I wanted to write this post to all those first timers and repeaters who were stumbling across the most effective way to prepare for the calfironia bar exam. My first time taking the ca bar was solely with Barbri which was good, but it didn't teach me how to take the bar exam, it told me what was on it in a general format. When I took Barwinners with Daniel he told me what the bar examiners were looking for and what they sought as a passing grade. We honed in and focused on the essays, and how to write a properly formed irac either the emphasis on analysis and what the bar examiners seek during the grading process. We also learned the importance Of the PT which was and still is so underrated even today. When I was a me to understand the format of the PT which Barbri did not help with very much and the essays, it allowed me to receive a pass in the bar exam In California,

Therefore I highly recommend Daniel's barwinners course for those first timers or repeat takers such as myself. It was truly exactly what was needed and he informed us exactly what we needed to know to become a lawyer. I couldn't say more positive things about his bar prep course and for the costs compared to other tutors are bar none the best.

I’ve been practicing essays using Mary Bassick’s methods for pre-gaming the answer. However, I am finding that even with pregaming, I am changing my mind while writing out the answer, seeing potential issues, and also having to refer back to the facts of the actual question. It is taking me about an hour and a half to get an answer (pre-game plus types out).

I am getting increasingly frustrated and am concerned I can’t “fix” this … thoughts?

I graduated from a CA law school 4 years ago. Admitted in another jurisdiction. Taking the full CA bar. I have good study materials, but my essay writing needs serious help.

If we took the experimental bar exam that is supposedly giving us up to 40 points, when do we get results to know how well we did and how many points we got?

Thoughts on the feasibility of making flashcards of entire outline rules & trying to memorize all MBEs + PR subjects with just key info of non-MBE between now & test day?

I was really close to passing and realized I should've prioritized memorization sooner, so just trying to figure out the best way to do so.

If anyone is interested in a study/support group meeting remotely via Microsoft TEAMS (or similar platform) please let me know.

About me. I am taking the attorney exam but am perfectly happy to study with those of you who are taking your first exam. I remember the MBE and how to take it. I took the California Bar Exam once in February of 2015 when it was the three day exam and did not qualify for the attorney exam because I had been admitted in another state literally on the last day to register for that California Exam.

Anyone want to work together towards February 2025?

Is anyone else having this problem where it says you have more courses to do in "not started" but when I click on not started nothing shows up? I clicked the "expired" tab and it does show three elective courses but it says they are expired from January 2024? I'm confused because I was admitted to the Bar Novemeber 2023 so why would they be expired in January 2024? Any help on what I'm missing is appreciated

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I am an international student who will take Cal bar for the first time next Feb.

For foreigners, the good strategy was said to get as high scores(hopefully 75% raw) as possible in MBE portion and then average 60 score in essay portion. However, when I take Kaplan questions, my raw score remains below 60 percent (I could get 70 percent when taking Emanuel). I sometimes don’t understand the reason of correct answers based on Kaplan’s explanations. I anticipate that the new MCQ portion may be detrimental to my scores. I struggled with tackling the study guide as well.

My questions are as follows. Could you please share your experiences?

1. If you have solved Kaplan Qs, what is the characteristic of “Kaplanese”? Do you have idea about the difference between MBE and Kaplan Qs? Am I wrong in saying that there exists Kaplanese?

2. As a non-native English speaker, how did you manage to write essay portion? What is the good way to get high scores? What did you pay attention to while writing essays?

Many people spend a lot of time understanding why they got a practice question wrong. When they learn there is no system to track what they have learned and as a result they forget it after a while.

I think that if we have a tool where it can generate questions based on the questions that we get wrong and make sure there is a good balance between review and new concepts will benefit the candidates.

Adaptibar is good but the questions are limited. So it will just repeat the questions, so ive seen many people just memorize the questions and get them right.

I want to get your feedback if such a system would beneficial to your studies. If so, I can build it so everyone can benefit from it.

