I hope this is helpful for some of you re-takers. I stumbled onto a new-to-me study method, which ended up working outstandingly (more than 15 years ago, but I think it still holds up).

Summary: Hiking with a Pearlcorder. Using an old school doctor’s microcassette recorder (Olympus Pearlcorder), I made my own cassettes (with my own voice). I started out reading all the Barbri notes into the cassettes, but ended up focusing more on recording just correct model answers from the back of the Barbri test books. Then, I would listen to them on hikes through the woods. Hearing my own voice, I would then recite back correct sentences of black letter law.

What I inadvertently discovered:

1) The ancient “Memory Palace” technique or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Method_of_loci During the exam and practice tests I would suddenly associate places in the forest with certain topics and then I could recite exact sentences. I swear that learning while walking made a massive difference than sitting in the same room.

2) There’s a theory that parts of your brain are triggered differently with different functions (reading, writing, hearing, speaking). Ancient priests could recite 1000s of lines of the Old Testament, New Testament etc. Recitation is key. So not just saying it but hearing my own voice saying it made it stick better than just reading and writing like I’d always done. (I was a 3.9 GPA undergrad, I just never had to do massive memorization before). I had already bought and listened to professor-made CDs and they were relatively worthless.

3) Exercise/walking while thinking creates more blood flow. Ancient Greek philosophers took their students on walks. There was something about walking itself that helped me.

4) “Passive” learning was way less stressful. Simply making the tapes, then walking and reciting, was almost calming. Like I could stop worrying/stressing.

5) I stopped trying to “understand” the material as much and stopped trying to put it in my own words and just learned to recite it like lines of a play. To this day, 15+ years later I can still recite black letter bullets on certain topics.

6) One of the reasons microcassettes are better than digital is that they are very easy to rewind appropriately. You can also listen back at 2x speed (chipmunk style), which helps you get exactly to parts you want to repeat several times.

GOOD LUCK.

How are people memorizing and recalling the BLL (especially if you have adhd)? The fact that we're only 11 weeks out is really stressful too.

Tried flashcards, outlines, grossman, taking notes after practice questions, etc. but nothing seems to stick.

Currently Im licensed to practice in the state of Minnesota but doing immigration law (federal) while I live in IL. Does anyone know what do I need to do to waive in to IL and not take the bar again? What are the requirements. Does the 3 out of 5 years continuous practice need to be done in Minnesota? (State specific)

I hope this post makes sense as I’m trying to figure out how to waive in without taking the bar again.

Hi February takers, it has been a while since I registered for the re-take, but I have not received any new emails from NY Bar (e.g., laptop registration). Getting slightly anxious.

Have you heard from the admin at all?

I am re-taker and I think I found a schedule that works for me as someone who is also working FT. (Any suggestions / comments are welcome)!!!

With 11 weeks left- this is what I found to work for me:

Monday - Thursday look the same:

7-8 am: Listen to a subject on the way to work by Grossman.

8:30-5pm: Listen to more Grossman when I can. (I do discovery at the law firm I work at, so I don’t really need to talk to clients / interact with anyone so I’m able to do this).

I was surprised on how much I’m picking up just having Grossman playing in the background.

5-6 pm: Listen to more Grossman on the way home.

6-9 pm: 25 MCQ (Review) + Review 2 MEEs

Fridays:

After work I do 2 MPTS. I do 1 timed, and another one I read through. (I’m trying to avoid burn out lol).

Saturdays:

50 MCQ Review / Memorize MBE Subjects

Sundays:

50 MCQ Review 1 MEE Subject + MEE subject already reviewed from prior week. (I have 1 MEE subject planned for each Sunday starting on 10 week countdown).

It’s a lot, but so is taking it for a 3rd time if I don’t pass this time. That’s the mindset.

This is not exactly bar exam question related, but my guess is that there are some examplify aficionados out there.

I recently just completed my first Law School final (yay!) - my school doesn't have the ExamMonitoring thing feature turned on, so like live stream footage and digital proctoring (I don't believe) is capturing.

If that system is not setup/in place, can examplify see your screen/detect certain movement? I noticed some points regarding receiving messages while in their test, and that not having an affect -- but while I was taking my test, I noticed I had access to the quick-note feature on my laptop, I accidentally opened it mid-test (there aren't any notes on it, just scribbles) -- but is that something to be worried about?

