California Bar Exam Experiment

Hello everyone!

It is Results Day!  Congratulations to those who passed tonight.  For those who are eligible to take the Cal Bar in February 2024, my heart is with you.  I failed twice before I passed, and I remember Results Day from July 1998 like it was yesterday.  And that’s nearly 25 years to the day.  Part of me died that day.  But I found a way to pass, and I can help you do the same.

If you didn’t pass tonight, mourn the result.  It’s a big event, and many of you didn’t think you would fail.  But if that’s the case, let’s talk.  Mourn your result.  Dust yourself off.  Put yourself together.  And let’s generate some points.

Some days are going to be easier than others.  As I learned when my Dad died in mid-July (he was 91), the sun will come up tomorrow.  Promise.  And some days are going to be easier than others.  But if you want some help getting past this hurdle and moving on with the rest of your life, I can help.  I have heard some amazing stories of people who passed tonight.  And I will hear more.  I look forward to helping you joining the pantheon of the passing.

YOU CAN DO THIS.

Let’s talk soon.  Spaces are filling up.  If you want to talk, please reach out now.

Hello everyone!

Results Day is today.  Hope all of you July 2022 Cal Bar test-takers receive good news tonight!

There are rumors of a reddit hack of the Cal Bar’s website and you can do a workaround and find your results now.  I have no idea if it’s true.  Historically, there are two ways you can trust to learn about your results:  1) check on the Bar’s website at 6 pm on Results Day, or 2) review your results letter, which should be posted tonight or tomorrow in your Applicant Portal.

Personally I wouldn’t trust anything other than those two sources.  In fact, when I passed, I refused to check on the Bar’s website because I heard of a few people who failed on the internet and passed in the mail.  So I couldn’t trust anything so I waited about 22 hours until the mail arrived!  That was not easy, but that’s what I did!

If you receive good news tonight, CONGRATULATIONS!  Celebrate responsibly, and no felonies!  Remember, the goal is to get sworn in, right?  Felonies don’t help with that, even if you commit one after you pass the Bar Exam.

If your name does not match a name on the database of names of people who passed, mourn your result for 30 minutes, and then contact me.  Good tutoring programs fill up quickly.  I usually fill up within a few days of publication of results and last season I filled up in four hours!  The first ability is availability.  Let’s talk, set up a plan, and then you can know that you’re not alone and that you’re doing something about it.

Good luck tonight, everyone!

Hello y’all!

Friday before the Bar Exam, and today is all about the mock exam.  Today is the last day to get your mock exam done.  The first ability is availability!  They won’t let you in the room without it.  Triple-check that you’re in good shape.  Today’s the day!  The link to the mock exam is:  https://bar.examsoft.com/mock-exam/.  Remember the password is mock123.

Mask update:  The Cal Bar’s July 22 update indicates that you can bring a mask if you want.  It’s optional.  Final answer.  If you bring one, make sure it doesn’t have a valve.  I would recommend an N95 or KN95 (if you’re going to wear one, make sure you wear a good one).  And make sure there’s no writing on it.

One important update from the Cal Bar:

ExamSoft recently shared that new Windows laptops containing Intel 12th generation chipsets are not supported and may not be used to take the July 2022 bar exam.

Doublecheck your laptop!

Here’s the information from ExamSoft:

Good morning, Baby Bar takers!

October 2022 Baby Bar registration is open – make sure you file on time by August 1.

Note this little tidbit:

The October 2022 First-Year Law Students’ Exam will again be held remotely. Further details regarding the administration of this exam to come. 

But, but, but, remote exam testing is untenable.  But, but, but, the MBE can’t be delivered online.  Scaling can’t be properly done.  Structural integrity can’t be guaranteed, etc., etc.

Well, it’s the Baby Bar… whatever.  Apparently, according to the Cal Bar.

Just be intellectually honest about what you’re doing.  Evidently you’re saving money from renting convention halls (though I thought application fees took care of that)?  Or are you using the Baby Bar to experiment with remote testing with an eye towards moving to remote testing in the future for the Cal Bar too?  Remember if you’re doing that, you need the NCBE’s buy-in for the MBE, and well, they don’t seem too thrilled with paperless MBE questions.  We’ll see what the Next Generation’s final recommendations are as time goes on.

Anyway, for now, Baby Bar takers, masks aren’t your concern for the October Baby Bar.  However, no scratch paper for you for your essays, seemingly.  If you want help Avoiding Scrolling Hell, reach out to me and I can work with you this fall.

Hello everyone.  Happy July.  Just about two weeks to go until exam day!

This summer, the mask situation has evolved over time for the California Bar.  The April 14 FAQ indicated masks are optional.  COVID numbers have gotten worse over time, but hospitalizations and deaths numbers did not dramatically worsen.

Alameda County created reinstituted a mask mandate.  I’m shocked that the Cal Bar didn’t publicly react.  Mask mandate in one Cal Bar Exam site (the Oakland site is in Alameda County) would necessitate masks for every Cal Bar Exam site, unless the Cal Bar wants a class action lawsuit from a very litigious group (the entire Cal Bar applicant pool).  Publicly, they said nothing.  Remarkably, Alameda County gave 24 hours notice and rescinded its mask mandate a few weeks ago.  Crisis averted.

The other potential issue about a mask mandate is from LA County.  Public health officials indicated that the county would likely reach the high COVID tier, and that would result in a mask mandate.  That would trigger masks for Cal Bar Exam sites in LA, and again, that would necessitate masks for all bar takers.

But the date was a moving target.  First, it was mid-June, then late June, then early July, and around this time came the kicker:  the mask mandate wouldn’t immediately trigger.  Once LA County reached the high tier, it would have to stay there for 14 consecutive days for the mask mandate to trigger.

On July 8, the LA Times published an article titled, “With ultra-contagious BA.5 rising, how close is L.A. to an indoor COVID mask mandate?”  Buried in the lengthy article was this important assessment:

“Based on current trends, however, Ferrer estimated the L.A. County rate could surpass the high threshold as soon as next week.”

The only way that a mask mandate would occur for the Cal Bar would be ALL of the following:

1. LA County reaches the high tier Monday, 7/11.
2. LA County stays there 14 consecutive days.
3. On 7/25, the day before the Cal Bar Exam, LA County announces at 9 am that two consecutive weeks are met, and WHAM-O!, mask mandate.
4. The Cal Bar reacts at 10 am and announces masks are mandatory for the exam, and brings masks to all of its exam sites in case students don’t bring one.

Quite a needle for the Cal Bar to thread.  I don’t see it happening.

Officially, wait until Tuesday morning.  Check out latimes.com.  If you don’t read that LA County reaches the high tier on Monday, then you can take your mask off on exam day.

A student asked a great question:  fine, no masks on exam day, but should I be wearing a mask before then?  My recommendation is YES, if you go outside your house, for any reason, for any length of time, wear a mask.

You don’t want to get COVID just before the Cal Bar Exam!  Remember:  the first ability is availability!

Good luck to all as you finalize your preparations for the July 2022 Cal Bar Exam.

Hello friends.

Please note the following message from the NCBE regarding the July 2022 UBE exam, and regarding the MBE on the July 2022 Cal Bar Exam:

 JUN 24, 2022

NCBE Statement on SCOTUS Decisions

If you’re taking the Cal Bar, please know that the Cal Bar approved the questions for this exam in late April, even prior to the leak of the draft decision in Dobbs.  You could see an abortion issue in a Cal Bar Con Law essay.  Unlikely, but possible.  If you see this come up, mention that it was a fundamental right before June 24, and subject to rational basis review afterwards.  Maybe you get a bonus point as a result.