Ray Hayden, J.D.
Cat(s) of the Month:
Ray's J.D. (Juris Doctor)
JD - FYLSX Prep Page:
Before We Begin:
LOOK over this ENTIRE PAGE!!!
ASK ME QUESTIONS if you get even the slightest bit confused so we can get you back on track!
CURRENT TWEAK DATE: 12 August 2017.I have more editing to do on this, and I am also prepping for my own 4L Mid Terms and Finals at this point through early December, then switching to full time Bar Prep for the February 2018 California Bar Exam.
I need to edit this page though - it is going to be more generic, hopefully cleaner, and easier to understand. I kind of created it on the fly, but I also want to keep it date neutral, and the plan should work perfectly for either version of the FYLSX that you will be taking, June or October.
Donation Button:
Here is how my marketing works:
You are allowed to use my materials for preparing for the California Bar, First Year Law Students' Examination with zero up front cost to you. If you never donate, I won't take it personally, I just want more people to pass. Donations are motivating, and they do help cover the cost of having this site - Thank You in advance!
I added links to my recommended books, and one for technology (Laptops for the time being). I purchased all of my Gilbert's and materials from Amazon.com, and I buy new books. Used books are fine, I just prefer new ones.
From the links, or once in the "recommendation page," you can click on a book or product, then - under "Availability," there is a link for the used books and other options - this will bring you to the Amazon.com main site.
I have to edit these links this month (August 2017), because Amazon is doing away with the "A-Store" tool. I will create links to all of the materials where needed in the text, and I will probably create one page specifically with all of the recommended materials in one single source location.
About the FYLSX:
I am rewriting this in the attempt to make a confusing issue more clear, wish me luck!
The FYLSX consists of a morning session of four hours for Essays, and a three hour afternoon session for MCQ's.
The Essays cover Torts, Contracts, and Criminal Law, and there are four essays, one on each of the subjects, and a fourth question covering one of those three.
You have four hours for the Essays and are allowed to work on them however you choose.
The MCQ's cover the same subjects, and you need to pay close attention to the INSTRUCTIONS on the back of the MCQ Exam Booklet to make sure that you are answering the MCQ's according to those instructions - this is VITAL!
You have three hours to complete all 100 MCQ's.
Trust me now, I have always had more than enough time to complete 100% of the FYLSX, and so will you, because you will be prepared, you will be confident in your ability, but do not underestimate this beast... on average, every. single. time., 80% of everyone sitting for the same exam that you are... will fail... every time (on average)!
I am telling you that you must focus, you must prepare, or you will receive a document that I own five of, the dreaded "Yellow Sheet of Repeat," the "Failing" form that arrives in the results envelope... you do not want that, and certainly not five of them!
Scales:
There are two, and I cannot give you the math, because they change it for every exam! I can tell you how they work.
Essays: There is a "Zero Point" (my term). If your raw score and scaled score are very close, you are close to that Zero Point. If you score higher than the zero point, they reward you with bonus points, and even more so the higher your score is above that point! It works both ways, the lower your score is below the Zero Point, the more they punish you! You NEED to be close to, or higher than, whatever the Zero Point will be in order to have a serious shot at passing the FYLSX on the Essay Side of things. The closer your overall scaled Essay score is to the Raw score, the better you need to score on the MCQ's.
MCQ's: The Zero Point works the opposite direction on the MCQ's - and all should become clear here!
The HIGHER you score above the Zero Point on the MCQ's, the more points they take AWAY from you - HOWEVER, they never take away more points than they give... so you WANT to aim for scoring 100% on the MCQ's, even though it means that it is never ever possible to actually scale out to 400 on the MCQ's!
It also means that if you ever score low enough to where they GIVE you points on the MCQ's - you will not pass the exam!
Bottom Line: We have to fight, tooth and nail, to score every single point, on every part of the FYLSX that we can, no matter what! In the end, a scaled out 560 passes, every single time! That is our ultimate goal, 560 or higher, every time!
Some Info About Me:
My personality type is an INTJ - this means:Introversion: I like to be alone, I am not shy, I just dislike crowds.Be like me, pass the FYLSX, but DON'T be like me - do it sooner than your sixth attempt!!!
Intuition: I like the big picture, and can work on things for years, or decades.
Thinking: I like ideas, solid ideas, and I dislike wasting time.
Judgment: I tend to approach life in a structured way, planning and organizing my environment to achieve my goals.
DO NOT FEEL SHY about contacting me... do not get lost, ask me to help you get back on track if you find yourself slipping at all. I work BEST through email.
The Bottom Line Plan:
For those who don't like the fine details, I want to give you the very rock bottom minimalistic way to pass the FYLSX. If you "get it" with this - go for it, if you need more - just keep reading.
