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

Author: Dwight Zenzano

  • MPRE strategy and tips

    With the MPRE coming up this Saturday, no doubt many of you will be studying this week. Many of you will probably start to study this Thursday/Friday as the MPRE has a reputation as being one of those exams that you can study for in 1 day and pass. While it’s true that some people are able to study in just one evening and pass, this is not true for a large number of folks. In fact, there are many people who pass the bar but struggle with the MPRE. The mean score on the MPRE is usually somewhere in the high 90s, around 96-97. The “passing” score is different for every state, but the highest required score in most states is an 85. Looking at the distribution, that leaves roughly 1/3 of test takers failing the exam, so we’ve got a pass rate of about 70%, definitely lower than many bar exams. So why is this? It’s not because Professional Responsibility is a more difficult subject than any of the MBE subjects. I feel it is because many take the MPRE for granted.

    Here’s the strategy if you need to pass: Treat the MPRE like you would a single subject on the MBE. So, if you made flash cards for evidence, make them for the MPRE. If you did 200 practice questions for torts, do the same for the MPRE. If you made an outline for real property, do the same for the MPRE. This should only take you 1-2 weeks time since we are only talking about a single subject here. And no doubt, PR is less voluminous than the MBE subjects. Yes, on the MBE you only have approx 33 questions per subject and the MPRE is 60 questions, but still, it’s just one subject, with a dash of judicial code thrown in for good measure. So, if you “need” to pass, I recommend you follow the above advice and not skimp on your studying. If you only “want” to pass, or really don’t care, then rolling the dice and taking your chances is probably a fine approach. Good luck this Saturday.

  • July 2011 DC Bar Exam results are out: 46% overall pass rate

    The results for the July 2011 DC Bar Exam have been posted here:

    http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/membership/current_members/examResults.cfm

    The results are a low 46% pass rate with a good number (64%) of first time takers passing. Congratulations to everyone who passed! For those of you who did not pass, don’t despair. Go over your scores, think about how you did in relation to your studying and practice and then reassess in the coming weeks. And be sure to register for the Feb 2012 bar exam before the deadline, don’t be discouraged.

    My next post will be on MPRE strategy for the upcoming administration of the MPRE exam, stay tuned.

    Additionally, you can get the results in PDF format here:

    Click to access SuccessfulList.pdf

  • Virginia Bar Exam July 2011 Results are posted – 76.40% Pass Rate

    Good showing this summer to all Virginia test takers. The overall pass rate was 76.40% with a great showing by the first time takers at 81.01%. Extra kudos go out to George Mason, University of Virginia, and Washington & Lee first time takers for their schools having a pass rate over 90% and representing Virginia law schools.

    To those who passed, you are licensed effective October 14, 2011. Don’t forget there are TWO pass lists, the first is everyone who passed and are licensed. The second are those who passed but still have pending issues so those on the second list are NOT licensed.

    Finally, make sure you attend the swearing in ceremony on Halloween. Congratulations to those who passed! For those of you who did not, don’t despair. Re-think your approach and sign up for the February 2012 exam. The deadline for signing up is December 15, 2011.

    Link to the complete list of names on both pass lists:

    http://www.vbbe.state.va.us/bar/barresultsprint.html

  • Virginia results this week, DC results soon

    Virginia results should be out Thursday afternoon or sometime Friday at the latest. No big surprises expected but the long wait from this summer is finally drawing to an end. Good luck to everyone as the results are posted. When they are posted I’ll do a breakdown and analysis of how the numbers came out. And of course, the same for the DC scores when they are out in the next few days/weeks.

  • Analysis of Barbri’s Virginia bar exam materials for self-study

    Those of you that have taken Barbri or are taking it know that when you receive your materials (usually in 2 or even 3 shipments), you get about 40-50 pounds of books. This is quite absurd and one of the reasons I developed my own methodology for studying for the bar exam. Nevertheless, I thought I’d go through and briefly discuss all the individual books you get with the Barbri Virginia package, especially for those of you who will be buying these materials used from a previous test taker as many times some materials are missing. This will hopefully assist in your hunt for used study materials.

    Multistate (MBE):

    First a quick word on the multistate stuff Barbri gives you. I’ll be honest, I think barbri’s MBE prep is one of the worst out there. Basically, anything else is better (kaplan/pmbr, etc.). They give you a bunch of books, I wouldn’t use any of them.

