The National Conference of Bar Examiners has announced that there will be changes to the bar exam in 2015. The multistate bar exam will test Civil Procedure. The multistate essay exam will use the same Civil Procedure outline that is used for the multistate bar exam in 2015. Additionally, Negotiable Instruments will no longer be tested on the multistate essay exam. This post provides further detail about these changes. Read more
We tutor mostly repeat bar exam takers – that is, we primarily assist those who have already taken (and failed) the bar exam once, twice, three times, or more. However, we always tutor a handful of first-time takers every bar exam administration, and we have found that they also find our bar exam prep course extremely helpful.
This latest testimonial from one of our students who passed the July 2014 exam on her first try highlights exactly how we help first time takers: Read more
The Michigan bar exam is administered twice a year (the last Tuesday and Wednesday in February and July) in Lansing, Michigan. On the first day you will be required to answer 15 essay questions. On the second day of the Michigan bar exam, you will be required to answer 200 multiple-choice questions. The following post provides an overview of the Michigan bar exam, including who writes it, who grades it, and how grades are determined.
NOTE: Michigan is switching to the Uniform Bar Exam starting with the February 2023 administration! Find more information here.
The February 2014 bar exam is rapidly approaching. Here is a list of things you should make sure that you do in February before you take the bar exam.
How to Attack Civil Procedure on the MBE This post was updated on January 27, 2018.
Civil Procedure is being added to the Multistate Bar exam starting February 2015. This means that out of 200 questions, there will be 27 graded Civil Procedure questions on the multistate bar exam.
How do you prepare for Civil Procedure on the MBE?
We know you have seven MBE subjects to prepare for. It is simply not realistic for you to learn every nuance of every law. So instead of trying to memorize every detail, focus your studies on the most highly-tested areas of law.
How do you know what is most highly-tested?The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE), which is responsible for writing the exam, gives some guidance as to what you should expect. For example, the NCBE reveals that “Approximately two-thirds of the Civil Procedure questions on the MBE will be based on categories I, III, and V,” in the subject matter outline that it posts – “and approximately one-third will be based on the remaining categories II, IV, VI, and VII.” Read more
The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) has been adopted by several states and continues to gain popularity. New York even adopted the UBE. With such a major state adopting the UBE, some predict that in the future every state will adopt a version of the Uniform Bar Exam. That is why, if you’re just beginning or attending law school, it is important to have an understanding of what the UBE is.
The Uniform Bar Exam (UBE) is composed of the Multistate Essay Exam (MEE), two Multistate Performance Tests (MPTs), and the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE). It is prepared by the National Conference of Bar Examiners. A description of the three parts of the exam is as follows: Read more
Not everybody needs a tutor to pass the bar exam. Not even everybody that has failed the bar exam in the past needs a tutor to pass the bar exam (although they are more likely to benefit from a bar exam tutor).
In this post, we briefly discuss some of the benefits of having a bar exam tutor as well as our general recommendation regarding which factors to consider when deciding whether to retain a tutor for the bar exam. Note that we always make evaluations on a case-by-case basis when students come to us and ask if they need tutoring (and we encourage you to contact us if you are unsure!). However, the factors below should give you a general idea of how likely you are to benefit from a bar exam tutor. Before we discuss the factors to consider, we’ll list the benefits of having a bar exam tutor. Read more
If you failed the bar exam, you may be wondering when you should start gearing up for the next exam. Some students want to start studying the day they find out they failed the bar exam. Others start when traditional bar preparation courses start (late December or early January).
We suggest you start studying sooner rather than later.
In this post, we will talk about a good timeline for those that fail the bar exam. This post is tailored to those who just failed the July 2014 bar exam.
If you are the kind of person that cannot sit back and relax and feels the need to constantly hit the “refresh” button on the Michigan Board of Law Examiner’s website – join the club. However, you may also find it getting in the way of your productivity or simply get sick of it.
So if you want to try a new method to monitor the Board of Law Examiner’s website: you might want to try this neat little tool called “page monitor” that I have just started using to monitor the Board of Law Examiner’s website (Note: The link will go to the chrome page monitor but you can find one for most browsers – just Google “page monitor”).
The page monitor is free and it takes five seconds to install. Simply click “Monitor this page” on the Michigan Board of Law Examiner’s website and then go to your settings and ask it to check back to the page every five seconds. I made it “chime” so that a chime goes off whenever changes are made. (Note: some page monitors only check pages once a day or once every couple hours – so make sure you get one that can check the page frequently!). Read more
A Note to Those Who Fail the Bar Exam We just wrote a post for those who pass the bar exam, so here is a note to those who fail the bar exam. Several states have already found out results but many have not yet found out results. It is better to read this post, […]
Bar exam results should be out soon! Many states have already found out and some states are still waiting for results. (We have a massive post on when results are released, whether a state offers regrades or appeals, if you’ll see your score, etc. here if you are interested!)
If you are reading this before you find out your results, perfect. It is best to read this when your mind is not as clouded by excitement (and maybe too much wine…)
This post is geared toward people who just found out they passed or will soon find out they pass the bar exam. We also have a post for those who fail the bar exam. We have a couple of celebration tips for people who pass as well as tips to help you keep your friends. Read more
There is nothing I enjoy more in mid-to-late October than clicking the “Refresh” button on the Michigan Board of Law Examiners website to see if they have released Michigan bar exam results. If you are like me and find yourself holding a pumpkin spice latte in one hand while clicking your mouse with the other, you might wonder when to start this madness…We give you our best guess on when the July 2014 Michigan bar exam results will be released in this post. Read more
Check out the new article published by Ashley Heidemann in the National Jurist called “Why Smart People Fail the Bar Exam”.
The article details six common reasons that smart people fail the bar exam.
A brief summary of these reasons is as follows:
Have you been thinking about which classes you want to take your remaining semesters of law school? Do you want your classes to have the added bonus of preparing you for the Michigan bar exam?
If you are taking the Michigan Bar Exam and you want your classes to double as a good source of bar exam preparation, you might wonder which classes are worth your time and which classes are not. We will explain which classes will be the most helpful to you – and why – in this blog post.
There are many reasons that it is a good idea to start bar prep early. We’ve talked about it in prior posts and we will talk about it in more depth here. If you are planning on taking the bar exam this coming February or July, you may want to consider preparing for it early.
Why do students choose to start bar prep early? Some students feel that they need the extra time to learn and internalize the massive amount of material that needs to be learned for the bar exam. Other students do not need the extra time, but feel much less anxious knowing that they will be one step ahead by starting on bar exam preparation earlier than their peers. They feel less anxious going into the exam and more secure about receiving a passing score.
We have helped several students get a head start on bar prep and we can say that without exception, those who start bar prep early virtually never regret the decision.
