It used to be common to take the bar exam using a bluebook. Now, the vast majority of people use a laptop to take the bar exam, while a very small minority writes. This may be due to a generational shift, and a resulting reliance on technology. People now “keyboard,” they don’t “write” – just look at examples of signatures. Other than your parents, how many people do you know who still write letters, checks, or thank you notes? Instead, most of us communicate with our phones – not actually talking on them. We text, email, and use social media sources on our phones. We use laptops for work or school – but we do not “write.”
What if you are one of the few who really wants to handwrite the bar exam? Everyone is telling you to reconsider, but should you? It depends. If this is something you want to do, first ask yourself some very serious questions:
[Read more…] about Planning to Handwrite the Bar Exam – Ask These Questions First
While there are some who have the ability to work while studying, the vast majority of us treat studying for the bar exam as an all-consuming endeavor, at least the first time. If you failed that first time however, there is a temptation to reduce the amount of time spent studying for the next bar exam claiming financial necessity or mental exhaustion.
When I took the bar exam, MBE’s only accounted for one-third of the overall grade. I assumed my writing skills would overcome a bad performance on the MBE’s, even though I had no trouble passing the MPRE, which had no essay component.
Most of us who have gone to law school would probably say that we have never really failed at anything before. While that may be a good thing, it also means you probably never had to look back and assess what you could have done differently to avoid a failure. The reality is that in the current climate, a huge percentage of people taking the bar exam will fail. Depending on where you take the exam, that percentage may be larger than you ever thought possible. For this reason, you should consider the potential mistakes some bar studiers make and try to avoid them. 
You don’t have to be a real estate investor to understand the meaning of the phrase, “Location, Location, Location.” A mantra those getting ready to take the bar exam should adopt is, “Practice, Practice, Practice.” No, your goal is not to go to Carnegie Hall. Instead, think about each part of that mantra as being a separate step in your preparation.
The unbelievable happened – you failed the bar exam. Now what? While you are entitled to a little “pity me” time,