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AmeriBar’s 5 Rules You Need to Know for the MBE

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MBE Rules You Need to Know

If you’re sitting for the upcoming bar exam, your mind is probably spinning with all of the rules of law that you need to know. One advantage of AmeriBar’s materials is that we utilize a starring system to help you pinpoint heavily tested points of law. Here are five rules that you absolutely need to know for the bar exam.

Rule 1 - Minimum Contacts

We’re sure you’ve heard the term minimum contacts in your civil procedure class. The minimum contacts rule is sure to be tested on virtually every MBE.

What you should know:  The most commonly tested basis for personal jurisdiction is whether a person’s contacts with a forum state are sufficient to reasonably require the person to defend a lawsuit that is filed in a forum state.

Even if no other basis for personal jurisdiction applies, a forum state possesses personal jurisdiction over a defendant if the defendant possesses sufficient minimum contacts with the state.

International Shoe Company v. Washington provides the general rule that a person who has never been present in a state may be subject to personal jurisdiction in the state if the person possesses:

  • “Sufficient minimum contacts” with that forum state,
  • Such that requiring the person to appear and defend in a court there would not
  • “Offend traditional notions of fair play and substantial justice.”

 

Rule 2 - Offer and Acceptance

The fundamental contract concept of mutual assent through an offer and acceptance will be tested on the multiple choice portion of your bar exam.

What you should know: A valid contract offer exists when a reasonable person would objectively believe that an offer for a contract is open for acceptance. An offer enables an offeror to form an agreement by inviting an acceptance of the offer. An offer is an offeror’s promise to do or to refrain from doing something specific in the future.

Rule 3 - Statements Attributable to a Party-Opponent

Evidence is a subject that many people find difficult. You will almost certainly face a question testing statements made by a party opponent on your exam.

What you should know: A party-opponent is an adverse party in a lawsuit. The Federal Rules of Evidence provides that specific types of admissions of a party-opponent are not hearsay.

A party-opponent’s statement may be admitted in the lawsuit (as an admission by the party-opponent) if the statement is offered by another party against the party-opponent, and the party-opponent’s position is inconsistent with the statement.

Rule 4 - Easements

Real property is by far the most voluminous of the subjects tested on the bar exam. There are many rules to learn, but you will almost definitely encounter a question about easements.

What you should know: An easement is a limited right to access the real property of another. An easement ordinarily exists when an owner of property grants a restricted right to use or access that property to a non-owner of property. Examples of easements include driveways, walkways, and utility routes. Certain criteria, such as duration or particular purpose, may restrict the scope of use or access of an easement.

A written easement’s creation is generally subject to the Statute of Frauds. The Statute, however, does not prevent the creation of an oral easement by means of a verbal conveyance or oral agreement to convey property interests.

Rule 5 - Larceny

Almost every MBE has at least one criminal law question testing larceny.

What you should know: Larceny is the taking and carrying away of the personal property of another with the intent to steal the property. It generally involves a trespass by one person against personal property in the possession of a victim by intentionally physically taking the property, either directly or indirectly when the accused uses an item or another person to take the property. The victim does not need to own the property, but the victim must be in possession of the property. Larceny is distinguished from robbery because it does not involve the use of force.

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Did you find this information useful? If so, discover how AmeriBar can help you pass the bar exam by contacting us at 800-529-2651. Still not sure? Try our free trial by clicking here. It’s 100% obligation free, so why not?

Playing the Waiting Game

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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.

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

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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.

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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.

Which Course is Right for Me?

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Picking the Right Course

One of the most popular questions that we receive from students is, “Which course is right for me?” Our bar review courses are not “one size fits all”. We can help you determine which course is best for you. If you callus, we’ll be happy to guide you to the right course. Here is an overview of all of our courses.

Our goal is to provide you with an effective course that maximizes your chance of passing the bar exam. We have course options that cater to different types of learners and students with varying budgets. All packages come with personalized service, which is available 24 hours a day via email, or 55 hours per week via telephone.

