Welcome back! Today we're talking about how to conquer the bar exam, specifically the MBE. Taking six hours of multiple choice questions is challenging for just about everyone. For some, however, it can be a major speed bump on the road to bar exam success. 

Don't let the MBE prevent you from passing the bar exam. We've got some tips and strategies!

In this episode we discuss:

• An overview of the MBE
• How to find out exactly what's covered
• What to expect during the MBE on test day
• Why is the MBE so challenging?
• What is the best way to study for the MBE?
• Lee and Alison share their MBE experiences
• Why practice is so important
• The right way to practice
• How much should you worry about timing?
• What to do if you are really struggling with the MBE

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). And check out our Bar Exam Toolbox website (http://barexamtoolbox.com) for more bar exam advice.

Thanks for listening! Best of luck on the bar exam!

Alison & Lee

Resources:

• General MBE Information (http://www.ncbex.org/exams/mbe/preparing/)
• Subject Matter Outlines (http://www.ncbex.org/pdfviewer/?file=%2Fdmsdocument%2F182)
• Can Taking a Break Save Your MBE Score (http://barexamtoolbox.com/can-taking-break-save-mbe-score/)
• Yikes I need to Improve My MBE Scores (http://barexamtoolbox.com/yikes-I-need-to-improve-my-mbe-scores/)
• A Slightly Counterintuitive Way to Study for the MBE (http://barexamtoolbox.com/a-slightly-counterintuitive-way-to-study-for-the-MBE/)
• Top 5 Study Tips for Conquering the MBE (http://barexamtoolbox.com/top-5-study-tips-for-conquering-the-MBE/)
• There is Just too Much MBE Law To Learn (http://barexamtoolbox.com/there-is-just-too-much-mbe-law-to-learn/)
• Bar Study Tips - Preparing for the MBE (http://barexamtoolbox.com/bar-study-tips-preparing-for-the-MBE/)

Welcome back! Today we’ve got an entertaining topic – the eccentric characters you'll meet in law school, along with some tips on law school etiquette (if you don’t want to find yourself on this list in the future). 

Now, you might be wondering what we’re talking about. Isn’t law school just a bunch of students studying the law? Haha, as if. 

For whatever reason, law school tends to attract a rather eccentric cast of characters, some of whom you’re likely to run into, for better or worse!

In this episode we discuss:

• What is the most notorious law school character type?
• Other personality types you will meet in law school and how to deal with them
• The characters Lee and Alison encountered in law school
• Basic rules of law school etiquette
• The importance of finding your people 
• Avoiding relationship drama in law school
• How "not to behave" in law school 

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact).

Thanks for listening! Best of luck with law school.

Alison & Lee

Resources:

• Survive Law School: Find Your People (http://thegirlsguidetolawschool.com/08/surviving-law-school-find-your-people/)
• The People You Will Meet in Law School (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/the-people-you-will-meet-in-law-school/)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today we are focusing on the bar exam performance test. Joining Lee is guest Doretta McGinnis, one of our highly experienced bar exam and law school tutors. 

The performance test portion of the bar exam can be challenging for people, but with these tips you can conquer it and score well. Good luck!

In this episode we discuss:

• Why is the performance test so hard?
• The importance of following directions closely
• Is practicing enough? How should you evaluate your work?
• Why do students put off practice or refuse to do it? 
• Why you should have a performance test plan 
• The link between legal writing and the performance test
• Lee and Doretta share common mistakes students make
• How to improve your time management
• How to make the grader's job easy

Download the Transcript  (https://lawschooltoolbox.com/episode-50-how-to-ace-the-bar-exam-performance-test-with-doretta-mcginnis/)

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). And check out our bar exam site: Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com).

Thanks for listening! Best of luck with the bar exam.

Alison & Lee

Resources:

• How Your Legal Writing Class Prepares You for the MPT (http://barexamtoolbox.com/how-your-legal-writing-class-prepares-you-for-the-mpt/)
• Read More of Doretta's Advice at Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/author/dorettamcginnis/)

Welcome back! Today, we're talking with Jeremy Blachman and Cameron Stracher, authors of "The Curve," a new novel set in a sinking ship of a law school. It addresses a number of critical issues in legal education today (and might make some people think twice about signing up to pay full tuition at a low-ranked law school offering limited job prospects!).

Join us for a wide-ranging discussion on the realities of law school today.

*This post contains an affiliate link

In this episode we discuss:

• Why law school isn't a panacea for not knowing what to do with your life
• Jeremy and Cameron's law school, and post-law school, stories
• Should you go to law school? What if you really want to be a writer?
• What should students be thinking about before they commit to law school?
• Why you should read this book before you go to law school 
• Words of Wisdom for law students and young lawyers

Resources: 

• The Curve (http://amzn.to/1U0cQv2)
• The Curve Novel Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/thecurvenovel)
• The Curve Novel Satirical Website (http://www.seemanhattanlawschool.com/)

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact).

Enjoy! And best of luck in law school (if you decide life as a novelist isn't for you).

Alison & Lee

Welcome back! Today we have one of our most experienced bar tutors, Ariel Salzer with us to talk about the essay portion of the bar exam. Many students dread (and even put off) practicing for the essays. We dig into why this is and give helpful tips on how to tackle those essays and find bar exam success. 

