bar exam essay reddit

Ctrl-Alt-Dissent

A blog on tech, law, policy, and mental health, my ultimate bar-prep guide: how i passed the ca bar exam while working full-time.

The following is an extensive walk-through of how I tackled the July 2021 California bar exam (while holding down a demanding, full-time job). As always, what worked for me, may not work for you. There are many ways to achieve success on the bar exam. Your mileage may vary.

TLDR (because your time is immensely precious now); I was stringent with my time, kept up with my schedule, optimized for success by cutting A LOT of corners, and used Barbri , Baressays.com , Adaptibar , Smart Bar Prep , Cal Bar Bible (for essay predictions), Critical Pass , The Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast , Bar MD (for the PT), and this super cheap and easy book of rule statements . You can find my frequently tested topics map here .

Before we dive into this, I wanted to start with a quick pep talk. You’re likely reading this post because you’ve already made the decision to study for the California bar exam while working full-time. I know that decision wasn’t made lightly. I was there only a few months ago. I know you wouldn’t be making this decision if you didn’t need to. So, unlike the many other blogs out there (and people in your life), I’m not here to scare you off or talk you out of it. Quite the contrary – let me be the first (and maybe only) person to say, you’ve got this.

As nice as it is to feel so accomplished, this was not the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. The bar exam is not impossible and it’s not that bad . I recognize this conclusion might piss a few people off (especially those folks that are so enamored with tradition and the sanctity of their precious institutions). I recognize that this conclusion is a consequence of my privilege . But I also recognize that boasting about the impossibility of the bar exam is, in its own way, part of a rite of passage in this field. Unfortunately though, many rites of passage are just methods of gatekeeping in disguise. And because 80% of the bar exam is about mastering the mental game, toxic boasting and over exaggerations about an exam that isn’t worth the anxiety and anguish it causes, can paralyze prospective examinees. Hence, I refuse to indulge in it.

The California Bar Exam is not that bad.

Now, this isn’t to say that studying for the bar while working full time will be a walk in the park. This will be a challenging and exhausting two months. It will require sheer diligence, persistence, discipline, ruthless optimization, and a little bit of luck. But importantly, it’s all doable. You’ll need to remind yourself of that throughout your studies.

On that note, I’ll leave you with one more reminder: this exam is not worth your health, your sanity, or your life. Unfortunately, suicide among bar examinees is disturbingly common. I remember seeing some dark tweets among #lawtwitter peers as the exam date neared. A ridiculous, archaic, bullshit, privilege contest (that the President of the NCBE has yet to partake in herself – fun fact), is not worth your life . Failing is not the end of the world. I promise.

Now, let’s get into it.

My Situation

I took and passed the July 2021 bar exam. When I graduated from law school, I was already well into my full-time career at Google. I was not in a position to take two months off to study. Originally, I had planned to take the February 2022 exam, giving myself more time to study. That’s the plan I had communicated to my family and peers. But, in a rather impulsive twist, just weeks before we’re supposed to start studying for the July exam, and against the advice of my law school, I decided to throw caution to the wind and see what happens.

Looking back, it was the best decision I made for myself at that moment. There is no way I would have found the time to study for the exam in February, especially this far along in my career.

Note: because of the pandemic, I had to take the bar exam virtually at home. Hence, my study tips and schedule are built with those logistics in mind.

Pre-Study Prep

There are few things I did to prepare myself for what I knew was about to be an exhausting two-month sprint.

First, I looked for bar blogs written by anyone else that attempted to study / work full-time. I came up empty. Rather, I only found posts and Reddit threads that discussed what a terrible idea it was to work full time and how impossible the California bar exam is (now you see why I included a pep talk in this post). The only blog post that actually helped (and brought me some comfort) was this one written by my law school advisor from back when he took the exam. Though it’s a bit dated (and I even disagree with a few points now having taken the exam), it’s still a great read with many excellent tips for optimization.

Next, I closed down all of my socials except for Twitter. Some recommend that you go completely dark while studying. That would not have worked for me. Twitter is an important social outlet for me. It’s also how I keep up with my field. I knew that I would have a lot of extra anxiety from closing my Twitter account for two months, so I chose to continue using it, just less. I muted all of my Twitter and Messenger notifications so I could never be interrupted. I also muted any and all words that had to do with the bar exam. I didn’t care about nor did I want to see how other people were studying (because I know I’m the type who would be tempted to constantly change my study habits just to match). I also didn’t want to read or indulge in the exhaustion olympics. Being exhausted and pitiful is easy like / retweet bait (but it can also be overwhelming, toxic, and make you feel like you’re not doing enough when you actually are). Some people take comfort in commiserating. I don’t. Your mileage may vary.

[Note – Reddit can get pretty toxic around the bar exam too. I completely avoided it]

I cut every substance out of my life except for caffeine (no excuses, no cheat days). You need every brain cell in order to memorize an extensive (and unreasonable) amount of information. And you have no time for hangovers.

Letting People In | Shutting People Out

The last thing I did (besides gathering supplements – discussed later) was selectively tell the folks who needed to know that I was doing this. I was on the fence about telling my manager and team as I did not want them to withhold projects or “go easy on me” as a result. Of course, the entire point of putting myself through this experience was to preserve my career growth. I ultimately decided to let my teammates know, simply because I knew at some point in those two months, my work product would suffer. I owed my team that advanced notice. I even met a few colleagues that went through the same experience. Those colleagues gave me phenomenal advice and support throughout, and words cannot adequately describe how grateful I am for them.

Outside of Google, I chose to tell very few people (including my own family). For starters, I have an unhealthy relationship with failure and the last thing I wanted to do was have to tell everyone that I failed the exam (especially after everyone warned me about trying to study / work full-time). With that, I nominated (or volun-told) my husband (obviously), and my law school advisor (who I’ve trusted for years now with navigating tricky decisions like this one), to be my emotional support squad. I would not let anyone else into this plan until a week or two before the exam date.

In many ways, I felt liberated by keeping this to myself. I was kept out of the misery-swirl growing among my peers, I never had to talk about studying for the bar during the brief moments of social interaction I allowed myself, and for the most part, my summer was super quiet. Not to mention, the two people I went to when I was at my emotional wit’s end were the two people that knew me best (and therefore always knew what to say). And because they weren’t also trying to study for the bar, they were emotionally available (most of the time) for my bullshit and they weren’t implicitly trying to one-up me with their own study habits. I owe both of them an immense amount of gratitude.

At the same time, I’m not sure I can fully recommend shutting people out while you’re going through this process. While I did have a small support squad, there were days that got incredibly dark and lonely where I would have benefited from the emotional support of my peers (who were also going through it). I think the worst part was my friends “reminding” me how lucky I am that I don’t have to take the exam until February. No hard feelings – they had no idea.

With that, I did start letting a few of my peers in on my plan a week or so before the exam kicked off. I will say, it was nice having a couple people to outline essays with on the weekends, especially since I was already feeling pretty confident by that point. So, imposter syndrome wasn’t much of an issue as it might have been had I started group-study earlier.

Again, your mileage may vary.

My Schedule

Setting a schedule and sticking to it was probably the most important aspect of my study plan. I knew I was at a disadvantage since I didn’t have the majority of my work-week to study. I knew that most of my peers were studying for roughly 8-10 hours every day. I believe that’s the schedule Barbri recommends (with a few breaks built-in throughout). So, I had to reconfigure my Barbri schedule to work for me. You’ll likely need to do the same – no big deal. Here’s what I did:

[Reminder: What worked for me may not quite work for you. Adjust accordingly]

First, I actually started my studying a week late (so I disadvantaged myself even more…). I had family in town for graduation and projects to close-out at work, so I missed the first week of Barbri. Looking back on it, I would have skipped that first week anyway. The first Barbri week is just incredibly lengthy lecture videos that serve as intros to each of the subjects you’re already going to cover in-depth. Then there’s a few lectures on how the exam works. Save yourself the time – you can find all of that information online or in your prep materials. The course doesn’t start to get substantive until week 2.

