Posts tagged bar exam

TOO MUCH ON YOUR MIND? HERE’S HOW TO KEEP THE “LIZARD BRAIN” AT BAY.



By Christy Cassisa, Esq., BARBRI Director, Professional Effectiveness

Congratulations, law school is done. Time to relax, right?  Not when there is one last hurdle to becoming a licensed lawyer.

IT’S CALLED “LIZARD BRAIN.”

Every exam, study group and dollar spent on law school comes down to the next few months during your stressful bar exam studies. Stressful because of the major deadline looming, fear of failure and continuous depletion of physical resources that are your daily reality. All this causes chronic sympathetic nervous system arousal – in other words, “lizard brain.” A fight-flight-freeze survival mode that dates back to our prehistoric days as Paleolithic humans.

YOU KNOW THE SYMPTOMS.

You may have already experienced chronic stress during law school. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms include: headaches, muscle aches, fatigue, increased illness, upset stomach, chest pain, sleep disturbances, anxiety, lack of motivation or focus, irritability, restlessness, depression, angry outbursts and social withdrawal.

AND IT WANTS TO DRIVE YOUR BUS.

Your body is expending all its energy to stay alive. There’s not much left over for anything else, including memorizing black letter law, taking practice tests and remaining upright in your BARRBI classes. The lizard is driving your bus. And, as you might imagine, a frazzled lizard driving a bus can be detrimental to everyone and everything nearby, including the bus itself (that’s you).

HOW TO TAKE CONTROL WHEN IT TRIES TO TAKE OVER.

LizardBe Grateful. Every day, take a few minutes to think of 3-5 things for which to be grateful. Lawyers tend to be world-class pessimists, but research shows that this may not be good for our health.  Remembering things that really matter can shift your focus to the positive, improving physical health and energy levels.

Make time for family and friends. Connect with the important people in your life. Your support system will help you feel less alone and improve your outlook.

Smile. Research has shown that the simple act of smiling can slow your heart and reduce stress, and may even help alleviate depression.

Meditate. Take a few minutes a day to be still and focus on your breathing. Recent research has shown that meditation can help prevent mind-wandering, increase focus, reduce stress, improve sleep and strengthen the immune system.

Plan the day. Map out time for studying, eating, sleeping, fun activities and exercise, for example. You’ll feel in greater control and get the most important things completed.

Eat, sleep, play. Healthy foods, enough sleep (seven hours minimum) and exercises that you enjoy (a groovy walk or dancing in the kitchen) are critical to your health.

Be your own cheerleader. We are often quite critical of ourselves. Become aware of your self-talk, challenge it and replace it with a positive mantra. Research shows that people with a positive outlook can fight off colds, can handle stress better and even live longer.

Laugh. Laughter has been shown to lower cortisol in your bloodstream, relax your muscles and improve your overall well-being.

Eat 1.4 oz of chocolate: Doing this every day for two weeks can actually lower your stress hormones.

 

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WHAT YOUR BAR EXAM
SUMMER WILL BE LIKE



By Anna Abrigo, Esq., BARBRI Director of Legal Education

GETTING STARTED

BARBRI bar review courses are scheduled to begin at most locations in May 2013. Be sure to pay attention to course introductions, emails and announcements so that you have all the information you need to make the most out of your bar exam preparation this summer. Also, log in to the Enrolled Student Center on BARBRI.com so to get familiar with its contents that include Quick Links and StudySmart® software.

BarExamSummer_2ESTABLISH A ROUTINE

The best approach to your bar exam summer is to treat your preparation as if it is your full-time job. Find a routine that works for you. To help you plan and manage your time, the BARBRI bar review course includes an interactive Paced Program, an online daily study and assignment schedule that outlines and explains exactly what you need to do and when.

The BARBRI course generally meets five days a week for about three-to-four hours, covering substantive law topics tested on the bar. There are usually no lectures on weekends. This schedule allows for more time to review the black letter law and complete reading and writing assignments.

Your routine should also include personal downtime. Studying for the bar is undoubtedly and extremely time consuming. But it certainly should not be a 24/7 endeavor literally. You should schedule breaks throughout the day – after a full day of studying and on the weekends. If you like working out or seeing friends, make room for those activities. Spend time with family. Do things you enjoy. This will fuel your efforts, allowing you to remain focused while studying for the bar.

TAKE OUR SIMULATED MBE

In July (weeks before the bar exam), you will take the BARBRI Simulated MBE, a practice multistate exam administered under actual timed conditions. Only the BARBRI Simulated MBE provides you with diagnostic feedback that compares your performance to more than 35,000 BARBRI students nationwide. This personal feedback, along with our expert lectures analyzing the exam in detail, will give you every advantage to land on the passing percentile of the bar exam’s graded curve. Only BARBRI can show you how you rank against the overwhelming majority of law school graduates who will be taking the upcoming bar exam. With BARBRI, you will know where you stand weeks before the exam so you can keep improving.

