Hello All,

By the time you are reading this, you will have completed day one of the California Bar Exam!  Thank you to everyone who wrote in with their recap of what was on the exam today.

As you likely know, today’s essays were: 1) Wills, 2) Remedies, and 3) Evidence.

Understand that I did not see the essays, so I am relying completely on examinees’ recaps that have been sent in to me. While I have not seen the exams, I have heard from many examinees and believe I have a pretty good sense of what was tested today on the essays. I have heard about many other areas that may or may not have been tested along with Wills and Remedies.

Everyone agrees that the third essay was Evidence. I say this simply because I know that there are variations in how to interpret the essays. I do not want to throw anyone off by suggesting cross-overs that may or may not be there. And, the reality is that you can write on many things that your colleagues do not write on and all of you can pass. That is the nature of this exam, it is not about surgical precision or about everyone agreeing on the supposed right answer. However, I think everyone would agree that the three main topics for today were: Wills, Remedies, and Evidence.

From the reports I have received, there were likely several different ways Essay Two could be handled (either as Contract Remedies or involving Tort Remedies or both). From everything I have heard, it sounds like the Remedies essay was the “oddball” or at least perhaps the more challenging essay of the day. In any case, it is very likely that there were multiple ways to handle this question successfully. This is often the case with Remedies exams.

Let it go . . . It is very important that you put today behind you. Simply be glad it is over, move forward, do not dwell on what you wish you could have written . . . let it go. This is key. Day one is behind you, there is nothing you can do about whatever you wrote or did not write. So move forward and focus on what is ahead.

Okay, moving on from day one . . . Your focus now should be to move forward and do your very best in the days ahead. No matter how you feel Day One went (good or bad) put it behind you and focus on doing your absolute best on Wednesday and Thursday!

Thoughts on what might appear on Day Three’s essays . . . 

So far there have been no real surprises – the subjects that showed up on the essays were in line with what was expected. But, as I write this post, I have not yet heard what was on the PT subject matter wise. Understand, I will not discuss the PT until after everyone has taken the PTs (this means not until after this Sunday). However, what is tested on the PT subject wise, does affect how I might revise or not revise my “predictions” for Thursday’s essays. So, I will wait until I hear what was tested subject matter wise before I weigh in on any new or revised “predictions” for Thursday’s essays (I will elaborate more on this once I hear which subject was tested on this afternoon’s PT).

What should I study tonight (Tuesday night)? I would focus on the MBE topics because you know you will be tested on these tomorrow.

I would reserve most of my studying for Thursday’s essays until Wednesday however, here are a few thoughts until then:

Don’t put Evidence away just yet . . . obviously you will see Evidence on the MBEs tomorrow but, there is also a chance that you will see Evidence again on Thursday on one of the essays. It is not my first choice but, you should be aware that on past bar exams, Evidence was tested on day one and then again as a cross over on day three. So, just keep this in mind. Again, not my first pick but, my point is that you need to be prepared for the possibility so that you are not surprised by it, should it show up on day three.

Criminal Law Murder (perhaps crossed with Criminal Procedure and/or Evidence). This is very possible. Nothing that was tested today really changes my initial list. These are not the only areas that are worth taking a look at. But, I would spend any review time this evening on the MBE topics since you know that you are going to face those tomorrow. This is an MBE topic so study of it will be doing double duty for you since it will be on the exam on Wednesday and may  be on the exam on Thursday.

Then, worry about what to study on Wednesday for Thursday’s essays.

So, what should you study on Wednesday night before the exam on Thursday? For now, that should be in this order: first, you should review any subject that you feel is weak, or that you would fear seeing an essay on that topic. This is far more important than reviewing all of the “predicted” topics. Remember, no one can predict what will be tested, you should be ready for anything. Second, you should look over any of the predicted subjects that were not tested on day one’s essays. I will post more (after I hear what was tested subject wise on this afternoon’s PT) about what you might want to focus on in preparing for Thursday’s essays.

I will continue to post here in the coming days. For those of you who are just signing up for our Bar Exam Tips List, we are sending out my initial predictions email (that was sent earlier) and  then you will receive any subsequent emails.

Thank you again to everyone who sent in reports of what was tested today! I try to respond to every email. This becomes increasingly difficult as the traffic grows. But, I will do my best to get back to everyone. The blog has received thousands and thousands of views in just the past couple of days. I am truly honored to have this following and grateful to be able to offer some help. There is still time to join our February 2017 bar exam tips list (see earlier post below).

All the best to you on the MBE section tomorrow. And, for those of you who are taking the Attorney Taker’s exam, I would spend day two studying in this order: 1) review the topic(s) that you are least comfortable with, and  2) Review any of the “predicted” topics. Above all, review the areas that you feel the least secure about so that if you do see one of these areas, you will have a better opportunity.

I will keep posting and keep sending out emails. Stay tuned. If you have a question, please feel free to send me an email at: barexamguru@yahoo.com. I will do my best to get back to you personally, my enrolled students taking priority of course.

All the best of luck to you tomorrow! Stay positive!

Lisa Duncanson