Taking the Bar on Tuesday, and I'm PISSED.

This sounds like a serious disadvantage to those who must write their exams. ....... hmmmmmm IF only you knew someone with a legal background..... someone who could frame the argument clearly in a suit (while wearing a suit)

Who could it be?


Joe(best of luck to you)Nation

Well, Justan, I'd be a lot more sympathetic, but then we didn't even have that option when I took the bar exam. Granted, back in those days, we were still using quill pens and inkwells (a distinct improvement over the chisel and granite slab method used by previous generations of lawyers), but you get my point. On the other hand, I'm rather surprised that NY offers the bar exam only once a year: even Illinois offers it twice a year.

NY offers it 2x/yr, the next offering is set for 2/27 - 2/28/07. http://www.nybarexam.org/frequent.htm#Dates%20of%20Bar%20Examinations/Application%20Deadlines

And I, too, didn't have such options.

You'll do fine, Justan. Consider the people who can't type and who win the lottery, or put their fingers one row below the correct home keys.

I suspect Justan would be seriously less miffed if the option wasn't there....I believe his gripe is about the unfairness of some being able to type and some not...which is an unfairness that does not exist of none can type.

I suspect that writing is something that, after years of study, most of us do at about the same speed (unless we have a disability re writing).

agreed. it isn't fair. either all should have access to computers, or none. otherwise the results are skewed. how come nobody's raising a bigger stink about it? or is? anyway, i hear ya, for all it's worth.

Re: Taking the Bar on Tuesday, and I'm PISSED.


this means that only some get to type on a computer, others have to handwrite the exam, yes?

What stupid g*ddamn state is doing this?









I can only assume California.

Waitaminnit...

I wonder -- if they're going to have separate curves for the typing and nontyping groups, to see if the typers have the same grade distribution as the scribblers? I mean, if you wanted to do a scientific examination of a new process, that's the way you'd do it -- randomize subjects into the two groups and then compare the results.

I wasn't aware that the exam was curved. Is this something unique to the NY Bar?

Is today the big day?

Good luck, Justan!

Break a leg!

Good luck, JaO

Little late, but thinking of you.

Hold your dominion.

Best wishes to you, dolling. You'll do great!!

Checking to see if JAO has reported back yet..

It's a two-day exam, osso, so he's probably typing/writing/doodling his answers to the essay questions right now.

Better a leg, than a pencil!

Ok, I'm officially back.

Many, many thanks to all of you who wished me the best.

First, sorry for the griping. I was frustrated and angry, particularly since I didn't make the typing lottery, not to mention the effect of over two months of hardcore studying. Jeez, that was an experience I hope to NEVER have to go through again.

The last three weeks, my study schedule was straight studying from 9:00 am to midnight with an hour for lunch and another hour for dinner (with the occasional 15 minute break here and there for panicked phone calls with other students in the same situation).

But holy good God, the test was incredible. I hope I passed it, because I NEVER want to go through that again. For those interested:

Day one:
One essay about contracts, not TOO difficult. Arguments could have been made whether it was UCC arctile II or a service contract, depending on how you looked at it. Also remedies for breach of contract. I went with the UCC angle. There was also a question about the SOL for the claim (I went with the 4 year SOL for the breach of warrantee). I kind of f*cked up when I argued the remedies involved because I mixed in some negligence with my answer (sheer panic from the time pressure got to me), but I think I did ok.

Next essay was about family law. I was on the money for the first half, but I was less than confident about the way the courts distributed equitable distribution. Still, I held my own. The time restriction (45 minutes per essay) really made things difficult. In any case, I locked some solid points on that one.

The last morning essay was about crim law. I was SO happy. Crim law is second nature to me for some reason. Moreover, it was on crimes that I can recite in my sleep. It was about Felony murder, arson, and conspiracy. I went into a beautify dissertation about solicitation, which merges into conspiracy, then went to town on arson (with a seperate paragraph on how it was arson 1st degree in NY and why), and then a NICE description on felony murder as well as the classes of criminals (principal in the first degree, second degree, etc). I was in the ZONE for that essay.

The afternoon was another story, though.

The first essay was about wills and trusts. Yeesh, that is NOT my strong point. I BS'ed most of that essay, and by the grace of God, it turns out that half of it was right.

Honestly, I'm so traumatized from the second essay that I don't remember what it was about.

The MPT was AWESOME. It was about a buyer and seller of real propery. I loved it. Only two cases, on statute. Very straightforward, and not difficult to figure out. Of course, it was just very difficult to fit in everything in the limited amout of time they provided us. Still, I worked it out, and I felt REAL good about it.

Day two:

Absolute HELL.
200 detailed, in depth multistate bar exam questions in 6 hours. Unbelieveably difficult. I spoke with some people who were on their 3rd time taking the bar, and they said it was the most difficult MBE yet. I don't doubt it. I was stunned about how incredibly difficult it was. Words cant' describe how incredibly difficult it was. I'll just leave it at that.

Anyway, if anyone else here took the NY bar, I wish you the best of luck. It was NO JOKE. Just being able to deal with 3 months of hard core study speaks volumes of your dedication.

Good luck. Hopefully , we both passed.

Thanks for the update - and I'm sure you passed it!


(Your description reminds me a lot of those six hours when I undertook my law exams while finishing my social works studies [I never want to do such again, too!]: the main eyyay was about jubevile criminl law [my favourite subject] and half way throught it, I remembered that I was deadly wrong with my take of it. So I tried to back that idea up as much as possible, knowing that the result made 50% of the complete exam ... and it came out .... wrong, but with rather excellent marks :wink: )