Ray's Materials:
MEMORIZE my One Sheets and Definition Sheets COLD - they have 98% or MORE of what we MUST be able to identify and analyze on the Essay side of the exam.
My Definitions (Rules) are the most imperfectly perfect definitions (rules) anywhere. They cover the widest area of the issue in the fewest amount of words - if you actually READ my Definitions, you will almost INSTANTLY see WHY they are so easy to memorize... I tweaked the hell out of these, every comma, every indent, every word - and I triple proved them with Black's Law Dictionary!
On Exam Day - you do not have time to bang out a One Sheet - so I made the Exam Version of the One Sheet - if you bang those out in less than ten minutes, and if you know what everything means... you are where you need to be! When I passed in October 2014, I completed the Exam Version of my One Sheets in less than seven minutes - with pure perfection!
Passing Sample Essays:
PRACTICE OUTLINING using the last three to five years of FYLSX passing samples!
There are two for each question, free, on the California Bar Website... I have links on this page from 2013 - 2016.
If you are using a laptop - and you should be! - you can do what I did and OUTLINE in the software - keep the outline minimal. Practice this using the most basic word processor built into your computer - because that is what the ExamSoft software really is. 100% of my outline becomes PART OF MY ANSWER, If I outline for 20 minutes, and I did it in the software, I get an extra 80 minutes that other people do not! I make notes on the scratch paper, I OUTLINE in the software.
You actually do not need to WRITE OUT the answers, but you had better be able to outline ANY essay, and be able to know how to FLOW your answer like a passing sample author does! Hand write at least two of each subject just to make sure you "get it."
What I mean is copy, word for word, two passing sample answers for each subject, you learn a lot by doing that, including the flow of the answer I am talking about.
"Outlining" an essay is not simply Issue Spotting, it is setting up your answer, the "design" of the answer... you Issue Spot the Issues - you DESIGN your answer. To understand how to FLOW through it, OUTLINE the fact pattern based on the "Call."
Think of it as arranging the issues that you spotted if that helps.
Lastly, you MUST review the passing samples (one of the reasons why I suggest ONLY using the last three to five years, because it takes time to train your brain on how the passing sample answers FLOW, and you MUST be able to do that) so that you can see that YOUR outline is at least as good as the passing samples!
Make Your Essays LOOK like WINNERS!:
YOU MUST MAKE YOUR ESSAYS LOOK AND FEEL LIKE THE PASSING SAMPLES - why??? BECAUSE THEY PASSED!!!!
On exam day, when they tell you to begin, jot down the time from the software on the scratch paper and bang out the Exam Version of the One Sheets!
Keep your hands off of your computer... READ ALL FOUR ESSAY FACT PATTERNS FIRST (read the calls too!), then go to work on number 1 and work through to number 4.
Here is the deal on the essays - the AVERAGE passing author has more than enough time to complete EVERY SINGLE ESSAY SESSION, every time! - That takes care of your time concerns - let it go.
In reviewing ALL of my old essays, I realized that there are the following:1) There is ONE long question. It would take the average passing author more than 55 minutes to write up a minimally passing answer (60, failing with respect).Those had been my scores on the exam I passed in October 2014 (Q1 - 70, Q2 - 65, Q3 - 65, Q4 - 60). Q4 was my short answer.
2) There are TWO medium questions. It would take the average passing author about 45 - 55 minutes to write up a decent passing answer (65, a low passing answer).
3) There is ONE short question. It would take the average passing author about 40 to 50 minutes to write up a passing answer (70, passing).
I finished the FYLSX essay portion 45 minutes early - which is WHY I knew I failed, that is way too early. However, on much reflection, I credit the early finish to two points. First, I outline in the software, this gives me about 60 to 80 minutes extra to play with, as my outline is part of my answer. Secondly, I pre-read all four fact patterns. My mind went to work on answers before I ever got to the question.
IMPORTANT: I did not read the calls... do your mind a favor, pre-read all four fact patterns and the calls before you begin - let your brain work for you. We are supposed to read the fact patterns twice anyway, so pre-read them once, then go to work!
Siegel's Books:
MEMORIZE all 299 of the Siegel's MCQ's in the back half of the books. You WILL SEE about five of those MCQ's on the FYLSX - I saw at least four or five EVERY TIME I TOOK THE EXAM, five free points - you decide.
You must KNOW the INSTRUCTIONS on the back of the MCQ Exam Booklet COLD - I list them on this page under "Why These Materials" - "Siegel's." I ONLY knew Torts Cold, and that was the one that helped me to pass - best to know them all and DOUBLE CHECK the ones on the back of YOUR MCQ Exam Booklet to make sure they are still the same!!!
