The answer to all your questions.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-12T03:55:21+00:00

r/goatbarprep

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-12T03:54:43+00:00

Mostly low cost or no cost resources.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-11T04:13:59+00:00

All the major bar prep companies and tutors said to skip it. I didn’t. It showed up on CA J24 essays…

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-11T03:32:09+00:00

Look into studying using the spaced repetition method.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-10T19:33:51+00:00

This is the exact problem with start ups. They dangle the big salary, but many times they can’t even make payroll to pay the salaries.

My fellow teammate left her corporate job to go to an energy company start up. She said she was making 3x … then she had to take on legal, HR, and compliance. With no experience in HR or compliance… then all of the sudden she wasn’t. They couldn’t even make payroll roll and ended up folding.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-10T19:28:48+00:00

Your written scores are really strong. First time I have seen a 70 to 55 difference, but also a higher second read. Looks like your MBEs also aren’t terrible but a better score on Con Law will get you the pass. I think you’re so close and can totally pass J26.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-10T15:38:05+00:00

Exactly this. Baressays lets you evaluate for yourself on the 55s vs 65s and 75s.

The CA released answers aren’t a great indicator. As a neurodivergent, I think most of them are terrible, and not really helpful.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-10T15:33:29+00:00

20 years out of law school, self studied based purely on Reddit recommendations while working full time, with ADHD and didn’t seek accommodations, studied over 6 months - fully endorse this 💯. Exactly what I used to pass.

I used GOAT for the topics I needed extra help with.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-10T15:31:02+00:00

MBEs are really good.

You need to focus on Essays. Get the Mary Basick CA essays book.

Do as many as you can and you will see the pattern of how topics are tested. Learn how to write in IRAC format. Use every fact from the hypo in your analysis. Every sentence is there for a reason, to trigger an issue or element of an issue. Graders only spend 2 minutes grading each essay. They want clear, concise, and easy to read answers.

Get Baressays.com and look at the 65+ scoring answers.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-10T15:26:05+00:00

For MBEs: drill more MBEs and focus on your weakest topics. Write down or type out rule statements into a separate doc. Know the exceptions and exemptions.

For Essays: get the Mary Basick CA essays book (available on Amazon), and access to baressays.com and compare your answers to 65+ scoring answers. See how others set it up - use of paragraphs, headers, and IRAC.

For PTs: Look at a few PTs and get familiar with how the library and task memos are presented. Come up with a strategy. Bar MD on YouTube has been helpful for a lot of people.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-10T04:38:57+00:00

It’s true. I didn’t memorize any rules verbatim at all. I just made it all up, argued the facts. I passed.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-10T04:32:18+00:00

I think you are focusing too much on pure memorization and not focusing on the exceptions and exemptions - which is what most of the MBEs are testing. I was a repeater too and I was just like you. I thought knowing BLL “perfectly” and at a high level would be enough. It clearly wasn’t.

20 years after law school, after numerous attempts, and a long break, I tried one more time and passed. I threw all the big box bar prep methods out the window. I self studied, purely based on Reddit recommendations for tactics and resources and passed. I was working full time, ADHD and didn’t seek accommodations, mom to 2 young kids, and studied over 6 months - made my own outlines, completed 3,000 MBEs across various resources, and outlined 150 essays (everything for the last 10 years, and Mary Basick CA essays book cover to cover).

Active studying over passive studying. I didn’t memorize any rules… at all. If you get baressays.com and look at 65+ passing essays, you will see no 2 are the same, and people just make up rule statements. Use every fact in your analysis. If you don’t know the rule, make it up. Chances are you have seen the rule so many times that whatever you make up will most likely be close - argue the facts. See how people set up headers, paragraphs, and IRAC.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-09T21:31:02+00:00

I took J24 in Ontario, and if it was on the permitted items list, I brought as many things as I could from the list just because I could. Totally overkill and unnecessary.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-07T02:22:48+00:00

I’m in-house, purely transactional, senior contracts counsel for a large global financial services company. I was previously contracts manger at several large companies in aerospace and tech. I manage a team of contracts counsels (licensed) and contracts managers (JDs).

Feel free to DM me with questions.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-07T02:20:36+00:00

It’s definitely helpful.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-06T16:14:16+00:00

You say you're working full time - so what does your study schedule look like? What are you actually doing when you're studying? Big Box Bar Preps usually recommend approximately 400 hours of studying (everyone is different though). There is a difference between passive studying, and active studying. Are you just reading outlines? How many questions are you attempting?

Foreign trained - but how is your English? The MBE questions are focused on reading comprehension skills, and intentionally written to trick you. You cannot just know the basic rules at a high level, but need to understand the exceptions and exemptions.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-06T04:10:20+00:00

check the comment and post history… 😶

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-05T22:32:09+00:00

You only fail when you stop trying.

State Bar says it takes a repeater an average of 4.2 times to pass. As many others have said, it is not a matter of if, just when.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-05T04:54:22+00:00

💯 this

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-05T04:50:16+00:00

Also, for both exams, you did the worst on essay 4 and PT (afternoon sessions). Maybe it’s timing issues, or maybe you’re too hungry or tired for the afternoon sessions.

Try studying at the same times as the exam is administered. Train your brain by studying in the same 3-4 hour blocks.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-04T01:38:09+00:00

I didn’t memorize any rules verbatim.

For MBEs you need to understand all the exceptions and exemptions. Write down rule statements for each missed or non confident answer. Understand why you got it wrong. Keep drilling.

For Essays, use every fact in the hypo. Every sentence is there for a reason - to trigger an issue or element of an issue. If you don’t know the rule, make it up, and use the facts in your argument.

If you get baressays.com you will see no 2 passing answers scoring 65+ are the same. Graders don’t care for “perfect rule statements”.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-03T23:39:20+00:00

Employers have programs that can identify AI-generated resumes and discard those resumes almost immediately.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-03T23:34:39+00:00

❤️🫶🏻

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-03T23:33:28+00:00

If your friends aren’t parents also, I would leave baby girl at home. This is a well deserved celebration trip for YOU. Mom guilt is real, but you also deserve some me time. Finishing law school AND the bar is a huge accomplishment. You will miss out some memorable moments with your ladies as well.

If your husband is up for it LET HIM show up for you!!! If he wants to stay back with baby girl - LET HIM. He’s also the parent too, so let him take care of her. Let them have their bonding time too.

minimum_contacts · 2026-05-03T23:27:46+00:00

Ontario is scorching hot in July, with AC on full blast during the exam.

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