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Memorizing BarBri Lecture Handouts
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Date: July 1st, 2010 10:55 AM Author: Citrine site Starting to wig out about the essays and the sheer amount of information necessary to memorize for them.
Any tips, tricks, advice for somehow surviving this next 3 1/2 weeks? Condensed outlines? Flashcards? "Read, look away, summarize" method?
I just don't see how it's possible to memorize all of this stuff . . . |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 11:06 AM Author: purple home filthpig i had this exact same moment of wigging out. i got notecards and made some flashcards and they helped immensely. you dont need to do it for every subject. maybe just do it for the shorter, more discrete subjects with clear rules (agency/partnership) or just do it for the 10-15 most important rules/tests in each subject (i.e. due execution, test of lack of testamentary capacity, undue influence, etc. in wills) (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15390083) |
Date: July 1st, 2010 11:06 AM Author: Crystalline School Half-breed Here's what I'm doing - condensing handouts into my own words. Then reviewing and turning it into an even shorter outline. Then condensing it for a third time. And then turning it into flashcards for subjects where it makes sense (i.e., elements of each intentional tort prob does where as con law prob does not). (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15390087) |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 12:28 PM Author: Spruce Cerebral Hissy Fit Doctorate I'm making flash cards for everything. Even for stuff where it's not like elements (i.e. question would be something like "describe when it's not permissible for a state to regulate interstate commerce," and then write it out on the back). I've found it's helpful to write the stuff out, and I'm trying to really think about it and memorize as I go. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15390523) |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:08 PM Author: Translucent Floppy Resort Pisswyrm That's what I did, too. Passed by a mile.
It helps people who are visual learners. |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:19 PM Author: Spruce Cerebral Hissy Fit Doctorate Thanks! This makes me feel better, esp since i was having my own doubts.. seems good so far, just a lot of cards! (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15391125) |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:21 PM Author: Citrine site I did flash cards for the first few days, and the only problem I ran into is that it was so time consuming. It was taking so much time that I literally had no time, much less energy, left to work on MBE and essay questions everyday. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15391138) |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 12:37 PM Author: Chrome Startled Hall Legend i got to that point a couple weeks ago, and here's three things i've done:
(1) flashcards for every subject that is element heavy - torts and crim, then some property, ny practice (stuff like laj), evidence.
(2) i type up the lecture handout during the lecture, leaving out the hypos. the lecture handouts are just too long, and typing them usually reduces them down to 10-15 pages. then i take a blank page and write down the page number for the different types of issues that are in the subject. example for corp: pre-formation contract - 2; preemptive rights - 4; etc. that way i get a feel for what the issues are in a subject, helps me understand the big picture.
(3) after doing mpqs and essays, take out your typed out outline and look through it as you check the answers. write in any relevant rules that show up in questions but weren't in outline.
after doing these three things i feel much more comfortable with the material. |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:12 PM Author: Citrine site Thanks to everyone for the replies and suggestions.
I do have a set of outlines that a guy who took it before me made. I hadn't really looked at them much yet, but upon checking them out they're pretty much word for word everything that was in our lecture handouts for our state, condensed down to 5-10 pages per subject (except Real Property). So I guess I'll start just memorizing those and adding to them where there's something I don't understand all that well.
Man, I can't wait until this all over. The stress of the bar makes the last three years seem like a joke in comparison. |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:16 PM Author: honey-headed appetizing abode I dont understand people making their own outlines or using other student outlines. BarBri provides us outlines professionally presented by people who do this as a living.
It is hubris to think you can make something better or to use a student outline. |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:19 PM Author: Citrine site I would agree to a certain extent, except that the lecture handouts are insanely long. Like I said, I compared this guy's outlines to the handouts and it's literally word-for-word the same thing in the handouts, with a lot of the extraneous stuff (hypos, long-drawn out rule explanations, etc.) removed. It's even in the same order. So I don't feel like it's really a "student" outline.
Just looking at the lecture handout book and the thought of trying to memorize that as it is is daunting. |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:21 PM Author: honey-headed appetizing abode Go through the lecture and highlight important issues and tests then. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15391137) |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:25 PM Author: Citrine site That's probably credited. I'm not saying I'm going to ditch the lecture handouts altogether. I'll probably still go through them as I'm reviewing his outlines, just to be sure everything indeed is in there or to look at a hypo where he may have left it out and there's a rule of law I'm not completely comfortable with.
I was just thinking of using his outlines more as a "final review" the last few days before the exam. They're much more manageable. |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:29 PM Author: honey-headed appetizing abode What I'm doing: reviewing lecture then reading CMR. Deciding which I like better. Then I go through and highlight the issue + test elements so I can go through and memorize (diff colors).
Seems to be a solid plan thus far. |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:30 PM Author: Chrome Startled Hall Legend i do it for the format. i'm used to the way i format outlines - i know how to designate how pieces logically fit together, and i found all the spacing in barbri's outlines to be extremely counterproductive. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15391179) |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:44 PM Author: Citrine site This definitely goes back to my point about the book being "daunting." I wish they'd just condense the lecture handouts book down to the size of the CMR. They could easily do it, with all of the huge spaces and insanely large print on a lot of the pages. It's so distracting. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15391244) |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:31 PM Author: Vermilion metal set electric furnace Exactly, they are just waiting time that could be better spent doing practice questions. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15391189) |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:46 PM Author: Talented internal respiration box office i've never been a flashcard/self-outline type person. have old outlines, barbri outlines, and learn through agonizing mistakes on practice essays. i've found that concepts really stick after you read model answers though. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15391254) |
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Date: July 1st, 2010 2:53 PM Author: Citrine site I really need to be doing more of this, for certain. I've been spending way too much time on substantive material and not really "diving in" with the essays. My plan is to do 5 essays a day starting after July 4. Hopefully that will make some of this stuff stay with me. (http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=1354537&forum_id=2#15391308) |