Barbarb, Esquire
Friday, October 07, 2011
Countdown...
Just under an hour before the results for the July 2011 Arizona Bar Exam are posted! I am freaking out, to put it mildly! I just thought I'd document the wild range of emotions that I'm feeling right now from optimism, confidence and anticipation to fear, depression and trepidation (that's a fancy kind of fear, fyi. Not the same as regular fear).
Did I pass? Didn't I? Was there a mistake? Will my results be so awful I should just be embarrassed that I even tried?
I'm just trying to pray to keep my nerves in check... just about 45 minutes left!
Did I pass? Didn't I? Was there a mistake? Will my results be so awful I should just be embarrassed that I even tried?
I'm just trying to pray to keep my nerves in check... just about 45 minutes left!
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!!!
I am really starting to stress now! It's just a few days until results come out. Eek! Results are posted right during my commute home, so I'll be trying to check on my phone. I've already arranged with my carpool to have someone else drive so I can focus on that. Oh my gosh, Friday cannot come fast enough!
Thursday, September 08, 2011
This is how obsessed I am
Ok, I'll come clean. My MBE scaled score is 146.6. Good, that's out there now. I feel better.
Now, in Arizona, the new method of grading looks like this:
The passing score in Arizona remains 410.
Now comes the obsessing... Assuming that the way the bar examiners allot points is based on the relation between the scaled score and the total possible, I should get 73.3% of the points available for the MBE or 219.9.
I think I did fairly well on the performance test. Last time when I felt that way I ended up with around 75%, so I'll see what 75 points on performance test does to me:
410 -(219.9 + 75) = 115.1
So far, it's like this:
So, I need a 57.5% on the essays. There are 6 essays and each is scored from 0-6. I need roughly a 3.45 average on each to pass the bar exam.
That is all assuming I'm right about how the test is scored and scaled and all that. I think I probably got around a 4 on most of the essays except that one. The one! The horrible, train-wreck that I will be lucky to get a 2 on.
But there is no way to know how I did. Not until October 7. Until then I need to figure out a way to stop obsessing!
Now, in Arizona, the new method of grading looks like this:
| Section | Points |
| MBE | 300 |
| Essays | 200 |
| PT | 100 |
| TOTAL | 600 |
The passing score in Arizona remains 410.
Now comes the obsessing... Assuming that the way the bar examiners allot points is based on the relation between the scaled score and the total possible, I should get 73.3% of the points available for the MBE or 219.9.
I think I did fairly well on the performance test. Last time when I felt that way I ended up with around 75%, so I'll see what 75 points on performance test does to me:
410 -(219.9 + 75) = 115.1
So far, it's like this:
| Section | Points | My Scores? |
| MBE | 300 | 219.9 |
| Essays | 200 | 115.1 |
| PT | 100 | 75 |
| TOTAL | 600 | 410 |
So, I need a 57.5% on the essays. There are 6 essays and each is scored from 0-6. I need roughly a 3.45 average on each to pass the bar exam.
That is all assuming I'm right about how the test is scored and scaled and all that. I think I probably got around a 4 on most of the essays except that one. The one! The horrible, train-wreck that I will be lucky to get a 2 on.
But there is no way to know how I did. Not until October 7. Until then I need to figure out a way to stop obsessing!
Sunday, September 04, 2011
Arizona Bar Exam MBE Results
The scores have been sent out. The Arizona mean was 143.6. The range was from 101.6 to 178.5. These are the scaled scores.
I did slightly better than the mean and slightly better than I did when I took the Bar in California. I feel encouraged that there's a chance I could pass, but I'm not counting my chickens yet.
So, now it's time to return to normal life for another month when I will find out if my score is enough to pass. All I know is that there's a chance!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Clock's ticking...
The multiple choice scores could come out as early as next week. Yes, I am freaking out a little. Yes, I've read others' reactions to the July exam. No, I have no idea if I passed.
I go back and forth from feeling pretty confident (I think I rocked the performance exam!) to absolutely sure I failed (Secured transactions, you're now my nemisis!). My dad thinks I must have passed for sure ("You came so close in California, sweetie!") and my husband wants me to brace for the worst ("It'd be great if you passed, but I want you to be prepared for the possibility that, you know, you didn't."). This waiting is really killing me.
