Something New

February 2007 Bar Exam

2007-02-27T06:35:00.000-05:00

Good luck to EVERYONE taking the bar exam this week. Remember: the key is to remain CALM and keep your emotions positive.

DO NOT come online tonight looking for info about the essays and whether you answered them correctly -- the essays will be OVER. Forget about them, eat dinner, review your MBE outlines, and have a GREAT day tomorrow.

I PASSED THE NEW YORK BAR EXAM!!!!!

2006-11-14T09:38:00.000-05:00

NAME: ******
Date of Birth: *****

The State Board of Law Examiners congratulates you on passing the New York State bar examination held on July 25-26, 2006. Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of this lookup screen, each applicant must rely on the official notification (via U.S. Mail) as to whether he or she has passed the examination.

An official certification notice has been mailed and will contain your Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) scores. The notification which has been mailed is a required part of your application for admission to the Bar. In order to allow a reasonable time for the results to arrive by mail, requests for duplicate notices received prior to November 24, 2006 will be disregarded. Although there is normally a $10 charge for a duplicate, due to the possibility of loss or damage in a bulk mailing, there will be a grace period with no charge for those requests received prior to December 11, 2006.

Return to Board Home Page

I genuinely hope that all of my fellow bloggers and internet friends passed the bar too! I am SO excited that I passed. But I really have to say it was God's doing. I did not study that much and we all know that the NCBEX was on to PMBR and changed all their questions . . . and I used PMBR exclusively to practice for the MBE. So it wasn't all me. Everything definitely happens for a reason!

MBE Again

2006-09-02T14:43:00.000-05:00

Why I love PMBR, never used BarBri MBE materials, and did great the first time I took the MBE: http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/06D1065P.pdf

Why everyone is freaked about the July 2006 MBE and why a whole lot of the question formats did not look familiar to me: http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/06D1065P.pdf

Why we should all be happy the MBE is graded on a curve (if we all sucked, it balances itself out): http://www.paed.uscourts.gov/documents/opinions/06D1065P.pdf

Hint: it's the same link all 3 times.

My take on the MBE

2006-07-27T14:55:00.000-05:00

All the world's aflutter about the MBE difficulty yesterday. I will say that there were a LOT of different types of questions that were not on the MBE when I passed the bar the first time. I think NCBEX is trying to circumvent many of the BarBri and PMBR subject areas that we learn in prep class.

I am already a member of one bar. When I was studying the first summer after law school, I thought the PMBR practice exam was SO easy. When we graded it, my score sucked.

When I took the bar exam a few weeks later, I thought the MBE questions were SO hard and the questions were horrible and the answer choices were obnoxious. When I got my MBE score, it was good and I passed the bar by a comfortable margin.

So, for those of you who are having negative feelings about the MBE, it is probably because you PASSED. I heard this from PMBR -- I can't remember if it was at the 6-day or the 3-day or on one of the subject-specific lecture CD's, but they said: if you know the law, then you discover that the MBE is really tricky. Part of succeeding on the MBE is picking the "least wrong" answer from the four "wrong" answer choices. I literally remember reading a question, knowing the correct rule of law, and looking at the four answer choices and NOT seeing the rule. When that happens, you have to use process of elimination and go with what you end up with.

If you think the MBE was easy and you flew through it, that is probably because you don't know the law and you were tricked into picking the incorrect answer that the MBE people wanted you to pick -- it creates a false sense of security.

I have never done BarBri practice questions so I am not sure of their quality. However, if you did most or all of the PMBR red book and reviewed the questions and answers, you learned enough law to pass the MBE.

Hope this helps!!!!! :)

ain't that a *itch!

2006-07-24T20:11:00.000-05:00

Here was my plan: Buy a Subway sandwich, put it in a cooler with ice, and leave it in my car so I can have an enjoyable lunch without waiting on line in downtown Albany. I planned to go to Subway at 9pm tonight, right before it closes, so the sandwich would be as "fresh" as possible tomorrow.

So, I stroll into Subway all calm and collected, ready to execute my plan. Here's what happened:

Kid behind the counter: We're out of bread.

