New York Bar Exam Statistics for July 2011

The New York State Board of Law Examiners examined 11,182 candidates. Graduates of law schools accredited by the American Bar Association who took the bar examination for the first time achieved a passing rate of 86.1%, an increase of 0.5% from the passing rate achieved by the same group last year. The graduates of New York law schools outperformed their counterparts who attended out-of-state ABA-approved law schools. The passing rate for graduates of New York law schools who took the New York bar examination in July for the first time was 86.3%.

The passing rate for all candidates, including U. S. domestic-educated candidates and foreign educated candidates, and first-time and repeat takers, was 69.2%. The number of foreign-educated candidates sitting for the New York bar examination was 2,838, which accounts for 25% of all candidates who took the July examination. The passing rate for all foreign-educated candidates was 35.4%.

The New York Bar Exam Results Are Out

The New York bar exam results are now out. Good luck to all everyone who took the bar exam.

What Should I Do if I was Unsuccessful on the Florida Bar Exam: Important Advice for Repeat Florida Bar Takers

First, let the shock of failing the bar subside with a few days of reflection. Clearly, this may be one of your greatest disappointments, but don’t let it control or define who you are. You can pass the bar exam in February 2012.

Ok, now let’s start. Do not repeat the same class, study plan or approach you used the last time. It did not work. Coming close on the bar is good only in horse shoes. One size does not fit all. Get a private tutor and/or enroll in a “small” individualized bar review with contact and essay evaluation from your instructor. This structured, personalized program is the key to passing the bar for repeat takers. Above all, never give up.

BarProfessors is offering private and confidential tutorial services for the February 2012 Florida Bar exam as well as New York, California and Texas. Spaces are very limited. Forward your e-mail to pass@barprofessors.com.

July 2011 Florida Bar Exam Results by Law School

Here are the results of the July 2011 Florida Bar Exam by Law School:



Florida International, 89.6% (120 of 134)

Florida, 89.1% (285 of 320)

Florida State, 88.3% (183 of 206)

Stetson, 87.7% (185 of 211

Nova Southeastern, 87.4% (201 of 230)

Miami, 82.6% (237 of 287)

AVERAGE OF ALL LAW SCHOOLS, 80.1% (2314 of 2890)

St. Thomas, 77.9% (113 of 145)

Florida Coastal, 74.6% (179 of 240)

Barry, 70.3% (104 of 148)

FAMU, 65.3% (77 of 118)

Ave Maria, 47.8% (11 of 23)

The July 2011 Florida Bar Exam Results Are Up

The July 2011 Florida bar exam results are now up.

Congratulations on passing the bar and a job well done.

To those who failed, keep your chin up; you can pass the next time. Have a good cry and get back to business.

We will put the law school’s information up as soon as we get it.

BarProfessors is offering private and confidential tutorial services for the February 2012 Florida Bar exam as well as New York, California and Texas. Spaces are very limited. Forward your e-mail to pass@barprofessors.com.

The Florida Bar Exam Results Will Be Released on Monday Morning

The Florida bar results will be released on Monday morning, September 19, 2011. I know the Florida takers are going crazy this weekend. Monday will be such a big day for you. This is your day of reckoning. Did you study hard enough, not enough, did you do enough to pass. Those thoughts will consume you this weekend. It will be hard, but try to relax; it is out of your control right now. There are no more second thoughts for you.

Monday will be a day of joy for some and hardship for others. For those who pass, enjoy this exciting and great accomplishment. You deserve all the praise from your friends and family for your hard work and sacrifice.

For those who were unsuccessful, do not feel dejected. Start studying for the bar now. Get right back up and say, “I will pass in February 2012.” Hard work will pay off. Also, do not do what you did last time. It is not working for you. Bar review courses are one size fits all, but you will need another way to study that fits your needs. Determine how you can get the most for your studies so that you can pass in February. Never give up.

Come back to this site with the results of the Florida Bar Exam by law school.

BarProfessors now is offering private and confidential tutorial services for the February 2012 Florida Bar exam as well as New York, California and Texas. Spaces are very limited. Forward your e-mail to pass@barprofessors.com.

Florida Bar Exam Results for July 2011

The Florida Bar Exam results will be released on Septermber 19, 2011. Please come back to this posting for results by law school.

Please go to Barprofessors.com for information for repeat Florida Bar Exam takers. Good luck.

The Florida Bar Exam Results Will Be Released in a Week

The Florida bar exam results for July 2011 will be released in a week, on Monday, September 19th. Keep steady – it is going to be a long week for those in Florida.

