Posted By on 24 Nov 2009 01:58 PM
I passed the Feb 09 CBX after several tries. If I had to do it all over again I would skip the BarBri lectures (total WASTE of precious time and money) and buy the books instead. You need the books to memorize the black letter law but you don’t need to be sitting in class to watch their videotaped lectures. Knowing the MBEs is CRITICAL.

You should be shooting for at least 80% (correct answers) on your practice tests because I guarantee you the real thing will be much harder. I believe I passed because I finally forced myself to write out flash cards for those MBE questions I was always “fuzzy” on (like the difference between factual impossibility and legal impossibility) and memorized the elements. You must know those COLD because the MBE doesn’t come straight out and ask you questions about the law. The questions are much more nuanced than that. If you don’t know the rules you will fail it, plain and simple.

Regarding the essays, short, concise answers are best. State the rule right away, then get into your analysis. One of the lawyers I work with used to be a grader for the Bar. She told me the Bar feels this way: They are giving anybody who passes the ability to hang up a shingle and practice. So they want to see that the applicant will literally be able to tell some Joe off the street with a legal problem: 1) what his problem is (i.e., quickly summarize the issue); 2) what the law says about his problem (i.e., the applicable law and rule); 3) how the law may or may not apply to his problem (i.e., analysis); and 4) how a court would probably decide the issue. It’s that simple. In your essay answers, pretend you’re talking to the persons in the exam question. That’s what I did this last time and it paid off.

Finally, regarding the PTs (which I despise), I suggest going to the Bar website and downloading a bunch of the exams and model answers. Review them, get a feel for the different types of assignments (i.e., client letters, Memorandum of P’s and A’s, etc.) and the various answers to each. I really don’t know what else to say, the PT is a nightmare. Organization is key. That, and knowing what issues to avoid in your answer, because, unlike the essays, just because they’re there does not mean the Bar wants you to discuss them. Quite the opposite. The Bar wants to see that you know how to cut through the extraneous stuff. Trust me, that will come in handy when talking to prospective clients, who want to tell you everything but what you really need to know to evaluate their case. In the real world, you have much more than 3 hours to do a rush assignment, (usually a day), but no one said the Bar Exam is the real world. I can tell you this though, in practice, organization in the midst of chaos is critical to keeping your head, and your job. Maybe that’s what the examiners are testing in the PT. I don’t know, I don’t care, because I NEVER have to take it again!

Hope this helps. Good luck to all.