Memoirs of a Bar Examinee

[Matthies]

Ok cool, I'll try that. My issues is I run out of time before I can get all the big issues in, so I've been starting with the obviouse and the ones where the rules I know the best, but then I'm out of time and I know I am leaving points on the table becuase of the time issuse. Myabe just blurting out as many rules as I can spot at the end is the best way to salvage that

[Burning Sands, Esq.]

Ok cool, I'll try that. My issues is I run out of time before I can get all the big issues in, so I've been starting with the obviouse and the ones where the rules I know the best, but then I'm out of time and I know I am leaving points on the table becuase of the time issuse. Myabe just blurting out as many rules as I can spot at the end is the best way to salvage that

Time is an important fact.

When I was taking Jersey, we got 40 minutes per essay.   Even though the time broke down to 40 minutes/essay the bar exam proctors did not call time after 40 minutes, nor did the bar examiners care how much time you spent on each essay.  As far as they were concerned, there was an AM session of a few hours, a lunch break, and a PM session of a few hours in the afternoon and that was it.  They only called "TIME" for the lunch break and for the end of the afternoon session.  How you spent the time was up to you.

I had my watch out on the table and as soon as that thing hit the 40 minute mark I literally stopped where I was at and went on to the next essay.

I think Crim was the 2nd or 3rd essay and I remember not getting to all of the issues in that one.  But then after I did the Property essay, which was surprisingly short, I had about 10 minutes left so I went back to the Crim essay and beefed it up.

[Matthies]

Ok cool, I'll try that. My issues is I run out of time before I can get all the big issues in, so I've been starting with the obviouse and the ones where the rules I know the best, but then I'm out of time and I know I am leaving points on the table becuase of the time issuse. Myabe just blurting out as many rules as I can spot at the end is the best way to salvage that

Time is an important fact.

When I was taking Jersey, we got 40 minutes per essay.   Even though the time broke down to 40 minutes/essay the bar exam proctors did not call time after 40 minutes, nor did the bar examiners care how much time you spent on each essay.  As far as they were concerned, there was an AM session of a few hours, a lunch break, and a PM session of a few hours in the afternoon and that was it.  They only called "TIME" for the lunch break and for the end of the afternoon session.  How you spent the time was up to you.

I had my watch out on the table and as soon as that thing hit the 40 minute mark I literally stopped where I was at and went on to the next essay.

I think Crim was the 2nd or 3rd essay and I remember not getting to all of the issues in that one.  But then after I did the Property essay, which was surprisingly short, I had about 10 minutes left so I went back to the Crim essay and beefed it up.

Yea, the way its set up here is you have 3 hours in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, what you do with that time is up to you. In each of those 3 hours you have one performance test and three essays. The way barbri has taught us is do PT first, spend 45 mins reading and outlining then 45 mins writing. Then each easy spend 30 mins on.
 
All that’s well and good if you’re not dyslexic and misspell everything like me. They turned down my request for extra time (but gave it to people with just ADHD of which I also have WFT?) but gave me at least a spell checker.

So after doing practice tests its basically come down to me having 30 mins to write the PT then needing 15 mins to run the spellchecker (I spell things backwards or phonetically so its not as simple as just clicking the right word, often times it has NO IDEA what I am actually trying to spell) and only 20 mins to write on the essays with 10 to spell check. So timing is a major issue for me, I gotta cram as many points into the writing time as I can because I have to stop earlier than everyone else. 

So I’m think bang out the two best issues/rules I can make quickly then just dump rules statements for the last 2-3 mins before I gotta stop writing. Or I could skip one whole essay and devote that extra time to the other two and the PT, that would pick me up 30 more mins of writing time, but at the cost of a whole essay. Not sure I’m smart enough to get enough points on everything else to sacrifice one whole question. Dilemmas..

[TruOne]

Am I the only one who is taking the Exam in a state that doesn't do MPT?

My state has particular State law issues

Day 1
Domestic Relations
UCC
Insurance

Day 2
State and Federal Civil Procedure
Wills, Trusts, and Estates
Corporations and Agency

Day 3
MBE

[Matthies]

Am I the only one who is taking the Exam in a state that doesn't do MPT?

My state has particular State law issues

Day 1
Domestic Relations
UCC
Insurance

Day 2
State and Federal Civil Procedure
Wills, Trusts, and Estates
Corporations and Agency

Day 3
MBE

That sucks abolut no MPT becuase you don't need to know any law to answer it, they give you the rules! Here is couts as 2.5 times an essay so I'm hoping I can ace that part

[A.]

Am I the only one who is taking the Exam in a state that doesn't do MPT?

My state has particular State law issues

Day 1
Domestic Relations
UCC
Insurance

Day 2
State and Federal Civil Procedure
Wills, Trusts, and Estates
Corporations and Agency

Day 3
MBE

I didn't take the MPT.  Seems easy though.  We also didn't have 3 days of examination either...(one reason I didn't take in the bar in my home state, which does).

[Burning Sands, Esq.]

Am I the only one who is taking the Exam in a state that doesn't do MPT?

My state has particular State law issues

Day 1
Domestic Relations
UCC
Insurance

Day 2
State and Federal Civil Procedure
Wills, Trusts, and Estates
Corporations and Agency

Day 3
MBE

Jersey - no MPT.

New York - MPT (becuase 28 topics of essays aren't hard enough I guess)

The MPT was not difficult at all, and I'm not one of those people who makes a habit of saying things are easy when they're not.  You read the "file" they give you, you read the case law they give you, you write an answer.  It's like your first year closed memo assignment that you did for LRW, only now, 3 years of law school and a JD later, you actually know how to write.

[Miss P]

I've been scared to even peek into this thread, but I just read the last few pages, and I have to say thank you, Sands, for all of your amazing advice!

[tag]

[Burning Sands, Esq.]

No prob.  Do what I can.

[TruOne]

Anybody else take the KAPLAN 3-Day and feel like you've just been intellectually violated and taken advantage of?

Cuz I sure do.

Is KAPLAN supposed to be more difficult than the actual exam?