From then on, my schedule was the following (explanation after):

June: Monday-Friday

7am: wake-up, read critical pass flash-cards (30 minutes), start work

12-1pm: lunch + select one of the following: Barbri MBE practice set, lecture video, critical pass

5-6pm: hard stop on work, walk the dog / quick work-out / dinner

7pm-11pm: Barbri scheduled activities for the day (as many as I could complete in 4 hours)

Saturday-Sunday

7am-8am: wake-up, take the dog to the park and read critical pass flash-cards

8am-11pm: catch up on Barbri schedule from the past week

July: Monday-Friday

7am: wake-up, 20 Adaptibar questions, start work

12-1pm: lunch + Adaptibar practice set, or 1 set of flash-cards (rules), or 1 practice essay

5pm-6pm: hard stop on work, walk the dog while listening to Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast, dinner

7pm-11pm: practice essays, Adaptibar sets / lecture videos, memorize flash-cards

7am-8am: wake-up, take the dog to the park and memorize rules flash-cards

8am-11pm: flash-cards, practice essays, Adaptibar lectures and practice sets

Week Before the Bar Exam [same schedule, no changes]

Weekend Before the Bar Exam: Same schedule – practice essays + learn how the PT works (I know – stay with me)

Day Before the Bar Exam : took the day off from work, kicked husband and dog out of town, went hiking, made two days worth of pb&j sandwiches (I recommend really easy / plain / solid foods that aren’t going to disrupt your system), read over my rules flash-cards and did 10 Adaptibar questions before bed.

Day(s) of Exam: Warm up with 10 Adaptibar Q’s; eat pb&j sandwiches, watch an Adaptibar lecture before bed.

Note: I did not take any of the breaks that Barbri built into the schedule (such as for 4th of July). YMMV.

A Few Notes About My Schedule

You’ll notice from my schedule that (1) it is particularly rigorous and (2) I only built in 4 hours of study time per day during the week. Looking back, though I had a lot of anxiety over not studying as long as my peers during the week, I found that 4 hours was plenty, especially since I was studying roughly 16 hours/day on the weekends (and I didn’t take any days off). In fact, I may have actually overstudied for the exam as I was trying to compensate for lost time.

With that, I still had days where I didn’t study the full four hours because I was too burnt out from the workday. I had days where I woke up later or went to bed earlier than planned. I had days where it felt like I had forgotten everything or I was missing every single MBE question. All of that is completely okay. I remind you that this exam is not worth your health or sanity. Barbri’s schedule is also quite intense exactly for this reason (i.e. my guess is that they build in some extra padding knowing that we’ll have “off” days).

All of this is to say, don’t beat yourself up if you need to take a few rest days or if you fall off your schedule. Don’t go back, just keep pushing forward.

You’ll notice that I also quit Barbri entirely in July. I completed about 50% of the Barbri schedule. Looking back, I would have completed even less of it. I actually found Barbri to be a mostly unhelpful time-sink. (More about this in the study aid section). By July, I was ready to just start memorizing rule statements and drilling MBE questions. So, I switched entirely to Adaptibar, BarEssays.com / Barbri Essays, Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast, Smart Bar Prep (flashcards), and the flashcards I had made for myself.

Lastly, you’ll notice that I didn’t practice a single PT until the weekend before the exam. That might sound absurd, but practically, the PT is worth a lot less points than the essays and MBEs, and it’s honestly the easiest portion of the exam to learn. In my opinion, you can study the entire breadth of the PT (and learn all of the tricks) in a weekend.

I did have to cut several things out of my schedule in order to make this work. For example, I blocked my work calendar so that I wasn’t attending unnecessary meetings (so I could get more work done during the day). I limited my social interactions. I stayed up on my field but pretty much stopped all the reading I used to do for fun. I had to get comfortable with telling people no. And I wasn’t emotionally available for anyone, including family. You’ll likely have to make some sacrifices as well. It sucks but it’s only two months. And the people that love you will understand.

Optimization

The most valuable piece of advice I received regarding my bar prep was that I needed to optimize. There’s an important difference between studying for the bar and optimizing for the bar. In other words, work smarter not harder. In California, there are 16 topics you have to learn. Of those 16 topics, estimate about 100 rules per topic, so ~1600+ rules to memorize. That’s simply not going to happen, especially when you’re not in a position to study full time.

I didn’t figure out that I needed to optimize until July. I spent all of June trying to cram and memorize all the materials that Barbri sent me. Every time I picked up that massive outline book, I would become immediately overwhelmed. By July, when I realized that I hadn’t actually memorized anything yet (and I was quite behind on my Barbri schedule), I threw out the Barbri schedule and focused entirely on memorizing only the highly tested rules for the essays (See Smart Bar Prep). This greatly narrowed the scope of rules I actually needed to memorize. If I had to do it all over again, I would have started the optimization process in June.

With that, I cut many corners. For starters, I chose a throwaway subject (i.e. a subject I just wasn’t going to learn). That was California Civ Pro. Most of the Federal Civ Pro rules are similar to the Cal Civ Pro highly tested rules (not to mention, Cal Civ Pro doesn’t seem to be a popular essay topic). That’s where the California Bar Exam 2021 Rules Book comes in handy – I memorized only the few Cal Civ Pro rules that were in that book (mostly venue and service of process). I skipped the Barbri lectures entirely for this topic. I did the same for Business Organizations, Wills & Trusts, and California Community Property.

I also completely stopped reading the Barbri outlines. The Barbri outlines cover every single possible rule that could appear on the bar exam (it’s way too much – and most of the rules are obscure and unlikely to show up on the exam). Again, I switched to memorizing the rule statements in the California Bar Exam 2021 Rules Book (which uses the most heavily tested rule statements). I decided that I would only memorize rule statements for the essay portion. MBE would be covered by repetitive practice with Adaptibar (more on that below).

I also relied on the predictions from the Cal Bar Bible for the essays (more on this below). This might seem like a risky strategy, but life requires strategic bets. This year, Cal Bar Bible was 4 for 5 on their predictions for the essay topics. As a result, I was super prepared for 4 of the 5 essays (and I just BS’d my way through the 5th). I would do the same thing again – especially since Cal Bar Bible has had a pretty good streak over the past few years. If anything, you should know 5 of the essay topics absolutely cold and the rest you should know enough to fake it until you make it. (For example, memorize the Cal Community Property intro paragraph and you’re 60% of the way there for that essay).

Ditching Barbri in July was also the smartest thing I did for my bar prep. I knew that my MBE accuracy was pretty solid (according to Adaptibar) so I focused primarily on drilling essays and memorizing that narrow scope of rule statements for July. I mostly rotated between my California Bar Exam Rules 2021 flashcards, Smart Bar Prep flashcards, Baressays.com, and Adaptibar.

I also listened to myself – which might seem obvious. I knew from law school that outlines wouldn’t work for me. That didn’t change for the bar. So, I used outline substitutes (such as flashcards, podcasts, and lecture videos). I saw others on Twitter writing out the rules on whiteboards and in notebooks. I tried that and it didn’t work for me. But, rewriting all of the rules from the California Bar Exam Rules 2021 book into flashcards did work for me. I saw some folks would record themselves reading their rule statements. That didn’t work for me, but listening to others read rules on podcasts (like the Bar Exam Toolkit Podcast ) did work for me. I’ve always been good at retaining information from listening to lectures, so lecture-based resources were the best for me.

The most important part of optimization is accepting that you’re not going to be able to learn everything. So, take some bets, cut some corners, learn the most important and most frequently tested rules cold, and you should be okay. Let the massive Barbri manuals go.

Lastly, I found it helpful to try to understand the policy behind each of the rules I was memorizing. Understanding why these rules exist might help you retain the information beyond just rote memorization.

You can find my frequently tested topics map here .

Study Aids / Supplements

If you’re reading this before you’ve created your own study schedule and supplement plan, then my only reminder is again, your mileage may vary. If you’ve already chosen your supplements and formed your plan, STICK WITH IT. Don’t switch it up just because I went about studying differently. Your plan will likely continue working for you.

With that, let’s talk about study supplements.

When I was studying Computer Science in undergrad, I distinctly remember my operating systems class (now that was the hardest exam I’ve ever taken in my life). In operating systems, there’s an important premise, called the context switching theory , that suggests that there’s always a cost to “switching.” The example given was shopping lines at Costco. A shopper could keep switching to the shortest lines to attempt to speed up their check-out time. However, a shopper that keeps their place in line might actually get served quicker than the switcher. This theory is used for optimizing OS algorithms. But you can also apply the theory to optimizing your studies, especially when it comes to choosing supplements [ See also ].

In other words, there are thousands of supplements out there to choose from. Your peers are naturally going to choose different ones. Most supplements do and say the same things. Pick the ones that work for you and stick with them. Resist FOMO. Switching to a brand new supplement midway through your studies may cost you more productivity in the long run.

The following is a list of supplements I used throughout bar prep and my thoughts regarding each. [Note: it genuinely bothers me how expensive bar prep resources are, so I try to highlight the cheaper / most cost-effective resources here].