Me: facial expression indicating, "WTF?"

Kid behind the counter: All of the Subway restaurants in the Albany area are out of bread.

Me: ALL of them?

Kid behind the counter: Yes. The lawyer exam is here and everyone came to get sandwiches. Once the other stores ran out of bread they all came to this one.

Me: Great. Thanks.

There is a supermarket right across the street from Subway but I was so frustrated I just came back to the hotel. So much for my plan. It was a god one, but apparently not a unique one! So now I will be eating PB&J, water, and 1/2 a Snickers Marathon Energy Bar. I might try to eat at one of the local establishments depending on the lines. No way in hell am I going to post which places I am considering -- if I do, they will probably be out of "lunch" by the time I get there!

Maybe I should skip the exam, stay up all night baking bread, and sell sandwiches out of my trunk during lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. I'd probably make a ton of money. :)

Oh well, I'm off to cram as many things as I can into my gallon-sized Ziploc bag. It really is smaller than one would think . . . .

Good luck to everyone tomorrow.

Goodbye for a few days

2006-07-21T16:19:00.000-05:00

This is probably my last post until after the exam. I still have some studying/reviewing to do, plus packing, flying to Albany, etc. I hope every single person who has ever visited this blog passes the bar exam.

I'd especially like to say GOOD LUCK to my 3 favorite bloggers:

LuxLegis

Strict Scrutiny

California Bar Girl

I wish everyone the best. Remember to remain calm and stay focused. Everything is going to turn out exactly the way it was meant to. God bless . . . .

Aargh!

2006-07-19T05:41:00.000-05:00

I am soooo tense. I've been working out almost every day but yesterday it was just TOO hot outside (and the day before I almost gave myself heat stroke). I set my alarm for 6:30am today so I could get in a walk/run before the sun and the heat come. I just walked out onto my balcony and I could barely breathe. According to the Weather Channel, it is currently 80 degrees and 90% humidity. AT SIX FREAKING THIRTY IN THE FRIGGIN' MORNING!!!! So much for de-stressing in the fresh morning air. Now I am tense and pissed off at the weather. Who the hell gets pissed off at the weather? An irrational person studying for the bar exam.

To all the BarBri haters

2006-07-13T10:14:00.000-05:00

There are many negative things we can say about BarBri. Most of them are true, particularly that it is obscenely overpriced.

However, one thing I can say is that their written materials are more accurate than their competitors. Sure, there are some contradictions here and there, and some typos that need to be corrected, but nothing compared to some of the errors I have seen in other prep materials. I have seen prep materials from 3 different sources; I was swayed by reading the message boards and decided to get "everything" so I could figure out what was "best" (or the lesser of all the evils).

So at least we know our money has gone to some good use as far as hiring staff and researchers to compile the materials. We at least have "good law" to study from. When you fall asleep listening to the lecture or get sidetracked playing Snood, you can go home and rely on the correct information in the books.

Oh, and for the record, I am definitely pissed off that I spent a TON of money getting different prep materials from multiple sources just to discover 11 days before the exam that a lot of them suck. Not a great morale booster.

More info. on the Pepsi Arena

2006-07-13T07:02:00.000-05:00

I emailed them and received the following information:

No food/concessions will be available inside the arena

There are several restaurants available for lunch on South Pearl Street

The arena opens at 7:30am

Pepsi Arena, here I come!

2006-07-12T16:19:00.000-05:00

I've been assigned to the Pepsi Arena for the exam. Has anyone taken the exam there in the past? Anything notable you'd like to share? Did you walk, take a cab, or drive there? Did they have food for sale at the Arena? If so, what food selections were available? Just hot dogs and pretzels or something sensible like salads and sandwiches? (I know I can always bring PB&J and a protein bar)

I printed out my map, driving directions, exam ticket, etc. Now I just have to continue studying to make sure the trip up to Albany is not in vain. Back to the books . . . . . .

Still Here

2006-07-09T13:03:00.000-05:00

Not much to say. I have studied more in the past 3 days than I have in the past 3 months. Apparently, not working full-time allows one to study a lot. I hope to keep it up and study even MORE than I have been. I hope everyone is doing well.