The Bar Exam is Over

A job well done to all.

Now it’s time to relax and have fun!! Take some time off. You deserve it.

Continued Good Luck to Those Who Are Still Taking the Bar Exam

Keep your spirits up. You are almost to the finish line. Good luck on your final day of the bar exam. You can do this. Good luck on this last day of the bar exam.

Today is the MBE Exam

Today is the MBE for everyone taking the bar, no matter where you are taking the bar exam. Everyone has to take it so relax and be confident. Pace yourself. Remember, 1.6 minutes a question. Keep your time. Your must answer every question. You have studied hard for this day and you will perform to the best of your ability. Good luck to everyone. Keep believing in yourself.

Florida Bar Exam Subjects for July 2011

We called it.

Family Law and Professional Responbility, Contacts/Property and Professional Responsibility, Torts and Professional Responsibility

Today Is the Bar Exam and You Will Begin the Rest of Your Life

Today is the bar exam. Relax, be confident and do your thng. You have studied hard for this day and you will perform to the best of your ability. Tonight, go back to your home or to your hotel and rest. Don’t do anymore studying for the MBE. Eat, watch a little television and then go to sleep. You will be so tired, you will be asleep before your head hits your pillow. But it will be a well earned rest. Good luck to everyone. Keep believing in yourself. This is the first day of your life as an attorney.

Monday, The Day Before the Bar Exam: Relax and Get Your Mind on the Prize

Take Monday off so you can rest and be alert during the exam. Keep the final day low key and try not to think about the exam. If you are staying at a hotel, get to your hotel early, check in and relax. Keep your anxiety under control and you’ll be fine.

The Night Before the Exam

The night before the exam is the one time you may want to read a little material or study because you probably will have trouble sleeping on Monday night. Try reading a bar outline or your one pagers. If you can’t fall asleep, just lie there. Don’t try to do extra studying, just rest. If you can’t fall asleep, don’t get out of bed, pace, watch television or do anything to keep your mind active. You want to keep your mind at rest, even if your body can’t rest.

The Exam is Now

Make sure you have a positive outlook. You’ve done hundreds of practice questions by now. You can do this

Food and Drinks

The night before the exam, eat something that gives you some strength but nothing that you know can make you feel sick. You know your own body, so play it smart. Avoid anything that makes you feel queasy.

On Tuesday, Wednesday, and for those in California, Thursday, eat a solid breakfast that will get your mind working, but don’t eat so much it makes you sleepy. Don’t drink too much that it causes frequent restroom visits.
Also important is your lunch. Once again, avoid heavy foods that will make you sleepy. Avoid food that makes you sleepy. Again, limit your drinks to avoid frequent restroom breaks.

Leave your cellphone at the hotel or in the car. Do not bring it in to the site. You can be kicked out of the bar if your phone rings. If your cellphone rings, you will be back in the same place, taking the bar again in 6 months if you get kicked out of the bar.

During Your Breaks

Do not talk to anyone about the exam during your breaks. Inevitably someone will want to talk about the bar and inevitably that person put down something different from what you did. Do not second guess yourself by rehashing the exam.

Powering Down This Weekend

Like most law students, you’re probably conditioned to study hard even the day before the exam. In fact, you may think it’s wise to study right up to the last minute. With the bar exam, that’s a serious mistake. This isn’t a two or three hour exam. The test’s duration is nearly eight hours, including your lunch break.
One of the most important factors in your performance is going to be your endurance. You need to remain focused and energized throughout the bar exam and this is difficult. Most students find themselves hitting a brick wall somewhere during the exam day. There are some ways to try and minimize this detrimental impact.

First, you need to catch up on your rest and start powering down on your studying. This weekend try to have a “normal” couple of days. Put in study time, but also sleep, rest, watch tv, go out to dinner and relax. Do your sleeping this weekend. Why? Because you probably will not be able to sleep soundly on Monday night. Tuesday night you will sleep like a rock because you will be exhausted from a good day of focusing. Sleeping longer on the weekend prior to the exam will enable you to get rest and not be too groggy on Tuesday.

Second, eat well this weekend since you probably have had a lot of fast food these past 6 weeks. You may not be able to eat much on Monday if your nerves start showing. Do not drink any alcohol. You do not want that in your system. Obviously, no drugs are needed now or any other time. Try not to eat rich food or foods you know have adverse effects on your stomach. Monday, eat solid but light foods to keep you alert. Just think boring foods because you stomach may be upset due to nerves. Try to relax a bit because you have done your preparation and now its time to get in the game.