Cal Bar Bible (FREE): This is just a site dedicated to predicting the California Bar Exam essay topics. I did say you needed a little bit of luck! They’ve had a pretty good streak the past few years and for July 2021, they guessed 4 out of 5 essay topics correctly (the wild card being correct).

How I Used Cal Bar Bible: I put a lot of stock into the predicted topics and studied those more heavily than the others.
What I Would Do Differently: Nothing – 4 out of 5 is pretty good and as I’ve been saying throughout this guide, you have to take strategic bets.
Most Useful Resources: I only used their predictions.

Baressays.com (Might be offered by your law school): [Note: this resource was offered to us by SCU Law but it’s also cheap if you need to order it yourself]. Baressays.com is a database collection of bar essays since the 1990’s (?). You can do practice essays and read sample answers ranging in scores from 40’s-65’s.

How I Used Baressays.com: I drilled essays (outlining mostly) starting in July. I also read through the sample answers to feel better about my progress (lol – seriously look at answers that got 50-65…). I would also jump on Zoom with a few friends and outline answers together. I tried to do an essay per day starting in July (and 6 or so over the weekends).
What I Would Do Differently: Nothing – I drilled Barbri essays in June and Baressays.com in July when I was looking for something different. That worked for me.
Most Useful Resources: The database of essays and answers is extensive and fantastic.

Barbri ($$$$): I really wish I could get away with not recommending Barbri. Barbri is absurdly expensive, unnecessarily time-consuming, and ridiculously daunting. The only reason I still recommend Barbri is for the state specific resources (because I’m not really sure where else you can get those outside of the commercial bar prep companies).

How I used Barbri: As I discussed in the schedule section, I only completed about 50% of the Barbri recommended schedule (and I did not complete the first week of lectures). I watched all of the lecture videos (on 2x speed), and completed most of the MBE practice sets. I actually ended up skipping most of the essay practice during the month of June and then drilled them back-to-back in July. I also spent a bit of time (unsuccessfully) trying to cram those phone-book sized outlines they sent us. I had only 2 of my essays graded.
What I Would Do Differently: I realized in July that Barbri is built to over-prepare but it is the absolute antithesis of optimization (see section above). Barbri attempts to teach you everything that could possibly be on the bar exam (regardless of whether those topics were even tested within the last decade or so). That’s why the lecture videos are 4-5+ hours and the outlines are mini-casebooks in themselves. Additionally, Barbri writes their own MBE questions and purposefully makes them twice as hard as the actual bar exam MBEs. Knowing what I know now, I probably would have listened to only the California topics and I definitely would not have wasted my weekends reading the massive outlines.
Most Useful Resources: I found that the most useful Barbri resources were the MBE questions (because it makes the actual exam questions seem a lot easier), the mini-outlines for all of the bar exam topics + the California specific materials (these are the 1-10 page outlines they give you before you listen to each video), and the practice essays + model answers (including the PT practice exams). Everything else, in my honest opinion, was overkill and it did more to psyche me out than actually help me prepare.

Adaptibar ($ varies): I LOVE Adaptibar. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Adaptibar is a must-have (yet reasonably priced) bar study resource. Adaptibar is the only bar supplement that uses real, licensed, MBE questions. It has a bank of over 2k questions and the app uses machine learning to drill your weakest points. Not only that but it also times you per question so that you can get used to answering Q’s within a comfortable target window (usually 45 secs-1 min). Additionally, the Adaptibar lecture videos are short, easy, and targeted. The lecturer is phenomenal (S/O to Jonathan Grossman – I still mutter “shut up and pick it” to this day). Grossman actually teaches you how to game the MBE and focuses mostly on the highly tested topics. I especially loved the mobile app.

How I Used Adaptibar: I used Adaptibar steadily in June but then entirely switched off of Barbri to Adaptibar in July. My goal was to complete all 2000 questions in the question bank. I believe Adaptibar recommends completing 1300 questions at 70% accuracy. I hit 70% accuracy with 1500 questions completed. In July, I used Adaptibar daily (with a goal of completing ~50 questions per day). I also listened to every lecture video (multiple times – they’re great for repetition), and I took all of the practice MBE exams.
What I Would Do Differently: Ditch Barbri earlier and prioritize Adaptibar in June.
Most Useful: all of it, especially the lecture videos (which you can order a la carte to keep costs down).

Critical Pass ($$): Critical Pass is an excellent resource if you’re like me and prefer flash-cards over outlines. Critical Pass focuses on the highly tested MBE topics and rule statements. I especially appreciate the reasonable cost.

How I Used Critical Pass: I picked a topic to focus on per week and would try to flip through that topic set first thing in the morning and right before bed. I loved picking a set to read through while I was at the park. I never attempted to memorize the decks, but treated them like I would my law school outlines. Repetition was key here. I stopped using Critical Pass in July once I was comfortable with all of the topics.
What I Would Do Differently: I would have replaced the Barbri outlines entirely with Critical Pass. It would have been a better use of my time to read through Critical Pass sets instead of trying to cram the massive Barbri outlines every weekend in June. [Note: Critical Pass does not include the California topics, but you can write them in if you want]
Most Useful: All of it.

Smart Bar Prep ($ varies): I discovered Smart Bar Prep when I was looking for ways to optimize my studying. This is when I realized that there is only a finite amount of questions that can be tested per topic on the exam, so it doesn’t make sense to try to learn absolutely everything. Smart Bar Prep has a frequently tested topics / rules document that I found particularly useful. Smart Bar Prep also has a flashcard database for all topics (including California).

How I Used Smart Bar Prep: I used the frequently tested rules guide to re-configure my entire study plan for July, focusing on memorizing only the frequently tested rules. I used the flashcard database every single day in July (see schedule). Like Adaptibar, Smart Bar Prep adapts so that it repeatedly drills your weakest subjects / rules.
What I Would Do Differently: Use Smart Bar Prep resources earlier in June.
Most Useful Resources: Smart Bar Prep has a lot of different resources. I only used the frequently tested topics guide and the flashcard database.

California Bar Exam Rules 2021 ($): The author of this book is the absolute GOAT. This $17 book was a literal god-send when I discovered it in July. I’m mad that I didn’t discover this book earlier in law school. This tiny, $17 book contains short and easy rule statements for every frequently tested essay topic on the California bar exam. I highly recommend this one.

How I Used California Bar Exam Rules 2021: This became a bar study staple for me in July. I turned every single rule statement into a handwritten flashcard (that was great for memorization). These would then become the flashcards I would attempt to actually memorize for the essays. This is the only word for word memorization I did. The rule statements are short and easy to digest.
What I Would Do Differently: Start using this resource in June instead of July.
Most Useful: all of it.

Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast (Free): I absolutely adore the women who created this amazing (AND FREE!!!) bar study resource. The podcast is just episodes of the hosts reading rule statements and running through practice hypos. Short, sweet, portable, and great for repetition. You can find all of the episodes here or on Spotify. HUGE thank you to folks like this.

How I Used the Podcast: I would listen to random episodes when I was walking the dog, in the shower, in the car, while I was cooking, before bed, etc.
What I Would Do Differently: nothing – I started this podcast mid-June.
Most Useful: I really enjoyed the “listen and learn” series but there are other series dedicated to exam strategies, law school, and career advice that you might find useful.

Bar MD (FREE): This is another excellent free resource. I used Bar MD entirely for the PT (I did not use Barbri’s PT lectures). Bar MD succinctly explains (and walks through) how to approach the PT (offline and virtually).

How I Used Bar MD: I watched all of the Bar MD lecture videos for the PT the weekend before the bar exam. I followed along with the practice PT’s and explanations. I then read through all of the Barbri PT templates the night before the exam. The templates are less important than the actual strategy (which Bar MD covers at length).
What I Would Do Differently: Nothing – studying the PT the weekend before the exam seemed risky but it was the exact amount of time I needed to feel prepared.
Most Useful: Bar MD has other excellent resources for other topics, but I only used the PT lecture videos.

Productivity Apps

I used two productivity apps while I was studying:

Forest : Every hour of productivity allows you to plant a virtual tree in your virtual forest. The app blocks out all of your notifications (for however long you choose to set your study window) and penalizes you for leaving the app (except for the apps on your allow list) by not allowing you to complete your tree. I was so proud of my cacti-filled deserts…
Workmode: This a chrome extension that lets you block websites as long as the extension is toggled on. I would block social media and certain blog sites that would serve as major distractions.

Bonus, my bar exam study playlist that consists of super repetitive instrumentals.

