Look Into Your Bar Exam Crystal Balls
A popular game bar exam takers like to play is to guess what topics are going to be covered on the essay portions of the exam. Apparently if you go through enough of the past exams you can notice trends and predict those areas of the law that will definitely be tested on and those areas of the law that will definitely not be tested on.
I heard a prediction that there will definitely be an evidence essay and probably a criminal procedure essay (possibly though this might be part of a crossover with the evidence one) and maybe a community property essay on the Cal Bar.
I'm not into predicting what's going to be on the exam mainly because I'm too lazy to do the necessary analysis and also because of my laziness I would probably just focus on my wrong predictions and fail the essay portion of the exam.
Anyway, if any of you would like to make some predictions regarding your state's exam, then feel free to leave a comment (please leave a comment). But what may be a little bit more fun and more telling is to leave a comment about what your dream bar exam would test on.
In the most general terms my six essays would test on:
1. Community Property,
2. Torts,
3. Criminal Law/Procedure,
4. Wills & Trusts (Or just Wills please),
5. More Torts, and
6. More Torts
What can I say? I I <3 Tort's too.
posted by W at 8:24 AM
12 Comments:
My dream bar exam would consist of all Constitutional Law and Criminal Law.... is it sad that I can actually think of this in a dream like way?!
7/03/2006 10:19 AM
My admissions ticket told us what subjects were going to be on it. I mean, nothing specific but we know which subjects and which days.
7/03/2006 11:20 AM
I would say that is sad Hazel but whatever helps you get through a day of bar studying.
And Frolics, do you mean to tell me you know what subjects are going to be tested on your essays? Like Crim Law, Con Law, and Torts will be tested on day 1 of essays? If so, which state and is it too late to sign up for that exam?
7/03/2006 12:30 PM
The first essay is domestic and equity, 2nd is Wills, Trusts, & Estates, and third is Insurance. Then the second day we have Federal and State Procedure on one, UCC (2, 3, 4, and 9) on another, and Business Corps and Agency on the last. It's all the subjects we have been studying. Alas, it's not exactly specific.
7/03/2006 5:34 PM
Oh man, everyone come to Washington! No multiple choice/multistate at all - just 18 essays (9 each for the first two days) on substantive laws (out of a possible 21 subjects, some have two subjects - like Fam Law/Comm Prop). Then, the third day is 6 Professional Responsibility essays. You have to pass both parts separately - ie: doing great on the substantive portion won't allow you to do worse on PR. Now, doesn't that sound fun???
7/03/2006 7:33 PM
They say California has the toughest bar exam out there but 18 essays does not sound like fun and how is it there are 21 subjects? How long for each essay?
Is that just another example of the Seattle Freeze?
7/03/2006 8:24 PM
The essays come in three sets of three per day, and you get 2 hours and 15 minutes for each set of three...so 45 minutes each-ish.
There are 21 substantive subjects, and all, or nearly all, will be tested on the essays. (We have Property, Torts, Admin, ConLaw, Contracts, Sales, Commercial Paper, Secured Transactions, Family Law, Community Prop., Agency, Partnerships, Corporations, CrimLaw, CrimPro, Wills, Trusts, etc...on and on.) Last year they didn't get a CrimLaw or a Commercial Paper question, but usually 19 or 20 of the subjects are tested, with some questions being cross-subjects (ie: nearly every question has a Community Property element, or Admin might be crossed with ConLaw, etc).
I don't think it's "hard" per se, but it is a PAIN IN THE ASS trying to memorize all this crap because you have to memorize sometimes entire paragraphs of material - but it's like four paragraphs in each subject or whatever. It blows!! The 6 PR essays on the third day are half as long (one page each, half the time)...so it's 6 essays in a half day exam. BOO!
Basically it's not as terrible as it sounds, but it is incredibly boring and yet memory intensive which is the worst combination ever in terms of comprehension!
And don't laugh - the Seattle Freeze is REAL and it SUCKS!
7/04/2006 12:24 AM
Crim law (no procedure), Torts, Corporations, and Con law. That would be so cake.
7/05/2006 5:34 AM
I would like my bar exam to just test on Evidence, thank you. The essay portion can just test on Holder in Due Course - ya, that's enough!
7/05/2006 10:06 PM
My dream bar exam would be nothing but MPT after MPT. I LOVE those things. Well, compared to my hatred for everything else.
My dream bar essay section has changed several times, but right now it includes Domestic Relations, Wills, Crim Pro and Agency/Partnership. I suppose Torts would be fine too.
Okay, honestly, anything but property.
7/05/2006 11:03 PM
I don't understand all of you wanting torts on your dream exam. Ok, torts essay--fine. But torts on the MBE? I am royallly SUCKING at torts. What's the matter with me? No one else sucks at torts on the MBE!!!!
Sorry for ranting-- I just had my first freak-out with non-law school friends. They were like, what's wrong with you? I guess five weeks of studying has finally broken me. And I thught I could stay sane. But if I don't pass I won't have a job and I'm $70,000 in debt. man, oh man...
7/09/2006 1:30 AM
Here are THE DEFINITIVE predictions. Put all your attention on these subjects and you can't go wrong. THE ESSAY TOPICS FOR THE JULY 2006 CA BAR EXAM ARE:
International Trade Law
Patent & Trademark Law
Admiralty & Maritime Law
Space Law: Falling Satellites and Torts
Starfleet General Order 1: Prime Directive Law
California Bar Rules on Bar Exam Appeals
7/19/2006 4:50 PM
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