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Posted on - No Comments on I spoke with Mary Basick & Tina Schindler at a UC Irvine bar prep panel. Here’s what they said.

I spoke with Mary Basick & Tina Schindler at a UC Irvine bar prep panel. Here’s what they said.

I sat in on a bar prep panel at UC Irvine with Professors Mary Basick and Tina Schindler the other month.

If you’ve spent any time looking into CBX resources, these legends have probably crossed your radar. You might already be using one of their co-authored books Essay Exam Writing for the California Bar Exam and California Performance Test Workbook.

After an hour in that room, I got to confirm what moves the needle in bar prep.

My favorite moment:

Me: “Well, you learn to swim by getting in the water, not studying water.”
Tina: “I love that.”

🥺

My notes and insights from the talk:

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Posted on - 5 Comments on Common Traits of Bar Passers & Why Mental Fortitude Is Important for Bar Preparation

Common Traits of Bar Passers & Why Mental Fortitude Is Important for Bar Preparation

They say knowledge is power (and you can never have too much power).

But why is it that with all the information out there, we don’t always get to where we want to go? Why do 80 percent of New Year resolutions fail by February? Remember those? LOL

“If more information was the answer, then we’d all be billionaires with perfect abs.”

Knowledge is potential energy. It’s what we DO with the knowledge, not the fact that we have it, not the fact that we declare our desire.

If you have the raw material but can’t bring yourself to make a sand castle, if you can’t turn that potential energy in your mind into kinetic energy, what’s the use?

Knowledge applied correctly is power.

The top differentiator I’ve encountered with people taking the bar exam isn’t skills or knowledge. It’s HOW they think and how they approach their studies. The hurdle is often internal.

"half of bar prep involves preparing oneself mentally"
"the bar exam is all about your mental fitness and your ability to retain a crap ton of information without going crazy. Take care of yourself this time around."

If you observe people who have passed the bar exam long enough, you’ll notice some patterns in their behavior:

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Posted on - No Comments on She Failed the Oregon Bar Exam Twice. After Her Father Died, She Scored a 320 (from 250s).

She Failed the Oregon Bar Exam Twice. After Her Father Died, She Scored a 320 (from 250s).

Maria passed the Oregon Bar Exam (UBE) on her third attempt at 45, five years after finishing law school, after a transition from medicine.

💬 “My background was in healthcare as a naturopathic physician. I worked in global health in Tanzania and other countries as both a doctor and professor. Law wasn’t on my radar. Over time, though, I found myself doing more advocacy and education than direct patient care. After nearly dying from malaria, I made what I now recognize as a PTSD-driven decision to attend law school.”

Her first two attempts at the bar didn’t give her the proper space to focus on the exam.

💬 “The first time I took the bar exam was not a serious attempt. I was in a hotel room in Mexico during the height of COVID.”

💬 “The second time, I was sick and carrying a lot personally. My father’s Parkinson’s disease was worsening, and eventually I became one of his caregivers until he passed away in 2024.”

Her third time was a turning point, as it often is for repeaters who finally find a reason to pass.

💬 “It took everything I had to sit for the exam again. But this time was different. This time, I wanted it. Not just to pass the bar, but to become a lawyer. Everyone talks about finding their ‘why,’ and I don’t think I truly had mine before. My why was my dad and everything I had been through. I was absolutely determined to pass.”

She then scored a 320, up nearly 70 points from the 250s.

💬 “For me, the jump from the 250s to a 320 wasn’t about discovering some secret study method. It was about finally having a reason powerful enough to persevere and building a study plan around how I actually learn.”

Everyone can talk about being “determined to pass.” Self-motivation is only one of three base requirements for bar prep. All your passion is useless if you don’t know where to apply it.

Today might be the day you make a switch that finally frees you from what you knew was wrong for you.

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Posted on - 2 Comments on Your bar review course says you’re “on track,” but why does your score say otherwise?

Your bar review course says you’re “on track,” but why does your score say otherwise?

This is me getting increasingly frustrated over the course of every bar season:

I will die on this hill because there’s no reason to make yourself miserable and then forget how to touch grass after the exam because you got attached to the struggle, you masochist.

Others are getting frustrated too. Watch how they don’t trust themselves enough to take ownership of their studies, even when they already know what’s not working:

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Posted on - No Comments on Should You Read the Call of the Question First on the MBE?

Should You Read the Call of the Question First on the MBE?

You’ll often see advice to read the call of the question first in an MCQ or MBE question. As always, humans like to look for one universal strategy that works in all situations.

The idea with going straight to the call is that you’ll know what you’re looking for before you read the fact pattern, so you filter details more efficiently. That part is true. It’s helpful to know what the question is testing.

But there are weaknesses with call-first to watch out for, and a more nuanced approach for starting an MCQ.

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