So, initially on Friday evening, I of course started hearing from my friends who know friends from my law school, about who passed and who didn't.
On the one hand, I don't really begrudge anyone who has passed the California bar exam. On the other hand, hearing about those who passed just conjured up my feelings of anxiety and failure about having taken it in the past. I managed to feel overwhelming waves of failure even though I didn't take the damn thing in July....
Geez....
But, this evening I notice that Cal Bar None passed.... Congrats! I am so, so happy for you! Also, a woman that is in a similar position to me, who graduated a year before me who I had commiserated with in the past during bar prep, J.W., also finally passed, and I am so, so, SO happy for her. She totally deserves it. Knowing that people I like and was pulling for have passed doesn't make me feel bad about myself.
But my friend A. did not pass, so we will be visiting Sacramento in February together. Rat bastards. Well, I am feeling fortunate that at least I will have someone to have dinner with during the three days. Honestly, I'd rather have to eat by myself and save her the angst and anxiety, but what are you gonna do? It is what it is.
On the other hand... it's the people who I thought were just lazy or downright jerky during law school whose passing on the very first try gets to me. I know it shouldn't, but there's a little part of me that is a baby and feels like if I am a generous and nice person and I didn't pass, where is the justice in them passing.
But I got over it, and now I have registered (no snafus on effing THAT up again) and am working on what I think I need to do to make this my last sit for this stupid stupid STUPID exam that is of course a measure of your true worth as a human being and obviously an excellent measure of what an outstanding attorney you will be.... but at least I'm not bitter or anything. ;)
Alas, I am not yet certain what I need to do.
Memorize, certainly. Done.
Do some essays, yep.
Do a smattering of MBEs, absolutely.
Spend any money on bar prep? Not so sure about that.
I am just not sure spending any money will help. I mean, we are talking eleven points here. That's basically getting back up to speed and maintaining cool, calm, un-exhausted focus on the PTs and I will be there.
So, I am still working on the study plan...
Anyone who has ideas, I am open. Obviously, there will be more on this later...
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8 comments:
the fact you are already working on a study plan shows that you are way ahead of the game.
have you ever taken it in Sac in Feb before? the environment and people were totally chill. very conducive to taking an exam.
whatever you need--i'm here for ya!
Yes, the difference between the Feb 2008 Cal Expo site experience and the July 2007 Convention Center experience was vast. That was a large part of my relief at missing the application deadline for this last July... In Feb, at least I'll be surrounded by my peeps (fellow repeaters) and be able to eat at the Cheesecake Factory every night. Almost makes the bar exam tolerable. :)
I sat July out, too, and have begun studying for Feb. I'm working with a tutor recommended by 2 people who passed and who has 20 years of experience, his own materials and program. However, he's in East Bay, far from you, and likes to meet one on one twice a week.
If I had not taken up with him, I would have likely taken my friend's advice who passed on the 3rd try. She used Bar Graders to grade her essays and said they gave really good feedback. She also spent a lot of time reviewing and outlining old model answers to get a feel for the patterns. Plus, she suggested an MBE method that worked FANTASTICALLY for me. I scored 150 scaled in Feb 08. My highest prior to that was 121 scaled. It is similar to what the tutor I'm working with is having me do. I'll explain it below.
I would work out a timeline for yourself using an old BarBri schedule as a guide for how much time to spend on each subject. Make that schedule and stick to it! (I know, because I didn't and need some outside force of discipline).
I'd be happy to exchange email/phone numbers with out to relate other suggestions I got which are proving useful. For now here is the MBE method (I think I averaged about 10 a day).
1. Use one or both of the PMBR books if you have them or even the MBE Strategies book. I used the MBE strategies book and then moved on to the blue PMBR one because I hate the length of the red book questions. If you have your previous answer sheets, even better.
2. Everyday do 25 MBEs in the subject you are studying (moving on to mixed questions half way through or so). Only do 10 to 15 at a time. Check and review the one's you got wrong. Repeat with the remaining 10 to 15.
3. If you have a prior answer sheet (even from last year), see if you got those wrong before. If you did, make a flashcard, or do whatever to really figure out what is tripping you up.
2. Keep track of the ones you get wrong. After a few weeks, do the same sets over again and see if you are getting the same ones wrong. This will narrow your focus on what you need study/figure out what you're doing wrong. Highlight the explanation in the book, for future review, if you repeatedly get a question wrong.
I went through the MBE Strategies book twice (save the Exam which I did once all the way through 3 weeks prior to the bar). I think I went through the Blue PMBR at least once, but only repeated some of it (I had a couple sets of previous answer sheets to compare my progress with).
I was not the most diligent about doing it everyday, but it still worked.
Towards the end I reviewed the explanations I had highlighted and made myself do over as many of the "consistently wrong" questions as possible. I reviewed some of the highlighted explanations the night before the MBE, too. As sick as it is, while waiting to be admitted to the exam room the morning of the MBE, I did some questions as a warm up and didn't check the answers.
OK, this comment is long enough :)
Please take Bar Graders. I do not work for them. I am an out-of-state law grad who failed the first time. The second time I passed, I did several Bar Graders essays and I did close to 200 more on my own (about 15 per topic). Yes, I even wrote essays on the same fact patterns over and over. You'd be surprise what mental muscles you exercise that way. I also had a very strict schedule where I refused to study more than one topic per day. Civ Pro days I did essays and reviewed cards, notes and outlines; On Crim Pro days, I wrote essays, did MBEs, reviewed cards, etc., honed in on fine point distinctions.
Good Luck!!
You were at Cheesecake Factory last time?
My friends and I were too...distracting my test anxiety with chicken costoletta and strawberry cheesecake.
:)
This is completely off topic, but I think we could all use a good laugh.
http://www.switched.com/2008/11/14/why-you-should-never-try-to-steal-a-law-students-laptop
This is a shout-out request to LC(Last Call at the Bar) since she and I both took our blogs private, and I don't know her email address:
LC, whos is the tutor in the East Bay, and will he/she work with students by distance tutoring? Email me at: calbarblondie@hotmail.com.
WC Law Mom, thanks for letting me make this request on your blog space!
Blondie
It doesn't sound like you really want to pass the bar. Is this a dream you thought you had but really didn't?
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