Category: Virginia Bar Exam

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!

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.