Staying Sane

Lastly, you’ll want to have a few non-bar related activities for your own sanity. Here were some of mine:

Working out: I used to do boxing / kickboxing and running before law school. I tried to keep this up, if anything for 30 minutes, during bar prep. This worked for June but I was too anxious by July to do anything but study. In July, I relied heavily on walking my dog to get me out of the house (and even then I was listening to bar prep podcasts on my walks). I recommend trying to do something active everyday (even if only for 10 minutes!). I even bought a standing desk which would allow me to stand / pace while listening to lectures.
Mindless Cartoons: Between balancing my job and trying to cram useless rules into my head all hours of the day, I needed to unwind with something absolutely mindless. So, for two months I binged nothing but Family Guy, Bob’s Burgers, Rick and Morty, China IL, South Park, and Mr. Pickles, all before bed.
Leaning on my Support Squad: Lastly, I think I ranted at my advisor every single day about the bar. I didn’t even need a response, I just needed to be miserable for 15 minutes every day. Still, my advisor always responded with a one liner reminding me that I could do it and that the bar exam is indeed not impossible. And that’s exactly what I needed to hear every single time. Find the people that will do the same for you.

Hopefully this guide was somewhat useful. Best of luck with your studies. Remember, the bar exam isn’t actually all that bad and it’s only two months. Work smarter, not harder, optimize for success, and you’ll be fine. Worst case scenario, you take it again (no big deal).

You got this!

Good Essays Are the Easiest to Grade: How to Get the Big Points on Your Bar Exam Essays

Here’s a pop quiz:

Can you tell which of these essays scored higher than the other? Take a look at these excerpts, and take a guess. Why did you pick your answer?

Essay A Essay B (Here’s the essay question for context)

Before I reveal the winner, can I just say how this shows how subjective essay grading is?

Graders are people. They have biases like we do. They get tired. They’re not consistent. (Yeah, they’re actually not reptilian robots 😲)

The winner is…

Essay A scored higher. This doesn’t mean only A did good things or that A can’t improve on this particular excerpt.

Here are Essay B and the question again for context.

Have these open as you read below. For simplicity, I chose excerpts focusing on the negligence per se analysis and omitted causation and damages.

We’ll go over these excerpts so that you can be a little bit more extraordinary at essay writing.

Fair warning, it’s going to be a pretty technical discussion but one that people have found helpful in the past:

What are 3 distinctions between the excerpts that I think made the difference?
What did both do well, and what could Essay A have avoided?
How can you seize the grader’s limited attention to tip the scales in your favor?

You may find that “originating”—coming up with words to write—is harder than merely exposing yourself to the material and getting familiar with it.

All the more reason to actually do it now and learn the pain of creating.

Here’s what made Essay A better — and how do the same to make your essays stand out (in a good way):

1. essay a stated a complete rule, while essay b stated an inaccurate or irrelevant rule..

Essay B states under the Duty heading that “[t]he general duty for all persons is to act like a reasonably prudent person under the circumstances.”

Sounds like a nice rule for life in general.

At best, it’s a statement of the standard of care (extent of duty). Either way, Essay B failed to say what the duty of care is.

“Duty” in a negligence-type analysis is a “duty not to subject any foreseeable plaintiff to unreasonable risk of injury.” The rule is that this duty is owed to foreseeable plaintiffs, although there’s a split on who is foreseeable, as identified by the Cardozo-Andrews distinction in Essay A.

Make sure you know the correct standard for the issue you’re talking about. Part of knowing a rule is understanding it, but sometimes, the other side is knowing specific standards like “foreseeable,” “reasonable” or “necessary to achieve a compelling government interest.”

2. Essay B didn’t complete IRAC.

Look at the Breach paragraph in Essay B. It starts by saying Doug was driving and texting, then says a reasonably prudent person wouldn’t do so. This sounds like an application of some unstated rule about breach. Essay A at least stated the “reasonably prudent person” standard as a “rule.”

It helps to say what the rule is first : Duty is breached where defendant’s conduct falls below the level required by the applicable standard of care owed to plaintiff.

The general rule for breach is simple and inherent, but it still needs to be said. “ Show your work ,” as they say in math classes. Include the rule statement even if—especially if—it seems inherent or obvious. If you say what you think without a basis in some established principle, then it’s just an opinion, not an argument.

Note also the Duty paragraph in B. Incorrect rule aside, the applicant didn’t even apply any facts. It just jumped to the conclusion that Doug owed a duty to Harry.

Stay formulaic: I, R, A (which may include mini IRACs for each element or sub-issue), then C. This together is one unit of argument.

(Generally, you can’t go wrong with IRAC, but keep in mind the format that your state likes to see by checking your state bar’s sample/model answers. UBE/MEE model answers tend to use CRAC, but I’ve also seen UBE takers use IRAC just fine. Both are similar. )

Here’s more on how to write a proper, stupid simple IRAC.

3. Essay A discussed negligence per se before the “reasonably prudent person” standard of care.

Technically, “reasonably prudent person” is the default standard of care when NPS doesn’t apply. So it makes better sense to go through NPS before the default standard of care.

Admittedly, this was NOT a big deal. Other sample answers show the writer putting NPS in a variety of other places.

The point still stands that every issue has its own way of being analyzed. When you study a rule, you also study how it’s applied.

Although the IRAC framework itself is formulaic, you leave points on the table by “just IRACing” without knowing how to analyze a particular issue.

One example of this is determining whether a contract was formed, where communications between parties should be analyzed one at a time to determine whether there was an offer, counteroffer, termination, or acceptance at each communication.

It’s not “just IRACing” but how you IRAC.

To that end, study a variety of past essays and model answers to understand how to present and sequence the discussion of different issues you identify during the bar exam in an actual essay.

You’ll end up recognizing fact patterns and issue patterns .

I cannot overstate the importance of knowing the ISSUES.

Or head to my essay answer bank for donated essay answers (mostly CA answers—but everyone is free to donate!).

It’s OK to not reinvent the wheel when it comes to preparing for the essays.

You can learn a lot from emulating model answers and approaches. In fact, it’s your DUTY to give yourself every advantage you can.

It's perfectly fine to peek at the model answer and retry the essay. You can learn a lot from emulating the model.

If I had realized that there’s nothing sacred about the bar exam and that I could just “plagiarize” what’s worked before, the bar exam could have been easier (and my law school GPA much less embarrassing). You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Things both excerpts did well:

Focusing on negligence per se. Negligence per se is clearly a major issue, given the statute slapped at the top of the essay question (FACTS → RULES → ISSUES)
Separating issues and sub-issues (duty from breach, type of harm from type of plaintiff)
Coming to a conclusion for each issue and sub-issue

Things Essay A could have avoided:

Essay A scored extraordinarily well, so it did something right… but here are some things you could tweak.

1. Ping-pong arguments — use judiciously

Sure, Doug could argue whatever and Harry could argue “nuh-uh” and Doug could rest his case with “no u”.

In the interest of conciseness, there’s no need to spend time analyzing mere possibilities , unless

1) you’re arguing opposing legal theories (e.g., defenses and exceptions), 2 ) similar to (1), the rule calls for split views (e.g., Cardozo and Andrews), 3 ) the facts are vague, or 4) the call of question is narrow (“Did the court rule correctly on motion to dismiss based on lack of personal jurisdiction?”) vs. broad (“What may D be guilty of?”) .

Whether you ping pong or not, you’re still coming to a conclusion for that particular issue. Focus on arguing for that end conclusion. You can still do well this way.

I realize that others may advise you to create arguments for both parties… I’m not saying to never ping pong. It’s just not always the best use of your limited time.

This style should be used where appropriate , not as a default. So don’t automatically go into ping-pong mode.

It’s whipped cream that fills up space nicely, but I don’t care for it. I’d rather get the meat right, and then analyze deeper if needed. Get to the point, and come back if you have time to create “filler”—especially if timing is an issue for you.

Most of all, the analysis doesn’t actually matter as much as your issue setup and rules anyway. So go wild on the analysis (or do a reasonable amount) as long as you get these most important parts down solid.

The best way to introduce the other side of the argument and get more points is to introduce any applicable opposing legal theories. Defenses and exceptions are separate legal issues and deserving of points if you identify them.

Argue opposing theories, which will naturally bring different facts to light.

(I discuss this more in the “3 Mistakes that Prevent High-scoring Essays” section of the Big Playbook in Passer’s Playbook 2.0 )

2. Huge paragraphs that commingle rule and application — chop ’em up

Where’s the separation between rule and application, and application and conclusion?

I’m not a fan of giant paragraphs with 50 sentences in a row. It’s hard to tell where the line of thinking ends or continues, for both you and the grader.

