Bar Examination Success

[ChiRish]

So I'm about two weeks away from sitting for the Illinois Bar Examination. Needless to say, I'm a little stressed out and nervous about the entire thing. The material is so overwhelming - there's just too much to even comprehend trying to remember it all.

I was wondering if there was any attorneys or others who had taken the exam who care to share some advice on how to handle both the test itself and the final two weeks leading up to the exam? Any tips that you guys have used that don't come out of the cookie cutter BarBri materials?

I, for one, trust the judgment and intelligence of many people on this site, so any feedback or help would be tremendously welcomed. Thanks guys.

 

[Pops Freshenmeyer]

Sleep. Relax. BarBri is enough to get you through it if you do the work.

And, if you want some advice on what to study, focus on the MBE.

 

[Domina Nostra]

Don't stress out, if you stick with it, it will all come together towards the end. Just trust the process, even though it seems so overwhelming. Easier said than done, right? The way to avoid stress is to come up with a plan and execute it.

Once you get in there, just remember the passage rate and that you got this far because you are good at tests and DON'T TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT THE ANSWERS AFTERWARDS.

Good luck, brother!

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Pace yourself... Don't do too many shots until later in the evening.

 

[ChiRish]

I definitely appreciate the advice. My issue is simply trying to find a way to regurgitate all this nonsense "verbatim" as they tell you to do on the essays. I simply do not see how it is possible to actually be able to memorize, for instance, all the requisites of secured transactions, then commercial paper, then trusts, then wills, then corporations, etc. etc., then all the MBE topics in addition to that.

How is it that people pass this? I did well in law school but I have never felt this anxious 2 weeks away from a test in my life. And I'm not one who ever gets test anxiety.

I guess I just don't know how to feel "prepared" at all. Or how to embark on remembering subjects if it's been days since I last covered them. For instance, I covered torts and con law today and feel good about them for the most part. But then I'll do other subjects tomorrow (like evidence, that bastard), the next day, the day after that, etc., and feel like I won't be able to remember the key distinctions and minute exceptions for torts or con law that seem to comprise the questions on the MBE.

As you can see, I'm just a tad bit stressed out. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Rhode Irish]

You're not required to know every minute detail of every area in order to pass. Also, you'll be amazed how well your recall function responds on test day. It seems overwhelming, but trust the process. You know more than you think you know.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Flash cards and mnemonics. Best way to spend your last couple weeks.

An example: need to remember crimes requiring specific intent? FLAME CRABS: Forgery, Larceny, Attempt, Murder, Embezzlement, Conspiracy, Robbery, Assault, Battery, Solicitation. You can find literally thousands of these things online, but they'll be much more effective if you come up with them yourself.

Echoing Pops, depending on how heavily your state weights the MBE, you might consider taking a couple practice tests. That should give you a good idea of which types of questions you struggle with so you can focus your studying.

 

[Rhode Irish]

Echoing Pops, depending on how heavily your state weights the MBE, you might consider taking a couple practice tests. That should give you a good idea of which types of questions you struggle with so you can focus your studying.

Regarding specific study approaches, I definitely agree on this point. I've never been a big mnemonics person (although I would definitely encourage you to do that if you find it works for you), but about two weeks before the exam I started concentrating about 75% on practice tests and only 25% reviewing material. Barbri gives you far more practice questions than they assign, and you can get more through adaptibar and some other sites.

Doing questions was the best way for me to learn the material in a context that was relevant to the actual exam. It also allows you to zero in on areas that you need to focus on, and makes the actual questions on test day seem familiar and routine.

 

[ChiRish]

Flash cards and mnemonics. Best way to spend your last couple weeks.

An example: need to remember crimes requiring specific intent? FLAME CRABS: Forgery, Larceny, Attempt, Murder, Embezzlement, Conspiracy, Robbery, Assault, Battery, Solicitation. You can find literally thousands of these things online, but they'll be much more effective if you come up with them yourself.

Echoing Pops, depending on how heavily your state weights the MBE, you might consider taking a couple practice tests. That should give you a good idea of which types of questions you struggle with so you can focus your studying.

