Bar Review Preparation Session
by Michelle Hart Ahhh...The Good Ol'
Bar Exam!
On Tuesday, March 25th,
the Student Bar Association and Dean Kamenshine hosted one final Bar Admission
Preparation Session with Director of Bar Admissions, Bucky Askew and Bar
Examiner, Teresa Rosborough. Mr. Askew invited along Ms. Rosborough to
discuss what Bar Examiners look for when grading the all-time Most Dreaded
Section - the Bar Essays. For those of you who are
not familiar yet with the Bar's format, the test is two days long. On the
first day, four essays are administered with 45 minutes to answer each. On
the second half of the day, students take the MPT, where you are given a case
file and must perform some sort of "lawyering" task (i.e. write a
will, a contract, etc.). Mr. Askew says most students liked this test the
best, because it more closely mirrors things students actually do as
lawyers. Finally, on the second day you take the MBE (Multi-State Bar
Exam) which consists of 200 questions, split up in morning and afternoon
sessions. Of all the tests, this is the most time intensive and students
tend to rate this test the lowest, although rumor has it that the MBE can be
your Bar Exam best friend. The reasoning being that if you score higher on
the MBE, you can cushion a lower score on the Essay and MPE sections and make up
for lackluster writing skills. As the reality of the
doom of the upcoming months sunk in, Mr. Askew proffered some parting tips and
amusing anecdotes on bar preparation. Perhaps most obvious was his method
for ensuring failure of the bar exam -- after graduation, go on extended
vacation and then return in late June and begin cramming. Alas, he did
offer one tip for passing -- after graduation, take that Sunday off and then
begin studying on Monday. But in all seriousness,
he did say that he thought it was possible for some students to not take BarBri
or another review course and still pass. Those students I presume also
made 180's on the LSAT on their first try and played the piano at age two. Another reassuring thing
-- Georgia State students have had bar passing rates in the 90% area. My
philosophy will be to treat it like a job for the time after school ends until
the exam in July and set up a schedule of studying to adhere to. That way,
if I want to take a break from studying and go out one night (or more likely,
two or three...), I will not have to feel guilt as well as nausea when I nurse
my hangover. Just remember this is probably the most important test you
will ever take and it's always better to pass a test that is two days long on
the first time. Good luck to everyone sitting in July and let's hope for
the highest pass rate ever from GSU this year!
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