When I talk to students about the bar exam, there is always one thing I want them to absolutely remember:
The bar exam requires minimum competency knowledge of the law. That means that you don’t need to know every legal rule in your bar outlines.
However, that does not mean that you can be minimally competent in your test- taking skills. Remember, the bar exam is like an interview. Your essays are being presented to the bar graders as your written interview for admission to the state bar.
So let’s talk about interviews. Would you wear a sloppy or wrinkled suit to an interview? No, of course not!
Is your writing leaving a good first impression?
Now I wish that I could say that students felt the same way about their written presentations. I frequently get essays submitted to me that, in my opinion, are not professional. They are not in a condition that I would give to a boss or a judge. So why would you think the bar graders would consider you ready to practice law if your work doesn’t present itself as such?
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