by Matt | March 13, 2011 | Visualization
When most people first begin studying for the bar exam (and I was no exception), the magnitude of the information that one needs to learn is so overwhelming that it is easy to become highly stressed. In fact, it is understandable that some form of panic initially sets...
by Matt | March 6, 2011 | Uncategorized
My name is Matt Racine, and I welcome you to Bar Exam Mind. I have taken two bar examinations: the California bar exam and the Oregon bar exam. I passed both on my first attempt. I attribute my success not only to conscientious and thorough study of the material to be...
by Matt | January 23, 2011 | anticipation, diligence, exam tips, stamina
I believe that practice tests must be part of your bar exam preparation. Most bar students will do lots of practice MBE questions, but might skimp on practicing essays and performance tests. An article in the New York Times discusses a study published in the journal...
by Matt | January 6, 2011 | angst, MBE, Oregon
Not much. Actually, surprise surprise, the comparison is a metaphor. Here is the metaphor: no matter how hard a rock is, water will eventually wear it down to dust if the water just keeps dripping against the rock. See where this is going? If you were like me, you...
by Matt | January 2, 2011 | angst, bar preparation course, diligence
When you first receive your bar prep materials, whether from BarBri or any of the other bar prep courses out there, it is overwhelming. This feeling is made worse by staring at the inches thick stack of course books when you first receive them. As you begin to attend...
by Matt | December 10, 2010 | diligence, MBE, repeaters
Awhile back, I went to lunch with a fellow associate. She told me that one of her friends failed the July 2010 California bar exam. Her friend’s results showed that she did fine on the essays and the performance test, but received a very low score on the MBE. I...
by Matt | June 21, 2010 | anticipation, diligence, endurance, exam tips, performance test, repeaters, stress reduction, studying, vizualization
As someone who has taken two bar exams within 19 months of each other (Oregon, July 2006; California, February 2008), I have something akin to the perspective of a bar exam repeater. The best part about repeating a test is that you learn things about the testing...
by Matt | June 7, 2010 | diligence, quotes, stress reduction
“He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.” – William Blake, “Proverbs of Hell,” The Marriage of Heaven and Hell “Shallow men believe in luck . . . . Strong men believe in cause and effect.” – Emerson, The Conduct of Life...