The Instructions CHANGE how you would otherwise answer... and BOTH the right and 180 degree wrong answer are going to be waving at you on the exam!!!
THOSE INSTRUCTIONS CHANGE WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN RIGHT IN THE SIEGEL's BOOKS FROM RIGHT TO WRONG... KNOW THE INSTRUCTIONS COLD!!! (Better than I did!).
DURING the MCQ session, read the Instructions four or five times DURING the exam - I did, and I passed the FYLSX that I KNEW I failed!
NOTE:
I am going to make the suggested plan of attack at the BOTTOM of this page, so don't forget to scroll all the way down to find that.
Watch THIS Video on the Cold Hard Reality of the FYLSX.
If you are using this material to pass the FYLSX, and you feel lost, stuck, or confused, CONTACT ME ask me questions - you are not alone... done right, every single person in that room is fighting the good fight WITH you, not against you!
Motivation got you started on this path, Dedication got you through at least one FYLSX, but only Determination will see you through to your goal!
I sat for the FYLSX SIX TIMES, passing it in October 2014 with an average essay score of 65 points, and an MCQ score of 78. Six times in the hot seat gives me some insight that I think most other people simply cannot have, and I always promised everyone that I would share what I learned.
No one can TEACH us the law, we have to LEARN the law, internalize it, own it... do the following, and own Torts, Contracts, and Criminal Law on the FYLSX!
This is not like a blog that reads bottom to top - this page, well, all of my pages other than the "Right Now" page all read top to bottom... this is one of those pages - read it top to bottom!
Pre Prep:
Let's get to it!
DISCLAIMER: I do not have any relationships with any of the materials I discuss, but I do earn a small commission on things I link to, but these are materials I used myself, and personally recommend! I do, however, have complete ownership on the materials that I created.
Register for the October 2017 FYLSX - the window is open now!
TIMELY Filing ran through 1 August 2017. Repeaters get an extension, so make your decision now!
If you do not have everything, and it might be a little bit before they arrive - hit my One Sheets / Definition Sheets first while you wait for other materials.
There are a few things you must have right this minute, so let's download the following things:Print these out! Here are the links to my:Take note that the One Sheets / Definition Sheets are two things in one document.
One Sheets / Definition Sheets, and
Exam Version of the One Sheets.
Watch the video about my One Sheets / Definition Sheets.
Watch the video about the Exam Version of my One Sheets.
Buy paperbacks of the books I list below, thank me later!
Order this book RIGHT NOW:Essay Exam Writing for the California Bar ExamYou also need the three Siegel's Books for the MCQ's. Order them right now - used versions are fine. There is no way around these, you have to have them - you will thank me later. You will also be shocked when you recognize questions from the actual FYLSX!
This is the book that a California Bar Passing Student suggested to a buddy of mine, and I integrated into my 3L efforts. It is fantastic, get it, and get it NOW!Siegel's TortsWatch this video about the Siegel's books. Don't worry about the dates, you can skip ahead to 2 minutes 36 seconds, and watch from there. I made this video before the June 2015 FYLSX, but it is still a great video.
Siegel's Contracts
Siegel's Criminal Law
Now go and watch this video, Siegel's Insights, WHY I PASSED! In this video - and some others, I discuss the June 2015 FYLSX... the dates don't matter here, just imagine I am talking about June 2017!
California Bar Essays - With Answers:Do not print these out, print out only the question so as not to waste paper! I explain in detail later.You also need Commercial Outlines, but if you do not have them, I address that below.
Scroll to the bottom of the California Bar Past Exams page, and download June 2013 through June 2016, here are the direct links:
June 2016 October 2016 June 2015 October 2015 June 2014 October 2014 June 2013 October 2013
Introduction:
I want to dive into the program as if you had the following materials:1) My materials listed above - One Sheets / Definition Sheets, and the Exam Version of the One Sheets.
2) Gilbert's or Emanuel's Law Outlines, or whatever outline you like, I have both of these and will discuss the differences. For other outlines do the best you can, or;
2a) If you DO NOT have Gilbert's or Emanuel's, you can - FOR FREE - use the Wikipedia Pages below:
I am still evaluating the use of Wikipedia for ALL of law study, but these ones are excellent!
If you do not have cash to invest in the Outlines, you have to focus your efforts, use my Definition Sheets and focus hard on looking through the Wikipedia articles I list. If you choose this option, because you have to - ASK ME QUESTIONS, do not be shy, I can help you navigate these if you have issues, these are excellent pages, trust me, they can work for you!TortsThese will open in their own new tab, if you find yourself getting "lost" in the material, simply start fresh from these links!
