Today was my simulated essay day. We started the day with three essays in three hours. It wasn't that bad. I missed a few issues, but I don't think I did anything majorly wrong. But, I always finish to early - like an hour early. I don't know how worried I should be about that because I always have finished tests before everyone else, and I'm a fast typist so I can just type faster than most people. But, they say if you finish early then you must be doing something wrong. I don't know how to force myself to be slower. I figure I either know the answer, or I don't. So, if I know it I just type it and that's that. If I don't, I don't. I only know how to take tests the way I always have, so I'm not going to try and force myself to be slower just for the sake of being slower. After all, if all goes according to plan, this will be the last test I ever take in my entire life.
Then, after an hour lunch break, we had three hours to do a performance test. A performance test is basically a pretend assignment from a senior attorney. The fact pattern will be the senior attorney giving you some assignment about a case, and then there will be a "library" of cases you are supposed to use as authority to complete the assignment.
Examples: Opening and closing statements, memorandum of points and authorities, memorandum on whether you think you can win the case, affidavits, interrogatories, etc. Usually you have two or three of those things to write. You don't have to use any outside knowledge to complete the assignment - everything you need to know is in the library. The main thing you are being tested on is whether you understand what type of writing you are supposed to be doing (persuasive or objective), whether you understand what kind of tone to use (something a jury is supposed to be able to understand, or something a judge should understand), and whether you actually know how the document you are creating is formatted.
I don't think the performance test is that hard. You don't even truly have to know the formatting because the assignment will say something like "this is how memorandum of points and authorities are written in this firm:" and then they'll tell you how to organize it. The two performance tests are worth 40% of the written portion grade, so if you can do really well on the performance test, you can make up for doing poorly on the essays.
So, overall the day wasn't too bad. I didn't get that starving, and there wasn't anything I got totally stuck and freaked out with. It's mainly just boring. Only two weeks left to pound the rest of this info into my brain!
Examples: Opening and closing statements, memorandum of points and authorities, memorandum on whether you think you can win the case, affidavits, interrogatories, etc. Usually you have two or three of those things to write. You don't have to use any outside knowledge to complete the assignment - everything you need to know is in the library. The main thing you are being tested on is whether you understand what type of writing you are supposed to be doing (persuasive or objective), whether you understand what kind of tone to use (something a jury is supposed to be able to understand, or something a judge should understand), and whether you actually know how the document you are creating is formatted.
I don't think the performance test is that hard. You don't even truly have to know the formatting because the assignment will say something like "this is how memorandum of points and authorities are written in this firm:" and then they'll tell you how to organize it. The two performance tests are worth 40% of the written portion grade, so if you can do really well on the performance test, you can make up for doing poorly on the essays.
So, overall the day wasn't too bad. I didn't get that starving, and there wasn't anything I got totally stuck and freaked out with. It's mainly just boring. Only two weeks left to pound the rest of this info into my brain!
Oh - and the fire alarm went off three times, and it was really really really loud. Like, it hurt my ears it was so loud. We suspected maybe they did that to us on purpose to teach us to deal with crazy stuff happening during the test (because last summer there was a significant earthquake during the test and some people freaked), but then we found out it was accidental. Still annoying though. Plus, rumor has it that more people than usual passed last summer because they went easy on the grading due to the earthquake debacle. If that's true (which I doubt it is - no bar exam rumor is ever true), then I hope there is an earthquake or a fire alarm or something to give me some bonus points. My nerves cannot be rattled.
what are you going to count down to when you are done with this?
ReplyDeleteYou are amazing! More time? Read over what you wrote. I always do better if I read over what I write. Do they count points off for grammar and spelling? I am no help on any of this. All I know about law now is what I have been watching on "Raising the Bar."
ReplyDeleteI have a daughter that can do something that I would never be able to accomplish. That makes a Dad proud and in awe. I love who you are.