Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Less Than 20 Days to Go!

Hey all,

I apologize for the dearth of posts, I've been really (REALLY!) busy with this lawyering stuff.  Who'd a thunk it, eh? 

At this point in my exam preparations I was usually writing essays under timed conditions (but not nearly as diligently as I should have), and working on my middling subjects (and MBEs, of course.)  The way I saw it, I had a decent chance of improving on the subjects I was only average on, and despite much effort I had been unable to improve on my weak subjects (primarily Community Property, Contracts, and Wills & Trusts.) 

I felt strong in Criminal Law, Evidence, Criminal Procedure, and Torts, but I knew I could improve on Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Real Property, Corporations, Professional Responsibility, and Agency & Partnerships.

With only three weeks to go, what I found myself doing was looking at some reliable source's predictions and basing my last minute studying on those, with an emphasis on my "average" subjects listed above. 

And, of course, always staying fresh on the MBEs.  Frankly, I thought the MBEs on the July '12 exam were easy.  This was partly due to my innate strength on them, and on the insights I gained through Tolerico's Best MBE program.  And that's not necessarily a plug for Jason's program, it's just the truth.

And then finally I had just come to the point where I knew I had the ability to pass, it was just a matter of performing.  My only weakness, as I saw it, was with my presentation on the essays and PTs.  The confidence I felt in my knowledge of the law, and my now overwhelming frustration at not having passed, resulted in a "letting go", if you will, of the internal limitations I had apparently been placing on myself. 

And a solid MBE score helps too.  The average raw MBE score for CA takers on the July exam was about 148, and with complete humility I wouldn't be surprised if my score was closer to 160 than 150.  That's just how I feel about it.   And I think that (imagined) MBE score coupled with letting go of all of my anxiety and stress is why I passed.   But, again, who really knows?  It could be that I finally found the holy grail of writing methods and sucked out loud on my MBEs.  Hey, it could happen!

One commenter asked if I could post some of my past essays.  I haven't done that before, but I'll try to find a way to do that here.  I'll keep you posted.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great feeling when posters go from expressing sympathy for not passing to seeking advice on what you did to pass. It shows that staying the course regardless of the frustration eventually leads to success. That is not only a valuable life lesson but one that will help you in your law practice. As I have posted before, it took me 15 tries to pass and even though some told me to give up,I always wanted to be a lawyer and so, like you,1550 I persevered. My current success as a senior partner validates never giving up, and your success will be just as rewarding. Good luck GP.

The Grand Poobah said...

Thanks very much! You are exactly right!

Anonymous said...

Anyone know where to find predictions this time around? I am a 3x repeater and trying to use some good advice from a former (wink) repeater who nailed it last July? Getting down to the wire here and wanting to look at some predicted essay topics to narrow & focus.

AllforJDs usually has predictions but it is REALLY quiet out there for feb 2013 takers.

I am specifically looking for Steve Bracci's predictions. I hear he is the best.

You can also email me directly at leerivers_j@hotmail.com

Thanks and good luck to all.