TRUST THAT YOU ARE BARBRI READY

Ask anyone who has passed the bar exam and you will find that confidence is one key to success. It is natural that feelings of doubt may creep in periodically but know that from day one of the BARBRI bar review course, each one of your assignments has been designed make you as prepared as possible for whatever the examiners throw your way. For example, our exclusive BARBRI AMP technology guides you to achieve mastery of the multistate topics. Practice questions of all types (MBE, Essay, MPT and local multiple choice), depending on your state, will make you comfortable with timing and substantive issues. Our knowledgeable and experienced attorneys and staff are available to answer any questions that might arise to make sure that you are indeed BARBRI ready for the bar exam this July.

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UNEMPLOYED? NO JOB PROSPECTS?
HOW TO PICK A STATE BAR EXAM



By Joni Wiredu, BARBRI Senior Director of Legal Education

It’s a question many students have when stopping by the BARBRI table to enroll: how to choose a state bar exam if currently unemployed? The good news is that BARBRI is the only bar review course offered in all 50 states, including Washington D.C., so you have options. You can take our course in the state you’re considering and there may even be a lecture location you can attend right in your area. Be sure to check with your BARBRI representative for more information.

KNOW WHAT YOU REALLY WANT AND REMAIN COMMITTEDPickBarExam

Choosing a state bar exam is a deeply personal decision and may involve input from family, friends, your law professors and/or law school career counselors.

Start with this: Where do you see yourself in five years? (Don’t you hate that question!) Interviewers tend to ask it often during the interview process. The purpose is to gauge your commitment to the company or agency you are pursuing. For the bar exam, it is a similar commitment question.

HERE’S A LIST OF CONSIDERATIONS TO HELP WITH YOUR DECISION:

    Location – When considering state bar exams, target (and research) where you’d like to
    live most.

    Bar Admission requirements – Examine the bar exam subjects tested, the bar’s format, CLE requirements and fees associated with maintaining good standing.

    Legal industry – Is the market saturated with attorneys and is the legal industry of your choice in your area/region of the country?

    Family obligations – Do you want to go back to your hometown? If so, why?

    Professional Network – What professional contacts have you made? Does your school have an alumni network that would allow you to pursue your goals? Do you have access to mentors in that state?

    Family and friends network – Do you have the support your need to pursue your goals?

    Reciprocity – Most states allow admission on motion after practicing for a number of years.

Know that you have access to an array of BARBRI  resources. Stop by the BARBRI table at your law school to pick up a BARBRI Bar Exam Digest that includes the format and subjects tested on the bar exams for all 50 states and Washington D.C. Our digest also includes information about reciprocity. For more details, consult the websites of the state bar exams you are considering.

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THE UBE AND YOUR MARKETABILITY



By Mary Goza, BARBRI Vice President

The trend is underway to reduce the need for new lawyers to take another bar exam in order to become licensed in another state. With the advent of the Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), an applicant may sit for one bar exam and become licensed in several jurisdictions. With proper planning, you can enhance your marketability through the UBE.

UBE SCORES ARE UNIFORMALLY ACCEPTED

The UBE is a two-day exam drafted by the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), consisting of the Multistate Essay Exam (30%), Multistate Performance Test (20%) and Multistate Bar Exam (50%).

The components of the UBE are not new and have long been part of the bar exam format in many states. However, the UBE rests upon an agreement, whereby a state agrees to give full faith and credit to a score achieved on the bar exam in another jurisdiction because that jurisdiction uniformly administers, grades and scores the exam. Currently 13 states have adopted the Uniform Bar Exam:

UBE_13states> Alabama
> Arizona
> Colorado
> Idaho
> Minnesota (February 2014)
> Missouri
> Montana
> Nebraska
> New Hampshire (February 2014)
> North Dakota
> Utah
> Washington
> Wyoming

WHAT IS NOT UNIFORM ABOUT THE UBE

Each UBE state sets its own passing score. The score is portable to another UBE state as long as you sit for the entire exam at one time in the same location. You may transfer the score, even if you “fail” the bar exam.

For example, a student who takes the UBE in Colorado and fails to achieve the required passing score of 276 out of 400 may transfer the score to Utah, a UBE jurisdiction for which the passing score is 270 out of 400. The UBE score is not valid beyond a set period of time and each state sets its own deadline, varying between three and five years.

The essay and performance test component is graded locally and not by a set of national graders. The testing entity provides grading guidelines and training for each state in order to promote consistency.

Because the grading process and size of the applicant pool varies by state, not all states are prepared to release results on the same day. The date when bar exam results are released is determined by each state and can vary between six to 10 weeks.

You may transfer your UBE score but you may not transfer your approved status from one state to another. The decision as to who may sit for the bar, including the educational and character requirements, is up to each state. To acquire a law license in a UBE state other than the one in which you sat for the bar, you need to submit an application, pay the necessary fees and meet the other state’s character and fitness requirements. In addition, most UBE states require an additional local component to be completed before, or soon after, becoming admitted to practice law.

BARBRI KNOWS THE UBE, SINCE ITS INCEPTION

BARBRI has been preparing students for each of the components of the UBE since their inception: 1972 for the MBE, 1988 for the MEE and 1997 for the MPT.  The BARBRI bar review course in each state is uniquely tailored to the needs of the bar exam, accommodating the subtle grading differences among UBE states.

