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Found a brain-dump email I wrote from 2013 after taking the #BarExam and wanted to pass along a few nuggets of advice to those still scheduled to take the Exam this week, particularly those taking the #NCBarExam 1/x
IMO, learning how to take the exam was more important than memorizing dozens of outlines. One example of employing strategy over rote memorization that I found helpful was to have 4-5 sentences& #39; worth of generally applicable material on every NC-specific subject... 2/x
...in case I got an essay prompt for which accurate issue-spotting would have been too time-consuming, or even impossible (looking at you, Secured Transactions). 3/x
The only thing I looked at the week of the Bar Exam, at least in terms of trying to memorize anything else this late in the game, was a good outline that covered all subject areas and included high-level, quick tips and tricks from my test-prep provider. 4/x
If you have an MBE (or UBE-equivalent) tip sheet containing notes on patterns in old questions, that would be helpful to focus on. Again, for me personally, I found near the end that focusing on exam-taking strategy paid greater dividends than trying to memorize... 5/x
...any new material or take another gosh darned practice exam (and then inevitably feel terrible about whatever I had scored, even if it would have been a passing one). When I was studying, we were told repeatedly that the NCBLE likely would fold Civ Pro sub-issues into... 6/x
...multiple NC-specific essay questions, and that if possible, we should memorize NCRCP rule numbers. But really, if I had to pick my #1 piece of advice, it& #39;s that even if you have no idea what the & #39;right& #39; answer is for one of the essay questions, go back to the basics... 7/x
...I wrote as many cogent sentences as I could about the subject matter, general rules + exceptions. I picked the issue I thought the question was testing, and then analyzed it to death, hoping that even if the conclusion wasn& #39;t entirely correct, I& #39;d still score some points...8/x
...for analysis. Since I took the Bar Exam in NC and passed the first time I sat for it, I was not given access to my score, so I can& #39;t tell you how I did other than that I "passed." So, take all of this FWIW, which may not be much. 9/x
But one thing I do know for sure is that at some point, you just have to call it and then let the chips fall. The day before the exam, I did not so much as even glance in the direction of my Bar Prep materials. I did everything in my power to relax, eat good meals... 10/x
...get a good night& #39;s sleep, watch trash TV. I also booked a massage the night before (obviously it& #39;s not safe for you to do this last part right now, so I don& #39;t recommend that) which helped to calm my nerves. Whatever you do, try to find peace and accept that... 11/x
...you& #39;ve studied hard, all summer long (or even longer), for this exam. Trust yourself and have faith in your abilities. If you have time, drive to the facility where you& #39;ll be sitting for the exam, so that you know the lay of the land in advance and won& #39;t have any.... 12/x
...unwanted surprises the morning of. As for taking the exam during a pandemic--putting aside for a moment how ridiculous it is that an in-person exam still is happening--I& #39;d suggest that you simply focus on the things you can control. 13/x
Your own PPE, your distance from others, your breathing, your hand-washing/sanitizing habits, taking all the precautions you can possibly take to be safe in an unsafe situation. And then, as much as you possibly can (and I know this is a big ask), put it out of your mind. 14/15
I know you haven& #39;t seen the best of the legal profession and its leaders (though some have been a shining light) this summer, but there are many of us who are rooting for you and share your bewilderment re: how this all has been managed. Good luck and godspeed. 15/15.