Contracts
Criminal Law
3) Essay Exam Writing for the California Bar Exam
Why these materials?:
Ray's Materials: You will not find a more perfectly imperfect set of Definitions for the FYLSX anywhere! I made them, I used them, I proved them - and I triple checked them with Black's Law Dictionary. MEMORIZE these because I specifically designed them to work perfectly together for ease of memorization, ease of use, and ease to deploy on the exam when they tell us to "begin."
Gilbert's: These are the best Law Outlines (my personal opinion), because of how they are laid out and set up. A lot of white space (easy on the eyes), a lot of charts and boxes for visual learning - and, again, easy on the eyes. Any Outline can work, and I also own the Emanuel's for Torts, Contracts, and Criminal Law, so I will discuss the minor differences when they pop up.
Essay Exam Writing for the California Bar: I will refer to this book as the California Bar Essay Book, because it is easier to type! Let me tell you what is so wonderful about this book:This book covers ALL of the essay subjects with mini outlines of about twenty pages each. Contracts runs from page 311 to 328 in my book. It has a one page introduction to each subject. It then offers an issues list. Then it goes over a memorization attack sheet, for Contracts it is three pages long. The main outline for Contracts is 18 pages long - so it only covers what the authors feel are the most important issues!This book specifically covers all of the subjects - so you will be using it for the rest of law school!
Siegel's: If you went to my "Right Now" page, and you scrolled to the bottom of that page, there is a link to the June 1980 Form "A" MCQ exam. Almost 100% of those MCQ's are COVERED in the Siegel's books. And every single time I took the FYLSX, about FIVE of these questions, WORD FOR WORD, have shown up on the FYLSX... would five points have made a difference for you? ONE POINT is all I needed over the HIGHEST score I ever got on the MCQ session to pass the FYLSX in October 2014... I NEVER scored higher than a 72, and I NEEDED a 73. I scored a 78, and passed.
The ONLY set of MCQ's that I practiced with AT ALL for the October 2014 FYLSX had been the Siegel's. The Siegel's books are the only ones that match up with the DESIGN and LOGIC of the ACTUAL MCQ's that you saw on the FYLSX.
It takes a while to get through this material once. By the time you are sitting for the FYLSX, you will be able to knock out 299 MCQ's in less than one hour (I can do it in less than 30 minutes!) with 100% pure accuracy, and 100% pure understanding of why the right answers are right and why the wrong answers are wrong! AS THEY ARE PRESENTED!!!
And, for the MCQ's - there is a trick! AS PRESENTED!!!
The INSTRUCTIONS from the Back of the MCQ Exam Booklet!:
YOU MUST KNOW THIS COLD - I only knew the TORTS section cold - you MUST know these instructions... make sure what I publish here is what you saw, and what you see on YOUR FYLSX... you MUST follow those INSTRUCTIONS from the BACK of the MCQ Exam Booklet... here they are:Notice that the Torts instruction is REALLY saying to assume Contributory Negligence - but they did not write it like that, did they? I promised myself to re-read the Instructions four or five times DURING the FYLSX, I did, and I passed!The bold stuff is important!!!Your score will be based on the number of questions you answer correctly. It is therefore to your advantage to try to answer as many questions as you can. Use your time effectively. Do not hurry, but work steadily and as quickly as you can without sacrificing your accuracy. If a question seems too difficult, go on to the next one."
"The following instructions apply to the respective subject areas.
Answer all questions according to legal theories and principles of general application,
unless the instructions which follow or the instructions on a specific question ask for a different rule.
In contract questions, assume that the following provisions of the Uniform Commercial
Code are in effect:All of Article 1;In criminal law questions, unless the question specifically asks for a different rule, answerSections 101-107, inclusive, of Part 1 of Article 2;
Sections 201-210, inclusive, of Part 2 of Article 2;
Sections 301-311, inclusive, of Part 3 of Article 2;
according to principles of general application in the United States.
In tort questions, unless the question specifically states otherwise, assume the jurisdiction
has not adopted:comparative negligence,
no-fault, or any
guest statute.
Outline of the Prep Plan:
Ray's Theory: I do not like to acquire stuff if at all possible. My theory is effective efficiency with the LEAST amount of "stuff."
That said, the list of "stuff" I give you above is what I consider to be the best of the best to prepare us for Torts, Contracts, and Criminal Law for the FYLSX.
Let's see how to use it...
The Prep Program:
For the FYLSX, you have to add in efforts for the multiple choice questions (MCQ's) that we do not have to do for 2L, 3L, or 4L. I have a plan for that, but I want to touch on essay material first.
ESSAYS:
Commercial Outlines:
Study the INTRODUCTION pages to your outline for the whole book, and for each chapter - this is quick reading, and I want this information swimming around in your mind for things down the road. Just read them one time through - after all, this is really review.
The more important reason is to get all three subjects back in your mind for the FYLSX!
