![]() The companies assumed the skills required to actually break down and analyze essay questions were learned within the law school curriculum. ![]() These full service companies provided essay questions with model answers and had some discussion about the basic IRAC approach (Issue, Rule, Analysis, Conclusion, a cumbersome, outdated method not really suited to address today’s timed essay questions containing multiple issues and cross over subjects). Consequently, the major emphasis, in the companies offering full service Bar review, focused on the techniques of mastering MBE. In the past, the MBE was considered the most difficult and tricky portion of the exam to pass. Unfortunately, the long standing traditional Bar preparation courses have not adapted their curriculums to compensate for this change. It was found that because of societal changes (including that students today study in a different manner than in the past) and changes in the way many law schools are administering their classroom exams, many of today’s students taking the Bar are having difficulty following the call of an essay question they are not spotting a sufficient number of issues in the fact patterns they are having trouble applying the law to the facts and analyzing them and their grammar and spelling is not up to par. It was determined that the lower bar pass rates were due to a higher failure rate on the essay questions. An analysis was done and the researchers found that the decline was not due to lower scores on the multiple choice portion of the exam (known as the MBE). You are correct, today’s students are just as intelligent, but there is something else going on. So then you might be wondering, “why are the Bar pass rates steadily decreasing, it is not as if today’s students are less intelligent than those from twenty years ago?” As a result, today’s Bar exams are just as difficult to pass as those given twenty years ago when I took mine. In other words, the state bar licensing agencies are refusing to grade the Bar exam on a curve, citing the need to preserve public protection. To compound that problem, many states, like California, are refusing to lower their exam pass cut lines to raise the pass rates. To further complicate matters, as I am sure you have heard, and as amply reported in publications like the Los Angeles Times and the ABA Journal, Bar exam pass rates have been on a steady decline for the last several years. Others may have had to take out substantial student loans which now, that you have graduated, will require repayment.Įither way, a Bar exam preparation course is essential. For some, you already have a job lined up which would disappear if you didn’t pass the first time. And note, if this is the first time you are taking the Bar exam, it is important that you choose a full service course which prepares you for all aspects of the exam including the multiple choice, essays and the performance exam.įor many of you, passing the Bar exam the first time is vital. Thus, the exam is different in many ways as to what you have been exposed to.įor this reason alone, taking a Bar preparation course is critical. Putting aside the logistics, time constraints, and two day intensity the Bar exam is put together by the state bar regulatory agencies in an attempt to test for whether a person would be a competent attorney. ![]() Taking the Bar exam is much different than taking an exam in law school. But like me, after finishing law school, I am sure you are thinking “okay, I successfully jumped that hurdle, now I need to jump the next and most important one – passing the Bar.” Understanding the rigors you have endured, congratulations is certainly in order. Since you have landed here, I am assuming that you have either successfully finished law school or will be graduating soon. The Definitive Guide and Analysis for Finding the Right Bar Prep Course for the First Time Taker ![]()
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