Tag Archives: bar exam

Stage 1 Outlines: The Broadest Topics

Posted on December 16, 2011 by LA Alzate| Comments Off

When studying for the bar exam (or any exam for that matter), its easy to go through and memorize the broadest topics first and then narrow it down into the details.  I call the broadest topic within a given subject, Stage 1.  So if I were to write an outline on Contracts, for example, my Stage 1 Outline would look like this:

I. Applicable Law

II.Formation

III. Terms

IV. Third Party Rights

V. Conditions

VI. Performance

VII. Breach

VIII. Remedies

When memorizing the broadests topcis, I would first review this list.  Second I would use my word processor and try to type as far down the list, in order, by memory.   Do not be disheartened if you cannot even get past the first word.  This memorization exercise, given to us by learning psychologists, will help you.

Let’s say you are stuck after “Applicable Law”.  Look back at your Stage 1 Outline again and review it.  Now put the Stage 1 Outline away and try to type it from the beginning again.  “I. Applicable Law, II. Formation, III….” Now you are stuck at formation.  Again, take another glance at your Stage 1 Outline.  Now go back to your word processor, begin at the first topic “I. Applicable Law, II. Formation, III. Terms IV. Third party Rights….”

You will notice that you are doing better and better every time.  Make sure to congratulate yourself and to try to type your Stage 1 Outline every morning.  Don’t forget to add to your outline every morning too, preferable the stage 1 of another subject.  Soon you will start adding details to your Stage 1 Outline, thus making a Stage 2 Outline.

When I studied for the bar exam I took a bar prep course, some of my collegaues took a competing course, and others studied on their own.  I had the opportunity to observe and analyze what techniques all my ”First-Time Bar Passer” colleagues used.There are certain subjects that are the same in every jurisdiction.  Our information and details will be the same but our outlines may be oganized slightly different.  Here are my Stage 1 Outlines for: Contracts (Above) , Torts, Property, Evidence, Constittional Law, Criminal Law, and Criminal Procedure here.  Some of the reasoning behind my organization may not be clear to you until you see the Stage 2 and/or Stage 3 details of my outlines in future articles.

TORTS

I. Intentional Torts

II. Defamation and Privacy

III. Negligence

IV. Strict Liability

V. Vicarious Liability

VI.Products Liability

VII. Other Torts

VIII. Remedies

Property (this one’s a doozy)

I. Concurrent Estates

II. Present Estates

III. Future Estates

IV. Adverse Possession (AP)

V. Landlord/Tenant (L/T)

VI. Nonpossessory Estates

VII. Covenants

VIII. Land Sales Contract

IX. Deeds

X. Security Interest

XI. Water Rights

XII. Rights of Support

XIII. Estates (Concurent, Present, Future)

XIV. Adverse Possession

XV. Landlord-Tenant

XVI. Covenants

XVII. Conveyancing (Land Sales Contracts, Deeds, Security Interests)

XVIII. Rights (Water, Of Support)

EVIDENCE (Although Stage 1 is slight, the  details in the following stages are many)

I. Form

II. Purpose

III. Presentation

IV. Hearsay

V. Privilege

CONSTITUTIONAL LAW

I. Judicial Power

II. Executive Power

III. Legislative Power

IV. Federalism

V. State Action

VI. Procedural Due Process

VII. Substantive Due Process

VIII. Eminent Domain

IX. Equal Protection

X. Speech

XI. Press/Association

XII. Religion

XIII. Collateral Bar Rule

CRIMINAL LAW

I. General Principles

II. Crimes Against Persons

III. Crimes Against Habitation

IV. Theft Crimes

V. Inchoate Offenses

VI. Defenses

Criminal Procedure

I. Fourt Amendment (Search and Seizure)

II. Fifth Amendment

III. Sixth Amendment

IV. Eight Amendment

The remaining subjects that may be in your upcoming bar exam have many state-specific details.  I will  have them on a future article but most likely it will only be for California, Nevada and Kansas.  It isn’t difficult to create your own Stage 1 outline for your jurisidction’s bar exam.  See my previous article on dividing your outline into stages.