Regarding specific study approaches, I definitely agree on this point. I've never been a big mnemonics person (although I would definitely encourage you to do that if you find it works for you), but about two weeks before the exam I started concentrating about 75% on practice tests and only 25% reviewing material. Barbri gives you far more practice questions than they assign, and you can get more through adaptibar and some other sites.

Doing questions was the best way for me to learn the material in a context that was relevant to the actual exam. It also allows you to zero in on areas that you need to focus on, and makes the actual questions on test day seem familiar and routine.

Love that mnemonic. Who could forget Flame Crabs?

I think that sort of thing will help. And I've been trying to do a bunch of work on the MBE practice questions - Illinois weighs that portion of the test 50% I believe.

I also have the Critical Pass flashcards for the MBE and even have the Kaplan iPhone app for the flashcards as well. Needless to say - that sh!t is always on my mind, day and night. All day. All night.

My worries though are on the essays. I'm not exactly sure on how to remember all the things that would be required for certain subjects, merely because there are just so many of them.

The first day of the test is July 24. I'm just hoping that by that point, the 10 hours a day or more of studying, at least for the two weeks leading up to it, will somehow allow me to turn my mushy brain full of random legal principles into a coherent answer for all those essays.

Thanks guys for the help. It's much appreciated.

 

[NCDomer]

Do BarBri. Follow along. Don't goof off. Party after the test. Receive results and realize you probably studied too much.

Don't blow it off because most people pass. That mindset sets you up for failure. Just buckle down for a few extra months. You don't want to redo the whole thing.

Also, try not to stress out over it. Avoid other testers before the exam. They're just bundles of stress and "oh shiite, you don't know rule X!?!?" I hate a lot of law students.

 

[Irish8248]

I'm only a 2L but what really helped me was putting the laws on flash cards then typing each flash card as much as you need to remember that term. Just like in elementary school and you got in trouble so you had to write I will not talk during class 100xs

 

[Emcee77]

Don't stress out, if you stick with it, it will all come together towards the end. Just trust the process, even though it seems so overwhelming. Easier said than done, right? The way to avoid stress is to come up with a plan and execute it.

Once you get in there, just remember the passage rate and that you got this far because you are good at tests and DON'T TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT THE ANSWERS AFTERWARDS.

Good luck, brother!

I think the bolded is the best advice. I took the IL bar last year, and I remember feeling exactly the same way as you, ChiRish. "How is that so many people do this? This is impossible!!" Just keep busting your ***, trust the BarBri process, and you will be fine. The IL bar has a high pass rate and they are just looking to make sure that you are basically competent in the law. I felt like I'd screwed all kinds of stuff up when I walked out of that test, especially on the essay day, and I still passed. I can only think of one person I know who didn't pass, and she definitely wasn't on law review or mock trial.

At this point in the process, I think the best way to study is to do practice tests, both MBE and practice essay questions. For the essays, write them out, or if you are pressed for time, at least outline them, and then read the sample answers carefully. I don't think I had time to write out very many, but I read and analyzed most of them. It's a great way to review the material and see what you need to bone up on. Of course, do whatever works for you though.

Most importantly, don't panic! You aren't supposed to know everything yet. You just finished the lectures. NOW is the time when the serious learning starts. As long as you work hard over the next two weeks, you'll get there.

Trust. the. process.

 

[ChiRish]

I think the bolded is the best advice. I took the IL bar last year, and I remember feeling exactly the same way as you, ChiRish. "How is that so many people do this? This is impossible!!" Just keep busting your ***, trust the BarBri process, and you will be fine. The IL bar has a high pass rate and they are just looking to make sure that you are basically competent in the law. I felt like I'd screwed all kinds of stuff up when I walked out of that test, especially on the essay day, and I still passed. I can only think of one person I know who didn't pass, and she definitely wasn't on law review or mock trial.

At this point in the process, I think the best way to study is to do practice tests, both MBE and practice essay questions. For the essays, write them out, or if you are pressed for time, at least outline them, and then read the sample answers carefully. I don't think I had time to write out very many, but I read and analyzed most of them. It's a great way to review the material and see what you need to bone up on. Of course, do whatever works for you though.

