states (isn't that what the bar is saying if CA's cut score is soooooo far off from everyone elses.. that essentially everyone else in the world is incompetent... yea.. right) and have a reasonable cut score in line with the rest of the nation! No fair if you grow up in Cali with your whole fam here to be punished or have to move away from them just because of being able to pass this test here and have a job here. WHAT an embarrassment! Really.. wow.

[BarEssays]

Nevada and Indiana are eliminating the MBE and moving to an open book home exam, arguing that this is better applicable to the practice of law. Should California follow?

“…the essay portion is the more valid measure of minimum competence, something the MBE lacks. More important, under the proposed format Nevada will be testing knowledge, analytical ability and writing skills, all which are accepted measures of attorney competence. In addition, the open book component also incorporates what we as lawyers do every day; look up the applicable law. If a test taker has not studied and or does not know the law the open book format provides little comfort with the strict time limitations of 60 minutes per question.”
RICHARD M. TRACHOK, ESQ. , CHAIR – BOARD OF BAR EXAMINERS


https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local/nev ... -petition/

[a male human]

Nevada and Indiana are eliminating the MBE and moving to an open book home exam, arguing that this is better applicable to the practice of law. Should California follow?

“…the essay portion is the more valid measure of minimum competence, something the MBE lacks. More important, under the proposed format Nevada will be testing knowledge, analytical ability and writing skills, all which are accepted measures of attorney competence. In addition, the open book component also incorporates what we as lawyers do every day; look up the applicable law. If a test taker has not studied and or does not know the law the open book format provides little comfort with the strict time limitations of 60 minutes per question.”
RICHARD M. TRACHOK, ESQ. , CHAIR – BOARD OF BAR EXAMINERS


https://www.8newsnow.com/news/local/nev ... -petition/

These are strange times, but apparently removing the MBE has been considered for CA?

https://blog.baressays.com/should-the-c ... ction-mbe/

[Animal_Activist]

If California keeps the exam the same and does not lower the score, then I will take my chances in Nevada. Your goal is to become a lawyer and live your life. This scam test California has created to block "incompetent" law graduates is truly preventing anyone who is a weak exam taker from practicing law. I have friends pass in other states who used to beg me to teach them legal concepts after classes. This state is a joke. Born and raised Californian but at some point you have to question if living in California is worth the expenses if you cannot pass their bar.

[Rooks]

Anyone know what was forwarded by the CA Bar today?