Bar Exam Preparation

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Previous Bar Exams   |   Study Guides   |   General Guides   |   Websites   |   Subjects Tested

Previous Bar Exams

Annual Compilation of Bar Examination Questions and Answers in print (Treatise Collection KF 303.A52). Each year the Institute for Bar Review Study publishes the questions and official or sample answers to the essays from Alaska, Connecticut and Michigan (pre-1992 issues may have essays from other states, such as Nebraska or Pennsylvania). The law library has these issues from 1969-2011, and they may be checked out of the library for two weeks.

Florida Bar Exams are available in Word or PDF format on the library's web page. (Network Login Required) The page includes the essay part of the exams from 1970-2009 as well as a list of topics included on the Florida bar exam. (Also available in print - Reserve Collection KFF81 .F5)

Florida Bar/Bri Bar Review (Reserve Collection KFF81 .F556 2004) outlines the Florida portion of the course.

Florida Board of Bar Examiners Study Guide includes essay questions from the last six bar exams with sample answers and sample multiple-choice questions with the correct answers. It is available for free in pdf format on the Board of Bar Examiners' web site (http://www.floridabarexam.org) or in print format for $25 from the Board.

Hein's State Bar Examinations reproduces the questions of all states in microfiche format (Microfiche Collection, Cabinet #12). There are two microfiche reader/printers on the second floor of the library and one microfiche reader with laser printer on the first floor.

Multistate Flash Cards (Reserve Collection KF303.M85 2003) (PMBR)

Multistate Workbook (Reserve Collection KF388.M88) (2005) (PMBR)

Sample MBE III (Reserve Collection KF303.S253 2002) published by the National Conference of Bar Examiners, has 200 actual multiple choice questions used in the July 1998 MBE.

Study Guides

Unlock the MBE Critical Pass (Reserve Collection KF303 .U65 2011).

The Zen of Passing the Bar Exam by Chad Noreuil (Reserve Collection KF303 .N673 2011).

The Bar Exam in a Nutshell by Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhous (Reserve Collection KF303.D37 2009)

The Essential Rules for Bar Exam Success by Steven I. Friedland & Jeffrey Scott Shapiro (Treatise Collection KF303 .F75 2008)

If I Don't Pass the Bar I'll Die: 73 Ways to Keep Stress and Worry from Affecting Your Performance on the Bar Exam by Rosemay LaPuma (Reserve Collection KF303 .L3 2008)

Pass the Bar by Denise Riebe (Reserve Collection KF303.R54 2006).

Scoring High on Bar Exam Essays by Mary Campbell Gallagher (Reserve Collection KF303 .G35 2006).

Linda Chan, Bar Exam Insider (monthly bar exam advice)

Strategies and Tactics for the MBE: Multistate Bar Exam, by Kimm Walton and Steve Emanuel, published by Aspen, provides sample questions and answers, as well as advice (Reserve Collection KF303 .W345 2003).

The Bar Exam: Why Students Fail, Edna Wells Handy, 11 National Bar Association Magazine 17 (December 1997) (Requires Westlaw password to view) includes strategies for success.

You Can Pass Any Bar Exam by Edna Wells Handy (Treatise Collection KF 303.H36 1997).

Carolyn Nygren, Legal Learning for Bar Candidates - Bar Exam (Findlaw) (http://www.findlaw.com/studyskills/3_bar_candidates.html).

General Guides

Questions & Answers Series, published by Lexis, has multiple choice and short answer questions. Answers are also included. The law library currently has:

Questions & Answers: Business Associations by Douglas M. Branson (Treatise Collection KF1355.Z9 B7 2004)

Questions & Answers: Civil Procedure by William V. Dorsaneo III and Elizabeth G. Thornberg (Reserve Collection KF8841.Z9 D67 2007)

Questions & Answers: Constitutional Law by Paul E. McGreal and Linda S. Eads (D201 KF4550.Z9 M44 2007)

Questions & Answers: Contracts by Keith A. Rowley (Treatise Collection KF801.Z9 R69 2006)

Questions & Answers: Criminal Law by Emily Marcus Levine and Paul Marcus (Treatise Collection KF9219.Z9 L48 2003)

Questions & Answers: Criminal Procedure (police practices and prosecution) by Lewis R. Katz and Neil P. Cohen (Reserve Collection KF9619.5.Z9 K38 2009)

