Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Alrighty then .....

That was fun, wasn't it?

The only thing that didn't surprise me was the full PR essay. But it was a little tougher than I expected. The first call was clear enough but the second one had me wondering how much they thought we could get out of that narrow area. Then again, maybe it just looked narrow to me!

I sure wasn't expecting that third essay. The first one either, for that matter. I don't know why I thought that though. There's no reason to think they have any sort of plan or schedule for these things.

I'm being vague regarding the subjects on purpose. Some people thought I might have jumped the gun in July because when I posted my recap there apparently were some people who had yet to take the first day's test. I don't think the same situation exists this time, but I'm not in a big hurry to rehash those things yet anyway. At least, no more than I already have with my study buddy.

I didn't think the PT was that much more difficult than most. Those things are never easy. I did think the task memo was funny though. It was very specific about what they didn't want you to do.

Odd, that was.

Overall, because I worked on PTs this time around, I think I'm marginally better off than I was in July. But having said that, I'm sure I've now pissed off the bar exam gods and tomorrow is going be a disaster.

Golf is like that too. When you birdie the first hole you just know that the rest of your day is going to be bad. Those golf gods don't like to be shown up on the very first hole. A par is okay, bogie is better, but if you get a birdie right out of the gate you're just asking for it. (;-)>

My own personal predictions for Thursday?

Civ Pro for sure; smj, ipj, rj & ce, maybe joinder & sj.
Corps, 10b & 16b, w/agency.
ConLaw, ep, dp, dormant commerce.
If it's not one of those, look for CA evidence.

Again, those are my own personal guesses and are based on nothing more than fear. (;-)>

Good luck tomorrow!

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just KNEW you were going to post. Probably a therapeutic thing for you by now. It was exactly one year ago today that I sat for my Cal bar exam. Oh, memories... Studying at night in the hotel room was not helpful. Watching TV. Now that was more fun, and probably more helpful. Hang in there, eat healthy, and rest well. Best, jr

Anonymous said...

THURSDAY - CivPro sounds good - CP anyone? !0b - 16b sound like a good mix

The Grand Poobah said...

That's exactly right! Therapeutic, it is.

I almost didn't post because this hotel apparently thinks that $136 (+ fees) per night is just not enough to charge for a room. Nope. They have to charge for internet access too.

They do offer free wireless in the lounge, but I suspect they figure they'll make more from the drinks you buy than they would get if you hung out in the room.

This blog is like a mistress now. Can't leave her alone for long. (;-)>

The Grand Poobah said...

I saw Trusts in many of the official predictions too. For some reason, though, that subject doesn't strike fear in my heart.

Anonymous said...

Trusts is DUE for sure -

Anonymous said...

What is the outlook on PT - B ?

Anonymous said...

What is left from the "offical" predictions? Does anyone know? I was thinking since CivPro was tested on the PT, that maybe they will not test that again

The Grand Poobah said...

The outlook for PT-B is rain! (;-)>

Does anyone really predict those things?

The Grand Poobah said...

Civ Pro and PR are very common on the PTs. I don't think those factor into the essay selections.

Anonymous said...

haha - Actually I think some do! I feel like I cannot even type anymore - I can't spell either! Did anyone apply restatement 2nd of torts XXX to the 1st Q - I did not want to release the section number

Anonymous said...

Phew. That was close. The morning was good, like your golf but the afternoon was a disaster for me. Q1 and 3 were solid for me but PR slipped by. I had completely ignored PR and therefor I repent. Nonetheless, I did fill out 8 pages (if it helps).
PT was a DISASTER.....A SHEER TORTURE FOR ME. Last night I slept at 1 am and woke at 5 am. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME OR HOTEL. Cause, I ended up almost asleep during reading the library portion around 3 PM. I HAD to leave for loo and splash some cold water just to awaken.
I replied the PT based on the 3 calls and adding supportive facts/issues/laws as well as contrary ones. Almost half of the things I wrote were COPIED from the File and Library.
I ought to be excused if I sound STUPID....common people...this is my first time....I know I gotta make it at any cost in July. This time around...? Well, its just a practice session for me....What a price to pay so far...just for the mock test for me.
All right you guys sleep tight and dont worry about Thursday. Here's my prediction:
1) Wills+Trusts+Community Property
2) Con Law+Evidence
3) Civil Pro (Sucks big time for me)
OR
4) Business Association+Agency+Contract

PT-B is going to be a smooth ride this time around....watch out for evidence or tot essay land.

Good luck Bartenders!

