"Now that I've stopped jumping up and down, I wanted to write and thank you so much for tutoring me. I couldn't have done it without you, seriously! Your expert advice, encouragement, and friendship really put me over the top. ... Thank you for believing in me even when I didn't believe in myself. ...thanks again ... for giving me my life back (no more studying!). .. There is so much more I can say because overcoming this challenge opens up so many possibilities. So, I'll summarize by saying, you are awesome!" - Beth
From 1978 through 1988, I did just about every job that a grader can do for the Committee of Bar Examiners. I graded every bar examination and every First-Year Law Students’ (“Baby Bar”) Exam: 40 exams and at least 15,000 essay and performance test answers. I wrote essay questions, pretested questions, and helped to develop performance tests.
In 1988 I became a member of the Committee of Bar Examiners. I sat on the Examinations and Operations subcommittees, developed accommodation standards for disabled applicants and heard the appeals of many applicants who’d been unsuccessful.
There was only one thing left to do and I did it. In January 1992 I became the first former exam grader to become Director for Examinations. There was so much to it! I was in charge of essay and performance test question development; the grading of each exam by teams of graders; and the consideration of all unsuccessful applicant appeals of their failing results. With psychometric and statistics experts I advised the Committee of Bar Examiners concerning examination policies and rule-making.
After all of this, I believe that only three talents are needed to pass the bar exam. Whatever else is said about the exam – that it’s intended to keep people from becoming California lawyers, that the pass rate is manipulated, that graders just glance at every answer – is all baloney.
1. Know the law that is tested.
2. Know how to write a successful essay answer.
3. Know how to write a successful performance test answer.
If you didn’t make law review, complete an internship that required you to write, or achieve consistently high essay grades through law school, a capable writing tutor will improve your chances of passing the California Bar Examination.If you didn’t make law review, complete an internship that required you to write, or achieve consistently high essay grades through law school, a capable writing tutor will improve your chances of passing the California Bar Examination.