Questions & Answers: Evidence by David P. Leonard (Treatise Collection KF8935.Z9 L46 2003)

Questions & Answers: Family Law by Mark Strasser (Treatise Collection KF505.Z9 S77 2003)

Questions & Answers: The First Amendment by Russell L. Weaver and William D. Araiza (Treatise Collection KF4770.Z9 W42 2005)

Questions & Answers: Professional Responsibility by Patrick Emery Longan (Treatise Collection KF306.Z9 L66 2003)

Questions & Answers: Property by John Copeland Nagle (Treatise Collection KF570.Z9 N3454 2003)

Questions & Answers: Secured Transactions by Bruce A. Markell (Treatise Collection KF1050.Z9 M37 2003)

Questions & Answers: Torts by Anita Bernstein (Reserve Collection KF1250.Z9 B47 2004)

Questions & Answers: Wills, Trusts & Estates by Thomas M. Featherstone (Reserve Collection KF755.Z9 F36 2008)

Exam Pro Series, published by West, contains a series of true-false and multiple choice questions with answers provided to guide students toward learning a subject. The law library currently has: Civil Procedure by Linda S. Mullenix (Reserve Collection KF8841 .M78 2007)

Criminal Law by John Burkoff (Reserve Collection KF9219.5 .B831 2010)

Criminal Procedure by Mary M. Cheh (Reserve Collection KF9619.5 .C44 2005)

Evidence (Objective) by Michael H. Graham (Reserve Collection KF8935.Z9 G69 2011)

Property by Peter T. Wendel (Reserve Collection KF570.Z9 W46 2007)

Wills, Trusts, and Estates by E. Gary Spitko (Reserve Collection KF753 .C356 2006)

Examples & Explanations Series, published by Aspen, each chapter has a summary of a topic, followed by examples employing that topic and explanations of how the examples would apply the law. The law library currently has: Agency, Partnerships, and LLCs: Examples and Explanations by Daniel S. Kleinberger (Treatise Collection KF1345.Z9 K6 2002)

Civil Procedure: Examples and Explanations by Joseph W. Glannon (Course Reserve Collection KF8840 .G58 2006)

Constitutional Law-Individual Rights: Examples and Explanations by Allan Ides and Christopher N. May (Reserve Collection KF4749 .I34 2007)

Constitutional Law-National Power and Federalism: Examples and Explanations by Christopher N. May and Allan Ides (Reserve Collection KF4550 .M29 2007)

Contracts: Examples and Explanations by Brian A. Blum (Reserve Collection KF801 .B58 2007)

Corporations: Examples and Explanations by Alan R. Palmiter (Reserve Collection KF1414.3 .S658 2006)

Criminal Law: Examples and Explanations by Richard G. Singer and John Q. La Fond (Treatise Collection KF9219.3 .S54 2007)

Criminal Procedure: Examples and Explanations by Robert M. Bloom and Mark S. Brodin (Reserve Collection KF9630.Z9 B58 2004)

Evidence: Examples and Explanations by Arthur Best (Treatise Collection KF8935.Z9 B48 2007)

Family Law: Examples and Explanations by Robert Oliphant and Nancy Ver Steegh (Reserve Collection KF505.Z9 O43 2007)

Federal Courts: Examples and Explanations by Laura E. Little (Reserve Collection KF8719 .L58 2006)

The Glannon Guide to Civil Procedure: Learning Civil Procedure through Multiple-Choice Questions and Analysis by Joseph W. Glannon (Reserve Collection KF8841.G59 2003)

The Law of Torts: Examples and Explanations by Joseph W. Glannon (Reserve Collection KF1250.Z9 G58 2000)

Professional Responsibility: Examples and Explanations by W. Bradley Wendel (Reserve Collection KF306 .W46 2007)

Property: Examples and Explanations by Barlow Burke and Joseph Anthony Snoe (Reserve Collection KF560 .B87 2004)

Sales and Leases: Examples and Explanations by James Brook (Reserve Collection KF915.Z9 B74 2006)

Wills, Trusts, and Estates: Examples and Explanations by Gerry W. Beyer (Reserve Collection KF755.Z9 B49 2007)

Black Letter Series, published by West, includes brief summaries of the subjects and review questions and scenarios to help understand the subjects. The law library currently has:

Basic Criminal Procedure by Stephen A. Saltzburg, Daniel J. Capra and Angela J. Davis (Reserve Collection KF9619.3 .S25 2005)