1 Week Until the Bar Exam: Stay the Course

Your goal for this last week is to stay the course while you solidify your knowledge of the black letter law and improve your timing.

Take care of your body and mind. This means eating well, getting some sleep and working on self-confidence.

As to practical things, make sure you have confirmed your hotel reservation, that you have packed what you need to take with you,

including your admission ticket, your identification, your watch, etc.
Whatever it is you’ve been doing the past couple of weeks, keep it up. Stick with what you know, confirm you knowledge and reinstall your confidence in the material. As to the bar exam itself, make sure you have taken at least one or two simulated exams.
• Make sure your timing was within range for the MBE, MPT and the essay questions.
• Make sure your scores are within range to pass

Your focus is critical.

2 Weeks to the Bar Exam: Practice Makes a Passing Score

You have 2 weeks until the bar examination. Instead of spending the day getting nervous about the time, concentrate on what you have left to do.
By this time, you should have pretty much memorized as much black letter law as you can cram into your brain. It is now time to put away the books and stop studying the law.

What you now need to do in these final 2 weeks to prepare yourself for the bar exam is to practice, practice, practice and do more practice tests. You want to become some familiar with your state test and the MBE that you can almost do it in your sleep.

Try to do an essay or two every day, testing yourself on a variety of subjects that you know your state tests. Do the essays under test conditions. If your state is Florida, do a series of 1 hour essays, including subjects like property, torts, constitutional law, family law, trusts and the other subjects Florida likes to test. If you are from a state that does 30 minute tests, do 3 or 4 a day. Once you finish your essay under time constraints, an equal amount of time reading your essay and comparing it to the model answer. Read for comprehension, also. There might be a point of law that you did not know that you can learn from reading the model answer.

For those states like California who have performance tests, you also must include taking the time to do the performance test also. In California, your performance tests take 3 hours, so your practice sessions will be much time intensive. Try doing 1 performance test every other day. This way you can probably get 7 or 8 performance tests in practice prior to the bar exam. On the days you do not do a performance test, practice your essays.

In between the essays and performance tests, you also need to prepare for the Multistate. Try to get in at least 50-100 MBE questions per day, if you can. This way you can really be sharp when exam time comes.

Don’t take the time to panic, but do take the time to practice. You will be more prepared than you think possible if you follow this schedule.

The 4th of July Weekend: Incorporating Your Family and Loved Ones in Studying for the Bar Exam

Those that really love you want to see you pass the bar. Know that with certainty. Those who are pulling and picking at you, saying you don’t have to study that long or want you to go to the clubs and party are not your true friends and do not want you to be successful. Hopefully, you have ejected them from your life for these 2 months that you are studying.

Sometimes those loved ones see you study and see your struggle and wish they could help you, but don’t know how. Bar applicants who have children find it hard to be both a parent and have a full time study plan. Don’t ignore them. Try to incorporate them into your “experience”.

I’ve known students who bring their mom to the test site. What mom does is to make sure their kid has food during the breaks, go over study material or just give their kid a shoulder to rely on during this trying event.

During this 4th of July weekend, look at those that are supporting you in ways you may not even realize. Maybe your mom makes you breakfast every morning before you leave for your bar course. Maybe your spouse is doing the heavy lifting as you study. Almost 3 weeks before the bar, let them know you appreciate their support, even if they are just getting out of your way during this stressful period.

If you have family that would like to attend a cookout this weekend, go and take a few hours off to relax your mind and have quality time with those that love you. At this point in your studies, you deserve an afternoon off. Go see the fireworks. Take the time off with no guilt attached.

For those who still want to study and for other times beyond this weekend, have your family help you. They will be glad to help and they will be proud of the little part they played in your success. Give your family members or your children one of your study books and have them test you. This is particularly good for the elements of a cause of action. By now you should be close to having them mostly memorized, but especially with those subjects that are difficult for you, have your family help you recite those causes of action. See if you can make a game out of it, with your children or family members each calling out an element of a cause of action.
You may be surprised on game day when you are calling up the exceptions to the hearsay rule and you remember the face of your loved ones yelling it out to you.

Have a wonderful 4th of July. If you worked hard, you deserve it.

The Multistate Performance Test for California, New York and other States

I’ve had a number of questions about the performance tests. Here is an Outline for taking the California PT and the MPT.

Review the Instructions

1. Skim the paragraphs to check the requirements. There is an instruction sheet on the back of every MPT. Read it during your preparation so as not to waste precious time on the exam.
2. Verify the jurisdiction paragraph to know what is mandatory as opposed to what is merely persuasive authority. You must know the court structure before you read the cases so you can determine what is mandatory and what is merely persuasive authority.