I also want you to read the Capsule Summary for each subject, this is longer reading, but it is shorter than reading the whole outline.
Again this is review, but there is that little something extra that I want you to be familiar with, and that comes from the Capsule Summary.
California Bar Essay Book:
Once you get that done, I want you to go through the California Bar Essay Book. The first day, I just want you to read the three single pages that introduce us to the subject, and I want you to take a break - you have information in your head, and this break from hard core reading lets some of that stretch out, relax, and settle in - right where we want it!
Now comes the magic... The outlines in the California Essay Book are VERY short. I want you to read all three of the outlines in the California Essay Book Contracts, Criminal Law (and procedure - it includes both, just go through it anyway). Once you go through all three of them, read all three again! Twice, in short order will get a LOT of good material in your mind quickly.
California Bar Passing Essays: We also need to study ACTUAL essays... here is how:
Download the 2013 - 2016 California Bar FYLSX's, and ONLY print out the questions (print one page rather than one document!). Keep the questions for continued review, use the authors answers on the computer screen to save a LOT of paper!
When you work with the essays, read all four of the fact patterns, including the calls, FIRST - all four! Then, go through the first fact pattern and read it fully again. THINK about the issues, make a list - issue spot. Try to make your issue spotting list LOOK like an outline for how you would answer the question if you wrote it out.
Do not actually write it ought - you can do that later. Go through all four essays!The REASON why I do not want you to spend hours writing the full essay out, is because I want you to be able to go through ALL FOUR essays in one sitting. Trying to fully write out the entire essay is going to really kill that time when you could have been working on all three subjects in that same amount of time!When you are done, review the passing authors answers and compare what you spotted with what they wrote up.
Try to create an outline like they would have had when they wrote up their answers.
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS:
MCQ Practice Programs:
All you need are the Siegel's - how do I know? Because I bought into AdaptiBar twice, and BarMax once... I liked both in all honesty, but knowing what I know now - all you need is Siegel's.
Ballsy of me, right? Well... once you get your Siegel's books, take a look at the June 1980 Form "A" MCQ exam... nearly 100% of those are covered! Not only that, they give you the question, answer, and explanation of why the right answer is right, and why the wrong answers are wrong!
Siegel's Books:
What Siegel's has, that no one else has, is for the FYLSX specifically. Everyone else is using licensed retired MBE questions. Maybe they tweak them, but only Siegel's has FYLSX questions - and most importantly - the same DESIGN and LOGIC of the MCQ's that we see on the FYLSX.
Let me scare the hell out of you first. You are going to be taking 299 MCQ exams from these three books. That means a 299 question multiple choice question exam. Don't sweat it, just do what I say, and thank me later!
We have to work on the MCQ's - that is what the Siegel's books are for. There are 100 MCQ's in Torts and Criminal Law, and 99 in Contracts. 299 MCQ's in all!
The way I want you to do it is like this - DO NOT WRITE IN THE BOOKS!!!!
Again... seriously! Don't write in the books - it will be a waste of your investment!...1) Read Q1. Read the Call to Q1. Look over the answers and think about your best guess. IMMEDIATELY look at the answer to Q1. I don't care if you got it right or wrong, because what you are about to do will help you on the ESSAYS!!!
2) REVIEW why the right answer is right, and why the wrong answers are wrong. Do this for every single question in all three books. Go ahead, be shocked that they look so familiar, some of them word for word familiar!
3) Once you completed this in all three books - without practice testing! - it is time to start practice testing!
4) Make 100 Question Exam Answer Sheets - for fun, you can even download a template and use a bubble sheet! Start taking practice exams of 100 questions each. The first time is going to take you a while - now that you know, you cannot complain about it - just do it!
5) When you get done with each subject - score your sheet, ONLY CHECK THE ONES YOU GOT WRONG - do NOT check the ones you got right (why would you?!?).
6) I do not care what your score was, and neither should you! Take all three exams again! Check your answers again! ONLY review the ones you got wrong... sometimes you will get one wrong when you previously had it right! That is OK.
7) Don't worry about your score... oh, and by the way... take all three subjects as a single test as a reward for your efforts! JUST DO IT!
Notice how much less time it is taking after just a few practice exams!
Trust me, in a very short time, you will be memorizing the questions and answers, and you might even be as fast as I am with them... able to take them all in less than 30 minutes (when I am up to speed!).
8) Now it is time to take the 299 question MONSTER TEST! Here is the kicker... it is going to take you a long time to do the long 299 question test... that time is about to go bye-bye! As you work the 299 questions, you are going to memorize them! I tried not to - it can't be helped - I thought I was in deep trouble, but here is what is really happening... it isn't the questions I want you to learn - oh sure, the information is platinum - but it is the DESIGN and LOGIC of the question that we are training your mind for!
