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How to Write a Bar Exam Essay

By Silas Reed

When you are in a place where are you facing a bar exam essay, it can be tough to really pull your head together. When you think about the fact that so few students pass the bar exam on their first try, and when it is writing essays that throw them off, it's frankly terrifying; but the truth of the matter is that you can do it! If you have the proper knowledge behind you to back it up, the exam is no problem. Any legal profession will place a high premium on writing skills, and chances are good that you have already written lots and lots of papers while you were in school. Just think about this as one more question that you need to answer, and it will all fall into place.

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Take some time and really consider what your options are going to be when it comes to preparing for your exam. Of course, one of the most important things for you to do is to prepare, and ideally you are going to be doing this months before the test itself. Remember that you should not actually practice your bar exam essay writing skills the night before the exam itself; if you did this, you would simply be exhausted! Instead, in the weeks leading up to the exam, take a practice question out for a spin and do it at least twice. Take the test as much under the testing conditions as you can, and remember that there are many different options for you to consider. This is something that can make a huge difference when you do it for real. This will show you how to pace yourself and how you should best use your time.


When you are taking your bar exam essay, make sure that you read the question. It sounds silly, and it sounds as though that is a no-brainer, but you would be surprised how much a second reading of the question can change things for you. Take some time and make sure that you really consider what you need to know about the question. Read it through and see if you can pick up any slant or any focus that they want you to keep. Sometimes, just looking at the question again is going to tell you how you should answer it. Time reading the question over again is definitely not time wasted, so no matter how hurried you feel, there is enough time for you to really figure out what they are asking.


Remember that you should never just walk into an essay cold. Before you start to write, take out some scrap paper and make sure that you outline your paper. The more outlining you do, the better off you are going to be at the end of the day. This will give your paper a clear structure and it will help you stay on task. As you outline, try to determine how long you should allot for each session. This is something that you need to think about, because you do not want to be on supporting details for your second point when the proctor calls time! The more organization you have, the better you are going to be able to cope with creating the essay that you want.


The format that most people recommend for writing a bar exam essay is known as IRACC and it is a good one. This stands for Issue, Rule, Argument, Counterargument, and Conclusion. This allows you to put together an effective argument and to make sure that you are going to be able to get the results that you need. Unless you can build your argument thoroughly and with a fair amount of support, it is going to get shot full of holes. There are so many things that you need to remember when you are dealing with the bar that the essay portion needs to be practically second nature for you. Take some time and review this format.


The truth of the matter is that if you are ready to take on the bar exam, you are ready for everything that is a part of it. Your essay should be prepared for, but it should not be feared!


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