Playing the Waiting Game

by

WaitingWaiting for your bar results is, unfortunately, the nature of the beast. While some of you may only be waiting four weeks (North Carolina), some of you are going to be in it for the long haul of 13 or 14 weeks (Georgia and Texas respectively). So how do you keep your sanity intact while you’re waiting?

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”(1) Don’t stare at the examiner’s website”]

You know when your results will be released. They are going to let you know whether you passed or not. So fretting and obsessing over your score is not going to improve your anxiety. Of course you’re going to be acutely aware of the date, but try to relax if possible. Your answers have been submitted at this point, and no amount of stressing is going to change them.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”(2) Allow yourself to take a break”]

You’ve been running the marathon that is bar preparation and exam taking for the last eight weeks, so give yourself a moment to relax. If you’re able, take a mini-vacation. Go hang out with your friends. They’ve probably forgotten what you look like at this point. And, please, go visit your grandmother. She’s worried about you.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”(3) If you don’t have a job already lined up, start looking”]

You’ve been too preoccupied with the bar exam for the last two or so months to be diligent on the job search. A good place to start looking is your law school’s Symplicity page, but don’t discount looking on Indeed or your state’s job posting board. If you have real-world connections, contact them for job opportunities. This goes without saying, but make sure you make an appointment and dress nicely before you pop into someone’s office.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”(4) Resume normal life”]

I can see you now. You’re walking out of a dimly lit cave while shielding your eyes. “What? What is this? THE SUN?” Yes, it’s out there. In fact, it’s been out there the last two months of your life, but you probably forgot about it while you were holed up in a study room. Resume life as normal.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”(5) Try not to let the constant inquiry about your results freak you out”]

Trust us when we tell you that EVERYONE is going to ask you how you feel about the exam. Unless you’re superhuman, you probably don’t feel great about it. The beauty is that very few people think they did well on the exam. You don’t have to tell people how badly you feel when they ask you about the exam. Just acknowledge that they asked you and tell them you spent a lot of time studying then move on. Talking about the exam and rehashing every blunder in your mind is not going to be helpful. Which brings me to my next point…

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”(6) Don’t try looking up answers to questions from the exam”]

Seriously, don’t do it. So what if you got a question wrong? If it’s an essay question, your final answer isn’t as important as how you reached your conclusion anyway. And if it’s a multiple-choice question, forget about it. Really. There’s absolutely no way that you remember the entire fact pattern and answer choices verbatim. You’re just going to work yourself into a tizzy. Keep the books closed while you’re waiting.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”(7) Don’t post-mortem the exam with your classmates”]

One of you probably doesn’t remember the fact pattern or your precise conclusion. Besides, the answers are being graded at this very moment, and there’s absolutely nothing you can do about it now. So take (some?) solace in that fact.

[separator headline=”h2″ title=”(8) Assume you passed”]

You probably did. What if you didn’t? Good news. There’s another exam coming up in July. Really, don’t stress about it. You probably did great. If you weren’t successful, it isn’t the end of days. AmeriBar has programs that can help you pass and tutors who have helped many repeat takers successfully pass the exam.

If you have a question that you would like addressed, send us an email at support@ameribar.com.

Bar Exam Tips: The Last Few Days Before the Exam

by

Bar Exam TipsCongratulations on getting to this point in your bar exam preparation! Having prepared for the bar exam myself, I understand firsthand the intense stress that comes along with it. However, you can’t let stress get the best of you! You’ve worked hard to get here, and it’s essential to approach these last few days with a clear head and a solid game plan. Having a strategy is crucial for success. By taking the time to map out your study schedule, prioritize your materials, and practice under simulated exam conditions, you can feel more focused and in control. Remember, you’ve got this, and we’ll be cheering you on every step of the way!

Bar Exam Tips

  1. Have a study schedule planned out for the last few days.
  2. Continue your review of the MBE and essay subjects.
  3. Continue doing practice questions and reviewing essay questions.
  4. Study multiple areas of the law you struggle with. Try to get through many and make sure you don’t get caught up for too long with any one topic. The worst thing you can do is spend one of your last days on the Rule Against Perpetuities trying to hammer it down. The truth is, hardly anybody understands it! Just move on and get the low lying fruit.
  5. Update the law in your outlines as necessary. Don’t get in the trap of doing practice questions to pass the time without getting the most out of each one. If you get a practice question wrong, make sure you note the legal issue you didn’t know in your outline.
  6. Set aside time to recharge by taking breaks. Your dog would love to take a walk around the block! If you don’t have a dog, then I’m sure you would love to take a walk around the block!
  7. Set aside time to create a logistics plan for the test. Think about what you will need to bring and eat, when you will leave for the exam, and how you will get to the testing site.
  8. Get sleep!
  9. Eat brain food. Skip the fast food and diet drinks!
  10. Take time to relax. You’re stressed to the MAX right now, and trust us, we understand. Give yourself a break. Watch a movie, go for a swim, or take a yoga class!