DON'T PANIC!!! It won't help you learn anything, but it may cause you to forget. So try your best to remain calm.

Slacking on the Fourth of July

2006-07-04T11:18:00.000-05:00

So, my last day of work until the bar exam was this past Friday. Since Friday, I have studied a total of 2 hours. Hardly a productive weekend. So today I decided to "punish" myself and not participate in any 4th of July festivities whatsoever. It would also help my waistline to eat salad instead of grilled steak and macaroni. I intended to complete my review of 2 more MBE subjects by bedtime. A wonderful plan indeed.

I woke up, read news on the internet, ate breakfast, had a 2-hour Snood marathon, and then settled on the couch to watch a few hours of Wimbledon. I definitely intended to start on my MBE questions once the Clijsters match was over.

Then my mom called. Apparently my uncle is having the biggest, baddest, most fattening 4th of July party ever. And my mom said I just have to be there. Everyone is going to be there. Tons of food. It's not 4th of July without the barbecue. How much different can this one be compared to his other monthly cookouts? So I told my mom I haven't really studied much and I need to stay at home and do the right thing. To which my mom said,"I know you like a book. You are probably burrowed in that couch right now and you're not going to study one bit today. So come on down, have some fun, and maybe tomorrow you will be in a better frame of mind to get focused on your studying. I'll see you soon."

So, I'm off to the Fourth of July Party of the Century. I have to go. My mom said so.

I hope all 3 people who read this blog have a FUN 4th!!! :)

freakin' a!

2006-06-25T16:55:00.000-05:00

So I have hardly studied at all. My current job takes up almost all of my time and energy. I guess I should be thankful that I am already a member of one state bar and gainfully employed. As per my study schedule, I should have finished reviewing all of the MBE subjects by this past Friday and I should have spent 8 hours studying New York subjects today. Neither one has happened.

Although I have no pressure to pass the NY bar, I want to pass the exam and I don't want to waste the money I have spent (hotel, prep materials, plane ticket, unpaid leave from work). So I am pretty frustrated. Why take the test unprepared? It will be a complete and total waste of time and money. All I will have to show for it is a blog full of sorry excuses.

Anyway, that's all for now. Maybe my attitude will improve and I can get some serious studying done. Or maybe I'll be lucky enough to pass via the Conviser Method like Jeremy and Kent. Either way, you'll hear all about it. Here. On this blog.

Title change and some other stuff

2006-06-10T12:55:00.000-05:00

I'm not offended at all, but since some people think the title of my blog isn't catchy enough, I have changed the title to "Something New". Clearly, since I am already a member of one state bar, I am taking the NY exam because I want to move there. So, studying for the exam is the start of something new: new state, new apartment, new job, new experiences, etc. The title is not as catchy as "a girl walks into a bar (exam)" but it's better than my original title and is a good reflection of this stage in my life. :)

I received a very interesting email the other day. The ABA has designed an entire CLE course about lawyers who write blogs: http://www.abanet.org/cle/programs/b06bwb1.html. Should be interesting, but not worth paying for. Maybe someone who takes the class will blog about their experience.

Well . . .

2006-06-02T05:22:00.000-05:00

I did not win a spot in the laptop lottery. :( I am definitely disappointed. I have a second chance on June 27 but the number of seats is even more limited: spots from yesterday's "winners" who don't submit their practice exam or whose computers aren't compatible. Maybe between now and then BOLE will realize how enormous the Javits Center is and add 2000 more "spots" for people wanting to type their essays. I wrote my essays before and passed, but typing is SO much better for me.

I also feel a cold coming on and I have been fighting it like crazy. I need intravenous Vitamin C from now until the exam is over!

Just here

2006-05-31T18:05:00.000-05:00

Not much to blog about so far this week. Listened to a few Con Law lectures and I hope to finish them today or tomorrow. Then I'll do the PMBR Con Law questions and go over the answers.

