I plan to do self study for the July 09 CA Bar. I already took the Feb Bar and failed. Does anyone have a good self study method for the second time around? I already sat through the lectures, so I will not be doing that again. Thanks.
I plan to do self study for the July 09 CA Bar. I already took the Feb Bar and failed. Does anyone have a good self study method for the second time around? I already sat through the lectures, so I will not be doing that again. Thanks.
I failed the Feb. 09 WA bar by 9 pts. I, too, just borrowed someone else's materials and self-studied, primarily because I work at Legal Aid for peanuts and cannot afford to pay $3,000 for a formal bar review class in addition to airfare and hotels (I do not reside in WA state).
My suggestions:
If you can afford it, take a formal class. I understand that the feedback/grading of practice tests is invaluable. If you can't afford a formal class, just spend more time on practice Qs and do them under real time constraints to simulate the actual bar. Practice Qs reinforce your memory of the legal rules and increase your time mgmt skills.
Also, if you passed the MBE but had trouble with essays, focus on your writing skills (organization, handwriting, etc.). If you can get a graded copy of your failed exam with "model answers" from the Bar Examiners, do so. I learned alot by just comparing my answers to the "model" provided by WA State.
Best of luck in July. I'm retaking the WA bar so I will be suffering with you!!
At the very least, you need to have a tutor read your essay answers and tell you what your mistakes are. Passing the Bar Exam as a repeater is difficult without extra help. You must have your problems diagnosed and work hard to correct them.
To pass the MBE portion, you need to do 50 MBE's a day (for a total of at least 3500), in one sitting, and upon review, write down the rule of law for every question you get wrong on a flashcard, and review those flashcards all summer until you've memorized them. If you do this right, you will have at least 1000+ flashcards at the end. Once you've completely memorized a flashcard, you can set it aside.
The Performance Test and Essays are trickier in terms of correcting your problems, which is why you should have your work evaluated by a tutor.
If you'd like for now since you don't have your Feb. answers yet, you can also e-mail me your score sheet and a couple of graded Bar/Bri essays (along with their fact patterns) so I can see where you are having the most trouble and give you some free guidance accordingly. I do this evaluation as a free consultation.
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