You will be taking the 299 question exam up until the night before, or the morning of, the FYSLX! You will be wrapping it up in less than one hour, less than 45 minutes, or - like me - less than 30 minutes... that is ALMOST as fast as turning the pages!!!
9) When you complete the 299 question test and check your answers - keep reviewing why the right answers are right, and why the wrong answers are wrong - ONLY on the ones you get wrong! Very shortly, you will be hitting 100% correct, consistently!
I consider it a complete failure if I miss even one question - you will too. So I instantly review that question and take the exam again.
When I get the 100% correct, I reward myself with being able to take it again! You will too.
WHERE YOU NEED TO BE!:
Here is where you are going to be just prior to the FYLSX:1) You need to be able to bang out all three sections of the Exam Version of the One Sheets in less than 10 minutes with 100% perfection. It would be phenomenal if you also knew what 100% of it meant... you will.
2) You need to be able to bang out all 299 MCQ's from Siegel's in less than one hour with complete understanding of why the right answers are right, and why the wrong answers are wrong... you will.2a) The confidence builder here is that you will KNOW that you understand the language, the DESIGN and LOGIC of the MCQ's - and this is the same Design and Logic that you will see on the FYLSX, thus, you will KNOW that you have MORE than enough time to COMPLETELY answer all of the MCQ's without breaking a sweat!3) As for writing out FULL essays for practice I do not do that, but we MUST, absolutely, be able to issue spot more issues than BOTH of the passing authors combined - I can do that - so will you.
4) You must be able to OUTLINE your issue spotting so that you can bang out the answer you INTENDED to write. you will be there.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Ray's Definitions:
If you decide NOT to use my Definitions, skip this section. If you are going to use my Definitions, read them SILENTLY to yourself THREE TIMES right away.
This next one is not easy, but find some private place where you can talk out loud, and READ THEM OUT LOUD a minimum of three times as soon as possible.
Hand write them at a MINIMUM of once - in full - each week before the FYLSX!Let me explain the above steps here. We will learn SOME of the material simply reading it, but when we speak it out loud, we are reading it, thinking about the words, saying them, and hearing them. When we write them out, we are putting muscle memory into it as well - all of this helps to lock it all in.Start Practicing making my Exam Version of the One Sheets - this is what you bang out on the scratch paper on exam day!
Siegel's MCQ's:
You MUST also be working on the Siegel's MCQ's right now... there are 299 MCQ's, and I need you to be able to bang all 299 of them in less than an hour, and less then 45 minutes is even better!!! You need to practice with them until you can fly through them with 100% pure accuracy, KNOWING why the right answer is right, and why the wrong answers are wrong.
California Bar Passing Sample Essays:
You MUST work with the California Bar Passing Sample Essays. Take an FYLSX, June 2014, for example, read ALL FOUR fact patterns FIRST, before you do ANYTHING else. Then read Q1, THINK about the issues you see, make an issue list (Issue Spot) and try to make your list look like what the passing authors would have done for their own OUTLINE of the answer.
I do not personally write out many, if any, essay answers, but we MUST outline them to be able to SPOT ALL OF THE ISSUES.
When you are good, you will spot MORE issues than BOTH passing authors COMBINED, and yours will be better.
We MUST also REVIEW the passing samples so that we have a truly solid feel for how to FLOW our answer between issues.
Look at my October 2014 FYLSX essays and do what I did but do it better!
Suggested Plan of Attack:
Definition Sheets:
Do the following ASAP. There are five pages of Definitions for Torts and Contracts, and just three for Criminal Law.1) Read them all the way through, a minimum of three times, silently, to yourself.One Sheets:
2) This one is tougher, find some private space and read them all the way through, three times, out loud.
3) Practice Writing them out by hand once per week, the time it takes you to do this will drop dramatically as you get closer to exam day as you are memorizing them. Do this right up to exam week!
4) Continue to read the Definitions all the way through, silently, at least once per week. If you can find time / space to read them out loud, do that once per week as well, I know it is not easy, but it really helps to lock things in.
The One Sheets are the first page of each subject, and are part of the One Sheets / Definition Sheets - I combined the two items into one document.1) Once you have written the Definitions out at least one time in full, start to look over the One Sheets.Exam Version of the One Sheets:
2) You need to practice writing these out as well - USE THE SAME LAYOUT that I use, with the indents and all of it - this is part of WHY you can memorize them so easily!
3) This is where the One Sheets shine - and it is not easy - try to find some private space and try to TEACH an imaginary audience from the One Sheet - have the Definition Sheets handy to double check yourself, but the One Sheets will INSTANTLY demonstrate where you need to focus more effort. I did this consistently up until the night before the exams!I cannot express to you how vital this step is... if you have to, try to pretend like you are speaking out loud, and teach this material to your pet... you need to KNOW where to focus as you get closer and closer to exam day.
