Articles
New York Just Cancelled the Bar Exam! What Do I Do Now?
New York Just Cancelled the Bar Exam: What Do I Do Now As if the bar exam is not stressful enough, jurisdictions are making last minute decisions about whether to hold the exam, and it's adding to the stress. On July 16, 2020, New York announced that it was cancelling...
MPRE Repeat Takers
So you didn’t pass the MPRE the first, or second, or fifth, time around. What did you do wrong? What can you do differently? First and foremost, do NOT beat yourself up. This does not mean you didn’t study hard enough (though maybe it does!), or that you’re not...
MPRE TIPS
One recurring observation I have of my MPRE students is that test takers fail to appreciate the specifity of the call of the question. What do we mean by that? The call of the question often helps you determine the subject, as well as the right answer. For example:...
How to Study Effectively for the Bar Exam (and have fun doing it)
Clearly, studying for the bar exam is not the most fun thing you can imagine doing….
Though, if doing MBE questions just for kicks is your idea of a good time….who am I to judge? For those of you that don’t get your kicks from MBE questions, since I can’t make the studying more fun, at least I can tell you how to make it more effective.
FIVE MBE TIPS TO GET YOU THROUGH THE BAR
At LawTutors, we give our students something called “10 tips to pass the MBE” and it is quite detailed, spanning over about 10 pages. We thought we would give you a bit of a preview, so to speak, and highlight what we think are the most important FIVE tips on tackling...
The Decline Of The MBE Score….
The Decline of the MBE Score and What You Can Do About It The MBE is declining nationally, and now many students have to combat this issue. In order to improve their MBE scores, many students just dive into practicing thousands of MBE questions and focus on quantity....
You Think You Wrote That, But You Didn’t: A Guide To Analysis On The Bar Exam
You Think You Wrote That, But You Didn't: A Guide to Analysis On The Bar Exam "The Goal of the MEE is to have Examinees Apply the Relevant Law to the Facts Stated in the Problem" That is what the NCBE people say. "Help me-I'm bleeding" is an "excited...
Looking for Legal Internships in 2020? Look Online!
Online Legal Internships So, I want to acknowledge that yes, I graduated law school when the internet was like just invented. But I like the internet and the internet is my friend (most of the time, except when said internet does not work, and then we have to have a...
How Does Pass/Fail Grading Impact Your Transcript?
Pass/Fail Grading in a Pandemic: How Does Pass/Fail Grading Impact Your Transcript? The global pandemic, COVID-19, caused law schools across the country to move to emergency online teaching. Due to the disruption in the semester and the need to have class...
Bar Study Plan During A Pandemic: Creating an At-Home Study Space
The current pandemic, COVID-19, is likely changing your bar exam plans. Big time. Not only may have it changed when and where you can sit for an exam, but it's changed your personal study plans. You likely envisioned studying in a library or at your favorite...
Approaches to the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE): Part IV
Final Considerations On How to Study for the MBE Quality over Quantity It has a lot to do with the quality of your study, rather than the number of practice questions you do. If you’re just doing questions for the sake of doing them, and not taking the...
You Keep Telling Me To Outline My Bar Essays Before Writing And It Is Stressing Me Out (We Know)
(Toothless Johnny, Our Chief Dog Officer, Is Stressed When Asked To Outline Essays) How do I Outline My Bar Exam Essay Before Writing? The process of outlining lets you see things you might otherwise miss. By using “thought triggers,” you proceed through the...
MEE (Multistate Essay Examination) Writing Review for the Bar Exam (Part VI)
Putting It All Together: MEE Steps To Follow Each Time You Approach A Question Allocate your time for each question and set your timetable Since you know the precise composition of questions for your exam, figure out how much you have for each question....
MEE (Multistate Essay Examination) Writing Review for the Bar Exam (Part V)
The Analysis When writing the analysis – always use the word “BECAUSE” How you set up the rule now drives the structure of the analysis. Your statement of the rule provides a blueprint to follow for your discussion of the facts. Work from your articulation of...
Common Bar Exam Study Mistakes to Avoid
(Toothless Johnny, our Chief Dog Officer, performing a quality check on our Bar Exam Materials) Bar Prep Planning Guide: Common Bar Exam Study Mistakes to Avoid Always remember one thing at the outset: there is no one correct way to study for the bar exam. All...
MEE (Multistate Essay Examination) Writing Review for the Bar Exam (Part IV)
The Essay Writing Formula Use of Headings – Identifying the Issue Detailed conclusion Rule Analysis Short conclusion Use Headings To State Your Issues This quickly shows the exam graders what the issue is, and also is a good way to organize your response....
