Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Radio Silence: The Bar Exam!

Even though this blog has only been up for a handful of weeks, we've already gotten a ton--OK, not a ton, but a lot--of bar exam suggestions, and we're weeding through them right now. We'll post the best of over the next week or so as we're in the home-stretch for the exams.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Bar Exam Tips: Initials MCs and Evidence MCs

A couple of bar exam tips I was thinking off the top of my head:

You know those first multiple choice problem sets you get from Bar/Bri? The ones that you tend not to do so well on because you just got done with re-learning the law? Sometimes it's not so helpful to plow through them and get a ton wrong that you shouldn't have gotten wrong. What I did was go through these Qs a "bunch" at a time, circling the answers I think were right, and marking my second-best choices. Then, after 5 or so (depending upon how the answers were spaced so I don't accidentally "cheat"), I'd go back to my notes and verify whether my selections were right or not. And then I'd check them against the answers. 

The theory is that I shouldn't self-penalize myself for an answer I was only slightly-off by. Furthermore, why not learn the law while I'm at it instead of trying to blindly convince myself that I was right--and get the law incorrect in my mind? Fix it immediately before you move on, especially if you then later rely upon the incorrect understanding on a subsequent question--thus solidifying that incorrect law in your head. 

Second, really quick tips: When doing those Evidence MCs? Yes, first read the question--and the line or two above the question if necessary to get who's suing who and for what. Then as you read the question, figure out if it's criminal or civil. And make a quick note of that "civ" or "crim." Not that you'll refer back to that note--but just so it's in your head as you get through the question.

Similarly, with Torts questions, jot down "int" or "neg"--it's crucial to know whether you're talking about an intentional tort or negligence.