We Have Arrived At The Party: Thoughts on the Multi-state bar examination.

1. Study one subject at a time. Study one subject at a time during your bar prep period. There are six multi-state bar exam subjects. Choose either: (i) the subject that the commercial bar prep course begins its studies with, or (ii) the most difficult multi-state bar subject you encountered in law school.

2. Each week or so, study another multi-state bar exam subject. Keep adding one subject on to the previous subject until you have learned all six topics.

3. Don't think about the past: Whenever you answer a multi-state question, answer that question, and move on. Do not think about the previous question, again. Ever. When you move to the next question, that is the question that receives all of your focus and attention. Do not second guess the answer in the previous question. That question is done and over with. Forever. Concentrate on the question before you.

4. I want you to be an active learner: an active learner tests herself on the material, even when she is doubtful of her abilities or when she knows she has not mastered the law. Study one subject, test on that subject, create your outline for that subject.

5. Take a day off from testing. Yes, you can and will take a day off. However, even if you "take one day off," there is still time during that day for testing. Rise at 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. Test at 8:30 a.m., for three hours. You are finished at 11:30 a.m. Go have your day off. No review. No outline. Test. Three hours. Then go!

Caveat Emptor: People are not impressed that you are studying for the bar exam; they are impressed when you pass. When you go to a picnic and tell others that you are studying for the exam, they will wonder what you are doing there, at the picnic. If you go to a picnic, keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, you will have to justify why you are there, and may have to answer some legal question for which you have no legal answer. You do not need a deflated self-esteem. You came for fun. Eat the hot dogs, mingle, have fun, and be quiet (regarding the exam). Remember, it is a day off.

6. Proper Practice Prevents Poor Performance. Never stop practicing multi-state bar questions, even if you are getting a very low percentage of questions correct. You must always practice. Practice helps you to keep your rhythm and reinforces your technique. If you stop the rhythm, the ritual, and the method, you run the risk of losing your technique during the actual exam. Keep practicing.

7. Skipping questions. Never skip a question. NEVER. If you skip a question, and make the mistake of placing the answer to question number 4 in the box for question number 5, then you have blown your entire exam, and will be required to go down "Re-take Road," (TM) under a circumstance that could have been prevented. If it is a question that you decide to skip, and choose to come back to later, then shade in a circle (a), (b), (c), or (d), but circle the question number in the booklet. Do not circle the number on the answer sheet, because if you forget to come back to that question or don't have enough time to get back to the question, then the circle on the answer sheet is recorded, along with the mark you made as an answer choice. A stray mark, such as a circled number on the answer sheet, will automatically throw out that particular question.

8. Please become a five-year old. Learn how to color. If you are taking a 90 minute test (eg., 50 questions), but for whatever reason, you are unable to complete the last five questions within the time period given, shade in a circle (any circle, please). When time is up, time is up. Circle the answer. Call it a day. You can go back and read the last five questions and change those answers. Do not get into the habit of not finishing the exam, but failing to answer the remaining questions before time is called.

9. Naps: When you start the multi-state bar, question answering process, you will probably fall asleep. Why? Long questions that you are not used to seeing, reading or answering require more mind power. You will have to concentrate more, for a longer period of time. If you fumble through five or ten questions, or find yourself on the same question, reading it two or three or four times, and your head is bobbing, that means that you need a "wake-up" call. A wake-up call may mean that you should take a walk, get some air, or, the easiest remedy, a 20 minute nap. Yes. Put your head on the desk and take a nap. If you are sleepy, then sleep. Head bobbing means that you are not retaining anything. Get the nap in. Start up, again.

10. Yes, it is the answer - seriously. Do not fight the correct answer choice. Fight to listen carefully for the truth. Whatever the answer to the question, is the answer to the question. You may actually find one question out of 3,000 that is the wrong answer. May!!! Some applicants tend to spend an inordinate amount of time fighting with the answers in the back of their books. The only thing this means is that you are refusing to learn. You would rather not be wrong, instead of deciding that the answer is correct. Find a way in which to agree with the answer choice, instead of constantly going to battle with an answer. Work to find the truth in the call of the question and the answer.

Our last two posts: the performance test and the essay.

Thank you for your time,

Prof. Smith