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Use Your Subconscious Mind To Relax and To Pass Your Exam

Posted on December 15, 2011 by LA Alzate| Comments Off

Here’s an example that will help you understand your subconscious mind. Think about the first days you learned to drive. You had to focus and be conscious of everything you did, right? Now, your subconscious handles it all for you and you are able to drive and talk on the phone at the same time. The act of driving is now being handled by your subconscious mind, while your conscious mind is focusing on your phone conversation.

Your subconscious mind is a storehouse. Your brain notices every detail of every moment in your life and stores it along with every memory, every skill and every thing you have read. That is why you want to tap into your subconscious mind to pass your exam. Just like when driving, your subconscious will help guide you from Point A (studying for the exam) to Point B (passing the exam).

People use different methods to tap into their subconscious mind: positive affirmations, visualization and hypnosis to name a few.

Here I will describe a self-hypnosis method that I used once-a-day leading up to the bar exam.

1. Get comfortably seated or lay down flat on your back.

2. Close you eyes and take a few deep breaths.

3. Focus, for a breath or two, on relaxing each part of your body starting from you toes to the top of your head.

4. Count down slowly from 10-1

5. Imagine a doorway in front of you. Walk through it and imagine you are in a peaceful place. (This could be a beach, a bedroom, anywhere you consider peaceful)

At This Point You Have Entered A Hypnotic State. Here your subconscious mind is open to suggestion. Remember to imaging and think only positive and uplifting thoughts.

6. Now say positive affirmations and visualize and feel the emotions of having passed the bar exam

Ex: Say to yourself “I am a California Bar Passer” (“A February 2012 Bar Passer” or “A first time bar passer” etc…) while visualizing, as vividly as possible, finding your name on the pass list for your bar exam. Imagine how that would feel. Revel in it.

7. When you are finished, slowly count yourself out of the trance from 1-10, while telling yourself that you are becoming more awake and energetic with each number.

The weeks leading up to an exam are often filled with stress and anxiety. I’m sure you all ready know that a relaxed mind functions much better than a anxious and stressed mind. The more you use this method the calmer you will be as the bar exam approaches. And the easier it will be to learn and memorize the material. Come exam time you will be more prepared than you consciously realized. Your subconscious mind will make sure to make your hypnotic suggestion a reality. You are a Bar passer.

 

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Bar Study: Break Your Outline Into Stages

Posted on December 14, 2011 by LA Alzate| Comments Off

 

You can do it!

How To Break Your Outline Into Stages

You may be feeling intimidated about the amount of information you have on your outlines. Do Not Be Disheartened. As you are studying for the bar exam (or any exam for that matter), it helps to break your outline into stages: From the broadest topics to the narrower rules and exceptions. This helps for multiple reasons:

1. You will be better able to wrap your brain around the subject.

2. This will make it much easier to memorize your outline.

3. It makes a great confidence boosting exercise.

At this point, I am sure you all ready have an outline for each subject on your bar exam. It is most likely organized using capital roman numerals (stage 1), then capital letters (stage 2), then numbers (stage 3), then the rules, etc…

Lets take contracts as an example of how to break your outline down into stages.

Grab your Contracts outline and your word processor.

Stage 1: If you take just your capital roman numerals, it will probably look more or less like this:

I. Formation of the Contract

II. Terms of the Contract

III. Performance

IV. Remedies

And so on and so forth.

This is stage 1. They are the broadest topics within contracts. Within these topics is the entire universe of what can be asked in a contracts question. If you memorize Stage 1, then you know it all. You just need to fill in the details.

Stage 2: These are the Capital Letters within your outlines. The next broadest topics. When you add it to your Stage 1 outline, it will look something like this:

I. Formation

A. Offer

B. Acceptance

C. Consideration

D. Modification

E. Defenses

II. Terms

A. Parol Evidence

B. UCC

And so on.

Stage 3: You start to narrow in on a more details.

I. Formation

A. Offer

1. Manifestation of present intent to enter a bargain communicated in definite and certain terms to an identifiable Offeree.

I am sure at this point you have an idea of what it means to break your outline into manageable stages. And, like I said, there are priceless benefits to this method.

1. You will be better able to wrap your head around the subjects because you will understand it in the broadest possible sense and then down to the narrowest rule or exception.