P.S.
The guy in front of me looked awkward right from the beginning-smileless-cold and somewhat proud....later I came to know...he had a green dot on his ID!
The girls in front of me were hitting on a dude almost every 20 minutes during the PT and smiling at each other.
The guy next to me was RED....LITERALLY....His nervousness seemed to drip off from his cheeks and fingers and his red ears !
The proctor in brown suit was trying to be HOT...ahem.. I said TRYING...no rule 12 here. The alley among the hills looked awesome and relieving.
I saw a man crying inside his car in the parking lot right after the first session.
I saw a girl reading US magazine right before the second session; she wore a trouser (very loose) with PINK printed in the back....yes she wore a Boot. (No offense here....this shall not constitute 'Publication'-Libel-Defamation etc crap.
GET BACK TO STUDY OR SLEEP.....NOW! Damn, I would have completed 20 more MBEs had I not checked your site for today's update...still it was worth it...refreshing and luring.
Any of you willing to coach in July 2008? You just got yourself a student !

Anonymous said...

GP and other Feb. 2008 CBXers:

Even though I passed last July (on my 3rd try...ahem...) I still avidly follow the CA bar exam madness because, well, it took a tremondous toll on my psyche when I was going through it.

I'm sincerely pulling for each and every one of you folks. Stay positive and confident and rest assured that in about 36 hours its out of your hands.

It was interesting to see the topics that were tested on Day 1 (I found them on another blog). Last February (my 2nd attempt) I just remember how everyone seemed to have a look of terror or defeatism on their face prior to Day 1's opening bell. Was it the same this time around?

I absolutely cannot wait for the full rundown from GP and you other folks. Good luck and remember YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

Anonymous said...

I can't believe I am cruising the web when I should be studying for tomorrow. I feel safe saying, that after now taking the bar exam for three states, it doesn't get any better with practice.

Day 1 started horribly. The day before the bar exam, my computer died and I had to get a new computer certified. I thought I had completed the process correctly, but the download of the exam did not complete, so I had to handwrite the morning section. My handwriting is much worse then when I wrote the NY Bar Exam 26 years ago, and after years of using a computer, I am used to organizing on the fly, which meant I had to use symbols to point to inserted afterthoughts on clean-up.

As far as the PR question goes, sorry to say I couldn't remember distinctions between Cal & ABA. The other two questions weren't terrible, but I am sure I missed some points.

Fortunately, I was able to fix my computer problem for the afternoon, not that it helped much. I thought it was really hard to get the job done in the three hours allotted and I was puzzled how most people were typing a moment after they had opened the book. I don't know how practical the practical is, cause it is nothing like the real practice of law.

One big goof, in editing, I deleted one argument that should have stayed in. Oh well, nothing I can do about it now. Now, I have to focus on tomorrow.

Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I didn't think there really were any ABA/CA distinctions of note in the PR essay. She couldn't withdraw because they had committed a crime (CA only), which was very tangential to the problem in any case. I thought that was about it, but maybe I missed a bunch of stuff.

Sounds like you did great. :)

For tomorrow, I'm assuming that there is no way you have an exam without K and property on it. Civ Pro. And then wills. However, of course I'm going over everything. The FRE/CEC distinctions are impossible. I should have been studying those for a month, since there is no logical way whatsoever to remember them.

I hope PT-B is easy. That would be nice, to leave on a high note. :)

Good luck tomorrow everyone!

Anonymous said...

I meant to say, no way you get an exam without *one* of K and property on it.

Good luck all!!

Anonymous said...

Assigned seat was in front of room.. yeah! No distractions like last time (last Feb) where my neighbor was hitting her highlighter on the table and creating other distractions every 2minutes. While I am usually quick to voice concerns, I held my tongue due to the onerous RULE 12 violation threats. BTW: That neighbor from Feb passed that exam...
Why did a previous blogger state that he posted exam details last July before someone had taken that day's exam? How is that possible? Aren't Essays 1-3 the same throughout the state and given simaltaneously no matter the testing location?
Best to all,
2-Timer

RACHEL said...

So glad to see how everyone else seems to be faring. This is my second time around, too, although July was a total joke (I moved to CA two weeks before the exam and had exactly that much time to study). Two months in BarBri and I'm certainly feeling more confident this go-round. Hopefully that's not totally false bravado.

I too was a bit surprised to see torts and crim on the first day, but PR certainly wasn't a shocker. I had a lot to say in the torts one. Had to pull things out of thin air for the second query in the PR essay. And I just flat ran out of time in the crim essay. I had all the salient points on the page but I could have used five more minutes to analyze as much as I would have liked.

I, for one, thought that the PT was a b*tch! The second case in the file was giving me fits and and it took me a bit to get the hang of the arguments they were looking for. I'm hoping for something much nicer tomorrow afternoon!

Best wishes!

The Grand Poobah said...

Re: last July's schedule... The exam was scheduled on a Jewish holiday and some number of people (hundreds? thousands?) got a dispensation or something to be able to do the first day's exams on another day. There were many (MANY) rumors about those people scouring the blogs for clues as to what they were going to see on those essays. Apparently, if the story's true, they got a huge leg up on the rest of us mere mortals. Again, if it's true, I'm sure it pushed some otherwise deserving people below the curve.

But I'm not into conspiracy theories or anything. (;-)> But that's long over and done. Tomorrow's the only day that counts now.