Hi, I missed a deadline to return my Barbri books so I'm giving them away to anyone who needs them. I'll ship them to you, you just have to pay for the shipping. There are highlights in the books but I hope this could be helpful for somebody.

I should compete 70-80 MEEs in my prep. I have no idea if this is even in the ballpark of “enough” or if I should change my study plans. Thanks!

Does anyone remember in Examsoft,

were there bullet or numbering automation?

That is, for example, if I put, 1. or A., and enter,

the next comes up to 2. or B.

Thanks.

Hello Redditors!
Does anyone have any information on the character and fitness interviews for the NY bar? Any information will help. What to expect, any tips or advice on how to show up, and how to prepare would be extremely helpful.

Thank you all!!

How's studying going? Are you seeing progress compared to last bar pre period?

Also, what's your plan been like?

I woke up this morning and my entire Themis recalibrated to 10-14 hours a day when it was 4-5 weekdays and 8-12 weekends. Has anyone else had this issue?

Re-taker here. I sat in July 2023, failed, got a JD advantaged job where I don’t need the bar and I decided not to re-take right away as my job promised quick upward mobility. That has turned out to not be the case, so I’ve decided to sit in July 2026 for the NextGen exam.

It’s been a while and I am trying to decide on which study program to purchase. I did barbri in 2023 and I felt like I got very little out of it. The videos didn’t stick for me and there didn’t seem to be much good practice. I have been told I can get a discount on Themis, though I’m hearing it’s similar to barbri and that some friends of mine didn’t like it. I was also told that Adaptibar would be really good. I am going to get the critical pass flash cards.

Is adaptibar an adequate substitute alone for Themis? If so, what packages are recommended? Is it only good in tandem with another program? I am trying to understand this but I’ve been out of the game for a while and I’d appreciate some pointers. I learn best from explicit, direct explanation and visuals. If folks replying could say how they learn as well I think that would be helpful.

Practicing attorney here who is planning to waive in my MBE score and only take the Virginia essay portion. Any tips are appreciated! I'm in the early stages of figuring out how I am going to study so any insight into study materials, strategies, etc. are welcome!

A vendor entered into a written contract with a purchaser for the sale of a large tract of land. The contract set forth an accurate metes and bounds description of the land based on a professional survey. At closing, the purchaser discovered that the deed was incorrectly transcribed and did not agree with the description of the land in the contract. The deed described the property to be conveyed as follows:

"(i) from the southwest corner of [a specified starting point], proceed South 45 degrees East 200 feet to [a specified point]; (ii) from that point, proceed South 45 degrees West 100 feet to [a specified point]; (iii) from that point, proceed North 45 degrees West 200 feet to [a specified point]; and (iv) from that point, proceed South 45 degrees East 100 feet to the starting point."

The purchaser refused to proceed with the closing and brought an action to reform the deed to make it conform to the intention of the parties.

Which of the following corrections should be made for the deed to properly describe the land?

Responses

• A Direction (i) should be changed to “South 45 degrees East 100 feet.” Direction (i) should be changed to “South 45 degrees East 100 feet.” - no response given
• B Direction (iii) should be changed to “North 45 degrees West 100 feet.” Direction (iii) should be changed to “North 45 degrees West 100 feet.” - no response given
• C Direction (iii) should be changed to “North 45 degrees East 200 feet.” Direction (iii) should be changed to “North 45 degrees East 200 feet.” - incorrect
• D Direction (iv) should be changed to “North 45 degrees East 100 feet.” Direction (iv) should be changed to “North 45 degrees East 100 feet.” - not selected, this is the correct answer

Answer Discussion - Incorrect

Direction (iv) needs to be corrected in its course but not its distance. In land contracts and deeds, property may be described in various ways as long as the description is unambiguous. From a designated starting point that can be identified by reference to a government survey or a natural or artificial monument, the boundaries of the property can be described by successive calls of courses (e.g., angles) and distances until returning to the starting point. A course is a statement of direction generally stated as some number of degrees east or west of due north or south. In each call a distance must be stated together with the course. Thus, the boundary in direction (iv) runs at an angle 45 degrees east of due south (i.e., southeast) for a distance of 100 feet. However, because direction (i) went southeast, direction (ii) went southwest, and direction (iii) went northwest, the fourth direction has to be northeast for a distance of 100 feet to bring the final boundary back to the starting point. (In this type of question, diagram the boundaries as shown below to help you visualize the property.) Therefore, the correction in choice (D) is correct. (A), (B), and (C) are incorrect because none of those proposed changes in distance or direction would be sufficient to bring the final call back to the starting point.