I just found my bar number on the Attorney Search and, being excited and all, went to order a wall certificate in the admissions/applications portal. It gives an option to order a standard certificate for free or a custom one for $90. I clicked on the standard one and it says you can only have one certificate. My questions are…

(1) Does that mean one TOTAL—you can get either a standard or custom, but not both? Or you can only get one of each? (I’m assuming it’s the former, but it’s not stated.)

(2) Does anyone have one that would like to share a pic? I don’t mind spending the $90 if it’s significantly nicer, but I can’t really gauge that without seeing them.

ETA: I ended up ordering the custom one. You cannot order more than one. You have to swear under penalty of perjury that you don’t have another certificate in your possession. If you try to even click the link after ordering you receive an error message.

Hi y'all, I am trying to frame my diploma and get a frame as a gift for my friend, but why are there so few frames available for this diploma size... any recommendations on what to get for an affordable price? What about a regular picture frame for 21.4 Inches (L), 15.4 Inches (W)? Thanks in advance for any recs!

any advice/tips welcomed to explain this scorecard and what I should do for my second attempt...

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Hi I’m out of state and would like to use an online notary platform to have a notary public to swear me in. The online notary platform requests the oath card to be uploaded in PDF and will be e-signed by a notary public. The platform will then email back the e-signed oath card electronically.

I assume I will just need to submit the e-signed oath card to CA Bar afterwards? (Even when it’s not e-signed via Docusign?)

Have anyone used this approach? Thanks for any input!

The linked petition for rehearing/rehearing en banc was filed in the Kohn v. State Bar of California 9th Cir. appeal earlier today. The State Bar's contested and inadequate proposal to revise the TA rules remains pending in the California Supreme Court. A DOJ investigation remains ongoing, as is one by the California Legislature.

Those who are having TA issues with the State Bar should email Nicholas.Liedtke@asm.ca.gov and Amanda.Mattson@sen.ca.gov, and submit a report to the the DoJ at https://civilrights.justice.gov/report/

Hi everyone,

I don't have a question necessarily...just want to vent and see if anyone else feels the same or has coping mechanisms for this.

This will be my second time taking the CA bar. On one hand, I feel slightly less pressure only because taking it once before got rid of the daunting feelings of going into something completely new. At least now I have a gist of the process and what obviously didn't work for me last time.

But on the other hand, I feel WAY more pressure internally to succeed this time. My job said they'd do their best to hold my position for me until I pass February's exam and they are all SO sure I will. All my friends and family are (with the best intentions) telling me last time was a fluke, I just had too much life stuff going on, and that this time my hard work and intellect with get me to pass! And inside I'm like well...I guess that means if I fail again I'm actually stupid and incapable of this since I can't use the "it was my first time" excuse. I'm trying reallyyyy hard to go into this with a positive mindset and envision success, which helps most of the time. But every so often these thoughts keep creeping back in :(

Hey everyone! I’m using Mary Basick’s essay book but noticed that people have been saying some of her rules in the PR section are outdated. Does anyone know which rules exactly? I like her outlines much more than the Themis ones so I’d rather just supplement the wrong rules rather than use Themis’s outline.

Thanks in advance for the help.

So I failed J24 as a first time taker. I used Barbri. I know I didnt study enough overall but I found the barbri lectures and plan to not necessarily work for me.

I am thinking of trying Themis/Uworld for F25. Anyone have any input? Is this a good move? Should I stick with Barbri and adaptibar for round 2?

Anyone who has switched and passed their second time I would appreciate your input. Also just any advice for a second time retaker would ne great. Im feeling defeated and uncertain about what to do. I do NOT want to do this a third damn time…

I failed J24 by 4 points in large part due to my essays. Two scored 60, two scored 65, and two scored 57.5 after second read. I’m trying to figure out where I went wrong. Baressays.com has given me no insight as a lot of high scoring essays completely misstated the law?? I guess the only thing I have gathered from looking at my scores and my essays is that I write on the briefer side with most of my essays between 900-1100 words. However even one of my briefer essays got a 65 so idk what to do lol.

I am a foreign lawyer who successfully passed the California Bar exam and satisfied the moral character determination. My admission to the Bar is pending only due to the MPRE which is scheduled for March 2025.  I expect to be admitted to the Bar by May end (oath taking is on June 1, 2025). 