2. It will be easier to memorize your outline because you have broken it down into manageable chunks.

3. It makes a great confidence booster and the best aid possible for memorization.I’ll tell you how:

I had a couple of months to study for the bar exam. I broke my outlines into stages. On day 1 I broke down my contracts outline into Stage 1. Then I memorized stage 1. On Day 2, I rewrote Contracts Stage 1 from memory and then memorized the next subject’s Stage 1 (lets say torts). On Day 3, I rewrote Stage 1 contracts, Stage 1 torts, and then memorized Stage 1 for the next subject. I did this until I knew Stage 1 for each topic from memory.

Do you see how this is a confidence booster? Within two weeks you know the entire universe (broadly) of what you can be tested on. After the memorization of Stage 1, then you go on to Stage 2. Again, one subject, one day at a time. Then you do Stage 3, one subject, one day at a time (sometimes 2-3 days per subject).

Of course, as you get into stage 3, this exercise takes more time. In other words, you won’t be able to do this everyday. But by the time you get into stage 4 you have basically memorized your entire outline.

You are probably thinking it will be impossible to memorize all of it.

See my previous article on memorization. You WILL be able to memorize it!

Lets take Contracts again. Look at your stage 1. There is probably about seven points.

Lets say those points are:

I. Formation

II. Terms

III. 3rd Party Rights

IV. Conditions

V. Performance

VI. Breach

VII. Remedies

On your word processor, try to type it from memory. Maybe you didn’t get any further then the first word “Formation”. That’s fine. Look at the list again. “Terms” is the next word. Now try again to type it from memory FROM THE BEGINNING. Ok, this time, you didn’t get passed “Terms”. Fine. Look at this list again. The third word was “Third Party Beneficiary”. Now try to type it from memory, FROM THE BEGINNING. Now you got to “Performance”. If you Memorize your outline, in this manner, from stage 1 (on each subject) to your final stage, you can guarantee that you will memorize your entire outline by the time the exam comes around. Thousands of learning psychologist cannot be wrong.

Now memorizing your outline is not the only factor in passing the bar exam. As you know there is a great amount of analysis involved! The memorization of your outline will help you greatly because you know all the required facts to make the analysis. You have the added bonus of confidence. Confidence will kill your stress and anxiety. If you are free of stress and anxiety you will be able to think clearly and make the best possible analysis.

Good Luck.

 

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Studying for the Bar? Here’s How To Memorize Your Notes

Posted on May 17, 2011 by LA Alzate| Leave a comment

Memorize your outline line by line

You would be amazed by what the human brain is capable of doing. In fact, at the end of studying for a bar exam you will be amazed by your own brains memorization ability. I passed the California Bar exam on my first try in 2009. I contribute a large part of that to memorizing my outlines. (Note that you do not need to memorize your outlines until a couple of weeks before the bar exam otherwise you will just forget all that information. Instead learn it very well and then get into the hard memorization later. )

I learned this memorization technique from my Bar Prep instructor. He was a psychologist and specialized in the psychology of learning.

First, get your notes and your word processor.

Second, read the first line your outline. Now Type It.

Third, read the second line of your outline. Now type the first and second line.

Fourth, read the second line of your outline, now type and first, second and third lines. And so on…

You do not have to memorize the entire line first. It could be the first element of a rule or even the first word. But you keep going over it until it is memorized word for word.

For example:

Rule: UCC applies to the sale of goods; all other contracts are governed by the common law.

You can memorize the entire line: “UCC applies to the sale of goods; all other contracts are governed by the common law.”

Or you can memorize elements of the rule: (1) “UCC applies to the sale of goods.” (2) UCC applies to the sale of goods; all other contracts are governed by the common law.”

Or you can memorize it word by word: (1) “UCC Applies”, (2) “UCC Applies to the Sale”, (3) “UCC applies to the sale of goods”.

No matter how you do this, you will be able to memorize all of your outlines. You are a law school graduate studying for a bar exam. My mind is no more capable than yours. I was able to memorize the 17 subjects of the California bar exam using this technique. I know you can too.

Another tip is breaking your entire outline into parts. This you will do before your memorization. I will write about that next

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