Total Scaled Score: 1366.
Raw MBE: 139. I spent much less practice time on these that I have in the past because, due to prior commitments, I had only about six weeks to study. I figured I should spend what time I did have on my weakness, which is the essay portion of the exam. Unfortunately, I had forgotten many of the rule definitions and, as a result, I spent too much time reviewing outlines during my essay writing practice. That's not an excuse, I'm sure I could have made better use of my time. I don't have the same time-crunch challenge this time so I should be better prepared.
Raw written: 560. See explanation above.
Total Scaled: 1366.
Of the seven exams I've taken, I've scored between 1360 and 1400 on five of them. My MBE scores seem reliable, despite the fact that this exam had many more head-scratchers than exams past. So it appears I'll be spending my time improving my writing skills, starting first on reviewing the rules again. The difference this time is that I do actually have three months to fix the errors in my writing style that I was shown before the last exam, but which I had little time to fix.
Those of you who are gong to throw stones, heave away. Nothing you say will discourage or deter me. I will get this. My goal, and the path to achieve it, are clearer now than they have ever been. If you can't bear to look, then avert your eyes. There will likely be less to look at this time than in times before, anyway.
I've already submitted my application for February 2011, so those of you who will advise me to skip an exam can also save your breath (your typing time?)
For everyone else, here we go again.
And as someone I saw on TV recently said ... "Don't retreat. Reload!"
That advice, I'm taking.
13 comments:
Keep going. I will be sitting for round four..I score low on the MBE's I would appreciate any pointers you have. My total scaled score this time was 1403.
Don't give up GP. I passed after taking it 6 times. You are strong on the MBEs, so practice your essay writing by doing at least 2 essays (outline and issue spot if you don't have time) a day and then really nail the PTs. If you score really well on the PTs, then you can afford to not score as high on the essays. You can do this!! Don't ever give up and don't pay any attention to those who are trying to discourage you. If I had given up all the times when I felt like quitting, I wouldn't be where I am now.
You seem like a really awesome person and I am rooting for you.
At this point, I believe you must know the law. Your MBE score is fine and I can't imagine that you do not grasp the concepts for the essays, either. But it sounds like you are having trouble actually applying the law.
I've made this suggestion before and I'm not sure if you considered it, but I'm going to make it again.
Walk away from the books and get yourself some real court filings. Get a few real, filed briefs preferably in a really fact heavy case, like maybe employment discrimination. Read them through and pay attention to how they have structured them. Study how they use headings, how the documents are organized, and how they use the facts to highlight the elements.
You know the law but you aren't going to pass this thing until you learn how to write. You are not going to learn how to write by reading over your outlines and self-grading your essays. You need to actually study legal writing.
Have you tried Barwinners, with Sharey Carney I think it is. I took her Bar Prep years ago against all my buddies who went with Bar Bri. I had a good experience with her because she taught me how to write essays. Just asking, don't get anything for mentioning. Call me crazy but you remind me a lot of the movie Rudy. He never gave up no matter how stupis everyone thought it was, but if he wasn't successful then that movie would suck.
Good luck GP! I'm routing for you...don't give up and don't listen to those who say you should...you will be successful and once you pass you will be a great attorney.
GP - you and I are in the same boat. This is my first CA bar exam. I passed NY no problem. Wow, what a disappointment. My raw was 580 and scaled 1328. I worked my butt off, but clearly did things incorrectly. I'm slowly getting over the failure. For a while it was quite a personal pride issue. Better luck to us both.
GOOD LUCK GP! I hope you at least take a little time off to enjoy Thanksgiving. I haven't started studying again yet. I feel like a need some time to get over the shock and devastation of failing. I ended up with a 70 on the Torts essay and 55's on all the others. Which is crazy to me because I feel like I really knew the Crim. question while I admittedly made up law for the community property one. I'm not really sure how to prepare for round 2 in February. I can take Bar Bri again but I wonder if that's pointless. I scored 60's on all of my graded Bar Bri material yet ended up with all these 55's. Eh anyway, hang in there!
Reloading also involves resting. Please take a few days to relax and gather yourself.
PTs were what I was best at, and my strategy was always to start with a nice Intro and conclusion. That way the reader at least thought you were intelligent and that you finished the PT. Just a small tidbit for something that helped me. Best of luck to you.
Of course this is really a blessing (though hard to see at the moment I'm sure). As someone who practiced law (Barred in CA & NY) for a dozen years I can tell you that you really want to use your degree and not the license. Get into something that involves legal work but NOT actually practicing law. You'll be happier and live longer I guarantee. Lawyering (the actual practice) is the most stressful, thankless job I've ever had and I'm glad I got out before it completely killed me. Forget the Bar and get on with your life!
I believe I have taken the bar one time more than you and I passed this time. I wish I could say what was the key this time, but I honestly have no idea. I felt no different leaving this exam than I did the other exams. What I did do differently was I did not work the entire months of June and July. I retook Barbri and went to the lectures everyday because I figured I could use a solid audio refresher and a reason to get dressed and out of the house everyday. I also was 5 months pregnant when I sat for the exam, which I think kept me grounded (ie - I had to take care of myself and it was a reminder of more important things in life). It was an expensive final shot at the exam for me, but luckily proved to pay off.
Not that you can replicate the last thing ;) Perhaps a mental adjustment was what helped. Well, that plus a little bit of luck. You have studied this stuff enough times that studying it more probably won't help. Maybe try to drastically change something to try and shake things up a little. Most importantly, don't give up. I'm glad I didn't :).
reload baby! clean up that writing and you will pass.
i'd like to root for you, but you are apparently foolish enough to take Sarah Palin for life advice, so I just don't know anymore.
Now that you have a pretty solid idea about the breadth of information that will be on the MBE, it's time to hone in on your weaknesses.
What specific areas are you lacking in? Are there certain parts of the test that give you more trouble than others? How are your writing skills?
If you can discover and isolate your weaknesses then you will have made the biggest jump towards passing the bar. You will know if the materials you are currently using to study will be able to bring your knowledge in these areas up to par with the others. If not, you might want to look into a study guide or attack sheet formula that focuses on one subject area at a time.
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