Would you have read all the way here if my paragraphs filled up your entire screen?

You want to make the grader’s job as easy as possible. It takes EFFORT to evaluate a stranger’s essays, let alone attempt to judge them fairly across hundreds or thousands of them.

Isn’t the bar exam also a test of empathy in that sense?

Changes to the California Bar Exam in 2017 July (Format, Grading, and How to Prep)

5 Replies to “Good Essays Are the Easiest to Grade: How to Get the Big Points on Your Bar Exam Essays”

Pingback: Quick and Simple Ways to Improve Your Bar Essays

Thanks for the clarity on dos and don’ts.

What scores did these essays receive?

It’s been a while since I wrote this, but if I remember correctly, Essay A was taken from a California essay that scored at least a 70/100 (considered a solid score), may have been 80+ actually; and Essay B scored a 60 at most, I think 55.

Pingback: How Do I Bar Exam For Irac? Top 8 Best Answers - Chiangmaiplaces.net

Common Bar Essay Problems and How to Avoid Them

June 2, 2015 By Alison Monahan 2 Comments

When you review a lot of bar essays, you begin to see what sets the good ones apart. The answers that score the highest have some telltale traits that really start standing out the more of them you read. We here at the Bar Exam Toolbox have seen a lot of bar essays: top scores, failing scores, and everything in between. We’ve also come up with some common pitfalls that tend to make an essay score lower. What makes a bar essay bad, though? Or, more importantly, what can you do to make yours good ? Here are some of the most common problem areas we see year to year, and how you can improve them.

Misconceptions About What the Graders Want

The kind of analysis the bar graders are looking for vary from one jurisdiction to another, and can differ vastly from what you might have been writing on final exams in law school (even if you did well in your classes). One thing is for sure, though, bar graders are looking for something very specific. A lot of first-time bar takers think that so long as their essays are coherent, relatively correct, and hit the correct issues they have it made. It takes more than that, though. It’s important to find out exactly what the graders in your jurisdiction value. How do you do this? Review the posted sample answers. Review as many of them as you can and look for commonalities.

Lack of structure

You may have some memories from your law school exams of writing whatever came to your head as fast as you could. You may have even done relatively well. This is probably because a lot of law school professors are more willing to hunt and peck through stream-of-consciousness babble to find the correct points of law buried within. These days are over. Bar exam graders simply will not do this. They will read your essay critically and very quickly (usually in just a couple of minutes!). What does this mean for you? It means you need to make it as easy as possible for them to give you points. How do you do this? By being organized.

Find a format that allows you to call out the issues you’re discussing in each paragraph. Make them salient. Employ easy-to-follow approaches, such as IRAC . Organize your answer based on the call of the question. Use attack plans. A more structured answer is easier to read quickly, and it’s easier to see at a glance whether the writer is hitting all of the necessary benchmarks. Your bar exam grader is not going to give you the benefit of the doubt and search for the gems in your answer. It’s your job to put those gems on display.

Not Using the Facts Precisely or Completely Enough

You may have heard that using the facts on the bar exam is important . This is actually a big understatement. If you’ve talked to any of us at the Bar Exam Toolbox, you’ve probably heard many, many times how crucial the facts are! What does it mean to use the facts, though? A lot of bar takers think that using the facts is the same as just throwing them into your answer in some way—just making them show up somewhere. It’s not.

As we’ve said before, the fact patterns on the bar are incredibly precise and well-crafted. The talented people who write these hypos are painstaking about what they put in and what they leave out. How do you use the facts you’re given then? In a nutshell, you need to pinpoint which specific rule element(s) each fact “matches up” with. Then, you need to use the facts to “check off” each element (or say why it is not satisfied based on the facts you have). Regurgitating facts just for the sake of throwing them into your answer is a waste of time. This likely won’t get you any extra points. Matching the facts with precise issues (better yet, with rule elements or requirements)—this is what to aim for.

Lack of Planning

Did you plan the essays you wrote on your final exams in law school? A lot of students did not. Writing bar essays is different, though ( see above). Your audience is different, and you’re being tested on different skills. In order to get the precise, formulaic structure we discussed above, you need to have a plan (and you probably need attack plans and lots of practice too!). If you’re going to figure out how to use all of the facts you get, this definitely takes planning before you begin writing. Coming up with a plan for your essay before you start typing furiously is the best way to make sure you’re getting as many points as possible, and it’s also one of the only ways to avoid the dreaded stream-of-consciousness writing we talked about above.

Missing Issues

Most bar takers know they need to spot as many issues as possible to do well on the exam. A lot of students, though, think that so long as they memorize a lot of law, these issues will just start popping out at them when they read through the fact patterns on exam day. Not quite true. There are a lot of intermediate steps in between. It’s true, you can’t do too well spotting issues if you don’t know the law. You have to know the law. You also need to practice issue spotting , and you must practice your ability to determine which kinds of facts trigger which types of issues. How do you do this? Come up with your essay writing plan and do as many closed-book practice essays as you can. Don’t just practice identifying issues, practice writing out full, timed exams so you are getting good at writing analysis and allocating your time too ( see below).

Misallocating or Wasting Time

Timing is huge on the bar exam. I’ve seen quite a few failing essay answers that probably would have passed if they were actually completed. Running out of time is a very real concern, as is misallocating time between planning and writing, or giving more time to one question instead of apportioning time equally. So, how do you get good at managing your time ? Not surprisingly, the answer here is practice. Use a clock. Cut yourself off when your predetermined planning time is over and it’s time to move on to writing. Cut yourself off when the allotted time for the essay ends. Practice some essays back-to-back so you can get a feel for what you can accomplish in an hour. Discipline yourself to move onto the next essay so none of them are lacking. Be strict with your time you’re allowed, the bar exam will be.

Failure to Critique and Review

Writing practice is only half the battle when it comes to getting good at bar essays. More often than not, I see students improve the most dramatically when they start critically reviewing their own work—and when they actually re-write essays that they miss the mark on. Why is this? Well, first of all, it’s almost impossible to learn from our own mistakes if we don’t know what those mistakes are ( if you’re a repeat bar taker , this is especially true—go get those essays you had returned to you and critique them ruthlessly!). Second, it’s difficult to apply what you’re learning on one essay to a new, completely different essay since the new essay might test very different areas of law (even within the same subject). If you write the same essay a second time, you can instill knowledge about those legal issues and cement your attack plan and process so next time you see that issue, you feel more comfortable with it.

Getting critical reviews of your essays from a trusted source like a bar program, a professor, or a tutor is also a great way to ensure that you’re seeing your missteps and fixing them. Often, bar students are over confident in their abilities. Even when they make mistakes, even when they miss issues, they may somehow convince themselves they were closer to getting it right than they actually were. Sometimes getting a tough critique early on from someone who knows what the graders are looking for is the very best thing you can do for your writing.

Do you need help with the essay portion of the bar exam? BarEssays.com is a great study tool for the essay portion of the California Bar Exam. And Bar Exam Toolbox readers get a special on membership ! Email us to get the coupon code.

Want more useful bar exam advice? Sign up for our free mailing list now!

Did you find this post helpful? Check out some other great articles:

The Ins and Outs of Studying for the Bar Exam
Bar Exam Essays – You Must Become an Expert at Reading the Facts
10 Tips for Working and Studying for the Bar Exam
Warning Signs You May Need Extra Help as a First Time Bar Exam Taker

Photo credit: Hururg/Shutterstock

Ready to pass the bar exam? Get the support and accountability you need with personalized one-on-one bar exam tutoring or one of our economical courses and workshops . We’re here to help!

About Alison Monahan

Alison Monahan is the founder of The Girl's Guide to Law School and the co-founder of the Law School Toolbox . Alison is a graduate of Columbia Law School, where she was a member of the Columbia Law Review and served as a Civ Pro teaching assistant. You can find her on Twitter at @GirlsGuideToLS or @LawSchoolTools .

Reader Interactions

These are some great tips for passing the bar’s essay questions. I think you are right about having misconceptions as to what the graders want to hear. Reviewing study questions and finding commonalities in the sample answers is a great way to study.

We’re a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your site provided us with valuable info to work on. You have done a formidable job and our entire community will be thankful to you.

Need to Pass the Bar Exam?

Terms & Conditions

How to Tackle Essay Writing on the Bar Exam

One skill that is expected to be cultivated and refined during law school is the ability to write well. This makes sense, since good writing will be essential for many legal careers. You will likely need to write memos, client letters, motions, petitions, briefs and other legal documents— so good writing is important! Consequently, the bar exam takes note of this and makes writing an essential component of it.