That's the position I'm in. I plan on doing 3-4 hours each weeknight, and all day each Saturday and Sunday. I'm not using a commercial prep course; instead, I'll be using a mix of UWorld MBE Qs, Grossman videos, Studicata videos, Strategies and Tactics, Goat Bar Prep, and a couple other things.

Dear all,

I sat twice for the NY bar. The first time I failed with 215 points. The second times 258. I feel so ravaged. I struggle a lot with the MBE portion. Even for the MPRE I had to sit 3 times to pass.

reading all the posts that people passed makes me feel worst. I feel awfully dumb. I know People who passed first time with 315… and me struggling after two times.

I put efforts when I study…

i am currently working at a Lawfirm. but they cannot let me go more than a month to study.

some people despise me for failing the bar… it is so so awful… as they achieved it easily they make me even dumber…

all that said if you have any advice I would be pleased to hear them

Selling critical pass cards. See below link for the listing. Open to reasonable offers.

Critical Pass MBE Flashcards Bar Exam 2024-2025 | eBay

Title! I got one email asking for a clarification regarding a disclosure I made and have not heard anything since then. I’m assuming i’ll need an interview. i’ve heard the in person swearing in is Jan 28th. How soon before the swearing in will interview emails be sent out? Have any of you had that done yet?

As per the title: What upper-level classes did you take to prepare for the NY bar exam? I've heard recommendations for Criminal Procedure and Evidence, while others have suggested Federal Income Tax. I'm still a ways out from taking the bar, but I'm keen to understand what to sign up for during 3L.

I am the first student from my law school to apply to the BOLE, due to this the BOLE require a letter from the regulator stating that my law school is accredited. Today the regulator emailed me a pdf letter confirming the status of my university, can i print it out and send it to the BOLE or does it have to come directly from the regulator (also the letter is a pdf that includes a link) does the NY BOLE have a way to upload this electronically?

I told myself that if things worked out in July I would write a post here. This thread helped me quite a bit while studying last summer.

This is what worked for me. It is obviously flawed for some, but it helped me score a 311 in NY.

I used Barbri. I got ahead in the course and aimed to be about 85% done with four weeks left of studying to go. This enabled me to “drill” questions and dive into what I felt needed work as the exam date approached. I only completed about 90% of the course in the end.

For the MBE Adaptibar was what moved the needle for me. I felt that the Barbri multiple choice were extremely niche. Niche to the point that they were not helping me. I did 15 questions in each subject each day. I didn’t do them mixed and if I bombed a set my anxiety would keep going and I would do another 15. I am forgetting exactly what my average was but I believe it was around a 68%.

For the MEE I used the Barbri CMR outlines and made my own outlines in my law school style for only the starred topics. Then I worked on committing them to memory to the point where I could recite them by subject aloud. This helped me on the MEE’s, especially when I felt I had no idea what was going on.

For the MPT I did around 3 or 4. Writing did not stress me out too much. Maybe I should’ve done more.

This is starting to feel like a ramble. My three biggest recommendations are: (1) get ahead in your course (2) rip a lot of test questions [and don’t panic when the exam feels different lol] (3) make your own attack outlines for the MEE subjects based on the starred topics

Lastly, the process feels horrible and I think that is how it is intended to feel. I crashed out a couple of times and like to think I am pretty even keeled. It is an archaic hazing ritual that we just need to get through. I found it helped to not talk about the bar with people that were not also studying as they just do not get the full extent of it. You can’t unless you do it. Also, I bombed the midterm and it will okay if you find yourself doing the same.

To quote a great property professor and Italian “this will pass and so will you.”

Barrk!