Scan the Table of Contents

1. Identify the general area of law. From the listings in the Library, you can often determine the general subject area and use it to inform the rest of your reading. Don’t freak out if the subject area is unfamiliar to you. You’ll be given all the relevant law you need to solve the problem.
2. Determine whether it’s a statutory or common law problem


Read the Task Memo Carefully and Completely

1. Identify the issue you’re asked to resolve. Are there sub-issues? The Task Memo reveals the precise issue you’re asked to resolve. Read these paragraphs two or three times to be certain you have identified the issue. It’s usually in the last 2 paragraphs of the memo. Write the issue on your scratch paper so that you remain focused as you proceed. Be careful not to change or vary the language of the question.
2. Read the directions carefully. You may be asked to identify additional facts. Also, note any exclusions.
3. Identify your specific assignment by noting the precise nature of the task: memo, persuasive brief, client letter, contract provision, etc. Identify your point of view – whether it’s objective or persuasive. This will inform the nature of your reading because you’ll read the materials with a critical eye.
4. Identify your audience – is it a lawyer or layperson?
5. Note any exclusions. Sometimes you are told not to consider a specific issue. Your job is not to discuss it.

Review the Instruction Memo

1. The bar examiners include this memo if they think you need guidance in completing the assigned task.
2. Note for a particular format or structure required for your answer. The memo provides guidelines for opinion letters, persuasive briefs, memos, etc. telling you exactly what to include and sometimes what not to include.
3. If a brief is required, make sure you need to include a statement of facts, a jurisdictional statement or persuasive subject headings. The Instruction Memo will advise whether your persuasive brief requires a statement of facts or not. A persuasive brief might require a factual statement while a trial brief might not.
4. Are there specific examples/models to follow.


Read the Library

1. Although the first part of the exam booklet is the File, you’re going to begin with the Library. Reading the law first informs your subsequent reading of the File. If you read the File first, with its various excerpts from depositions, client communications and attorney notes, it would be very difficult to sift the relevant from the irrelevant information. It would not be possible to know which fact were “relevant” until you knew the law and how the cases in your jurisdictions have interpreted that law. While reading the Library first does not guarantee you won’t have to review it again, it will make your subsequent reading of the File meaningful and immediately productive.
2. Read the cases first. Often, they will explain the statutes that are also in your file, thus saving some time.
3. For each case read the earliest case first and proceed chronologically; verify the jurisdiction to determine whether it is mandatory or persuasive authority for your problem; skim the facts to get a sense of story; identify the statement of the rule including determining if it is element-based or if you need to synthesize the rule from the cases or if it is a multi-part test formulated by the court; note any footnotes.
4. Adapt the rule in the cases to form your outline. Use the elements, the prongs of a rule or the components of a statute to form the roman numerals of your outline. A general outline is then in place as you read the rest of the Library. Add to and refine your understanding of the rule as well as add any exceptions or limitations to the rule as you read the other materials in the Library.
5. Be sure to leave adequate space under each section of your outline so you can add the appropriate facts when you read the File.


Read the File

1. After reading the Library and outlining the rule, you’re ready to read the File and add the relevant facts to the appropriate places in your outline. Use your outline of the issues and rules to keep focused.
2. Write your issue above your rule outline. By reading the File with the issue clearly in place, you can more easily identify the legally relevant facts from the sea of material in front of you. As you proceed, add the critical facts to the appropriate part of your outline.
3. Characterize the legal relationship of the parties
4. Identify the relevant facts based on your knowledge of the law from the library.
5. Add these facts to the appropriate sections of your rule outline.


Begin to Write Your Answer

1. Review the Task memo and make sure your outline incorporated or accounted for each required issue; note the relevant facts; cite applicable legal authority; account for how the law and facts support your theory; and if appropriate, cite contrary authority and distinguish it.
2. Review the Instruction Memo quickly to verify your task format and its required components


Write the Required Response\

1. After completing your reading of the Library and File, you’re ready to begin the task of writing. Your job is to discuss the issues and the controlling rule of law. Here is where you get your points. Don’t waste time by reciting the facts or providing needless background information.
2. Answer the question that was asked of you
3. Adopt the tone and format required for the task
4. Write persuasive subject headings including stating the legal conclusion you want the court to reach and the factual basis on which it can do so; write each point heading as a conclusory statement combining the law with the relevant facts; and write in a coherent, logical and persuasive thesis sentence.
5. Gove adequate treatment to the cases in the Library.
6. Avoid copying passages from cases or statutes.
7. Make the relevant arguments on how the law and the facts support your theory
8. Make sure the contrary authority has been cited and distinguished.
9. Cite to the appropriate authorities for statements of the rule.