Whether you’re taking the Multistate Essay Exam or a state-specific bar exam , you will be writing lots of essays during the bar exam and in your preparation for it. So here’s what you need to know about essay writing on the bar exam and strategies you can implement to improve your score.

Check out the most important bar exam essay writing tips below!

See the Top BAR Review Courses

1. BarMax Review Course ◄◄ Best Overall BAR Review Course + No Discounts
2. Quimbee BAR Prep Course ◄◄ Best Price
3. Kaplan BAR Review Courses ◄◄ Expert Instructors

Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) Jurisdictions

Most states use the Multistate Essay Exam. If you’ll be testing in one of these states, here are the basics you need to know:

There are 6 essay questions in total . This part of the test is 3 hours, so you have 30 minutes per question. Also, the subjects for this portion of the test cover:

Partnerships
Corporations and limited liability companies
Civil procedure
Conflict of laws
Constitutional law
Criminal law and procedure
Real property
Secured transactions
Trusts and future interests
Wills and estates

While any of these topics are fair game, these particular topics make up the majority of the MEE:

Corporations and LLCs
Family law and trusts
Future interests

Consequently, you may want to spend extra time preparing for these areas of the law while also studying for the other subjects.

The good news is that there are guides you can use to determine the most highly tested essay rules. These bar exam study resources will identify these rules and teach you additional rules of law.

Here’s another important tip: focus your time on these major rules instead of wasting too much energy on nuanced rules that are less likely to be tested.

Keep reading for more important study tips to help you pass the MEE:

Bar Essays Studying Tips

The first part of learning how to tackle the essay writing portion of the bar exam is to develop a solid study plan . Your plan should incorporate the following:

Learn More About the IRAC Method and Format

You may have used a variety of writing styles in law school, such as IRAC, CRAC or CREAC. However, the IRAC structure is the most commonly used one on the bar exam, and is what bar examiners will expect. Hence, you need to be familiar with this writing system:

I – Issue
R – Rule
A – Analysis
C – Conclusion

This system ensures that you write concisely and only include the necessary information. It’s not flowery and won’t contain a lot of excess content— which is a good thing, since you’re on such a constrained time limit!

As you practice, read through your answers and label each sentence with an I,R,A, or C . if a sentence cannot be labeled under one of these letters, it probably does not belong.

Practice Essay Writing Each Week

When you spend so much time studying for the bar exam , it may feel tempting to skip practicing the lengthy essay portion of the test. However, this is one of the biggest mistakes made by most test takers.

Bar essays are an essential component of the test; they can often help leverage a higher score if you don’t do as well on some of the other test portions. Furthermore, while reviewing the rules of law is important, writing about them can show you understand them and know how they apply.

Basically, don’t leave practicing these essays until the end of your preparation. Instead, make practicing essays part of your weekly study plan!

Practice Under Timed Conditions

When you first begin practicing the essay portion of the bar exam, you may not want to time yourself so that you can be sure you are spotting all the issues and honing your writing style . However, toward the middle of your study time, you will want to start practicing under timed conditions.

It is not enough to know how to write a good essay. You need to know how to write a good essay quickly . You need to be able to quickly discuss the most important issues and know when not to elaborate on others.

The best way to study for these questions is to find previous MEE questions and practice them under timed conditions. Then, review the analysis to determine how you did.

Review Rules the Last Two Weeks of Your Study

Focus on memorizing as many rules of law as possible during your last two weeks of studying. You’ll need to be able to recall these basic rules as part of your essay writing without hesitation, so be sure that you can recite rules of law without even thinking about them.

Learn More About The BAR Exam

Take These Steps To Pass The Bar Exam!
How To Crush The Essay Portion Of The Bar Exam
How To Study For The BAR While Working Full Time!
How To Pass The BAR After Failing The First Time
How To Become A Lawyer

Tips for the Day of the Bar Exam

Okay, so now it’s the day of the bar exam— you need to know how to truly tackle these questions in the moment of truth. Here’s what you need to do:

Plan The Time You Have for Writing Essays

Before beginning this portion of the test, you should have a plan on how you will manage your time, such as:

First 10 minutes: Read the essay prompt. Maybe read it multiple times. Don’t rush this part; your ability to recall this information will be essential to answering the question. Also, outline your answer as you read through the prompt.
Next 15 – 17 minutes: Write your answer.
Last 3 to 5 minutes: Review your answer to check for competition and to make necessary edits.

Stick to this timeline for every question. If you start going over 5 minutes on every question, you won’t have enough time to tackle the last question. Ultimately, it’s far better to get out an analysis of all the questions than to answer one question perfectly and not even address another.

Make an Outline

Making an outline can help you organize your thoughts and create a plan on what you will be writing about. Mark up the prompt as you go— you may want to highlight or underline certain information to help your recall later.

Try to make this outline clear, such as making a bullet list of items related to the prompt. If you run low on time, you can always copy and paste this information to provide a semi-answer to the prompt. Write your rule statement and list the relevant facts that will support your analysis. Also, consider how much time you will need to discuss each subpart of the answer.

Apply the IRAC Structure

Now it’s time for you to apply what you’ve learned. Use IRAC to fully answer the question.

How To Use IRAC Method and Format to Crush the Bar Exam Essay Portion

Briefly state the issue in a bolded heading. Issues are usually clearly stated on bar exam essay questions rather than hidden in a fact pattern, so this should be an easy way to pick up points. Restate the issue and move onto the next part of your answer.

State the rules that apply to the case. This is where rote memorization comes into play, since you need to be able to state the proper rule that applies to the question. Bold key terms to show that you know what rules and terms apply. This will get you the points you need on this section.

The summary of rules should be clear and concise and should demonstrate that you understand what is involved. Only address those rules that actually apply to this case and address the specific question.

Show how the rule applies, given the particular fact pattern. This will be the longest portion of your answer. However, your analysis should still be shorter than your analysis in your legal writing class. You can pick up (or lose) a lot of points in this portion of the answer! You need to demonstrate that you know how to apply the law to the facts. Generally speaking, the more facts you’re able to explain, the higher your score will be.

Most of the facts in the fact pattern will be there for a reason— and you need to explain why these facts matter in your analysis. Provide a step-by-step analysis of how the facts support your conclusion. You may be able to score extra points by identifying counter-arguments or a majority and minority view.

Conclusion

End with a brief conclusion. One sentence is fine here. Perhaps unlike law school exams, there is usually a “right” conclusion. Some writing structures will use a conclusion first and then end with a conclusion, but this is not recommended on the bar exam. If you start with the wrong conclusion, the grader will look for ways to prove why you are wrong while grading your answer; therefore, save your conclusion for the end!

Organize Your Content

Make your essay simple to read by taking advantage of all the tools at your disposal. Use paragraph breaks to organize your content, creating a clear I, R, A , and C section. Additionally, bold and underline key words and principles of law. Many essay graders will be scanning your work, so make it easy to identify that you understood the legal issues involved by drawing their attention to these key terms.

Also, use transitional words to qualify certain statements and to explain where you are going with your answer. This makes it easier for the grader to follow your analysis, as well as helps you to stay on track.

Answer the Question

Seems obvious, right? Listen:

While it seems simple to just answer the question you are asked, many bar exam essay questions include numerous fact patterns, potential rules of law that apply, and even some red herrings. Be sure that you only answer the question that is asked; don’t go off on a tangent that will not score you any extra points!

Read over the instructions to the question and follow these instructions, even if that means ignoring something or assuming certain facts are true. Any time you devote to issues that are not relevant to the instructions takes away from time that can score you more points.

Manage Your Time

Now that you’re in the middle of your answers, keep a close eye on time. It can be tempting to take just a few more minutes to feel you completed a question, but this can come back to haunt you by taking away necessary time from another question. Set alarms if you need to — and are permitted to — so that you know when time is up for each section. Also, you may want to set a reminder a few minutes before your allotted time so that you can quickly wrap up the question before moving on to the next one.

With that being said, avoid writing a partial essay and then moving onto another one. It can take several minutes to regain your bearings and remember what the essay was about when you switch back and forth. Instead, finish each question in the allotted time and then move onto the next.

Get Discounts On BAR Review Courses!

Save Up to $700 on Kaplan BAR Review Course

Enjoy Up to $400 Off on BarMax Course

$300 Savings on Quimbee Bar Review+

Crushendo Coupon: 10% Off Bar Prep Products

Quick tips for essay writing.