Most importantly, don't panic! You aren't supposed to know everything yet. You just finished the lectures. NOW is the time when the serious learning starts. As long as you work hard over the next two weeks, you'll get there.

Trust. the. process.

Thanks a lot. Yeah the last day of lecture is today. I'm so glad to get it over with.

My basic process right now has been going pretty indepth towards a certain subject, taking practice tests/essays on it, then reviewing the answers closely, and moving on to another subject. Then at the end of the day before I go to sleep, I try to do a quick review of the subjects I covered that day so that information sticks in my head.

I'm just going to try and leg it out these next two weeks. The process is worse than awful, but the ability to have a beer or 30 afterwards makes it all worth it.

Thanks a lot for the help everyone!

 

[A Pac]

My wife is taking the Ohio Bar in two weeks. Seeing what she is going through gives me a whole new respect for attorneys. Good luck man.

 

[ChiRish]

So the Illinois exam is Tuesday/Wednesday, and needless to say I'm kinda in that panic/exhausted/anxious/apathetic state of mind as time winds down. Anyone have any ideas or tips on how they handled the last few days?

I can't wait until this is over.

 

[JD Irish]

You guys are all lawyers? That's pretty cool. I'm starting law school next year but I rarely visit TLS because they are all huge snobs there and for the most part unhelpful. Hope I can ask you guys for some advice in the future.

Good luck on the bar!!

 

[magogian]

So the Illinois exam is Tuesday/Wednesday, and needless to say I'm kinda in that panic/exhausted/anxious/apathetic state of mind as time winds down. Anyone have any ideas or tips on how they handled the last few days?

I can't wait until this is over.

Are you doing your essays by hand or on the computer?

 

[ChiRish]

I made sure to fork over the extra $100 immediately to be able to use the computer. Thank god.

Right now, I just don't know what to expect. I feel comfortable with a lot of subjects, but property and contracts on the MBE are what really worry me. I feel like I know property well and then I do the BarBri practice questions and get all frustrated.

 

[Emcee77]

I'd say just keep doing what you are doing. Look at practice questions, identify weaknesses, review your outlines and other study materials, and then go back to the practice questions. Remember that you can completely screw up some of the essays, like get zero points, and still easily pass. You know some subjects are more likely to appear than others based on what the Barbri profs have told you, so focus on those. I didn't have a really complex strategy; I just tried to use the materials I'd been given to learn as much as I could. I think if you do that conscientiously, you can't fail to learn enough ... I mean you just don't need to know everything to pass. You are going for a D-minus here.

There are differing opinions on the last day. I studied till 9pm the night before the test, not so much because I really needed to study more at that point as because I knew I was just too nervous to relax and think about anything else. Some people don't do any studying or prep work at all that day. Either way, try not to stress yourself out too much. Push hard this week and weekend and you will be fine.

 

[ChiRish]

I'd say just keep doing what you are doing. Look at practice questions, identify weaknesses, review your outlines and other study materials, and then go back to the practice questions. Remember that you can completely screw up some of the essays, like get zero points, and still easily pass. You know some subjects are more likely to appear than others based on what the Barbri profs have told you, so focus on those. I didn't have a really complex strategy; I just tried to use the materials I'd been given to learn as much as I could. I think if you do that conscientiously, you can't fail to learn enough ... I mean you just don't need to know everything to pass. You are going for a D-minus here.

There are differing opinions on the last day. I studied till 9pm the night before the test, not so much because I really needed to study more at that point as because I knew I was just too nervous to relax and think about anything else. On the day before the test, some people don't do any studying or prep work at all. Either way, try not to stress yourself out too much. Push hard this week and weekend and you will be fine.

For sure. Thanks man, much appreciated.

I'm counting on the fact that you need some basically low score to pass. That's going to be huge. I feel I know enough about each subject to at least get a 3-4 on most of the essays. If they give me something like, say, Agency, I should get a 5. That would help balance out a potential Commercial Paper question haha.