Organization and Analysis: Essay Writing for the Bar Exam

In order to write a successful essay answer you must learn to organize your answer as your analyze the fact pattern.

Once you read the fact pattern, you will organize your essay, then you must analyze.
This is where you make the outline looking for issues. Look back to the fact pattern for facts which should be used for applying the law and then you can apply the facts to the law.

It’s Time to Begin Preparation for the July Bar Exam

Congratulations to all the law school graduates and the families that supported you through your law studies.

Why a study plan? In order to pass the bar, you need two things: time-management and discipline. Sticking to a study plan will conquer both requirements. Thorough preparation is the key to passing the exam and having a plan in place will allow you to manage your time and using your discipline to stick to the study schedule. For a plan to work, you have to address your learning style as well as the substantive areas you will be tested on.

What do I mean by learning style? Ask yourself, how do you learn? What worked for you in law school? Some people like reading outlines, some like to do practice questions and then read the answer explanations, some like to do their own outlines, or make up flashcards. You should know the answer to this question by now. How do you best learn or memorize the substantive law? Also, ask yourself, when do you best learn? I personally am a better morning learner. As the day goes on, I start to lose focus. I also like to do my work in blocks of time. My colleague is like a sprinter. He focuses on his work in short bursts. I’m like a marathon runner. I like to do my work, and, not be disturbed for a few hours at a time. While practicing law, I tell my secretary to hold all calls for a stretch of time until I’m ready to take a break. What works for you? Do you like the evening hours to study, do you take frequent breaks. Know all of that before you write your study plan. Also, just prior to the bar, switch over to the bar schedule. Get up early, as if you are taking the bar, and work for those 3 hours as if you are sitting for the bar, break for lunch and do another 3 hour stretch to mimic the bar.

For your study plan, you should first start with relearning and reviewing the outlines with some practice questions thrown in and as you pick up the pace, you’ll reverse it and do more practice questions and essays and only use your outlines for clarification on questions you get wrong or confused about.

In the beginning, you are going to struggle with the voluminous materials, but keep at it and keep pushing the pace. It’s like training for a race. You first have to struggle through the repetition until it starts feeling right and you start performing at your optimal level.

Be realistic with your goals and your study habits. For example, you can’t go throughout the entire day with no lunch or no exercise or no breaks because you were unrealistic in the time aspect of your plan. You have to write a study plan that suits you and your personality without slacking off.

Don’t ignore your weak areas or your strong areas. You may not need to schedule as much time in your stronger subjects, but review them as consistently as you do all the other subjects. You may not need to read or reread the outlines of your strong subjects, but during those time periods, practice your questions. You may need those extra points on the bar. For your weaker subjects, don’t spend too much time obsessing on your lack of knowledge or take away from other subjects you also need to study; and do not ignore your weak subjects. All bar examinees have weak subjects. Again, spend time on those subjects as you would other subjects and just keep practicing. You’ll be surprised at how much you really do know in those weak subjects.

Where should you study? Again, that depends on your learning style. Can you get work done at home or does the distraction of the television or the computer or the phone make you turn it on? Does studying at your school make you study more or do your fellow students distract you and make you chatter rather than study? Make sure wherever you go that it is quiet. Turn off the phone, the text messaging, and the internet. This is too important for you and your career to be easily distracted. Let’s face it – none of us what to spend the next 6 weeks in constant study – it’s torture. As the holidays go by, the warm weather beckons you outside, you are stuck inside studying, studying, studying and having absolutely no fun at all. Just remember this is your career you are talking about. You sacrificed to go to law school, you can sacrifice for the next 6 weeks and you’ll be a lawyer for the rest of your career.

Should you have study partners? I am not a fan of them, myself, but I have changed my mind as I’ve seen many a successful pair that have pushed and pulled each other, with both coming out successfully in the end. I would not advise more than 1 other study partner except on rare occasions. For those who like to study alone, maybe once a few days, studying with someone can help keep you focused. I also think that knowing you are not the only one studying away is helpful to keep up your morale.

California Bar Results Percentage for February 2011 is 42.3%

The California Bar Exam results for February 2011 are now out. The pass summary rate for the general exam is 42.3%. 4364 people sat for the exam and only 1848 passed. Congratulations to those who passed. Contact barprofessors if you did not pass. We specialize in repeat takers.