Here’s a quick round-up of tips to keep you on track when preparing your bar exam essays:

Read the facts more than once. Don’t rush this part!
Don’t write a lengthy, historical background of the law. Instead, make it concise.
Don’t write a long analysis regarding policy if the question does not ask for it.
Present counter-arguments but spend less time on them than arguments
Provide a clear and decisive conclusion.
Pace yourself. The two-day bar exam is a marathon, not a sprint. Approach each question with patience and don’t try to rush it.
Don’t talk to anyone about your answers. This will undoubtedly make you doubt yourself; you don’t need a hit to your self-confidence at this time!
Have a fun plan for what to do after the bar exam to have something to look forward to.

So, there you have it— a plan to help you tackle the essay portion of the bar exam. Use these strategies to help boost your score and you will soon be a licensed attorney!

Thanks for reading and good luck on your exam!

Frequently Asked Questions About Bar Essays

How do you write an essay for the bar exam.

There’s a specific structure that bar examiners expect when you write answers to essay questions. This structure is called IRAC, which is short for “Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion.” When writing a bar essay, try and structure all of your sentences around these four subjects in a way that makes sense.

How many essays are on the bar exam?

The essay portion of the bar exam is called the Multistate Essay Exam, or MEE for short. It is made up of six different essay questions that you must write answers to over the course of three hours. The subjects can vary depending on what test you take, but all are related to the legal field and will require excellent logical reasoning and critical thinking to earn a high score.

How long should bar exam essays be?

Although there may not be a set word limit for your bar exam essay, a good rule of thumb is to write at least 1,000 words for each answer. However, you should avoid padding out your article’s word count with excessively detailed descriptions of legal concepts; stick to the IRAC format and ensure each word in each sentence has a purpose.

Is it better to write or type the bar exam?

There’s no universal answer to this question, since some students will prefer to write by hand and others will prefer typing. However, there are significant benefits to typing your bar exam essay questions over using a pen and paper, such as easy erasing and the ability to copy and paste. However, power issues on rare occasions have forced essay writers to resort to pen and paper, and it makes it impossible to lose progress due to a software error.

COMPARE THE BEST BAR PREP COURSES

Valerie Keene is an experienced lawyer and legal writer. Valerie’s litigation successes have included wins for cases involving contract disputes, real property disputes, and consumer issues. She has also assisted countless families with estate planning, guardianship issues, divorce and other family law matters. She provides clients with solid legal advice and representation.

Additional Links

Bar Discounts Bar Exam Tips Bar Exam Requirements Policies and Disclosure Terms of Service Contact Us

Bar Exam Info
Bar Exam Study Materials
Legal Services

Law Library

Study Aids for Law Students

Aspen Learning Library - Formerly the Wolters Kluwer Online Study Aids Library
AudioCaseFiles
LexisNexis Digital Library
Themis Law School Essentials
Bar Exam Sample Essays
Sample Exams
Black Letter Outlines
Emanuel CrunchTime
Emanuel Law Outlines
Examples and Explanations
Gilbert Law Summaries
Glannon Guides

Many state bar associations post former bar exam essay questions and sample answers on their websites. These model answers are useful for studying for the bar and final exams.

Search online for state bar exam questions and answers, or use the list provided at the bottom of this page. Access is free.

Try writing a response to a practice question, then comparing your response to the model answer.
Some bar exam questions require the application of state law (e.g., California civil procedure), and may not be helpful if you are studying federal law. Read the question carefully.
Subject coverage will vary by exam and by state.

1L Subjects:

Civil Procedure (federal and state questions)
Constitutional Law
Contract Law
Criminal Law

2L/3L Subjects:

Business Organizations
Conflict of Laws
Criminal Procedure
Family Law/Community Property
Professional Responsibility/Ethics
Secured Transactions (Uniform Commercial Code 2)
Wills & Trusts

Sample Exam Questions & Answers By State

Mississippi
Pennsylvania
UBE (Many of the states on this list administer the UBE, but the states offer more recent model essay answers than the UBE)
<< Previous: Themis Law School Essentials
Next: Sample Exams >>
Last Updated: Jan 27, 2022 9:12 AM
URL: https://guides.law.byu.edu/studyaids

System Links

Connect with us.

#BYUlawlibrary

BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY

Sep 24, 2019

Breaking down Essay Grading by the California Bar Exam

If you are gearing up to take the February 2020 California Bar Exam, you may be wondering how the California bar essay portion is graded. California recently made some changes to their bar exam going from a three day examination period to two days. Day one is the written portion of the exam and consists of 5 one-hour essays and one 90 minute Performance Test.

California divides the graders into six groups, each consisting of 12 experienced graders and up to 4 apprentice graders. Both groups are supervised. The graders assign a raw score to each essay on a scale from 40 – 100. The State Bar of California has explained, “in order to earn a 40, the applicant must at least identify the subject of the question and attempt to apply the law to the facts of the question. If these criteria are not met, the answer is assigned a zero.” We’re going to go out on a limb here and assume you want to hit a score of 65 and above. That’s exactly what our inexpensive materials are geared to accomplish.

A score of 55 is designated as a below passing paper . The applicant missed or incompletely discussed two or more major issues. The applicant had a weak or incomplete analysis of the issues addressed and the overall organization was poor.

A score of 60 is a slightly below passing paper . The applicant may have missed or incompletely discussed one major issue. Discussion of all issues was incomplete and organization of the issues was poor.

A score of 65 is an average passing paper . Applicant had a lawyer-like discussion of all major issues and missed some minor issues. Overall paper could have been better.

A score of 70 is a slightly above average paper . Applicant had a lawyer-like discussion of all major issues and missed some minor issues. Paper could have been better, but analysis and reasoning warrants more than a 65. Well organized paper.

A score of 75 is a distinctly above average paper . Applicant discussed all major issues in a lawyer-like fashion and discussed the ancillary minor issues. Overall, a well organized paper.

A score of 80-85 is unusually complete and thorough paper. Applicant discussed all major and minor issues in a lawyer-like fashion and very well organized.

Components used for grading include: organization/format, issue spotting, rule statement, and analysis. A passing paper will have use of headings and IRAC used to organize issues discussed. Issues are generally discussed in a logical order. A passing paper will discuss all the main issues, but may fail to discuss some of the minor issues. A passing paper will have clear rule statements that may be stated verbatim or in your own words that blend some of the concepts into one statement. Rules are correctly applied to the facts of the case and there is infrequent discussion of both sides of an issue, but paper still discusses major issues raised from the fact pattern.

We hope this gives you a better idea of what a passing (65 and above) paper looks like. Feel free to head to our sample page to see a CBB sample of Civil Procedure. All subjects are organized in the same fashion and are specifically geared towards a passing score of 65 and above.

Should I Write or Type the Bar Exam?

Should i write or type the bar exam .

This is a question that must be seriously considered by all bar examinees. You will hear some bar exam tutors or advisers say “You must type it!” It is dangerous, however, to make such a broad statement as there are pros and cons to both options.

If you are debating whether to write or type your exam, consider the following factors when you decide what the best option is for you.

Below, we list four factors to consider when making the decision to type or write the bar exam:

(1) Consider the Advantages and Disadvantages of Writing the Exam

Advantages of Writing: (1) You do not have to worry about your computer crashing or malfunctioning during the exam. This is a huge source of anxiety for some; others hardly think about it. (2) Misspellings, poor grammar, and perhaps not-totally-accurate rules of law do not stand out as much in handwritten responses as they do in typed responses. (3) Your response will look longer. A couple of pages of handwriting could be a half page typed (of course this could backfire if you have large handwriting and only a few pages to respond to a question).

Disadvantages of Writing: (1) Most people cannot write as fast as they can type. If this is true for you, you will not be able to say as much if you write the exam. (2) Writing may not be as neat or legible as typing, especially after writing for several hours. Truly consider whether your handwriting is neat enough to write the entire exam. (3) Some writers complain of their hand “cramping up” or being really sore when writing their exam. This can affect both how much you are able to write and the legibility of your handwriting. (4) A handwritten response is not as easy to organize. If you are typing, you can likely cut and paste and organize your response once you are finished typing your answer. However, if you are writing your option is to draw arrows, cross out paragraphs, or simply have an unorganized response.

(2) Consider the Advantages and Disadvantages of Typing the Exam

Advantages of Typing: (1) It is easier to organize a type-written response. You can move paragraphs or cut and paste without a problem. (2) You do not have to worry about illegible or messy handwriting. (3) Most people can write faster than they can type. If this is true for you, you will be able to say more and perhaps earn more points. (4) Most people are used to typing for long periods of time. If you fall into this category, you will not have to worry about your hand cramping up during the exam.

