Thread: Bar outlines questions

I am looking to either buy or write my own bar outlines. What format is the best? What should be included in a good bar outline? Where can I get the best outlines?

Professor Levin's answer to my exactly same question:

The best outlines are the ones that suit you the best

There are different types of bar outlines. Mainly:

1. Rule Statement: For example, Civil Procedure (Subject): Jurisdiction (Issue): Federal courts are courts of limited subject matter jurisdiction (SMJ). Generally, a plaintiff's cause of action must be based on a federal question or on diversity of citizenship for a federal court to have SMJ. (Rule Statement)

Some outlines are based on a list of rule statements, such as Cheat Sheet in Action, Essay Trainer, and some Barbri materials. These outlines are made for those who understands all the basic legal concepts and don't need extra explanation (Barbri expects their professors to explain the rules, and thus the outlines are not complete for you to fill in the examples and blanks). The outlines are meant to be understood and memorized.

2. Personal mistakes: On the other hand, some people recommend making an outline based on your personal mistakes. In other words, only put down the info you don't already know and thus missed on the practice exam. This type of outlines are filled with examples because it teaches you from scratch. (Nutshell series, Rigo's and some Barbri materials) These outlines are longer (sometimes too long) but very comprehensive.

3. Mixture of rule statements and examples: These bar-outlines list only the most commonly tested rule statements and supply the rule statements with examples when necessary (such as baroutlines.com) These outlines are good for people with some basic understanding because it is meant to refresh students' memory and not for those with no legal background. However, the outlines are more comprehensive than those with just rule statements and thus a bit longer.

You can always use the notes from your bar review course. They should already be in outline form. And, the course instructors have designed their outlines for each topic in a particular way to help you assimilate the law in the most logical and efficient way.