In this episode we discuss:

• Why are the bar exam essays so challenging?
• The favorite strategy for preparing for the bar exam essays
• Why is practice so important? 
• Why students refuse to practice
• Is re-writing worth your time? 
• Why you need to do what makes you uncomfortable
• Preparing yourself mentally and emotionally
• Ariel and Lee share their bar essay experiences
• The importance of self-evaluation
• How to study the law to make your essays easier to write
• What the graders are really looking for
• How and why to take your timed practice tests
• How to make the bar exam graders' job easy and get maximum points

Resources: 

• How to Pass the Bar Exam By Doing What Makes you Uncomfortable (http://barexamtoolbox.com/how-to-pass-the-bar-by-doing-what-makes-you-the-most-uncomfortable/)
• Sketchy Law (http://barexamtoolbox.com/tools-bar-exam-success-sketchy-law/)
• Lean Sheets (http://barexamtoolbox.com/review-of-lean-sheets-bar-exam-outlines/)

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). And don't forget about our bar exam site: Bar Exam Toolbox! (http://barexamtoolbox.com)

Enjoy! And best of luck with the bar exam.

Alison & Lee

Welcome back! Today we're discussing the top five mistakes students consistently make when preparing for the bar exam, with special guest Ariel Salzer. Ariel is one of our most experienced bar exam tutors, so we’re very excited to have her here today to give us a rundown of the biggest mistakes she sees students making – so you can avoid them!

We'd like to thank this episode's sponsor, one of our favorite MBE bar prep products, Adaptibar (www.adaptibar.com). With Adaptibar, you can practice with licensed questions released directly from the NCBE and used on past exams, and the program will automatically adjust to focus on your weakest areas. Students also tell us that they love studying on their mobile devices and laptops, and leaving the heavy MBE books at home. Interested? Use code C8UX at checkout for a $55 discount. 

Let's get to the show!

In this episode we discuss:

• The single biggest mistake students make when preparing for the bar exam
• How to take a "training wheels" approach to bar study
• Why you should do what makes you most uncomfortable
• Why you need to outline your essay on scratch paper
• Whether you should practice in exam conditions
• What does "minimum competency" mean in relation to the bar exam?
• Fixing your problem areas
• How you should be tracking what you personally need to work on
• Why it's valuable to come up with your own attack plans
• Memorizing in broad strokes vs. finer detail
• The importance of mindfulness 

Resources: 

• Bar Exam Tutoring with the Bar Exam Toolbox (http://barexamtoolbox.com/private-bar-exam-tutoring/)
• Adaptibar (https://www.adaptibar.com) 

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). And don't forget about our bar exam site: Bar Exam Toolbox! (http://barexamtoolbox.com)

Enjoy! And best of luck with the bar exam.

Alison & Lee

Welcome back! Today we’re talking about some surprising LSAT myths with Nathan Fox, founder of Fox LSAT. 

In this episode we discuss:

Nathan shares his top myths about the LSAT (some of which are pretty surprising!):

         1. You should only take it once

         2. You need to finish the sections to score well

         3. You should closely monitor your time

         4. The logic games are hard

In addition:

• Nathan shares his personal story about why he shouldn't have gone to law school
• How scholarships work in relationship to how well you do on the LSAT
• What do law school admissions people really care about? 
• Alison shares her story about the LSAT and the mistakes she made
• How to build up endurance for the LSAT
• Why you need to practice the easy questions as much as the hard ones
• The importance of the practice exam
• When you should take the LSAT
• Why you shouldn't fear the logic games
• Tips to improve your LSAT score

Resources: 

• Thinking LSAT Podcast (www.thinkinglsat.com)
• Fox LSAT (www.foxlsat.com)
• Nathan Fox on Twitter (https://twitter.com/nfox)
• Don't Go To Law School Just Because Your Good at the LSAT (http://thegirlsguidetolawschool.com/07/dont-go-to-law-school-just-because-youre-good-at-the-lsat/)

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). 

Enjoy! And best of luck with the LSAT.

Alison & Lee

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today we are talking about writing effectively in a summer legal job. Joining us as a guest is Doretta McGinnis, who has taught Legal Writing for many years and is now a Law School Toolbox tutor. 

If you are working this summer in a legal context, tune in for tips on how to shine!

In this episode we discuss:

• How does writing in a legal job context compare to writing in law school? 
• What will you be writing (and what you probably won't be doing)
• Handling things you may be asked to do but haven't seen in law school
• Getting guidance on your assignment and clarifying what you need to produce
• The importance of maintaining a record of what you do for research assignments
• What is an employer looking for in a summer employee? 
• What should you be able to do in your summer job?
• What should your writing look like? 
• Objective writing vs. persuasive writing
• The importance of asking questions
• Deadlines and how to meet them! 
• How to anticipate the needs of your supervisor and why it's important to check in
• What to bring to meetings
• Getting the backstory on a case
• Is it ever OK to turn in an incomplete first draft?
• Behaving like a professional

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating on iTunes. And feel free to reach out to us directly. You can always reach us via the contact form on the Law School Toolbox website (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/contact). 

Enjoy! And best of luck at your summer jobs.

Alison & Lee

Resources:

How to Behave Like a Professional in the Legal Workplace (http://lawschooltoolbox.com/podcast-episode-25-behave-like-professional-legal-workplace/)

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today we

If you are contemplating a judicial clerkship, be sure to tune

In this episode we discuss:

Resources: 

Federal Courts

U.S.

Online System for

State Courts

National Center for State

Vermont Law

California

Insight and

Federal ALJ Post

International Courts

International Justice and

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating

Enjoy! And best of luck securing a clerkship!

Alison & Lee

Welcome back to the Law School Toolbox podcast! Today we’re

Not sure what you really need to be worrying about this summer?

In this episode we discuss:

Resources:

Thanks for listening!

If you enjoy the podcast, we'd love a nice review and/or rating

Enjoy! And best of luck starting law school!

Alison & Lee