Disadvantages of Typing: (1) You may have (or worry about) computer issues. This is especially the case if your laptop is not new or if it has had problems in the past. (2) If your state divides writers and typers into different rooms, the environment may not be as favorable for typers. See Factor No. 3 below.

(3) Consider the Testing Environment You will Be In:

Do writers and typers take the exam in different rooms in your state? Do you get easily affected or distracted by your working environment? If so, find out whether the room for writers is smaller or more comfortable. Would the sound of a thousand typers drive you crazy or could this be remedied with some good ear plugs? Ask past bar examinees what they thought about their room environments and whether this affected their experience.

(4) Consider Your Preference and Comfort Level:

What are you used to? Did you write or type all of your law school exams? Do you like writing or typing better? Is the thought of your laptop crashing going to keep you up at night (even if it is a remote possibility)? Will you get irritable in a room full of typers? Or if you hand-write, will you worry about your hand cramping up? Decide what you will be more comfortable with.

Ultimate Issues to Consider when Deciding to Write or Type the Bar Exam:

If you are leaning toward typing, ask yourself these questions: Do you have a laptop that is up for the job? If you have a laptop with a bunch of viruses or battery issues (or worse, one that randomly crashes!), you may want to reconsider typing the exam or you may want to borrow or buy a new laptop. If you choose the latter, then make sure you practice typing a few exams on the laptop you buy or borrow so that you are used to it and you know it is up for the job.

If you are leaning toward handwriting, ask yourself the following questions: Is your handwriting legible? Can you write quickly enough? More importantly, can you hand-write for three hours in a row for a couple of sessions (or more, depending on your state)? Will your hand cramp up? If you decide to hand-write your exam, make sure you practice writing for lengthy periods of time that mimic the bar exam before the actual exam.

Ultimately, there is no decision that will be “right” for everyone. Consider all of the factors mentioned above, and then decide what is best for you. Good luck!

Looking to Pass the Bar Exam?

Free Resources:

🌟 Bar Exam Free Resource Center : Access our most popular free guides, webinars, and resources to set you on the path to success.
Free Bar Exam Guides : Expert advice on the MBE, the MEE, passing strategies, and overcoming failure.
Free Webinars : Get insight from top bar exam experts to ace your preparation.

Paid Resources:

🏆 One-Sheets : Our most popular product! Master the Bar Exam with these five-star rated essentials.
Bar Exam Outlines : Our comprehensive and condensed bar exam outlines present key information in an organized, easy-to-digest layout.
Exclusive Mastery Classes : Dive deep into highly tested areas of the MBE, MEE, MPT, and CA bar exams in these live, one-time events.
Specialized Private Tutoring : With years of experience under our belt, our experts provide personalized guidance to ensure you excel.
Bar Exam Courses : On Demand and Premium options tailored to your needs.
Bar Exam Crash Course + Mini Outlines : A great review of the topics you need to know!

🔥 NEW! Check out our Repeat Taker Bar Exam Course and our new premier Guarantee Pass Program !

Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Public Interest

By using this site, you allow the use of cookies, and you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service .

Cookie and Privacy Settings

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

IMAGES

What is Reddit's opinion of Essay Exam Writing for the California Bar
Subjects Tested on the New Bar Exam
Bar Exam Essay Help, How to Write Bar Exam Essays
Top Ten Best Reddit Bar Exam Study Tips
HOW TO ANSWER BAR EXAM ESSAY QUESTION IMPRESSIVELY.docx
How to Tackle Essay Writing on the Bar Exam

VIDEO

"The Reddit Maestro"
CA Bar Exam Essay Workshop Series: Property
Board exam mai essay aise likhna #motivtion
Bar Exam Basics -- Constitutional Law
3 Steps for working on timing of a CA Bar Exam Essay.#cabarprep #cabarexam #barexamresults #barexam
YOU'RE DOING BAR PREP WRONG

COMMENTS

Bar Exam
On Bar day, I felt extremely prepared and even saw some questions and essays (verbatim) I had practiced during prep. Ended up scoring a 300 and MBE in the 150s. The Bar Exam is brutal and the mental fortitude needed to survive Bar prep is great. I felt discouraged and down on myself throughout the whole process, but somehow I did it.
My Ultimate Bar-Prep Guide: How I Passed the CA Bar Exam While Working
7am: wake-up, 20 Adaptibar questions, start work. 12-1pm: lunch + Adaptibar practice set, or 1 set of flash-cards (rules), or 1 practice essay. 5pm-6pm: hard stop on work, walk the dog while listening to Bar Exam Toolbox Podcast, dinner. 7pm-11pm: practice essays, Adaptibar sets / lecture videos, memorize flash-cards.
Prioritizing Rules for the Bar Exam (and How to Dominate Essays)
Like fact patterns, there are corresponding issue patterns. 1) Don't write like a lawyer. Write like a bar taker. Prior law experience or creative writing will detract from answering the way graders want you to. Practicing attorneys tend to not do as well on bar essays because this is a SEPARATE skill from real practice.
How to Get the Big Points on Your Bar Exam Essays
Here's what made Essay A better — and how do the same to make your essays stand out (in a good way): 1. Essay A stated a complete rule, while Essay B stated an inaccurate or irrelevant rule. Essay B states under the Duty heading that " [t]he general duty for all persons is to act like a reasonably prudent person under the circumstances.".
Common Bar Essay Problems and How to Avoid Them
The answers that score the highest have some telltale traits that really start standing out the more of them you read. We here at the Bar Exam Toolbox have seen a lot of bar essays: top scores, failing scores, and everything in between. We've also come up with some common pitfalls that tend to make an essay score lower.
How to Tackle Essay Writing on the Bar Exam
Before beginning this portion of the test, you should have a plan on how you will manage your time, such as: First 10 minutes: Read the essay prompt. Maybe read it multiple times. Don't rush this part; your ability to recall this information will be essential to answering the question.
How—and Why—You Need To Self-Grade Bar Exam Essays
Self-grading is helpful for several reasons: You will learn the rules better if you are forced to write out what you didn't know. You will become well acquainted with how to structure your essay. You will become better at picking out material facts in the fact pattern. You will start to "think like a bar exam grader".
Bar Exam Sample Essays
Many state bar associations post former bar exam essay questions and sample answers on their websites. These model answers are useful for studying for the bar and final exams. Access. Search online for state bar exam questions and answers, or use the list provided at the bottom of this page. Access is free.
Breaking down Essay Grading by the California Bar Exam
If you are gearing up to take the February 2020 California Bar Exam, you may be wondering how the California bar essay portion is graded. California recently made some changes to their bar exam going from a three day examination period to two days. Day one is the written portion of the exam and consists of 5 one-hour essays and one 90 minute Performance Test. California divides the graders ...
How to Interpret Your Bar Exam Score Report
If you are not sure what score you should aim for, and you are in a Uniform Bar Exam state, just take the overall score needed and divide it by two. So, for example, in New York, you need a 266 to pass the bar exam. If you divide 266 by two, that is 133. So you should aim for at least a 133 on the MBE.
Top Ten Best Reddit Bar Exam Study Tips
5. Bar Exam Mnemonics. In order to be successful on the bar exam, you will need to memorize a large amount of information. Bar exam mnemonics are one of the best ways to help you to store information and recall it quickly and efficiently during the bar exam. For example, one mnemonic everyone should remember is TTIP.
Should I write or type the bar exam?
Disadvantages of Writing: (1) Most people cannot write as fast as they can type. If this is true for you, you will not be able to say as much if you write the exam. (2) Writing may not be as neat or legible as typing, especially after writing for several hours. Truly consider whether your handwriting is neat enough to write the entire exam.
The modern skyline of Moscow contrasted against the older ...
Reminds me one night of looking over the skyline and seeing the cranes lit up and slowly twisting in the wind. Looking down from the hotel room at 2-3A you'd see you head and tail lights of miles upon miles of cars stretched along the highway.
How safe is Moscow? : r/Moscow
Moscow is actually pretty safe. I visited for a month and one thing that stuck out to me was the amount of cops everywhere, like how every metro station has cops and metal detectors and most malls do too. Moscow is safe completely.
If you have an American moving to Moscow, what are three ...
Don't use the imperial system. Don't walk into a home with your shoes on unless a host explicitly allowed. Don't drink vodka alone
How safe is it to travel to Moscow right now ? Is it worth it ...
Moscow is safe or safer than most of the western capitals , you don't have to mind. 29. From experience east Europe and the Balkans are so much safer then west Europe. The propaganda is actually insane. jh67zz. Moscow is summer always a good idea. Because it's beautifully and plenty of things to do.