The big issues are: Torts = Negligence and Product Liability (which has a full negligence in it!), Contracts = Formation, Criminal Law = Vicarious Liability, and Homicide.
HOWEVER, you will find a host of smaller issues, and they won't come at you in the same order as I list them... my list is what comes up MOST often.This is the three page document that ONLY has one or two letters for each issue and sub issue.Siegel's Books:
1) As soon as you feel you are starting to memorize the material, start the practice of making the Exam Version of the One Sheets until you can complete them in less than 30 minutes with perfection.
2) At that point, practice them a number of times per day, right up until the night before, or the morning of, the FYLSX! Before the exam day gets here, I want you to be able to bang them out, with pure perfection, in less than ten minutes - and KNOW what everything means!1) Read the question, take a guess at the answer, IMMEDIATELY investigate what the right answer was, why it was right, and why the wrong answers are wrong. This helps you on the essays as well!Instructions:
2) JUST READ them, do not write in the books. Do the above at least once, then start to take a very large 100 question test in each subject. When you can complete one subject in less than one hour, take the large 299 question test. ONLY CHECK THE ANSWERS YOU GOT WRONG - do not waste time checking on the ones you get right!
3) Once you started taking the 299 question exams, you will do them every other day... again, ONLY CHECK the ones you got wrong!
4) When you get your time to complete all 299 questions in less than an hour and a half, start doing it every single day - you will probably have already memorized all 299 questions and will be starting to fly through these. You want to be able to get them all done, 100% correct, in less than 45 minutes, knowing why the right answers are right, and why the wrong answers are wrong.
From the back of the MCQ Exam Booklet (published above, on this page).1) Start reading those instructions to see how they apply to the subjects. Read them until you fully understand how they affect your answers on the MCQ's.Gilbert's
2) On EXAM DAY - re-read the Instructions any time you need to, and at least four or five times DURING the exam to be sure you did not fall into their trap!
You can use whatever Commercial Outline you have, I personally prefer the Gilbert's, I ONLY use Gilbert's. The point is that this is REVIEW - you probably just sat for the FYLSX, and want to pass it sooner than I did... here is the fastest way to get the most out of reviewing the Outlines which have a Capsule Summary (both Gilbert's and Emanuel's do).
As you get up to speed with the Definition Sheets, One Sheets, Exam Version of the One Sheets, and the Instructions from the back of the MCQ Exam Booklet, grab your favorite Outline and do the following.1) Study the INTRODUCTION pages to your outline for the whole book, and for each chapter - this is quick reading, and I want this information swimming around in your mind for things down the road. Just read them one time through - after all, this is really review.If you feel that you need to look something up, by all means, do that while you go through the Capsule Summary, just do it fast.
2) Read the Capsule Summary for each subject, this is longer reading, but it is shorter than reading the whole outline. Again this is review, but there is that little something extra that I want you to be familiar with, and that comes from the Capsule Summary.
California Bar Essay Book:
The outlines in the California Essay Book are VERY short. I want you to read all three of the outlines in the California Essay Book, Contracts, Criminal Law (and procedure - it includes both, just go through it anyway) in rapid succession, one right after the next, but like the following:1) The first day, I just want you to read the three single pages that introduce us to the subject, and I want you to take a break - you have information in your head, and this break from hard core reading lets some of that stretch out, relax, and settle in - right where we want it!California Bar Passing Sample Essays:
2) After your short break, jump into reading ALL three of the California Essay Book outlines in quick succession - the twenty (or so) page outlines.
3) Once you go through all three of them, read all three again! Twice, in short order will get a LOT of good material in your mind quickly.
4) Feel free to blast through these very short outlines a number of times, you should be able to bang out all three in one single day!
You need to have these passing sample essays for two reasons, I will explain the second later on, but most importantly, we must be able to format our answers to LOOK and FEEL like passing sample answers... there is no short cut, we have to do this!
You will be Issue Spotting with an eye on Designing how you would fully write up an essay, you MUST review the two passing sample answers to get the rock solid feel for how to FLOW your answer like a passing sample author does!
I am not huge on actually writing up many, if any, actual essay answers, but the fewer we actually write up, the more we have to focus on the FLOW of the answers. You have to have, in your mind, what the passing author had in their mind as they worked on a winning answer. We don't need perfect 100's, but we need as close to 70 (or above) as we can get on every essay! We are really shooting for 260 (total raw essay score) or better... hopefully better!
CONTINUE TO WORK:
Work on any and all of the material here until you are mastering it - which should start to happen very quickly, you probably just sat for a FYLSX, so you just need to be finely prepped up to speed.