And the worst part is that I'll get the multiple choice score sometime in the next few weeks and it won't make one bit of difference! I have read so many stories of people who bombed the multiple choice and passed the whole test. And others who aced multiple choice and failed because of essays. So, there's no way to tell.
Of course, I want to think that a good score will mean something. I'll probably take my score, good or bad, as an indication of how I did overall. As groundless as that may be, I'll live the rest of September feeling that the multiple choice score is a hint of what's to come.
Yeah, if it was up to me, I'd tell Arizona to stop releasing the multiple choice scores separately. It's just painful.
I go back and forth from feeling pretty confident (I think I rocked the performance exam!) to absolutely sure I failed (Secured transactions, you're now my nemisis!). My dad thinks I must have passed for sure ("You came so close in California, sweetie!") and my husband wants me to brace for the worst ("It'd be great if you passed, but I want you to be prepared for the possibility that, you know, you didn't."). This waiting is really killing me.
And the worst part is that I'll get the multiple choice score sometime in the next few weeks and it won't make one bit of difference! I have read so many stories of people who bombed the multiple choice and passed the whole test. And others who aced multiple choice and failed because of essays. So, there's no way to tell.
Of course, I want to think that a good score will mean something. I'll probably take my score, good or bad, as an indication of how I did overall. As groundless as that may be, I'll live the rest of September feeling that the multiple choice score is a hint of what's to come.
Yeah, if it was up to me, I'd tell Arizona to stop releasing the multiple choice scores separately. It's just painful.
Monday, August 01, 2011
Like a sucker
I did a little searching for info on what other people thought of the Arizona Bar (like a sucker) and stressed myself out again. But, I also found what some people were saying about the multiple choice and it was enlightening. Apparently, a good number of people felt that one session was markedly easier than the other. That's good news! I hope.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
It's all over now
It is Thursday, the day after the Arizona Bar Exam. I did it. It's over! I can honestly say I did my best and whatever happens now is out of my control.
So, the second day was much better than the first. Of course, there was the benefit that I didn't have to check in at 6:45am like the first day, so that was nice. Also, I like multiple choice for one simple reason: the right answer is there, you just have to find it.
The first session felt like every other practice test I've taken. It felt challenging and some of the questions were downright confusing. There were three I marked to come back to later and when I did, they still weren't very clear to me. They say the examiners put in a few "experimental" questions and I'm hoping those were they! I took breaks after the first 25 and 50 questions to walk around and get a drink. With all that, I finished with 5 minutes to spare. Slow and steady.
Then I got a wrap from Einstein's and holed up in my car to eat and read my (very silly) book. I went back in just at the right time and settled in. When the test started, the weirdest thing happened. I started working through the questions very quickly. Probably about twice as quickly as the first session. What the what? Why was the second session so much easier? Every question it just felt like, "Oh, I see what they are testing here. They want to see if the examinee understands this or that difference." It was like a completely different test. I finished an hour early.
So, did my brain implode and I just missed every single issue? Or did I suddenly become super-lawyer? Or did the examiners put all the easy questions in the afternoon? Well, we may never know exactly. But for now, I plan on assuming my brain went into hyperdrive and I did awesome. :)
Now, I did leave an hour early, but I wasn't the only one. There were many others who left before me and several who walked out the door at the same time. Perhaps that puts a damper on my super brain theory. Maybe it really was just easier!
Oh well-- whatever. As long as I passed, why should I care? :) All I know is that I'm done. All done. I can just relax now! :)
So, the second day was much better than the first. Of course, there was the benefit that I didn't have to check in at 6:45am like the first day, so that was nice. Also, I like multiple choice for one simple reason: the right answer is there, you just have to find it.
The first session felt like every other practice test I've taken. It felt challenging and some of the questions were downright confusing. There were three I marked to come back to later and when I did, they still weren't very clear to me. They say the examiners put in a few "experimental" questions and I'm hoping those were they! I took breaks after the first 25 and 50 questions to walk around and get a drink. With all that, I finished with 5 minutes to spare. Slow and steady.
Then I got a wrap from Einstein's and holed up in my car to eat and read my (very silly) book. I went back in just at the right time and settled in. When the test started, the weirdest thing happened. I started working through the questions very quickly. Probably about twice as quickly as the first session. What the what? Why was the second session so much easier? Every question it just felt like, "Oh, I see what they are testing here. They want to see if the examinee understands this or that difference." It was like a completely different test. I finished an hour early.