We hope these bar exam tips are helpful! Best of luck on your last few days of preparation! If you have any questions, give us a call at 800-529-2651.

Important August MPRE Dates

by

 

MPRE dates

If you’re planning on becoming a licensed attorney, you will probably have to take the MPRE. It is required for admission to all states except Maryland, Wisconsin, and Puerto Rico. Students in Connecticut and New Jersey may successfully complete a professional responsibility course in lieu of the MPRE exam.

The next MPRE is coming up on August 13. There are two important deadlines you need to make note of if you’re planning on taking the August exam.

The cost to enroll at the first deadline, June 23, is $84. There is a second opportunity to sign up, but it will cost you double the cost of the first deadline. The fee for the June 30 deadline goes up to $168.

Per the NCBE website, “Online registrations must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on the registration deadline. Telephone registrations must be completed by 4:45 p.m. eastern time on the registration deadline. Absolutely no registrations will be accepted after the late registration deadline. Please do not contact NCBE or LSAC to request exceptions to this policy.”

For more information about MPRE registration, please see the NCBE website at http://www.ncbex.org/exams/mpre/registration/.

 

Don’t Be Discouraged if You’re a Repeat Taker

by

Information for repeat takers

Bar exam scores from the February 2016 bar exam are trickling in from all over the United States. While many students get good news when they get their results, there are many who found out that they have not passed. If you are one of these students, there is no need to fret or feel stressed out.

The bar exam is not easy. There is not a single jurisdiction in the United States that has a 100% pass rate–trust me. Go look for yourself. The passage rates vary, of course, but one uniform truth is that the bar exam is not an easy exam for anyone. There may be a handful of anomalous people who go into the test with little preparation and pass. For the most part, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to pass the exam.

Just because you did not pass the exam, does not mean you are a failure. Some people need additional help to pass the bar exam. Studying is something that you have to do on your own, but there are more efficient and effective ways to study. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel to get this information. We have lectures that will help you find more efficient and effective ways of studying.

It could be that you studied efficiently and effectively, but you did not know what the bar examiners were looking for in an answer. There are methods of writing an essay answer that will maximize your points and strategies to help you pick the best multiple-choice answer. Our tutors can help you maximize your points on both sections of the exam.

[separator headline=”h6″ title=”Get Your Scores Analyzed”]

If you could benefit from learning more efficient and effective ways of studying or what the bar examiners are looking for in answers, then you are a great candidate for our tutoring program. We will gladly give you a consultation based on your score report. Email your score report to support@ameribar.com or call us at 800-529-2651 to request more information.

Making a Realistic Study Calendar

by

Realistic Study Calendar

Creating a realistic study calendar is a huge part of your study process. In the past couple of weeks, we have told you when and how you should begin studying. Something that we have mentioned is making a realistic calendar, but it’s something that should be addressed more fully.

As we mentioned a couple of weeks ago, students can typically benefit from 6-8 weeks of full time study. “Full time study” here means approaching studying as you would a full time job. You wake up in the morning and begin studying, you take a lunch break, and you continue studying until the evening. You wake up the next day and do the same thing. So, it truly is like a full time job. Luckily this amount of studying isn’t permanent as it generally lasts only a few weeks.

So, what do we mean by a realistic study calendar? A realistic study calendar will build in your intended study time. If you are working full time, then there is no way that you will also be able to study for 6-8 hours a day for 5-6 days a week. It just isn’t feasible. That means you will need to extend your calendar for longer than 6-8 weeks. For this scenario, 10-12 weeks would probably be best. That’s the current time frame until the next bar exam. So, if you’re working, it would serve you best to start studying now.

If you’re not working, being realistic is still important. If you don’t have intentions of studying every day from 8 AM-8 PM, don’t schedule yourself that way. Plus, you may burn out if you study all day every day with no break. Be realistic about your approach so that you have enough time to study the material, but you don’t overextend yourself and burn out early.

Whether you are working or not, building in some off time is critical. Make sure you give yourself one to two days off a week. Don’t study from sun up to sun down, or you won’t retain anything. Make sure that you are getting adequate rest so that your brain can soak up all of that knowledge.

After you’ve enrolled in one of our courses and you still have questions about your study calendar, please let us know. We will be happy to help you sort your schedule out. Give us a call at 800-529-2651.

Sample Study Calendar

by
blank

The sheer amount of material on the bar exam is daunting. On the MBE alone, you’ll see Civil Procedure, Contracts, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Evidence, Property, and Torts. OH MY! That’s just the tip of the iceberg. Trying to sort out where to begin is just part of the battle of preparing for the bar exam. Where do you start?

Luckily, we’ve taken the headache out of creating your study schedule. We provide jurisdictional-specific schedules that address different study lengths to all AmeriBar students.

Below we have a sample calendar to give you an idea of what AmeriBar’s schedules look like. Once you’re enrolled, you have access to our full selection of study calendars for your jurisdiction.

Sample study calendar