As the exam day gets closer and closer, the only things you will be working with are The One Sheets / Definition Sheets, the Exam Version of the One Sheets, the Siegel's Books, and the California Essay Passing Samples!
An Essay Practice Suggestion
Above, I mention those California Essay Passing Samples. This is a technique I have heard from several people who I would consider authoritative (meaning they know what they are talking about). If you are having problems going from one issue to the other - I certainly do - then you can actually type out a couple of the essays by the passing authors word for word.
What I try to get you to be able to do is to OUTLINE like the passing author probably did, but that doesn't fully get you to "FLOW" your answer through. Typing out one or two passing essays, word for word - or even making tweaks to make their answers better! - might just provide that edge you need to perform better than 86% of everyone else taking the same exam as you!
DO NOT BE SHY - my email contact link (it just opens up your email program with my email address in it already) is as follows, use it to contact me and ask me anything about this process.
You should be memorizing my Definitions very well by now, practice with the One Sheets and make sure you know the Definitions without having to write them out fully. Make the time to try to type them out at least once, a full month before, and again at mid month of the exam (two weeks prior)... this is to give your fingers muscle memory - this stuff works, trust me.
Keep working, every chance you get, do something that will get you to pass the FYLSX!
Another Update
I actually covered it in the above, so I want to make a quick note of where we ought to be for the FYLSX.1) Know my Definition Sheets very well, keep working on weak areas, but these sheets contain 98% or more of what we must be able to spit up fast and move on. Compare my 2014 FYLSX's. See how I used my own materials to answer the questions.Keep working, hit weak areas, cover the whole of it.
2) Work with those passing sample essays that I link to above. Try to get the FEEL for what the passing author's outline looked like before they began writing / typing. Hand copy - word for word - at least one essay in each subject where the author uses the same style that you do - if you need that assistance, it is not a bad idea.
3) Memorize all 299 of the Siegel's MCQ's. What I am going for is training your mind to understand the DESIGN and LOGIC of the questions, which you can only get through memorizing all of them. Your goal is to bang out all 299 in under an hour... then under 45 minutes... I can do them in under 30!
Bringing it all Together:
You should be gearing up to spend more quality time with the passing sample essays if you have not done so already.
You should also be realizing some of the beauty in my documents. You should be starting to memorize many of the Definitions, and let me pause on that for a second - DO NOT PANIC if you feel it is moving slow! I did have them memorized cold for the October 2012 FYSLX (and I only started them in August 2012!) - however, it wasn't until the last week that they all started to fall into place! The last days before I flew out to LAX, I was nailing them cold... so don't be too worried about it now if it seems a little slow coming together... it will.
Also, the Siegel's MCQ's... you should have gone through those a number of times by now, and you should see that your speed is increasing... it will continue to do so. Give me a couple of days with them, and I can bang them out with 100% accuracy, and KNOW why the right answers are right in less than 30 minutes! All I want you to be able to do is get all 299 of them done in under an hour. First off - you WILL probably see a couple of these on the FYLSX exam, but you will learn the design and logic of MCQ's like the ones you will see on the exam!
Keep in mind - those INSTRUCTIONS may change a RIGHT answer (even in Siegel's) to a wrong answer - and they will BOTH be there!
The instructions are the rule to follow, if you think a question was too easy, it probably was - review the instructions again on exam day - Oh, and also MAKE SURE THE INSTRUCTIONS that I published are the SAME as on the exam YOU sit for - because I would not put it past the California Bar to throw a wrench in the machine! Whatever the instructions on exam day say, you must apply those to the exam.
Now, reviewing the passing sample essays - it is time to be doing that, even if you have not started yet. Read the fact pattern and the call, ISSUE spot before you review the answers... then, review the answers like you are reverse engineering the answer, because you are!
I want you to UNDERSTAND what that passing author was probably thinking, and how they likely created their outline. If you do this process the way I would like to see it done - around MID June, you should be able to spot ALL of the issues that BOTH passing authors spotted, and maybe a couple more!
More, you should be able to see and feel the flow of the answer - it should make natural sense to you. I am not huge on writing out complete essays, because they take time to do... but I am a fan of doing one or two - unless you feel you need more, than feel free. If you truly feel stumped do it... copy, word for word, every single line of the passing answers of those who WRITE THE WAY YOU WILL WRITE!
It is important to look over all of the essays in the last three to five years, but focus on the ones that write the same way you do (or will) on the FYLSX... focus on THOSE essays for the feel of the flow that the author used, because it is how YOU will be writing.
As always - if you have ANY questions - CONTACT ME.
Keep working, do not be too stressed about it, but keep working... it will start to come together more and more, I promise.