The California Bar Exam Results Come Out Today

The California bar exam results for February 2011 come out today. Good luck everyone!!!

California's Bar Exam Results for February 2011

California's Bar Exam Results for February 2011 will be released on Friday, May 13, 2011. Good luck to those waiting and, if you are not successful, contact Bar Professors for private tutoring. You can pass!!

The Texas Bar Exam Results for February 2011 is Out

The Texas Bar Exam results for February 2011 is out. The overall pass rate was 75%. Congrats to all who passed.

MBE or Essays, WhenYou Fail the Bar

What happens if you only pass one section of the bar but fail the overall bar? Should you sit for that section that you failed or do you take the entire bar exam over again? I think it depends on which section you passed. I will use Florida as my test case. In this possible scenario, say you pass the Florida section but fail the MBE. Should you take the Florida section again to get carry-over points for your MBE score?

I think it depends on what your MBE score is. I usually tell my students that you have to stay competitive in the MBE and let your extra points on the Florida section pull you over the top. It is my experience that many of the students who pass the bar, do not pass the MBE or only has a 1-5 point pass on the MBE. That is why I think doing well on the Florida essays for those extra overage points can help you pass the overall bar, even if you do not pass the MBE.

Here is what I believe about the MBE. I do not think that a repeat taker will do substantially better that they do the first time around. Sure, you might get a few points higher – but if you need to raise your score substantially – i.e. say 7 points or higher, that is a big a mountain to climb.
First, evaluate your scores. Were there subjects that you were just horrible in or were you pretty consistent on each subject? If you were awful in real property, you may, by concentrating on that subject, be able to push your scores up. If you were consistent on each subject, the likelihood of you raising your points by more study is probably not going to happen.

Next, start to re-read your outline book, starting from your weakest subject to your best subject. Then you must again practice, practice, practice. I think commercial review courses will not help at this point. You have learned the most you will learn in your first go around. Listening to 4 hour multistate lectures will not help you.

I also believe that once you fail the bar that you would better spend your money on a private tutor, if a repeater is to spend any more money in the process. It is expensive, but working one on one with a qualified (and I mean qualified) tutor will push you over the finish line. To me, no price is too much to get you to your goal and start your life as a lawyer. A private tutor can help with the subject material, motivate you and keep up your confidence.

What you must decide is whether you think that you can score 7+ points on the MBE alone. Therein lies the dilemma. So the discussion now follows whether you should take the essays again.

Evaluate your essay scores. Did you pass the essays with a large margin? If you did, it’s an easier decision to make – you obviously write well and 3 more essays won’t freak you out. I think that if you sharpen up your writing with some more practice essays, you could get maybe another 5-10 points to bring over to your MBE scores. If you passed with only points to spare, you may not be able to pass another 3 more essays That’s the pros and cons of your situation. You must make the decision for yourself. Of course, it is easier to concentrate on only one section of the bar and if you think you can pull it up over 7+ points then go for the MBE alone. But you want to make sure that your second attempt is your last attempt. So do anything and everything to make that happen.

Don’t do anything rash or rush your decision making. But I would start reviewing the multistate subjects pretty much immediately. Don’t despair, don’t be depressed, but do get busy.

Next time, if you pass the MBE and not the essays, what should you do?

Repeat Bar Takers for Florida and the New York Bar Exam

BarProfessors is presently providing private tutorial for the Florida Bar Exam starting April 25th only. The New York bar results will be released in mid-May and private tutorial for repeat takers and Asian law students will begin May 24th.

Repeating the Bar

The time has come when you check the bar examiners website, look up your number and see that you have failed the bar. Shock, disappointment, sadness, angry, embarrassment – you run the gaunlet of emotions. What do you do now?

Spend a little time with your emotions. Get them all out – have yourself a cry, throw your books across the room, but then there comes a time when you pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again.

You must take the bar exam again - do not take too long to get over your emotions. Have your cry and move on. It’s time to refocus again on the bar. I’ve had students tell me that they have studied the hardest they had ever studied for anything in their lives for their first bar exam. That’s probably true, but that’s why it’s time to examine how your study. Taking the exam again will call for a change in approach, strategy, and preparation for you to pass that final hurdle in fulfilling your dream of becoming a lawyer. The bar exam is not an academic exercise. The bar examiners want to know whether you are prepared to practice law.

Let BarProfessors look at your scores in depth. We will be able to tell you what areas you need to work on, without neglecting the stronger areas of your performance. The analysis of your scores will determine how to prepare a strategy for yourself as your prepare for the next exam.