So, did my brain implode and I just missed every single issue? Or did I suddenly become super-lawyer? Or did the examiners put all the easy questions in the afternoon? Well, we may never know exactly. But for now, I plan on assuming my brain went into hyperdrive and I did awesome. :)
Now, I did leave an hour early, but I wasn't the only one. There were many others who left before me and several who walked out the door at the same time. Perhaps that puts a damper on my super brain theory. Maybe it really was just easier!
Oh well-- whatever. As long as I passed, why should I care? :) All I know is that I'm done. All done. I can just relax now! :)
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Day one, session two
So, I made through the first day. Whew! That was some work. I'm now sitting a Steve's Greenhouse Grill waiting in my chicken sandwich. All I can say is I'm happy to not be looking at a computer! (I'm typing on my phone.)
So... I'm sure you're wondering how I did. I don't really know, but I'm hoping it went ok. I really didn't do well on the secured trans question. Ugh! But trusts went well this time. I was ready for that.
I did ok on crim pro and con law, I think. Community prop was probably the most up in the air. I spent the most time on that which isn't always a good sign.
What else... ? Um... I might have to read my post from earlier to remember all the topics. Oh-- partnerships! Yuck. That wasn't good either. I'm not really sure what they were even getting at- there must have been something I missed.
I did ok on the con law one. Equal protection-- pretty straight forward. I think that's all of them.
Then there was the performance test this afternoon that I think I did well on. So... I guess it was ok. Hopefully I end up rocking the multiple choice tomorrow!
So... I'm sure you're wondering how I did. I don't really know, but I'm hoping it went ok. I really didn't do well on the secured trans question. Ugh! But trusts went well this time. I was ready for that.
I did ok on crim pro and con law, I think. Community prop was probably the most up in the air. I spent the most time on that which isn't always a good sign.
What else... ? Um... I might have to read my post from earlier to remember all the topics. Oh-- partnerships! Yuck. That wasn't good either. I'm not really sure what they were even getting at- there must have been something I missed.
I did ok on the con law one. Equal protection-- pretty straight forward. I think that's all of them.
Then there was the performance test this afternoon that I think I did well on. So... I guess it was ok. Hopefully I end up rocking the multiple choice tomorrow!
Day one, session one
First session done. Community property/intestate succession, criminal procedure, constitutional law, secured transactions, partnerships, and trusts. Some I felt ok about and some were shaky. Oh well! What's done is done.
This afternoon is the performance test. Wish me luck. I'm going to lie down for a second for now!
This afternoon is the performance test. Wish me luck. I'm going to lie down for a second for now!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Slight change in plans
I decided to stay home and forgo early registration in order to see how Hubby's first day of classes went. I'm glad I did. With all my nervous energy, I was able to do all the laundry and dishes and cook up an intricate dinner (herb chicken with chive cream sauce- yum!).
He was glad I was there and so was I. It was good to have a normal evening before heading up to Phoenix. While I have to admit in nervous, I must say that I'm not the wreck I was for the CA bar. Thank goodness!!
So, all that's left is for me to get some shut eye and get up super early. Check in for lap toppers is 6:45am!
Good night and wish me luck!
He was glad I was there and so was I. It was good to have a normal evening before heading up to Phoenix. While I have to admit in nervous, I must say that I'm not the wreck I was for the CA bar. Thank goodness!!
So, all that's left is for me to get some shut eye and get up super early. Check in for lap toppers is 6:45am!
Good night and wish me luck!
View from my room
Take a deep breath... it'll all be over in a couple days!
So, the time has finally arrived. I am sitting at home, just about to get ready, pack and head out to Phoenix. I am one day away from the Arizona Bar Exam. I am not nearly as nervous as I thought I would be. That's a good sign... right?
I did a practice MC test-- 3 hours, 100 questions, just like a session of the Bar-- and got the same score I got when I took the real thing in California. I took it as a sign that I have a real chance of passing this thing. Maybe that's not how I should have taken it (after all, I didn't pass California 5 years ago), but it gave me a ton of confidence. If I score that well this time, that is well within the range needed to pass Arizona's exam. So, yeah, I think I'm justified in believing that I'm capable of passing.