I have 2+ years of corporate legal experience working in-house and at a premier Indian law firm. I also have work authorization wo work in the US.

I have applied for Associate Attorney jobs but most them require mandatory bar admission. I have been applying for jobs and receiving rejection.

What jobs/ positions should I apply for that will consider my candidacy until my admission is pending?

Hi friends - I know similar posts have been made before, but just frustrated and hoping someone has a magic recommendation. Quick recap:

• I submitted my moral character application on March 20, 2024 (I know, later than ideal)

• Speaking to former employers, I know that at least some were contacted as early as May

• I have no crim background. Have only worked/lived in 2 states. The bar sent me one clarifying question about my name/nickname in July, which I promptly responded to. Radio silence since then. My status is "Pending Internal Review"

• Sent a general request inquiring on status on Nov. 9, with no response. Sent a ping in the "feed" last week on a whim to see if that would remind them I exist.

• Have left several voicemails since 11/10/24 with the "Moral Character QA", which I got to by selecting 1/"directory" and then saying "Moral Character" on the phone tree. Have yet to get through to an actual human.

I have already resigned myself to not being able to attend my school's swearing in ceremony on December 6th, despite passing the Bar and having everything else cleared. Just bummed and curious if/how anyone has managed to speak to a staff member to prompt an update.

Hi everyone, I’m currently out of California and would like to be sworn in before a judge for a more meaningful experience. I reached out to a judge who once taught my evidence class in law school, but he replied that he cannot administer the oath for CA admissions. Now I’m a bit confused and would love to hear how others have navigated this process.

Also, are there specific things I should be aware of? From what I understand, the CA Bar website mentions that I’ll need a clerk’s seal to verify the authenticity of the judge’s signature. Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated!

Taking this test is tough, but if you have to get the law down cold to pass it, you can have a distinct advantage when arguing with another lawyer (most) who forgot half the law in front of a Judge. Getting a lawyer to admit in open court that they forgot the MBE bar study materials with a feigned laugh feels good when you can access these rules under pressure. Helps you win if you want to be a court lawyer. Most just want to pass and get a job but the craft is central to what we do.

I just hope the keyboards aren’t blocky and thick, it slows down my typing speed. I’m consider buying one of those keyboards to practice just case. I wonder if I could go to the test location and just see what the computer/keyboard situation is so I can prepare. Am I overthinking this? LMAO I used to be so carefree before this exam was in my life.

I am looking into some recruitment ideas for a public service government organization.

What sites or resources are recent grads or students using to find jobs and/or post-bar positions (Indeed, LinkedIn, Government Jobs, etc)?

Any insight would be appreciated!

Looking for a qualified tutor to help me prepare for and successfully pass the California Bar Exam. Ideally, the tutor should have:

A strong understanding of California Bar Exam requirements and structure. Experience in teaching bar exam strategies, including essay writing, performance tests, and multiple-choice questions. The ability to tailor a study plan to my needs and provide guidance on key subjects.

If you or someone you know can assist, please let me know. Thank you!

So I have recently fully leaned into ChatGPT (of course always saying please and thank you - just in case ;)) for studying. It helped me understand those topics that I had a hard time understanding (aka interlocutory appeals). It also helped create a study plan that was tailored to me and my schedule as well.

I also have been using the "podcast" feature on Google Notebook. I am not sure if anyone else has used it but basically, you upload your notes/outline and it creates a two-person podcast from your notes. I have been uploading my lean sheets and listening to it while I make dinner, do dishes, etc. I really recommend it if you're an auditable learner and want a little more tailored law aside from BarExamToolbox podcast (which I hiiiiighly recommend as well.)

Are there any other tools that others have been using? I'd love to check them out!

I will be on leave of absence from work effective December 1, 2024. Failed the July 24 bar. I'm foreign licensed with no education in the US. Could anyone please share their study schedule for December, January and February (3 weeks)? I tried everything, working and studying, only studying. No luck yet. Thank you so much and good luck on the exam! I would also like to join any study group for accountability purposes. 🙏🏻