Don’t do the same thing you did for the first bar you took. Employ a private tutor who can work one on one with you to keep you sharp and motivated and you”ll be on the way to passing the bar. Keep working, don’t despair and good luck.

Please note that BarProfessors provides private tutorial for the Florida, California, Texas and New York July 2011 bar exams. Please go to barprofessors.com or send an e-mail to pass@barprofessors.com

February 2011 Florida Bar Pass Rate by Law School

Here are the results by Florida law school for the February 2011 bar exam.

University of Florida (31/34) 91.2%
FIU (30/34) 88.2%
Stetson (67/77) 87%
University of Miami (33/38) 86.8%
Nova Southeastern 85.4%
FSU 83.9%
Florida Coastal 81.7%
Non-Florida 79%
Barry 71.9%
St. Thomas 65.9%
FAMU 53.8%
Ava Maria (0/4) 0%
Statewide 79.5%

The Florida Bar Results for February 2011 Are Out Now

The Florida Bar Results for February 2011 are out now. Check the website for details. Good luck!!

Florida Bar Exam Results for February Will Be Out Today

The Florida bar exam results for February 2011 will be out today. Stayed tuned to this blog. We will post the results by pass rate and by schools as soon as they are posted. It should be interesting. Good luck to those who are waiting.

BarProfessors will start its classes and tutorial with preregistration soon. Spaces are very limited. When you must pass, BarProfessors will take you over the finish line.

The February 2011 Bar Exam Results for Florida

The February 2011 bar exam results for Florida will be coming out in exactly a week. The Florida bar examiners have announced that the results will be released on April 11, 2011. Good luck everyone!

The Illinois Bar Exam Results for February 2011 Have Been Released

The Illinois bar exam results are now up.


Congratulations on passing the bar and a job well done.

To those who failed, keep your chin up; you can pass the next time. Have a good cry and get back to business.

Congratulatons to All Bar Exam Takers

You are finished!! Congratulations for a job well done. Relax, sleep, play and be totally frivolous this weekend. You deserve it.

Florida Bar Exam Subjects for February 2011

Here are the Florida Bar Exam Subjects for February 2011:

Florida Const. Law

Family Law/Wills/Real Prop/Const. Law.

Trusts and Professional Responsibility.

Today is the Bar Exam

The bar exam is today.


Good Luck to all bar exam takers today – our thoughts are with you.


Bar Professors

1 Day Before the Bar Exam: Be Confident in Your Abilities

You are almost to the finish line. Go to the hotel, read over your mini-outlines today, but relax. Eat sparingly . Make your meals small and light. Take the evening off, watch tv, and go to bed early. You will probably not sleep as well as you would like, but stay in bed and try to just doze if you can. Don’t get up, move around or study your outlines – it will just make you tired during the bar. You will need all of your energy for Tuesday. When you get up on Tuesday, again, eat lightly, but eat something. You’ll need the energy for the morning session.

More importantly, be confident in your abilities. You have been preparing for your chance to be a lawyer for 3 years or more. You can do this. Go ahead on Tuesday and kick butt!

Good Luck from Bar Professors!!

The Weekend Before the Bar Exam

Being in the Moment

No matter how hard you’ve studied and how many practice exams you’ve taken, once you get to the bar exam, you will do well.
Everything you’ve been doing during your bar review has prepared you for this moment. And, if you’ve prepared properly, you will know what to do once you get started.

Allocating Your Time

Using the exact time you were told to begin the exam, set your timetable and write down the starting and ending times for each question.

You have to complete between 16 and 17 questions in a 30 minute period, averaging 33-34 questions every hour to complete the 100 questions in a three hour period; set your clock on the half hour with appropriate milestones.

If You Get Stuck on an MBE Question

Make your best choice, but circle the question and if you have time at the end of the exam, you can go back to it.
With only 1.8 minutes per question, there’s only so much time to allow for doubt. There will be questions you just don’t know. Don’t squander precious time that could be spent on questions you can answer.

If You Get Stuck on an Essay Question

Write the issue, whether or not you know the rule at this point. Formulating the issue will get your points from the grader even if you blank out on the rule. Rely on your knowledge of general legal principles and standards to guide you, even if you don’t know each and every element of the rule.

Be confident in your abilities to have prepared as best you could for the exam.

The Bar Exam Writing Process

Here is a suggested list that you might want to try as you continue to practice your bar exam essays.

