It goes without saying that we would like you to hire us to help you pass the bar exam. It's a little difficult to explain exactly what a tutor or "personal coach" can do for you. Obviously, we focus on two big areas: law knowledge and test-taking technique. But a truly wise approach to the bar exam acknowledges that preparing for and taking the bar exam requires more than knowledge and skills.
In order to pass
the bar examination, successful candidates have
certain qualities in common. These are, inter alia:
- Law
Knowledge
- English
Reading
and Writing Skills
- Test
Taking
Technique
- Physical
and
Emotional Endurance
- Good
Luck
Let's
examine
each one of these qualities in greater depth. The tutorial
services offered through PASS THE
BAR.COM focus on all of them.
Law
Knowledge
Obviously, you have to know a lot of black letter law to pass a bar
exam
and get a license to practice law. “Law Knowledge” is more subtle
than the ability to recite long and complicated passages of law like a
trained parrot. You also have to recognize the relationship
between issues, both within a subject area (e.g. torts) and between
multiple areas (e.g. torts and constitutional law). Finally, you
have to be able to explain how the legal result arises from a specific
set of facts.
Simply put, “Law Knowledge” includes what could be more accurately
described as "Legal Reasoning”. Although there are some
superficial differences between various states, the written section of
every bar exam in the country requires bar candidates to both recognize
the issues presented and explain how the law and facts interact to
produce specific answers to all the questions. Similarly, the
Multistate Bar Examination
requires applicants to use legal reasoning to eliminate incorrect
answer choices.
Successful bar candidates usually appreciate how the material is tested
in addition to having a broad knowledge of the law. Thus, it
should come as no surprise that practice is the single most important
method of preparing for any bar examination. That means working
your way through thousands of MBE questions and dozens of essays.
Use your
practice to fuel your study! Do not devote a lot of time to
studying the material in the abstract. Get into practice and
learn how to sharpen your knowledge to best prepare for the task at
hand - passing the bar examination.
English
Reading and Writing Skills
The bar examination is a test of language skills. You have got to
be fluent and sharp in order to get through a timed bar examination and
pass
it. Any candidate for the bar who has problems making it through
the exam within time constraints should be tested for previously
undiagnosed learning
disabilities.
Most candidates who pass the bar exam write reasonably well. This
means they organize their thoughts with care before writing, and they
express themselves clearly. “Plain English” is becoming
increasingly popular, and this is a tremendous development. For
the bar exam, it is critically important for candidates to focus on
outlining and organization. Setting up an answer with care is
enormously important, and it is a skill one has to concentrate on in
order to develop.
The most common mistake bar applicants make on the written section of
the exam is to spend too much time reciting the law and not enough time
analyzing the facts. Again, this is a specialized skill one has
to practice with some dedication in order to master it. At PASS THE BAR.COM we pay
particular attention to this issue with our students.
Test
Taking
Technique
It is amazing how many people fail bar exams because they spend too
much time studying and not enough time practicing. One can study
the law around the clock for a couple of years and never learn the
first thing about actually taking the exam. The goal is to
pass the bar examination. You've got to prepare for the exam
you're going to take, as opposed to striving for some abstract notion
of excellence. It goes without saying that we emphasize solid
technique - and you don't have to take our word for it. This web
site has more practical information about how to pass the bar
examination than all the corporate bar review sites combined. It's
better written than the sites of all the other professionals in this
field, too.
Physical
and Emotional Endurance
Preparing for and taking any bar examination takes a lot of
strength. The longest bar exam in the country is in California,
which is three full days. Doesn't it make intuitive sense to
think that those who are in better physical shape have some advantages
over the other candidates? Plan on being in better shape on day
one of the exam than you are in the day you begin to prepare for
it. Every minute you devote to your physical health is wisely
spent - up to a point. If you spend eight hours a day in the gym
you probably won't have enough time to practice and study for the bar
exam.
The bar exam experience is emotionally demanding, too. Suppose
you're a recent law school graduate with $90,000 of debt and a big
corporate job riding on whether or not you pass the bar exam. Hey
- no pressure - just relax and have fun, right? Probably
not. It makes good sense to take care of your emotional health
while you're getting ready for the exam. This is best done by
planning your whole approach to preparation in advance, and taking your
emotional needs into account.
Luck
Luck is one idea that most bar review professionals don't like to talk
about, but it's important to acknowledge that luck will play a role in
your success or failure on the bar examination. Realistically, however,
the truth is
that a well prepared candidate can have plenty of bad luck and still
pass with a comfortable margin. A knowledgeable and skillful
candidate can use sharp technique to compensate for soft areas of
knowledge and still craft decent answers. Sometimes a poorly prepared
candidate can have great luck and bluff their way past the bar
examiners, but this is not a common occurrence.
Please be in touch.. Fill out our on-line Form, Send us e-mail, Call toll-free (866) 449-EXAM