All I know is that I've done all I can. I studied for 7 months while working full time. I did it on my own with a self-directed program (that was filled with errors, but that's a subject for another post) and a good deal of my own research. I studied while recovering from surgery (a little bit) and while others were urging me to "come play!" because "you still have to eat-- might as well do it out with us!" Whether it is enough is something I'll find out in October.
In some ways, I'm glad the results take so long. That's enough time for all the stress and worry to calm down a bit. I don't think I could take it if I only had to wait a couple weeks-- that's just one stress followed by another! So, I'll just go and do the pre-registration thing today, hang out at the hotel and try to relax and then do my best on Tuesday and Wednesday. That's all I can do!
I'm sure I'll post again once I'm at the hotel, but until then-- Wish me luck!
I did a practice MC test-- 3 hours, 100 questions, just like a session of the Bar-- and got the same score I got when I took the real thing in California. I took it as a sign that I have a real chance of passing this thing. Maybe that's not how I should have taken it (after all, I didn't pass California 5 years ago), but it gave me a ton of confidence. If I score that well this time, that is well within the range needed to pass Arizona's exam. So, yeah, I think I'm justified in believing that I'm capable of passing.
All I know is that I've done all I can. I studied for 7 months while working full time. I did it on my own with a self-directed program (that was filled with errors, but that's a subject for another post) and a good deal of my own research. I studied while recovering from surgery (a little bit) and while others were urging me to "come play!" because "you still have to eat-- might as well do it out with us!" Whether it is enough is something I'll find out in October.
In some ways, I'm glad the results take so long. That's enough time for all the stress and worry to calm down a bit. I don't think I could take it if I only had to wait a couple weeks-- that's just one stress followed by another! So, I'll just go and do the pre-registration thing today, hang out at the hotel and try to relax and then do my best on Tuesday and Wednesday. That's all I can do!
I'm sure I'll post again once I'm at the hotel, but until then-- Wish me luck!
Monday, July 18, 2011
One week...
I can do anything for one week. I believe that. I do.
Work has been crazy-- I've been covering for a coworker who hurt his back. Funny thing is-- he actually has stuff to do! This means I'm pretty much running around crazy all day. That has been going on for a little over a week.
So, I have to ask myself: "Self, why did you think you'd have plenty of time to study when you are working full time and commute 1 hour each way?"
No answer. Typical!
Work has been crazy-- I've been covering for a coworker who hurt his back. Funny thing is-- he actually has stuff to do! This means I'm pretty much running around crazy all day. That has been going on for a little over a week.
So, I have to ask myself: "Self, why did you think you'd have plenty of time to study when you are working full time and commute 1 hour each way?"
No answer. Typical!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
One word: UGH
I am trudging through this. Slowly, but surely, the days will pass and I will find myself taking the dreaded exam. The only question is how to get my brain to function properly until then?
I feel like I never get enough sleep, I am always unfocused and I can't make myself absorb information right now. It's been like this for about a week. Ugh.
Hubs has me doing a quick review of stuff I got wrong during the day right before bed because, as he explained, your brain encodes all that information during sleep, so if it's the last thing you think about, you'll be more likely to encode it correctly. I hope that's true!
As it is now, I study at work then I get home and eat dinner, play a little Sims, study for an hour, get ready for bed and then review. All this productivity is kinda hard on the relaxing time! Lol.
It'll be over soon, though, right? I'll be happy that I worked so hard when I'm done. Right?
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Same old, same old
Things don't change very much in Bar-study Land. I did a week each of Property, Contracts, and Evidence. Now I'm working on Crim. Things are going pretty well so far. I'm getting 80% of Multiple Choice correct so far.
The biggest challenge right now is the running-out-of-steam problem. I'm not quite to the one-month mark, so I'm stuck between "all the time in the world" and "last ditch effort". I need to renew the vigor somehow! But how?
Life is unendingly busy. I find myself saying "I can't do anything social" just to turn around and say "let's get together next week!" I can't do it all, but feel guilty not doing anything. Part of this has to do with my better half-- Hubs is on break from school, so he is home all day. That makes for a stir-crazy hubby. I feel like I have to help him get out of the house. I need to get better at sending him out into the world on his own for the next few weeks.