Approaches to the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE): Part III
Some More MBE Tricks and Things to Remember The One Point Rule: Some MBE questions contain very challenging subjects (e.g., future interests or the Rule Against Perpetuities). It may not be efficient to spend the time necessary to totally analyze every detail....
MEE (Multistate Essay Examination) Writing Review for the Bar Exam (Part III)
Studying for the Essay Portion of the Bar Exam De-construct Exam Questions De-constructing an answer is different from just reading a question and reading the model answer. Generally, your focus when reading a question is to determine what is required of you to...
Approaches to the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE): Part II
What Do You Look For in MBE Questions? Focus on the parties’ relationships and interactions. Look for the facts that are embedded in the fact pattern to raise legal issue arguments. Read for key words, which are often adjectives, such as “oral” or “written,” and...
MEE (Multistate Essay Examination) Writing Review For The Bar Exam (Part II)
Outlining the Essay Writing Approach While substantive law and the essay format differs between jurisdictions, what does not differ is what the bar examiners are looking for when grading an essay. The process outlined below will allow you to prepare successfully for a...
MEE (Multistate Essay Examination) Writing Review for the Bar Exam (Part I)
Common Essay Writing Mistakes/Problems Misreading/not reading the call of the question Not organizing/outlining your response Being too conclusory – failing to support your assertions (lack of “because”) Reciting abstract rules of law Restating facts from the...
Approaches to the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE): Part I
Answering MBE questions is a skill. Many bar exam takers rush through MBE questions to try to get through as many as possible in hopes they will see their score improve. However, if you want to see your MBE score improve, you have to slow down, dissect questions,...
Attacking the Multistate Performance Test (MPT) (Part II)
BREAKING DOWN THE MPT AND TIMING The File: The first document in the File is an assignment memo that briefly describes the facts and specifies the task you are to complete and the document you are to produce. The File often includes specific guidelines for the...
What’s Next After 1L Year? Planning Your Future Course Schedules
What’s Next After 1L Year?: Planning Your Future Course Schedules If you’ve just finished your 1L year – congratulations! If you had a 1L year like me, there were likely a lot of late nights, stress, tears, and eating Oreos. However, completing one year of law school...
What’s In Your Quarantine Queue? Law Movies We Are Watching Now!
If you’re finding yourself binging TV shows and neglecting law school stuff, there’s a solution: fill your watch list with movies about the law. Need suggestions? We’ve got you covered! Here are the five must-watch law movies that will allow you to veg out...
The Ultimate Guide To Getting Good Grades Your 1L Year: Part V
LAWTUTORS ULTIMATE GUIDE ON HOW EXACTLY TO GET GOOD GRADES DURING YOUR FIRST YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL DATA FROM HUNDREDS OF OUR LAW STUDENTS: PART V By Professors Brittany Raposa, Hemanth Gundavaram, and Heather Kenny, Attorney Instructor Sheri Mason, and CEO of LawTutors...
The Latest On The July 2020 Bar Exam
JULY 2020 BAR EXAM COVID-19 UPDATES Dear July 2020 LawTutors Bar Students: I hope everyone is safe and healthy during this time. I am sure that the added stress regarding the uncertainties surrounding the July 2020 bar exam does not help. I wanted to let you know any...
No Matter When You Take The Bar Exam, Law Tutors Has You Covered
No Matter When You Take The Bar Exam, LawTutors Has You Covered! JUNE/JULY LIVE BAR EXAM WORKSHOPS: Early Start for Fall Takers and Right On Time for Summer Takers https://lawtutors.net/bar-review-workshops/ BAR EXAM CONTINUATION WORKSHOPS: August Workshops to Put Into...
A Personal Letter To The “July” 2020 Bar Exam Student
After 20 Years Teaching Bar Prep, I Still Have A Few Things to Learn This past Friday did not go as planned. Excited to do my weekly chat with Professor Melissa Hale and Professor Brittany Raposa, things went a little differently. After teaching for the bar exam for...
The Ultimate Guide To Getting Good Grades Your 1L Year: Part IV
LAWTUTORS ULTIMATE GUIDE ON HOW EXACTLY TO GET GOOD GRADES DURING YOUR FIRST YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL DATA FROM HUNDREDS OF OUR LAW STUDENTS: PART IV By Professors Brittany Raposa, Hemanth Gundavaram, and Heather Kenny, Attorney Instructor Sheri Mason, and CEO of LawTutors...