[separator headline=”h1″ title=”Standard Course”]

Our basic offering is our Standard Course.  The Standard Course includes everything you need to prepare for the bar exam. It’s popular with recent graduates who don’t need assistance with essay writing and attorneys who have recently passed the bar exam in another state. It includes all the outlines you need to prepare for the MBE and written portions of the exam; over 1400 NCBE released multiple choice questions; and online access to lectures and hundreds of additional essays and over 3000 additional simulated MBE questions.  You also have access to our Essay Critique program. This package is great for anyone who needs assistance with the essay portion of the bar exam or had issues in legal writing classes in law school. It’s the course we recommend for graduating law students in the top half of the class.

The Standard Course comes with our Pass-Update guarantee. If you are not successful on the bar exam, we’ll extend your course access to the next exam period.

[separator headline=”h1″ title=”Personal Bar Review Course”]

Our most comprehensive package is the Personal Bar Review Course. This course is great for students who prefer one-on-one guidance from a bar exam expert. You get everything from the Standard Course, plus the iPod rental, and seven tutoring sessions. All of our tutoring is conducted via Skype or telephone so you can enroll in tutoring no matter where you are in the world. The Personal Bar Review course is right for you if:

  1. You graduated from law school more than 10 years ago and have not been practicing law;
  2. You haven’t taken a bar exam in over 15 years;
  3. You graduated in the bottom half of your law school class;
  4. You struggled in legal writing class;
  5. You are a foreign attorney; or
  6. You feel that you need extra help.

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We also offer stand-alone tutoring for repeat bar exam takers. If you’re trying to decide between the Personal Bar Review Course and bar exam tutoring, then there are a couple of considerations you should consider. If you have substantive review materials that are from a reputable provider that are no more than 18 months old (and the scope of the exam hasn’t changed), then you’ll save a significant amount of money by enrolling in stand-alone tutoring. If you have no recent substantive bar review materials, you’d be best suited for the Personal Bar Review Course because it includes tutoring and substantive materials.

[separator headline=”h1″ title=”Call us so we can help you choose.”]

If you have any questions about our packages or our tutoring program, please call us at 800-529-2651 or email support@ameribar.com.

Is Tutoring Right for You?

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Do I Need Bar Exam Tutoring?

Do I Need Bar Exam Tutoring
The next bar exam is just four months away. If you’ve been putting off taking the exam because you had prior difficulties passing it, then now is the time to consider AmeriBar tutoring.

History of Our Bar Exam Tutoring Program

Our founder, Alex Nakis, developed our tutoring program in 1999 to help students pass the bar exam. Alex found a problem with other bar review courses and developed the tutoring program to combat their weaknesses. We have been tutoring students for the past 15 years, and we have helped them successfully pass the bar exam.

Why You Should Consider Tutoring

  • We were one of the first in the business. Our company was exclusively involved in tutoring until we realized that there was a need for a better bar review program.
  • Our tutors are experienced and have been properly trained. Each AmeriBar tutor has helped hundreds of other students pass the bar exam. Many of these students are repeat exam takers who felt as if they had no chance of passing the bar. Our tutors know the nuances of the bar exam and pass this knowledge onto their students.
  • Our program is individualized. We don’t cater to the masses. We focus on you and your individual experiences. We want you to pass the bar exam, so your tutoring program is tailored to your specific needs and weaknesses. No tutoring program should be “one size fits all.”
  • Our students are our biggest supporters. We have dozens of testimonial videos from our students who will tell you that they are attorneys because they got AmeriBar bar exam tutoring.
  • We care about you. Everyone at AmeriBar wants you to pass the bar exam. That is why we want you to call or email us if you are experiencing any pitfalls in your study process. We are here to help you.

Tutoring Benefits

  • You will learn how to maximize your points on each section of the exam. Our tutors know what the bar examiners are looking for on the exam, and they will teach you how to maximize your points on the test.
  • Get the benefit of our online lectures. These are no additional cost to our tutoring students. They will help you learn how to study more effectively and efficiently, how to write an essay, among many other valuable test taking strategies and techniques.
  • Get the benefit of our online questions. There are over 2400 MBE questions and hundreds of MPT and essay questions available.
  • The biggest benefit of all: passing the bar exam!
For more information about our tutoring pricing, please give us a call at 800-529-2651 or send us an email to support@ameribar.com.