So, a plan is forming in my tired noggin-- Send Hubs out to play alone so I can get some study done at home. Go ahead and have a crazy fun time on my birthday, but reign in other social commitments.
I'm getting so close to actually doing this thing. I'm actually quite proud of myself for getting this far! I've really stuck with it. Hopefully, I've also done a good enough job to actually pass!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Red Letter Day!!
I just got an 80% on a CONTRACTS multiple choice!! That is practically unheard of for me! Maybe there's hope for me after all. :)
Studying is going OK. I have started to feel the pressure of it all-- just over 2 months out now! But I have a slow-and-steady plan for the next few weeks, that I hope will allow me work really hard on subjects I really need to focus on.
I am taking one subject per week to work on in depth. This week is (you guessed it!) Contracts. I hope to start building up to mixed multiple choice after a couple weeks and see how that goes.
Starting really early and just working slowly over time has been a nice way to ease back into law studying. I can see where I really missed the mark last time and how some subjects didn't really click for me. This week I looked back at my Contracts outline from first year law school and realized what a mess it was. No wonder I didn't understand the subject! Torts made sense to me because I had the outline all set out and understood it beforehand. My contracts outline was more like a list of definitions than an intuitive framework. If I had been able to take a step back, maybe I would have been able to see that the method I was using wasn't working for me.
So, live and learn! I'm off to go over my MC now. :D
Monday, February 28, 2011
Application: IN!
Well, my application is officially in! I forgot how many steps applying entails, but I finally got the paperwork in and everything. Yay! Now I just have to wait for them to write me back telling me what I forgot or didn't do right. Lol!
I'm looking forward to being done with Wills and Trusts. But that is neither here nor there.
Darling Husband reiterated his support this weekend and asked what he could do to support me during this time. One thing I thought of that would really help-- get my lectures onto my iPod so I can listen to them in the car. That would really help me! Also, he's going to have to help with the downloading of the testing software.
Anyway, I'm feeling pretty positive right now. I just want to do a good job and I think I might be able to!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
It's still going!
Even though I haven't posted in a while, rest assured, I am still studying. I am now working on Wills and Trusts. So far, I've completed the section on intestate succession and I did pretty well on the flashcards. Trusts are going to be trickier, I think, so that will take some focus.
My study schedule basically allows me two weeks per topic from here on out, with several weeks for review at the end. I really haven't had too much stress with this which is nice. My motivation is so different from the first time I took it that I don't even view it as a chore most of the time. Last time, I was scared of not passing. This time, I just want to give it my best to see if I can do it.
It also helps that last time I got really close to passing and it was in California. I'll be honest, there's a little extra confidence this time because Arizona's exam is not exactly considered on par with California.
Anyway, so it's still coming along steadily, I think. If I keep at it, I think I'll be in pretty good shape.
Friday, January 07, 2011
Officially started
So, after bombing some Contracts MCs, I finally got an 80% on my last round of questions! Hooray for me!
Since I actually started studying on my own in December and covered Contracts at that time, I think I'll move onto another topic and come back to Contracts as it gets nearer to the exam day. I've always struggled with Contracts questions, so I'll probably need another look at it.
The question then is: What do I do now? Maybe I'll move onto Biz Org. Or maybe I should hit the other tough area for me-- Wills and Trusts. I pretty much ignored that one last time and that came back to bite me.
That settles it-- Wills and Trusts it is.
Thursday, January 06, 2011
It's a new dawn, it's a new day
So, I'm starting all over again. I will be working towards taking the Arizona Bar Exam in July 2011. Yes, there is lots of time and, yes, it's been a long time since I graduated from law school. I'm motivated and in a different frame of mind, so hopefully that will make a difference this time.
I just registered on baroutlines.com for their Arizona program. After a quick look at how it all works, I think this is a good option for me. I will download the lectures and listen to them during my commute (so long as it doesn't put me to sleep!). Since it's online, I can study anywhere I have internet access. There is also the option to download materials.
I also bought their MBE workbook (which is for the multiple choice portion of the exam). It includes three full exams and tips for the multiple choice. I did pass that portion of the exam in California in 2006, so I'm not too terribly worried.
This is going to be a lot of work! But I have seven months to do it. I think I'll be able to make it!
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