Allocate your time for each question

When you start to read:

• Begin with the call of the question;


On reading the entire question for the first time:

• Read through the fact pattern to get a sense of the issues
• Re-read the call of the question so you can focus on the issues

On reading the question for a second time, read “actively” to:

• Identify the area of law and the legal relationship between the parties

• Circle amount of money, dates, locations, quantities, and ages
• Note key words as “oral”, “written”, “minor”

Outline your answer before writing


When writing an essay, follow an IRAC-based analysis and conclude

Know the Black Letter Law and Test Your Way to Success on the Bar Exam

In addition to putting in the study time, you need to learn how to maximize your study time. How do you go about getting the biggest bang out of your study time?

First, build a good, solid foundation of the black letter law. In order to have a good foundation, you must review each bar exam subject. Go through each subject, one by one and absorb each subject as best you can. As you go through the subject, make sure you understand the basic law before you move on.

To build a foundation of the law, you need to break the subject areas into more manageable components. Break your subject into topics. And go through the elements of the topics of each subject.

What I mean by that is to take a subject, like Torts. Then break the Tort subject down to topics, i.e. Negligence. Do you know all the elements of negligence? Do you know the elements of battery? You can outline it and/or make sure you know it by heart before you move on. You can do that memorization by reciting it or writing it down without looking at your notes or outlines.

Once you feel you know that topic, do a few essay questions and some MBE on that topic just so you know you have it.

Don’t scatter-shoot your studying. Learn the topic thoroughly before you move on to your next topic in the subject area. Don’t go through the topics of the subject areas all at once, i.e. don’t go through battery, assault, false imprisonment and not know each one by heart. Stop at battery, recite it, do some MBE and then move to assault, and false imprisonment and the other topics of Torts. Do this for every topic in every subject. You do not want to read your subject outlines like a novel.

Read, learn, recite, memorize, test yourself and move on.

The First Week of January – Do You Know Where Your Bar Exam Books Are?

It’s time for you to start studying for the February Bar Exam now. There are 7 weeks left to the start of the bar. In 7 weeks you will be sitting for the first day of the bar exam – and, as you know, the first day is the state portion of the bar which consists of essays, short answers, multiple choice or performance tests.
In order to pass the bar, you need two things: time-management and discipline. Sticking to a study plan will conquer both requirements. Thorough preparation is the key to passing the exam and having a plan in place will allow you to manage your time and using your discipline to stick to the study schedule. For a plan to work, you have to address your learning style as well as the substantive areas you will be tested on.

What do I mean by learning style? Ask yourself, how do you learn? What worked for you in law school? Some people like reading outlines, some like to do practice questions and then read the answer explanations, some like to do their own outlines, or make up flashcards. You should know the answer to this question by now. How do you best learn or memorize the substantive law? Also, ask yourself, when do you best learn? Know all of that before you write your study plan.

For your study plan, you should first start with relearning and reviewing the outlines with some practice questions thrown in and as you pick up the pace, you’ll reverse it and do more practice questions and essays and only use your outlines for clarification on questions you get wrong or confused about.

In the beginning, you are going to struggle with the voluminous materials, but keep at it and keep pushing the pace. It’s like training for a race. You first have to struggle through the repetition until it starts feeling right and you start performing at your optimal level.

Be realistic with your goals and your study habits. For example, you can’t go throughout the entire day with no lunch or no exercise or no breaks because you were unrealistic in the time aspect of your plan. You have to write a study plan that suits you and your personality without slacking off.

Don’t ignore your weak areas or your strong areas. You may not need to schedule as much time in your stronger subjects, but review them as consistently as you do all the other subjects. You may not need to read or reread the outlines of your strong subjects, but during those time periods, practice your questions. You may need those extra points on the bar. For your weaker subjects, don’t spend too much time obsessing on your lack of knowledge or take away from other subjects you also need to study; and do not ignore your weak subjects. All bar examinees have weak subjects. Again, spend time on those subjects as you would other subjects and just keep practicing. You’ll be surprised at how much you really do know in those weak subjects.

Where should you study? Make sure wherever you go that it is quiet. Turn off the phone, the text messaging, and the internet. This is too important for you and your career to be easily distracted. Let’s face it – none of us what to spend the next 7 weeks in constant study – it’s torture. Just remember this is your career you are talking about. You sacrificed to go to law school, you can sacrifice for the next 7 weeks and you’ll be a lawyer for the rest of your career.

If this is your second or multiple time taking the bar, get a bar tutor now. Don’t fool around hoping you’ll do better the next time. Hire a bar tutor and pass the bar.

Please note that BarProfessors provides private tutorial for the Florida, California, Texas and New York February 2011 bar exams. Please go to barprofessors.com or send an e-mail to pass@barprofessors.com