Click here for more information about the UBE.

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TAKING TWO BAR EXAMS



By Dale Larrimore, BARBRI Regional Vice President

Can I take two bar exams this summer? We often hear this question at this time of year. The lawyerly answer is: “It depends.”

There are two factors that control whether you sit for two different bar exams in the same week. First, you have to determine on which day each state administers its essay exam. Second, you have to find out if one of the states will accept a transferred Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) score from a concurrent exam.

KNOW THE EXACT DATES FOR BOTH STATES

MultistateThe MBE is always given on the last Wednesday in February and July. Most states administer essay exams on the Tuesday before the MBE. Three states administer essays on the Thursday after the MBE – Massachusetts, New Jersey and Wyoming. So if you want to take two bar exams at the same time, you have to combine a Tuesday/Wednesday exam with the exam in one of these three states.

For example, many students take the New York bar exam on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then travel to New Jersey for Thursday. Other popular combinations include Pennsylvania/New Jersey or Pennsylvania/Massachusetts.

CONSIDER GEOGRAPHY TO AVOID FATIGUE

There are many other combinations that you could consider like Alabama/Massachusetts, yet keep in mind that geography and fatigue can work against you.

Using this example – to sit for Alabama and Massachusetts – here’s what your schedule would look like on bar exam week:

    Monday: Three hours of Alabama Civil Procedure exams
    Tuesday: Six hours of MBE and Multistate Performance Test
    Wednesday: Six hours of MBE, then travel to Massachusetts
    Thursday: Six hours of Massachusetts Essay Exam

As you can imagine, it’s much easier to travel from New York to New Jersey than from Alabama to Massachusetts, especially after three days of the bar exam.

MAKE SURE YOUR MBE SCORE WILL BE ACCEPTED

Once you figure out whether the dates will work for the two states you choose, you next have to determine whether one of the states will accept an MBE score from an exam administered in another state. This list includes:

> Arizona
> Connecticut
> Indiana
> Kansas
> Maryland
> Massachusetts
> New Hampshire
> New Jersey
> New Mexico
> New York
> Oklahoma
> Rhode Island
> South Carolina
> Utah

FINALLY, HOW HARD IS IT TO PASS TWO STATE BARS

In some states, like New Jersey, little knowledge of state law is required. In others, like Massachusetts, a significant amount of state law is required to be successful on the essay exam.

There are obviously many factors to consider when deciding whether or not to take two bar exams at once. The good news is that BARBRI has helped thousands of students pass two bar exams simultaneously. We have specifically tailored study programs that highlight key differences between the two states and make learning law in two states not significantly harder than learning one.

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CHOOSING LAW SCHOOL CLASSES



By Bob Cohen, BARBRI Vice President

“What classes should I take?”
“Should I choose classes that are tested on the bar exam?”Fotolia_43609139_XL

At the core of these common student questions is the common misperception that law school should prepare them for the bar exam. That is not the case.

LAW SCHOOL DOESN’T TEACH TO THE BAR

The purpose of law school is to develop critical thinking skills. Take first year exams. They are discussion-oriented, calling upon your ability to “think like a lawyer.” The purpose of the bar exam is dramatically different. Bar examiners want you to learn an incredible amount of material that calls upon your knowledge of local law. While some law schools incorporate local state law into their curriculum, most professors do not teach with the bar exam in mind.

Bar examiners are looking for an answer-oriented analysis. On a bar exam essay, you can actually provide an incorrect conclusion based upon wrong law, yet attain points by presenting a clear, logical legal analysis. Obviously, you will score more points by applying the correct rules of law; however, the analysis leading to your definitive answer is the key to success.

BAR EXAM TOPICS DO CHANGE

If you’re plan it to choose classes based upon topics tested on the bar, keep in mind that bar-tested topics do change. Several years ago, for example, the New York bar exam dropped Personal Income Tax and Bankruptcy and added New York Professional Responsibility. Although not tested on the New York bar, Personal Income Tax relates to almost every aspect of a legal practice. A tax foundation attained in law school might also help make you a well-rounded lawyer. Similarly, Bankruptcy is currently one of the hottest fields of practice but is irrelevant for New York bar exam purposes.

GO WITH WHAT YOU REALLY WANT TO DO MOST

BARBRI’s advice: select classes of most interest to you and in areas you intend to practice. Keep an eye towards your legal future – beyond your school’s required curriculum. If you are interested in a career as a prosecutor, take electives such as Criminal Procedure and Trial Advocacy. If you want to practice matrimonial law, choose Family Law as an elective.

If you happen to be interested in two electives offered at the same time, consider the one more frequently tested on the bar. You can obtain a bar subject frequency chart from BARBRI or speak with a BARBRI Director of Legal Education for assistance.

WITH BARBRI BAR REVIEW, YOU ARE BARBRI READY

The mark of a good bar review course is that it doesn’t attempt to take the place of what you learned in law school. The BARBRI bar review course guides you through what you either did or did not learn in law school, shows you how each subject will be presented on the bar and then gives you everything you need to be BARBRI ready – to pass the first time. Add to that your quality law school education and you are prepared to succeed in life.

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