• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Bar Exam Toolbox®

Get the tools you need for bar exam success

  • I Failed!
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
    • Writing Help: Essays/PT
    • MBE Help
    • Self-Study Program
    • Options – California
    • Options – UBE
    • Options – FYLSE (Baby Bar)
  • Bar Exam 101
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Login

Are You Evaluating Your Work? You Should Be!

January 14, 2013 By Lee Burgess Leave a Comment

ExcellentEven if students are practicing a lot, typically they hate to evaluate their own work. Why? Well, because it is kind of a miserable experience! Who likes to beat themselves up about the things they did wrong? Not me (and I am sure not you either).

But it is important. Each time you do practice, you need to be thoughtfully evaluating your work as you go and after you are done.


Why else is this self-evaluation important? Because you won’t have someone there on test day to tell you whether you did it right. You are the only one who can help you. So it is important to think through your work and decide whether it is good or not. Because on test day, you are all you have got to rely on!

What do I mean by self-evaluation?

If you are working on an essay exam . . .

When you are done with a question, ask yourself the following (and also compare your answer with the sample answer).

  • How long did this essay take you? If you went over time, why?
  • Did you plan your essay before you wrote it? Did your planning help you write your answer?
  • Compare your answer with the sample answer:
    • How was your issue spotting?
    • How was the format of your answer (did you use IRAC, if required)?
    • Was your essay easy to read?
    • Was your essay organized correctly?
    • Did you know the law well enough?
  • Did you learn anything from this essay that you will apply to the next one?
If you are working on a performance test . . .

When you are done with the performance test, it is important to immediately review your answer so you can remember your thought process as you put the answer together. Similarly, you want to ask yourself the following questions (and again review the sample answer).

  • How long did this PT take you? If you went over time, why?
  • Did you plan your answer before you wrote it? Did your planning help you write your answer?
  • Compare your answer with the sample answer:
    • How was your organization?
    • How was the format of your answer (did you use IRAC, if required)?
    • Did you include the correct rule statements?
    • Is your PT easy to read and professional?
  • Did you learn anything from this performance test that you will apply to the next one?
If you are working on practice MBE questions . . .

Students often think that they can’t really do a self-evaluation of a practice MBE question, but I think this is just not true! Each time you do an MBE question you should check the answer and make sure you understand why you got it right (if you got it right) and why you got it wrong (if you got it wrong). This will help you pinpoint and focus your studying. If you got it wrong because you don’t know the law, well, then you need to study that law. If you got it wrong because you misread the facts, then you need to work on how you read an MBE question.

Evaluating your work helps you study smarter and more efficiently because you can identify what is good and what you need to keep working on. And who doesn’t want to do that?

Should you self-evaluate work graded by someone else?

Yes! You absolutely should. Because you want to make sure that your evaluation matches that of the expert who is grading your work. If you don’t understand the comments or don’t notice the issues the expert found with your work, that is a problem. You want to get to a point where you know if you are producing quality essays and performance tests so you can do the same on exam day.

—

If you’d like all our new reviews and tips sent straight to you, sign up now for our free mailing list!

Did you find this post helpful? Check out some of our other articles for more great study tips!

  • Establish a Bar Exam Routine
  • Do I Need to Make my Own Study Materials?
  • Develop a Rock Star Study Schedule

Image by kikashi via stock.xchng.


Ready to pass the bar exam? Get the support and accountability you need with personalized one-on-one bar exam tutoring or one of our economical courses and workshops. We're here to help!


 

About Lee Burgess

Lee Burgess, Esq. is the co-founder of the Law School Toolbox, a resource for law students that demystifies the law school experience, and the Bar Exam Toolbox, a resource for students getting ready for the bar exam. Lee has been adjunct faculty at two Bay Area law schools, teaching classes on law school and bar exam preparation. You can find Lee on Twitter at @LeeFBurgess, @lawschooltools, or @barexamtools.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let us know you are not a spammer! * Time limit is exhausted. Please reload CAPTCHA.

Primary Sidebar

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

About Us

Want to pass the bar exam? Of course you do! We’re here to help. You’ll find lots of helpful free content at Bar Exam 101, in the Bar Exam Resource Hub, and on the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast. For more hands-on help, take a look at our courses and workshops and bar exam tutoring options. Please get in touch with any questions!

COVID-19 Updates

Please visit the COVID-19 updates page for the latest news on bar exam postponements.

Recent Posts

Dealing with Exam Day Surprises

Dealing with Exam Day Surprises

Unfortunately, on the bar exam and in life, we cannot account for every possibility. We can do everything we can to prepare for all outcomes but … [Read More...] about Dealing with Exam Day Surprises

Podcast Microphone

Podcast Episode 185: Listen and Learn — Prosecution of a Criminal Trial (Burdens, Presumptions, Sufficiency)

Welcome back to the Bar Exam Toolbox podcast! The topic of today's "Listen and Learn" episode is Criminal Procedure. Specifically, we're talking about … [Read More...] about Podcast Episode 185: Listen and Learn — Prosecution of a Criminal Trial (Burdens, Presumptions, Sufficiency)

Productively Waiting for Bar Scores

Productively Waiting for Bar Scores

Congratulations! The massive bar exam you’ve dedicated your time and energy to is over, and you can finally relax! Well, that is much easier said than … [Read More...] about Productively Waiting for Bar Scores

Studying for the Bar While Applying to Jobs

Studying for the Bar While Applying to Jobs

Applying to jobs during bar prep is normal and sometimes unavoidable. As much as you may want to devote 100% focus to the bar exam, it is a reality … [Read More...] about Studying for the Bar While Applying to Jobs

Supporting your SO While They Study for the Bar

Supporting your SO While They Study for the Bar

So, you have a significant other who is studying for the bar! Perhaps you’re also in law school, before or behind them on their journey. Perhaps … [Read More...] about Supporting your SO While They Study for the Bar

Need to Pass the Bar Exam?

Sign up for our free weekly email with useful tips!

Footer

  • Podcast
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • I Failed!
  • Tutoring
  • Courses
  • Bar Exam 101
  • About
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Login
  • Privacy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Refunds
  • Contact

Copyright 2022 Bar Exam Toolbox®™