    Virginia:

    Now to the good stuff, the Virginia specific materials. (more…)

  • July 2011 Virginia Bar Exam results to be posted October 14, 2011

    The VBBE has posted that the results should be posted online October 14, 2011, just over 2 months from now. In the past, the exam results are usually posted the afternoon before or on the exact day they say.

  • Bar exam for July 2011 is done – DC & VA thoughts

    A quick look at the DC and Virginia bar exams from this week shows that nothing out of the ordinary was tested. Both exams were fair.

    MBE – An average MBE, not easy, not impossible. A few civ pro type questions were thrown in, which is not too unusual.

    DC Essays – Subjects were pretty much what you would expect: Crim, Con law and property, plus civ pro, family law and commercial paper.

    DC MPTs – Both memos, one objective and one persuasive. Classic.

    VA Essays – No surprises here, straightforward and fair exam.

    Now the waiting begins. Try to enjoy the rest of the summer during this 2+ month wait for the results.

  • Couple tips for Virginia July 2011 bar exam takers

    Last weekend before the bar exam here folks. Many people think that if you are not ready at this point, you are doomed. That’s not exactly true. Yes, it’s true that if you have not done anything at all until this point you are probably in bad shape, but what is not true is that you should take it easy this weekend. In fact, quite the opposite. This is the time to really cram/reinforce everything you have studied thus far.

    When it comes to the essays, I recommend spending some more time on VA and federal procedure, especially the VA specific vocab. Same goes with Equity and Local Government. Know the Virginia terms. Take the time this weekend to write at least few practice essays to test your comfort level with the Virginia vocabulary. The bar examiners in Virginia are fair people but they expect a well written essay that ANSWERS THE QUESTION(s) ASKED. Don’t go off on tangents or try and BS them as it will not work.

    Have a good and productive weekend.

  • Less than 2 weeks until the July 2011 bar exam – Some tips

    This is the critical time for studying. If you are concerned about the studying (or lack thereof) you have done so far, put that behind you. Now is not the time to debate in your mind if you spilled any milk and whether or not you should cry about it. Double down and focus on your goal: Passing the bar exam in 2 weeks time.

    A few tips for the MBE takers out there: Go back and review the FRE. Re-read the rules and then do a handful of evidence questions. You’ll be surprised to see how much “easier they seem”. For contracts, review the UCC2 distinctions. For criminal law, go over the common crimes and know the elements cold. For crim pro, know the search warrant exceptions. For con law, know the difference between due process and equal protection; and also make sure you know the fundamental rights. For torts, know the elements of the major torts and make sure you are clear on negligence. Finally, for property, don’t get too hung up on future interests (RAP, etc.) but instead focus on things like landlord/tenant law, mortgages, etc.

    Essay takers, I urge you to do past essay questions. In my opinion, there is no better method of studying for the essays than doing actual essay questions.

    2 weeks is a long time and more than enough time to really hammer home the core areas of the law that you must know in order to pass the bar exam. Good luck!

  • 1st Weekend in June – Time to start studying a VA essay primer

    For those of you who have not started studying yet, this weekend is the time to do so. We’re at less than 2 months till the July 2011 bar exam, so this is the time to start.

    For all of you taking the Virginia bar exam, I have some tips to share for the essays and short answer section, which is 60% of your overall score. First, the basics. You have approximately 36 minutes per essays, and 36 minutes for 20 short answer questions. Of course, you overall time is 3 hours and you can divide it up however you want, but it breaks out to 36 minutes per question approx. In the morning section you have 5 essay questions, and in the afternoon section you have 4 essay questions and 20 short answers. For the afternoon section I recommend doing the short answers first (they usually take much less than 36 minutes) and then finish off the last 4 essay questions of the day.

    Take a look at the past essay questions and model answers (available from GMU and W&M) for years past and look for frequency of subjects tested. (NOTE: The barbri frequency chart is flawed and many of the years/subjects are incorrect, so I recommend looking at the questions yourself and not blindly relying on inaccurate materials.) The VA bar examiners have openly stated that they like testing subjects that a new attorney is likely to encounter. Read into this! (more…)