Do you spend time trying to predict the essay topics that are going to be tested on the bar exam? Do you read articles, blogs and discussion forums about this? Do you watch YouTube videos by people who are famous for making predictions?
How helpful are such activities? How much time should you spend in ferreting out the what the predicted essay subjects are going to be?
If you put credence into predictions, you're doing two things:
1. Spending precious time on something that does not improve your bar exam performance in the slightest.
2. Place your bar exam results at risk if you study according to predictions.
When I was studying for my first bar exam (California in July 2008), I had a friend who was taking Barbri tell me that one of the instructors told her class that a particular Con Law topic never gets tested and they should skip over it.
Guess what was tested?
Guess who was pissed?
So obviously putting faith in predictions is a fool's errand for the mere fact that the stakes are too high, and NO ONE REALLY KNOWS ANYWAY. Besides that, however, is the fact that the time and energy spent on searching for those predictions is time that could be better spent actually preparing for the exam. I think we all learn this as children: trying to be cunning, we cut corners and try to "work the system", only to find out it would have taken less effort in the long run to do something properly in the first place. The chances of such tactics working is actually less likely than the chances of real preparation working.
Stop combing the internet for predictions and do a practice essay!
What I will say for essay frequency is this: if you actually DO practice essays as I very highly recommend, you will learn what the bar examiners like to test with frequency automatically. You will know that there are tried and true testing areas that you can count on to be there.
Essay FREQUENCY is different than essay PREDICTIONS!
If you go through the past essay exams during your prep, you will KNOW that Professional Responsibility will show up on the California Bar Exam, or that Civil Procedure will show up on the Uniform Bar Exam. Year in and year out, those subjects get tested. No predictions are necessary. Practice is the only thing you need to learn that.
The more you practice, the more you will find out that 20% of the law is being tested 80% of the time. Save yourself the risk of listening to someone else's predictions and find out for yourself what to expect based on a thorough preparation. That way, when the highly-tested subject shows up on your test, you have it down cold. But as far as trying to save time by ignoring certain areas of the law - bad idea.
The last thing I want to mention about predictions is this: going into the bar exam with ANY preconceived ideas is a really, really, really bad strategy. Do not assume you will see certain things on the exam, and not see other things. You will freak out if you see the first essay is on a topic you had completely written off. And when the one subject you were excited to nail doesn't show up, you are going to wonder if you got enough points.
Go into the exam expecting anything and everything will be thrown at you. Be on your toes and don't count your eggs before they hatch. You need to set yourself up for success and be ready for anything.
How helpful are such activities? How much time should you spend in ferreting out the what the predicted essay subjects are going to be?
If you put credence into predictions, you're doing two things:
1. Spending precious time on something that does not improve your bar exam performance in the slightest.
2. Place your bar exam results at risk if you study according to predictions.
When I was studying for my first bar exam (California in July 2008), I had a friend who was taking Barbri tell me that one of the instructors told her class that a particular Con Law topic never gets tested and they should skip over it.
Guess what was tested?
Guess who was pissed?
So obviously putting faith in predictions is a fool's errand for the mere fact that the stakes are too high, and NO ONE REALLY KNOWS ANYWAY. Besides that, however, is the fact that the time and energy spent on searching for those predictions is time that could be better spent actually preparing for the exam. I think we all learn this as children: trying to be cunning, we cut corners and try to "work the system", only to find out it would have taken less effort in the long run to do something properly in the first place. The chances of such tactics working is actually less likely than the chances of real preparation working.
Stop combing the internet for predictions and do a practice essay!
What I will say for essay frequency is this: if you actually DO practice essays as I very highly recommend, you will learn what the bar examiners like to test with frequency automatically. You will know that there are tried and true testing areas that you can count on to be there.
Essay FREQUENCY is different than essay PREDICTIONS!
If you go through the past essay exams during your prep, you will KNOW that Professional Responsibility will show up on the California Bar Exam, or that Civil Procedure will show up on the Uniform Bar Exam. Year in and year out, those subjects get tested. No predictions are necessary. Practice is the only thing you need to learn that.
The more you practice, the more you will find out that 20% of the law is being tested 80% of the time. Save yourself the risk of listening to someone else's predictions and find out for yourself what to expect based on a thorough preparation. That way, when the highly-tested subject shows up on your test, you have it down cold. But as far as trying to save time by ignoring certain areas of the law - bad idea.
The last thing I want to mention about predictions is this: going into the bar exam with ANY preconceived ideas is a really, really, really bad strategy. Do not assume you will see certain things on the exam, and not see other things. You will freak out if you see the first essay is on a topic you had completely written off. And when the one subject you were excited to nail doesn't show up, you are going to wonder if you got enough points.
Go into the exam expecting anything and everything will be thrown at you. Be on your toes and don't count your eggs before they hatch. You need to set yourself up for success and be ready for anything.