In your experience, how much did they test the MBE subjects on the essay portion? I'm expecting to get a few at least.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

One thing I wish I had known, before-hand, is that basically nobody fails. You won't fail, your friends won't fail, even that one dude you knew who couldn't get higher than a C won't fail.

The only people who fail are these friends-of-friends-of-friends you hear about through the grape-vine. Seriously. It's sort of surreal after all the anxiety.

 

[Emcee77]

There was a difficult property recording act question (which I completely changed around at the last minute and NAILED ... greatest bar exam success for me) and maybe one other. It was just a year ago but I've already forgotten. That's the beauty of the bar exam ... the moment you walk out of the test, it's over forever.

 

[tadman95]

So the Illinois exam is Tuesday/Wednesday, and needless to say I'm kinda in that panic/exhausted/anxious/apathetic state of mind as time winds down. Anyone have any ideas or tips on how they handled the last few days?

I can't wait until this is over.

ChiRish - I just don't see anyway you don't nail this! Stay in the moment......

 

[ChiRish]

Haha well that makes me feel a little better. Thanks guys.

 

[NDBoiler]

So the Illinois exam is Tuesday/Wednesday, and needless to say I'm kinda in that panic/exhausted/anxious/apathetic state of mind as time winds down. Anyone have any ideas or tips on how they handled the last few days?

I can't wait until this is over.

Post test results or it didn't happen

 

[Whiskeyjack]

So the Illinois exam is Tuesday/Wednesday, and needless to say I'm kinda in that panic/exhausted/anxious/apathetic state of mind as time winds down. Anyone have any ideas or tips on how they handled the last few days?

I can't wait until this is over.

As Emcee mentioned above, this may be a futile effort, but to the extent it's possible, simply relax on the last day before the test. Have a drink or two (emphasis on low quantity) to take the edge off, clear your mind, and try to go into the exam well-rested and well-fed.

The testing rooms are usually kept very well air-conditioned. Consider bringing a sweater or light jacket.

The only essay question I bombed regarded lawyer advertising. Good luck!

 

[dshans]

ChiRish:

Good luck. I'm sure you'll do well. As others have mentioned, a key to success on the test is to ratchet down some and relax a bit in the run-up.

Take a cue from athletes who do that very thing leading into a major competition. Trust your years of training to kick in reflexively and don't deplete your mental reserves.

I scored somewhere in the 94th to 96th percentile in the LSAT at the end of my senior year. I took it as something of a back-up against entering "real life" immediately upon graduation. I wasn't really serious about it since I didn't feel I had the requisite temperament to be a lawyer – I didn't "do" compromise and was a very sore loser.

In summary, I didn't bother with any Barron (or other) pre-test study books. In fact I was at a party until four in the morning the day of the test that began at 8 AM. I don't recommend that approach, but I cite it to support the point.

Years ago the video production work I did with lawyers had me recording many, many CLE courses and Bar Review and Bar/Bri presentations. Some I found fascinating, some had my eyes rolling back in my head hoping for sleep. Had it been allowed, I'm convinced that I could have successfully read for the Bar without a law degree were it allowed.

 

[Emcee77]

Had it been allowed, I'm convinced that I could have successfully read for the Bar without a law degree were it allowed.

This should be allowed. It used to be. Robert H. Jackson was one of the greatest Supreme Court justices in history and he had no law degree (one year of law school, I think). Realistically, I think it would be really, really hard to pass the bar without law school, but I think it could certainly be done, and it would knock law schools down a peg, which I would like.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

...Had it been allowed, I'm convinced that I could have successfully read for the Bar without a law degree were it allowed.

You can still do that in California. But I think that's in part why the CA bar is considered the hardest. Just pass it and then waive-in to wherever you're living (if permitted).

 

[Emcee77]

You can still do that in California. But I think that's in part why the CA bar is considered the hardest. Just pass it and then waive-in to wherever you're living (if permitted).

Yeah, I think that's right. The pass rate is below 50%, in part because people take (and fail) the test without a law degree, or at least without a law degree from an ABA-accredited school (you might need a law degree from a regionally accredited school ... I know they have those in California).