Monday, July 23, 2012

It's Bar Time

It's right about the time that recent grads start stressing about the bar, so here is a thread to help spread, er, diffuse the anxiety.

You'll find lots of information about the bar exam -- which is essentially the same repackaged blivit each year -- by clicking here.

Your more specific questions (like what to do if you go into labor, will you die if your laptop melts down, or how to answer the 15 most common bar exam questions) are fair game for the comments section below. Responses, though maybe not answers, are sure to follow.

Good luck, everyone!

[Dead hand control update:  Anonymous reminds me this is a good time to move this thread up.  Good luck everyone.  Rest well, eat well in the morning (as in healthy and not the crappy eggs and bacon at the Hilton Garden Inn or whatever), follow the directions, and when you read the first question you will realize how much material you have mastered in about 2 months. -- Armen]

36 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

1.5x speed tips now thx.

5/22/2012 7:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

last year this worked for me (copied from ATL with note: added by me):

1.) Download + install internetdownloadmanager.com (30 day free trial, maybe you can find it ~somewhere~ online for cheap when the trial runs out) note: i just went ahead and purchased it for 25 bucks or whatever it was

2.) Load gayass BarBri vid. I seem to have to load them 2-3 times before
that shit pops up, but eventually you get a IDM button that says
"Download This Video" note: you may have to use IE browser for this to work properly

3.) Download This Video

4.) Open in VLC (note: free), Playback > Faster, Playback > Faster (Fine)

5/23/2012 4:23 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

A friend of mine who took last year's Bar created this collection of past CA bar questions and answers organized by subject matter:

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B3poz_V0Yj5vemV6dGRzaEVhWFk/edit?pli=1

I found it really helpful. Feel free to share with anyone. And good luck!

5/23/2012 10:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Why the homophobia, 4:23? Pathetic for a Boalt alum.

5/23/2012 11:53 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Sorry, I just copy pasted quick from ABL. It was not intentional in any way. I am working now. But was trying to help out fellow boalties with instructions for 1.5x speed. Admins, can you please edit that remark to remove the offensive word?

5/24/2012 11:30 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My brother just signed up for BARBRI and said they now offer the mobile app for free along with regular tuition. Is this true? If so, can't you just speed up the audio on your ipod/iphone?

5/24/2012 4:56 PM  
Blogger Armen Adzhemyan said...

11:30, unfortunately the Blogger platform doesn't allow us nameless admins to edit specific comments. We're not a high quality comments shop, like ATL. But after your explanation, we get. It's garbage from another site and doesn't reflect on Boalties.

5/25/2012 9:49 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What is using SofTest like?

5/25/2012 9:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

WHEN WILL GRADES COME OUT?

5/27/2012 12:37 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

After learning that many profs wait until the bitter end to turn our grades in, I'm not expecting all of mine to show up for another two weeks. I think they are due by June 9th, but then they have to be entered into the system and update of BearFacts.

Hopefully sooner, though. 2Ls have clerkship apps to prep, and it's hard to plan much without knowing these four semester grades...

5/28/2012 7:45 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

is it a dumb idea to skip barbri, buy an old friend's barbri books (he took notes in them from his attended classes)

he just lent me his stuff for the bar exam. now im kinda getting nervous

5/28/2012 10:37 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can we start a clerkship thread for rising 3Ls? I'd really appreciate insights from alums.

5/28/2012 6:52 PM  
Blogger Jackie O said...

Property lady wins for most annoying barbri lecturer so far.

5/29/2012 2:44 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

To 5:28 10:37 AM: Not necessarily, depending on (1) how good you are at standardized tests and (2) how good you are at studying on your own. I definitely feel like Barbri was a huge ripoff myself and kind of wish I had gone the route you're considering. But YMMV - plenty of people seem very pleased with Barbri.

5/29/2012 6:07 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Completely bombed 3l year do firms ask for grades?

5/30/2012 8:40 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think whether you should do BarBri has a number of factors. I took it, but my firm paid for it (or, rather, reimbursed me for it). If that is the case, and your question is more whether you think it is worth the time, then YES, YOU SHOULD TAKE IT. If for no other reason, you get into a rhythm of forcing yourself to go to class and do some bare minimum of work afterward. I didn't really start working hard on the homework until after July 4, but having gone to class and doing the minimal assignments afterward was very helpful.

If, rather, the question is whether you should spend your own money on it, I don't know. Personally, I don't think I would have the discipline to study on my own, but it's a lot more subjective question.

5/30/2012 9:21 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

DON'T FALL FOR THE HEAD FAKE!

5/30/2012 12:50 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is anyone else having trouble keeping up with CA Barbri's pace? Why does everyone tell me I should only be studying 9-5, 5 days a week when they clearly have more work for us than that? Any advice?

5/30/2012 6:24 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

What 6:24 said.

5/30/2012 11:08 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

1) Speed up the lectures 1.5x time. (will save an hour a day) 2) Don't go to the in person class (I saved 60-90 minutes a day doing the lectures from the website and then speeding them up). 3) Don't get behind on the lectures. 4) Do all the suggested MBE questions. If you don't have time for all the writing, read through them and UNDERSTAND why the answers are as they are. I personally didn't write a single practice essay (but I think its bad advice and I was lucky) but I did read through all the essays and answers and endeavored to understand the structure of the answers etc. Study SMART. Know how YOU study best, then do it, even if its not exactly how BarBri suggests. If you do get behind, do the current days work BEFORE trying to do any catch-up or you will get further behind.

5/31/2012 12:13 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My number 2 was in reference to the travel time I saved.

5/31/2012 12:20 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone know how to speed up the Barbri flash videos on a mac?

5/31/2012 12:40 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

12:40, I don't think it can easily be done, at least not in the amount of time you'll save. Would be happy to be proven wrong though.

6/04/2012 2:21 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

FML, NY distinctions for crim law are UNBEARABLE.

6/05/2012 12:54 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This guy is selling a guide on eBay for the Summer 2012 lectures and it works. I bought it and was playing at faster speed within 30 minutes. The guide is crystal clear with easy to follow instructions. It's a bit more complicated work around in past years, but lord it is saving me time. For only $15, it's a steal. And unlike the comment above, you don't have to load the videos 2-3 times before you can get it to work. It's genius.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Play-Barbri-video-lectures-faster-150-faster-more-EASY-/330746190458

6/17/2012 8:48 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh, and the above guide on eBay works on both Mac and Windows.

6/17/2012 8:50 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Old thread but wanted to say good luck to everyone somewhere. Positive vibes out in the universe.

7/23/2012 8:04 PM  
Blogger lawsarcasm said...

As a former Senior Editor of CLR. Good luck to all of you 2ls. And to all of you taking the bar, don't stress!

7/23/2012 11:34 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hoo boy, that was fun or something. Are people studying tonight? Funny stories to lighten the mood?

7/24/2012 8:11 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Overhead, Tuesday AM: "Man, I didn't study State A law at all!"

7/24/2012 8:15 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is it just me, or was that PT brutal?

7/24/2012 8:26 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

And...... You are done. Congratulations! Pop the cork on some champagne.

7/26/2012 4:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

OCIP thread?

8/07/2012 5:57 PM  
Blogger Armen Adzhemyan said...

Crap! When do the interviews start?

8/07/2012 6:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

yesterday

8/07/2012 7:12 PM  
Anonymous Robert said...

Nice post which he time that recent grads start stressing about the bar, so here is a thread to help spread, er, diffuse the anxiety. In which is essentially the same repackaged blivit each year. Thanks a lot for posting

9/27/2012 9:33 AM  

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