Bar Exam Mentoring Program Updates

We hope that you have had an opportunity to meet your mentees. As the spring/summer progresses, we will continue to add content to this page as we get feedback and questions about the program. This page is intended to provide helpful resources and tips, as well as answers to common questions from mentors/mentees. 

Common Bar Exam Pitfalls:

Here are some common bar exam pitfalls (per feedback from past bar test-takers):

  • Time management issues (e.g., carving out sufficient time to study, choices about how to spend time studying/which subjects to prioritize)
  • Not understanding the importance of multiple choice vs. essays—this is an area where coaches can help students use time most effectively (i.e., they should spend more time on MBE topics vs. secured transactions) and identify individualized study techniques that work for your mentee (e.g., mapping vs. flash-cards vs. outlining)
  • Not departing from the calendar provided by their bar prep course to make strategic choices about where to study
  • Not taking the bar exam seriously (e.g., skipping certain bar topics, not putting in the time)

Example Study Methods:

Many graduates who struggled with the bar exam told us that they wish they had known sooner what study method would work best for them. Once these test-takers were able to identity the study method that worked best for them, it completely changed their bar prep experience. We recommend talking with your mentee about what study methods worked for him or her during law school. They should continue to use these "tried-and-true" methods during the bar exam (although they may need to be modified slightly).

Below are examples of study techniques that recent test-takers have successfuly implemented.

Flash Cards: Example 1, Example 2, Example 3

Mapping: Example 1

Outlining: Example 1

Inspiration:

As I am sure you recall, studying for the bar exam can be a daunting process. As mentors, you may find it appropriate to send your mentee words of encouragement throughout the summer. Below please find inspirational videos and quotes that prior bar-takers have found helpful.

   Videos:

   Quotes:

  • “A matter that becomes clear no longer concerns us.” – Nietzsche
  • "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." –Arthur Ashe
  • “I am good enough, I am smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” – Stuart Smalley (SNL)
  • “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” –Eleanor Roosevelt, This is My Story
  • “Where fear is, happiness is not.” – Seneca
  • “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breath, then you will be successful.” – Eric Thomas
  • “What if Michael Jordan had quit? He would have never made Space Jam.” –Kid President
  • “Everyman must now row with the oar they have.” –English Proverb
  • “One unable to dance blames the unevenness of the floor.” –Malay Proverb
  • “There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” –Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
  • “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” –Eleanor Roosevelt, You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life
  • “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” –Winston Churchill
  • “Sucking the marrow out of life doesn’t mean choking on the bone.” – John Keating, Dead Poets Society
  • “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney
  • “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” –Henry Ford
  • “I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy. I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.” –Art Williams
  • “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” –Samuel Beckett
  • “The greatest battle is not physical but psychological. The demons telling us to give up when we push ourselves to the limit can never be silenced for good. They must always be answered by the quiet, the steady dignity that simply refuses to give in. Courage. We all suffer. Keep Going.” –Graeme Fife
  • “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bulls*it story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” –Jordan Belfort
  • “The reason why people give up so fast is because they tend to look at how far they still have to go, instead of how far they have gotten.” –Anonymous
  • “If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan but never the goal.” –Anonymous

Questions from Mentors and Mentees:

1.  Are there strategies for retaining information about subjects that come up early in the bar prep course (Evidence and Torts, for example) over the long haul of the two months?  Or do the exam courses themselves anticipate this and build in some time of refresher?

In hindsight, my perception is that my bar prep course was designed to make me engage continuously with the MBE topics throughout the summer. I am pretty sure that most courses start with MBE topics (i.e., evidence, torts, constitutional law, etc.) to make sure that students have an entire summer's worth of exposure to them. As you may recall, the MBE is 50% of the total score and MBE topics can also be tested on the MEE, so it makes sense to spend proportionally more time and energy mastering these topics.

While my bar prep course sprinkled MBE practice questions into the schedule throughout the summer, I did take it upon myself to alter my schedule to allow for additional MBE review mid-July. Because I was more worried about forgetting things that were covered in June than my timing on the exam (I was consistently finishing practice tests on-time and maintaining a good pace, so that was less important for me to practice), the last few weeks before the test I would often complete only an abbreviated version of assigned MBE practice tests.

