Google searches that brought people to my blog in the last 12 hours.
3 searches for "how should i study for the texas bar exam essays the night before" This is soooo not the place to look for this kind of advice. It's 9:45 and I wish someone would tell me what to do. Should I memorize 6 subjects so that I can have a few really good essays? Should I try to brush up on all 12 so that I don't panic when I open a test booklet and realize I HAVE NOTHING IN MY BRAIN TO FILL THE EMPTY SCREEN OF DOOM. I'm really not sure. I know that I nearly fell asleep during the MBE, so getting more than 5.5 hours tonight would be a good thing.
2 for "lowest passing mbe score in texas bar" I don't know, but it's hopefully around a 27 because that's how many questions I was certain I got write in the first set of 100. Yes, 27 - you know, about the number you should get right if you just bubble in "C" for every single answer.
And 1 each for "how many days is the texas bar exam" It's 3 days and it sucks to see all your friends' relieved and happy facebook messages when you still have a day of essays ahead of you.
"how essays are graded on texas bar exam" I don't know, I'm hoping to wow them with one or two fancy legal phrases per essay - I want the person to think, whoah, she used Latin, she must REALLY know her law. Five gold stars for her! If that doesn't work hopefully they'll just close their eyes and pick a bunch to pass - I'd have as good of a shot that way.
and "ran out of time on mbe bar exam" That's unfortunate, but it's probably better than doing what I did, which is to flip to the back of the book to check my answers - twice - only to realize that, oh yeah, THIS IS THE ACTUAL EXAM.
Oh, and just to put a little candle on top of my bar exam experience so far, I got a freaking speeding ticket - my first one - after pulling out of the parking lot by the convention center. I was going 42, a perfectly reasonable speed for a three lane road that is a feeder to a major highway, and honestly thought something was wrong with my car when the cop pulled me over. Turns out the speed limit is 30. 30! The same speed as a residential street with children and dogs and other torts waiting to happen - none of these things were near this wide, open, highway-like road. And I didn't have my registration or insurance card because they're all in a purse in Austin waiting to go the DMV to get my Texas Driver's License, so I got TWO tickets.
So yeah, the day went super well. I think I probably got enough questions right to pass, but it feels like it'll come down to lucky guesses, and that sucks. When the utility and worth of your hard earned (and freaking expensive) law degree hang on the balance of a single test, it shouldn't be written in a way that makes you guess when you know the principle of law they're testing. I studied a lot, less than many, but still a lot and I'm frustrated that I don't feel like it did me much good.
So now time to push through for the final day of essays and waking up at 5:30 AM trying to remember something legal. I spent 10 minutes trying unsuccessfully to memorize the formula for claims of economic contribution in community property and ended up in a day dream where I read the list of people who passed the Bar and my name was one it - I came back to reality with tears of joy in my eyes. If that isn't what happens on November 7th, I think I'm going to go to medical school. I'm barely kidding.
It sounds like your MBE day went a lot like mine. The only difference: I actually fell asleep during mine. Seriously. I was so tired I dozed off for about five minutes before my friend coughed loud enough to wake me up. Luckily I was way ahead and still finished 30 minutes early. But that MBE was brutal.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on the essays. Only one more day and you will be done!
The MBE was a killer! If I passed it was definitely from decent guessing. There were very few questions that I was 100% sure I got right.
ReplyDeleteI am feeling the pain on the 3 day bar. I have no idea how they expect me to write coherently tomorrow. Good luck!
-Mel
Oh wow, I'm not the only one? I totally took a nap this morning during the MBE. I finished, I had an hour left, and I was EXHAUSTED. What? So I put my head down and snoozed for well over 15 minutes, maybe half an hour. Then I went back over some questions because I felt I should, and probably changed answers I shouldn't have.
ReplyDeleteBut yeah, I snoozed. I mean, you know the answer or you don't, right? er...
Good luck, and you will TOTALLY rock it. That speeding ticket sucked but it used up all your bad luck for the whole entire week. :)
Equity at time of divorce multiplied by [comm. contribution/comm. contribution+equity at time of marriage].
ReplyDeleteThere were four people in our group of 80 or so who did not return for the afternoon session. Don't sweat it.
You will survive! You know the material and it will come from somewhere where it is stuck just waiting to jump onto the piece of paper and impress the readers!
ReplyDeleteYou have a lot of wishes happening right now!!
GL!
I'm sure it went better than you think! During my MBE day, I accidentally started filling in bubbles with (nun-erasable) pen, only to realize that I had misnumbered. Then I started having contractions (I was 9 months pregnant) and I thought I was going into labor during the exam. I burst into tears after the MBE was over, I was so convinced that I failed. I did not fail. The MBE is awful.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry about the speeding tickets. That sucks. :( Maybe you could fight them? Sounds like the cop was a real jerk - I can't believe he gave you TWO tickets.
Contest your ticket: cops rarely show up, and it automatically gets dismissed.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Texas cops, but cops here sure don't give a shit about most of the tickets they issue.
Even if they do show up, you may still get the ticket dismissed or get a reduction in fines. Everyone who has contested a ticket in my courtroom where the cop showed up either still got the ticket dismissed or got a deferred sentence (ask for that) or a huge reduction in fines.
But do not set a hearing and fail to show up, then it's an automatic commitment.
Yeesh! Icky bad luck day; I hope Day 3 is going better! Also about the registration/insurance ticket, the last time I got one of those in Texas (I never updated my registration or inspection on time . . . ever), all I had to do was take my proof of current registration/inspection (obtained AFTER getting the ticket) down to the courthouse (? or whatever office it is there on 7th St.), pay a $10 administrative fee, and walk away. You'll probably, however, have to get in line to do that, then get back in line to request defensive driving for the other one.
ReplyDeleteI have successfully contested 3 or 4 tickets. The key is delay delay delay! Make your appearance then request a continuance first. Then request one again (send a fax saying you're out of the jurisdiction for any number of reasons). By this time almost a year will have gone by and the cops will not show up. Your tickets will be dismissed. (This didn't work for a friend of mine who actually had to try her case, but she didn't request the continuances and the cop showed up!)
ReplyDeleteI forgot you were at the Bar this week. I jet skiied over to see if you were at the lake. Duhh.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I've "tagged" you. This is all new to me and hopefully it's OK. There are instructions on my blog today for this.
J
I really know how you feel about studying completely knowing the principle they're testing on the MBE, but still having to guess!! It's pretty easy to narrow it down to 2 for most questions, but deciding between those 2 is a guessing game. It sucks - I actually studied what I thought was a ton, and if you asked me in person I could completely tell you all of the law, just perhaps not the crazy fact-based insane exceptions that the MBE tests. I realize that I probably did pass, but whatever. I'm bitter.
ReplyDeleteGoodness ... Good luck to you.
ReplyDeleteTWO tickets? WTH?
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping since I haven't seen anything from you since this post that you're at home decompressing after all that testing and what-not. I'm sure you did better than you think you did. And just think: you've got a nummy VA wine to enjoy now! :D
(((HUGS))) I'll send you a good defensive driving course link.
ReplyDelete