I got A LOT done at work yesterday and today. I have to make one more "push" tomorrow and I will have everything done for a while. Then I can have a clearer head for the rest of the week and the weekend and my studying won't be clouded by thoughts of how much I need to get done at the job.

NY laptop lottery is tonight. I'm praying that I win a spot in NYC. According to BOLE, there has been an "overwhelming response" from people interested in typing their essays. I guess I will see what happens when they email me at 4:00 tomorrow.

83% | 74%

2006-05-29T15:01:00.000-05:00

When I take the exam in July, I will be a first-time NY exam taker from an ABA law school. According to the BOLE, 74% of the people in my "classification" passed the exam this past February.

It gets even BETTER for the July 2005 exam: 83% of first-time takers from ABA law schools passed!

I need to keep reminding myself of these important statistics. Most of the information I read on a daily basis is from retakers who are currently studying or retakers who explain what they did to pass. This makes a LOT of sense; why would someone who passed on the first try have any reason to post on message boards or blog about it once they've already passed?

So I keep reading retaker stories and I empathize SO much to the point that I feel as though I am a retaker also! I really feel their pain and it sucks to be in that position. But reading about it is making me super nervous and shaking my confidence. I have to look at this post every day to remind myself the odds are in my favor --- as long as I do my part and study smart.

Stutter Start

2006-05-26T05:42:00.000-05:00

Not much studying this week. I've had a ton of work to do and I also had to attend a seminar. So here has been little time or energy for studying. I did listen to a few PMBR lectures. Hopefully I can make some progress on Saturday evening and on Sunday. Despite the "holiday" I have to go to my office on Monday to catch up on some work. After Monday I should probably be able to study at least 3 hours per day for the remainder of the work week. Maybe then I'll feel like I am actually studying for the bar exam. Working while studying is definitely going to be a challenge.

Here is a good description of what the bar exam consists of: http://escapetony.livejournal.com/2776.html

On a brighter note, I've been so busy and so tired I haven't surfed the internet very much, nor have I spent hours reading the message board. So maybe this week is helping to break my internet addiction so from now on I can focus strictly on studying. One can always hope!

Feeling good today

2006-05-21T10:58:00.000-05:00

I worked out my study schedule from now until the day of the bar exam. I made a checklist rather than listing a particular task for a particular day. But I do have "benchmark" dates by which I must complete certain tasks. It looks like I will have enough time to accomplish everything I need to and have time to memorize/review/re-digest everything during the final week before the exam.

Hopefully I can stick to the plan!

I also got a desk today. When I finished school I swore I would never buy another desk. But I can't study for the bar sitting on my couch, so my cousin gave me a really nice desk she is not using. It actually looks like a sofa/cocktail table rather than a desk, and it blends in well with my current furniture.

Well, that's all for today. Until next time . . . .

The Internet

2006-05-20T09:31:00.000-05:00

Idle hands are the devil's playthings and most idle hands are surfing the web! The internet is definitely the reason some (many?) people fail the bar exam.

I have resolved to go to JDamicus and/or JDjive only once a week. Maybe on Wednesdays -- the most boring day of the week. It's a total procrastination tool and only 1 in every 50 posts is actually useful, so a once-a-week visit should be more than sufficient. I wonder if I should rig my computer so I cannot access certain web sites? Or even more extreme: DIAL-UP!!!

And now, back to bar prep . . . .

So here I am . . .

2006-05-19T20:02:00.000-05:00

3 weeks ago I started a blog, kept it up for 3 days, then deleted it. I thought it was too much of a distraction from studying for the New York Bar Exam.

Then today I found a few of my friends' blogs and I decided to start a blog of my own once again. So right now my distractions are: Ebay; JDjive/JDamicus; email; and this blog. Hopefully I can log on once in the morning and once in the evening, check out what's going on with all of my "distractions", and then focus on studying.

I've already passed one bar and I am currently working, so I am not as pressured as most people studying for the exam. However, by no means do I have any intention of failing the NY bar. Hopefully this blog will be therapeutic. I can post my thoughts once a day, get all of my feelings out there, and move on to what's important: studying.