Past exam questions – Feb 2007 November 12, 2008
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It dawned on me that I never reflected on the exam questions that were asked. Almost 2 years on, I reflect on it…. The questions are located here. Wow, I can only recall little bits of it!
I think it’s fair to say that the examiners really did pick out top notch answers and you don’t need to write to that level to pass. You can probably guess from the writing on this blog that I choose to keep fairly simple words, short sentences and I love bullet points. It’s the way I worked in the exam and it served me OK!
Preparing for exam day July 13, 2007
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Because this is the last weekend that you’ll have to maybe idle and procrastinate, here are a few things that you could do to constructively prepare.
- do a dry run to the examination centre, and time it (and allow for traffic jams etc) – this way you know exactly where it is. I recommend even trying to get in so you can see the room. Go right up to the entrance or walk around the building so you know where you’re actually going to in.
- book the car service/ mom/ dad/ friend/ gf/ wife to get you to the exam
- prepare your exam day bag – pens, highlighers, eraser, pencil, pencil sharpener, tissues, snacks, lunch (because you wont’ have time to buy it, in all likelihood), water, earplugs, watch (make sure it works)
You get about an hour in between each session. If you go to a large testing centre, it may take a while to get out and pick up your bag (at bag check). I took my notes to the exam just in case I wanted to look at it at lunchtime. My testing room was tiny and everyone left their stuff outside on racks so you could get your things easily and fast. If you’re lucky, maybe you can arrange for a friend to meet you there with all your notes and stuff.
I know that for a lot of people, they say there is no point in looking over your notes the day of the exam etc. But for me, it was great to have a safety blanket “just in case”, plus looking over at notes helped me remind myself that I DID know stuff. Just make sure that when you look at your notes during lunch that you’re not looking back at the topics that was covered in the morning going ‘oh shit i missed that point’. Once it’s over it’s over. So focus on the topics that were not covered in the morning’s session.
Day 2 March 5, 2007
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I just got back from NY and am back in my country. The past few days have been spent getting the exam out of the system.
Well due to the rules I can’t talk about the exam – I am assuming that I can talk about it in a very general way. The PMBR books WERE NOT like the ones in the exam, well there only some – the HARD questions and “new format” questions where you have to work out what area of law you are in. Lots of But ifs, only if, blah.. i can’t remember it right but you know what I mean. But anyway, I think it was because the bar examiners have totally rewritten it due to the PMBR copyright case.
Some kids thought the July one was easier but the the JD Jive site is always full of BS so hard to tell. Everyone thought this was extremely hard and one of the others commented that they had done really well on practice exams and this was nothing like it. We all agreed that this time round, PMBR did not advantage us.
Day 1 February 27, 2007
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The first part multiple choice was kinda ok, but they hit on all the hardest stuff in the questions (fed jurisdiction, conflicts of laws, ny practice and basically hit up all the NY distinctions as well). I felt like I knew nothing… then, after lunch they hit on the hard stuff again (little point on arrest warrant in notes and lectures stretched out to 1/2 a question, & evidence, then real property incl a point on eminent domain 5th amendment.. only I forgot the term ‘eminent domain’… ‘ and also a small point about remedies when the whole of the marketable title is unable to be conveyed… ) The MPT – well I covered off all the points presented by supporting files so i hope it’s ok. It was in the form of a letter, which is not too bad.
I don’t have a good feeling about this. It was the hardest set of questions I have come across in the entire collection of past papers that i have (past 10 years) – the MC was easier than barbri but the questions were definitely the hardest.
