C|M|LAW Library Blog

C|M|Law faculty are providing ten free bar subject presentations for our recent graduates now studying for the July bar exam.  The hour-long presentations will take place 10am-3pm, Tuesday and Wednesday, July 9 & 10, in Room 237, and refreshments will be provided.  Faculty will discuss the bar subjects they teach, and answer questions.  Here are the schedules:

Tuesday, July 9:

• 10am – Evidence – Stephen Lazarus
• 11am – Wills & Intestacy – John Plecnik
• 12noon – Secured Transactions – Mark Sundahl
• 1pm – Criminal Law – Patti Falk
• 2pm – Commercial Law – Mark Sundahl

Wednesday, July 10:

• 10am – Corporations – Chris Sagers
• 11am – Criminal Procedure – Jonathon Witmer-Rich
• 12noon – Civil Procedure – Kevin O’Neill
• 1pm – Estates & Future Interests – Heidi Robertson
• 2pm – First Amendment – Kevin O’Neill

Contact Mary Jane McGinty for more information.

C|M|Law provides free Multistate Performance Test (MPT) workshops for our recent graduates now studying for the July bar exam.  The workshops take place 1pm-3pm, Tuesdays, June 4-25, in Room 237, and lunch is provided.  The weekly workshops provide an opportunity to discuss strategies for approaching the MPT, and participants take practice MPTS.  Practice MPTS are scored with the official point sheet used by bar graders, and each participant receives individual feedback with suggestions for improving his/her score.  Simulated MPTS will be given on June 11 & 18.  If you are not able to physically attend the MPT workshops, you can still take the practice MPTs and receive feedback via email.  Contact Mary Jane McGinty for more information.

The C|M|Law Library wishes all of our students the best of luck on next week’s Ohio Bar Exam.

We will still be here for your legal research needs as you begin your career.

Here are 5 tips for the last few days:

1. Get some exercise—it is a good break and may help you fall asleep quicker
2. Watch a movie as a break—make it something lighthearted
3. Review what you know—don’t try to learn a whole new subject the last few days
4. Have a nice conversation with someone you know—probably want someone who won’t talk about the exam
5. Get everything you need for the exam together now so you aren’t doing it at the last minute

Breathe… you can do it!

Good luck!

The bar exam is next week and you have been studying hard all summer, well actually for your entire law school career. With all the studying and pressure, it’s still important to be aware of and to manage your stress level. Most people experience some nervousness when faced with a big exam, but for some, those nerves can be overwhelming.

If you are having feelings of dread, and physical symptoms such as a racing heartbeat, nausea, shortness of breath, sweating and dizziness, then you may be experiencing a more serious form of stress called test anxiety. For people with test anxiety, the mind sees an exam as a threat and that triggers the body to produce the hormones and physical reactions usually seen when your “fight or flight” response activates. Don’t worry, there are many strategies you can practice to help reduce these effects. For example, while studying make sure you are still getting plenty of rest, staying hydrated, and taking breaks. You can also find a few breathing and meditation techniques that help calm your mind. Those breathing techniques will be useful during the exam.

Breathing exercises are actually beneficial for everyone. Regardless of your stress level, the bar exam is lengthy and you may find yourself becoming fatigued, or freezing on a question. It’s important not to panic when that happens, and take a few deep breaths instead. This will help slow everything down and reset yourself. It won’t take up much time, and may actually save you time in the long run by helping you unfreeze and move on. You can try the 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise, or some Belly Breathing. Use your lunch break to walk around and try some stretches to release the tension from your neck, shoulders, and back.

Check out our Work-Life Balance Pinterest board for more tips on stress management, easy and healthy meals, and short exercise routines that fit into your busy schedule.

Good luck! You’ve got this!

In the immortal words of one of my old profs, “What are we doin’ today, folks? We’re passin’ the bar today!” He would exclaim this at the beginning of every class, while simultaneously slamming his briefcase down, leaning back in his chair, and propping his cowboy-boot-clad feet up on the table. He wasn’t wrong. I include this little story to remind you that you have been passing the bar, every day, in class, for the last three years.

This is the time for review and for practicing strategies for the types of questions that appear on each portion of the exam. For the Ohio Bar, these portions are:

The Multistate Performance Test – two closed universe writing problems that you will knock out of the way Tuesday morning

The Multistate Bar Exam – multiple choice questions that you will crush on Wednesday

The Ohio-specific essays – six on Tuesday afternoon, and six on Thursday morning

Then you are free to cruise up the road to Cedar Point and cut loose. That’s what I did the day after my exam in 2012. Worth it.

The Law Library has a guide all about the Ohio Bar Exam. One particularly useful resource in the Law Library is the set of Ohio Bar essay questions, with published answers, covering 1992 to the present. Use these for extra practice with issue spotting, outlining, and getting an even better grasp of the Ohio examiners’ style.  You can also check out sample essay questions on the Supreme Court’s website, which include samples of the MPT. For tips on the essay questions and MPT, and a breakdown of the grading, see our Logistics page.

A few more tips:

Go to the Essay Advantage workshop.

Take a sweater or jacket with you every day. At my exam, it was uncomfortably hot and stuffy on the first day, then freezing the second day. Coincidence?

Bring extra pencils with good erasers.

Keep up with your review program.

And remember …