Washington DC (UBE) & Virginia Bar Exam Tutoring & Self-Study

Author: Dwight Zenzano

  • New York July 2013 Bar Exam results posted

    The pass list for the July 2013 bar exam for New York has been publicly posted at http://www.nybarexam.org for viewing. The overall pass rate was 69% for this administration of the exam. Here are some more detailed pass rate statistics from this summer’s exam:

    New York ABA Schools – First Time Takers 88%
    Out-of-State ABA Schools – First Time Takers 84%
    All ABA Graduates – First Time Takers 86%
    Foreign-Educated – First Time Takers 46%
    All Foreign-Educated 37%
    All First Time Takers 78%

    You will find the lookup here.

  • July 2013 DC Bar Exam Pass list posted online

    The official pass list for the 2013 July DC Bar Exam is now posted online.  Out of 240 test takers the overall pass rate was less than half, 45%.  First time takers had a slightly better showing with a pass rate of 56%.

    Here is a link to the pass list: (more…)

  • July 2013 DC Bar Exam results posted

    The results for the DC Bar Exam from July 2013 have been posted today.  Below is a picture of the pass list from the Committee on Admissions.  Once the results are posted online I will share the statistics.  Congratulations to everyone who passed! (more…)

  • July 2013 MBE Statistics (mean and range)

    We’ve got some preliminary numbers on the MBE from the July 2013 bar exam.  Looks like we had a nice scale with the mean coming in at 144.3 with a range of 41 – 189.9.  Kudos to whoever got within 0.1 points of a perfect scaled score of 190!  We’ll look more closely at the scale when more results are out.  Until then, hang tight as results are coming out slowly over the next month or so here across the country.

  • Bar Exam Tutoring Roster is full for February 2014

    My bar exam tutoring roster is full for all jurisdictions for the February 2014 bar exam.  I know that results from July are not even out yet, but 1/2 my slots were already full even before the July exam.  I apologize to everyone if this seems unfair since results are not even out yet but I only take on a limited number of students each exam.  And this year, I had many students contact me quite early.  Notwithstanding the above, there are always exceptions, and sometimes students of mine end up not being able to take the exam for one reason or another and drop out.  So feel free to email me if you have a strong need for tutoring for the February exam and I will see what I can do to try and help you out.  Until then, we are patiently waiting for results, with most jurisdictions releasing results this month, VA and DC at the end of this month, and California of course making us wait the longest until the 22nd of November.

  • July 2013 bar exam is done

    Welcome to August, and congratulations to everyone who took the July 2013 bar exam, it’s finally over!  This summer was a particularly tough administration of the exam, especially in Virginia.  Lots of Professional Responsibility, full Creditors Rights question, etc.  The MBE was a bit tougher than usual this summer as well, making for a particularly hard time in Virginia.  DC was no piece of cake either, MPTs and MEEs were slightly more difficult than usual as well.  Once the MBE curve is available I’ll be taking a close look at that to do an analysis and see how the scaled scores look this time around.

    Results to come out in early to mid October for DC and VA, I’ll post more specific dates when I get them.  Good luck until then!

  • 1 week until the July 2013 bar exam

    With one week until exam day, the July 2013 bar exam is just around the corner.  I like to make this week all about review: practicing MBE questions, reading over past essays, perusing flash cards and skimming notes.  I’ve also like going over the Strategies and Tactics for the MBE book every day for the rest of this week leading up to the next week.  It’s a great book for nailing down the trickiest and most tested distinctions on the MBE, and unlike essay questions, the MBE requires highly detailed knowledge of distinctions.  For those of you taking Virginia, don’t be fooled into thinking (more…)

  • Less than 4 weeks to go until the July 2013 Bar Exam

    Happy 4th of July!  With just under four weeks remaining until the July 2013 bar exam, I’ve been telling everyone I know taking the exam that if they have not been 100% focused up until this point, now is the time to get serious.  The bar exam is not something that many people can cram for a week before and pass, it takes time.  1 month is about the minimum for most people, although the standard study period is usually 2 months.  However, as most of us know 2 months is a long time in advance to memorize details, so the most important study time is the month before the bar exam.  I’ve been re-reading the Strategies and Tactics book for the MBE this week, and doing a few MBE questions each day.  This is my basic routine for MBE prep and keeps me on top of my game all month long.  I also make sure and listen to my favorite PMBR MBE lectures for at least 30 minutes a day, usually when I am at the gym or driving.  I’ve also been going over some state essay questions (Virginia, New York and California) from recent years and looking at the style of questions.  This helps me to focus my studying and hone in on what areas/subjects I should be spending my time from now until the exam.  I’ve been focusing on criminal law and UCC2 (Sales) quite a bit as those are popular topics on bar exam essays.  Today I am basically taking the day off, and my students are welcome to as well.  A quick read of the Strategies & Tactics book plus 3 MBE questions is all I need to do and then I can enjoy the rest of my day with BBQ and fireworks.

  • California Feb 2013 bar exam results posted

    The February 2013 California bar exam results are now available online. 41% of test takers (1,810 people) passed the exam.  52% of first time test takers passed the exam while only 36% of repeat takers passed.  Letters were mailed out this weekend but the full list and name lookup are available online here:  http://apps.calbar.ca.gov/exam/

  • Tutoring roster for July 2013 bar exam is FULL

    I am completely full for tutoring this summer, including my tutors that work for me.  If you have extraordinary circumstances, feel free to email me and I’ll do my best to try help/give advice or point you in the right direction.  But at this point I am not taking any more students for July 2013 and my February 2014 roster is nearly half full as well.  I will try to post as many helpful posts as I can between now and the bar exam to help everyone out.  Best bet is to get started with studying in the next week or two and be sure and have a good, solid plan of attack.  You don’t need a comprehensive day-by-day plan, but put a good framework together so you can hit the necessary weekly milestones.  Good luck!