Civil Procedure by Kevin M. Clermont (Reserve Collection KF8841 .C56 2004)

Conflict of Laws by Peter Hay (Treatise Collection KF412 .H39 2005)

Constitutional Law by Jerome A. Barron and C. Thomas Dienes (Reserve Collection KF4550 .B28 2003)

Contracts by John D. Calamari and Joseph M. Perillo (Reserve Collection KF801.Z9 C27 2004)

Corporations by Robert W. Hamilton and Richard A. Booth (Reserve Collection KF1414.3 .H348 2006)

Criminal Law by Joshua Dressler (Reserve Collection KF9219.3 .D74 2005)

Evidence by Kenneth S. Broun and Walker J. Blakey (Reserve Collection KF8935.Z9 B75 2001)

Family Law by Harry D. Krause (Reserve Collection KF505.Z9 K68 2004)

Professional Responsibility by Ronald D. Rotunda (Reserve Collection KF306.Z9 R67 2004)

Property by Roger Bernhardt and Ann M. Burkhart (Reserve Collection KF570.Z9 B46 2003)

Torts by Edward J. Kionka (Reserve KF1250.Z9 K527 2006)

Wills, Trusts and Future Interests by Lawrence H. Averill, Jr (Treatise Collection KF753.Z9 A94 2005)

Websites

For a compendium of bar exam-related web sites, Findlaw has pulled together many links. The Bar Exam section has recent essays for several states. Under Bar Review Courses is a list of the major bar preparation companies as well as specialty bar courses, such as courses for the patent bar. Most of the companies provide online registration and general information about their prep courses. Findlaw also has links for state bar organizations and state boards of bar examiners (in the Bar Results section).

The National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) develops multistate tests, such as the Multistate Bar Examination, the Multistate Performance Test and others. (The Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination (MPRE) is developed and administered by ACT on behalf of the NCBE.) From the NCBE site, a researcher can locate dates and general information on these tests as well as other material. For example, the Bar Exam Statistics portion of the page has over 10 years of bar pass rates for each jurisdiction, so you can find the jurisdiction with the highest percentage passing (South Dakota in 2011) and avoid the bar with the lowest pass rate (Palau in 2011). In the Bar Admission Offices section, there are links and addresses for the Board of Bar Examiners in each state and territory. MPRE Registration links to the online registration site although the direct address to online registration is http://www.act.org/mpre. The MPRE site also has a section covering frequently asked questions about the exam.

PLI's Multistate Bar Review offers a free MPRE Program (registration required) as well as a paid online or CD-ROM course for passing the MBE or Multistate Performance Test.

Another source of information on the bar exam is the NCBE and ABA's Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements. This guide provides several charts on admission requirements for each state. For instance, there are charts on application dates, tests required, admission on motion, grading, fees and more. Since the information is presented mostly in the chart format, be sure to check the state bar web sites for details. In addition to the NCBE's site, the Directory section of this publication has a list of state bar addresses and web sites. The Guide is also available in print (Reference Collection KF 302.A15 C66).

To actually find the bar application online, Barexam.org has links to applications by state. The Florida Bar application (and exam application) can be located directly here.

Subjects Tested on the Bar Exam

Multistate

From the NCBE, the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) is a six-hour, two-hundred question multiple-choice examination covering constitutional law, contracts, criminal law and procedure, evidence, real property, and torts. (More Detail)

From the NCBE, The Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) is a series of 30 minute essay questions covering Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property, Torts, Business Associations, Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Federal Civil Procedure, Trusts and Estates, and Uniform Commercial Code. Although the NCBE typically prepares nine questions, most jurisdictions require only six. (About 25 states currently use the MEE. See the NCBE's website for more information.)

Florida

From the Florida Board of Bar Examiners: Part A, the Florida section, is composed of 3 essay questions and 100 multiple choice questions. Florida Rules of Civil and Criminal Procedure and the Florida Rules of Judicial Administration 2.051, 2.060, and 2.160 comprise one segment. The remaining five segments, each of which will embrace no more than two subjects, are selected from the following subjects, including their equitable aspects: Florida Constitutional Law, Federal Constitutional Law, Trusts, Business Entities, Real Property, Evidence, Torts, Wills & Administration of Estates, Criminal Law, Contracts, Family Law, and Chapters 4 & 5 of the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar. Part B is the MBE.