Specifically, first thing in the morning I would complete 75-100 MBE questions under exam conditions (i.e., I would skip 125-100 of the assigned questions). I would immediately score my test and review all of the questions that I missed in great detail, adding to my notes where necessary. Based on the questions I got wrong and why (reading too fast is different than not knowing the law), I would pick 2 MBE topics to review in detail after I took a break for lunch (i.e., I would review my lecture outlines, do practice essays on the topic, and really dig-in to any subtopics that were causing me problems). When I was finished with my 2 subject in-depth review, I would spend a little bit of time in the evening casually review my notes for the other MBE topics. This process helped me feel like I was staying "fresh" and spending my time on the portion of the exam that could really make or break me. It is also worth noting that I used a somewhat similar process for MEE topics (complete 6 MEE questions in the morning and review answers in great depth, then pick 3-5 topics to review in detail, then casually read notes for remaining topics before bed), albeit I studied MEE topics proportionally less than MBE topics.

2. Could you comment on time constraints for the MPT. For example, apparently they advise spending only 15 minutes on reading the background statutes and cases, but my mentee feels that he needs more time. Is it wise to adhere closely to those time recommendations? Any thoughts or strategies?
 
I personally found the suggested pace for the MPT uncomfortable. I think it is wonderful that your mentee is taking this portion of the exam seriously because I know people who never even tried a practice MPT before the exam (needless to say, they were caught off-guard by the quick pace required). As a general rule, I would try to stick with the timing outlined by the bar course and then customize the timing to fit your mentee's strengths.

For example, I also had a hard time getting through all of the cases in just 15 minutes, but I discovered that I didn't need all of the time the course suggested for outlining if I made notes with corresponding page numbers as I read (i.e., as I read the cases, I would scribble down the names of tests or factors or relevant facts along with the page where I could find the important text). Given that I could make-up time during the outlining phase, I gave myself extra time during the case-reading phase.

I also became A LOT more efficient the more I practiced. In addition to more practice, you may also suggest to your coachee that sometimes he only practice the first part of the MPT (i.e., the reading/outlining part before writing) until he feels he can get the timing down. I used that technique quite a bit because I was confident in my writing skills, but really needed to work on processing and organizing the information more quickly. By only doing the first part of the test, he can practice his weakness more efficiently in the limited time he has to spend working on the MPT (e.g., he can practice the first part of the test twice in the same amount time it would take him to do one full MPT).

3. What did the proctoring look like at the actual bar exam?  My mentee disclosed to me that she failed the MPRE this spring, and that part of what happened is that the proctoring freaked out her out.  She hadn’t anticipated that proctors would walk the aisles, and that triggered her test-taking anxiety. 
 
During the July 2012 bar exam, we were in a huge room with long aisles, so it was difficult for proctors to move around too much during testing. They did walk around the perimeter and the inner aisles to some extent, but definitely not as much as during my MPRE (which was in a much smaller room). It is important to note that the July 2013 bar exam is not in the same location as the July 2012 bar exam, so it is quite possible that the room will be set-up differently.

I would recommend warning your mentee about the possibility that the technology support staff will circulate throughout the room as test-takers experience computer problems. For me, the technology support staff was more distracting than the proctors. Not only do test-takers hail the support staff by waiving small flags (which was often done in a state of duress as their computer was crashing), but then you could hear frantic whispering when the support staff arrived. I spent a lot of time doing practice questions in distracting environments (like coffee shops), so maybe that is something your mentee would also find helpful.

4. Is it possible to take medication into the exam? Am I reading the bar exam instructions correctly that medication pills have to be loose (i.e., no “wrappers”)?  

If it is prescription medication, you are definitely allowed to bring it into the testing center. I had friends who put their medication in a small, clear ziplock baggie and then threw that in the big gallon size ziplock that test-takers are permitted to bring inside. I also recall some friends bringing non-prescription medication (i.e., aspirin, tums) without any problem. Even though I am confident your mentee will be able to bring in her medication, I would encourage her to email the Board of Law Examiners about the issue. That way she can get their response in writing and have it in her car in case they give her any trouble (which could also reduce her day-of test anxiety and ensure that she have access to the medication she may need to succeed on test day).
 

Additional Resources:

We found the following resources to be pretty helpful in forming a plan for studying for the bar and navigating tricky topics like test anxiety and stress management:
  • Bar Exam Mind by Matt Racine (on reserve at the Wise Law Library)
  • Emanuel's Strategies and Tactics for the MBE (on reserve at the Wise Law Library)
  • Pass the Bar: A Practical Guide to Achieving Academic & Professional Goals by Sara Berman (available at the Wise Law Library) 
  • Pass the Bar! by Denise Riebe and Michael Hunter Schwartz