var googletag = googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.pubads().disableInitialLoad(); });
device = device.default;
//this function refreshes [adhesion] ad slot every 60 second and makes prebid bid on it every 60 seconds // Set timer to refresh slot every 60 seconds function setIntervalMobile() { if (!device.mobile()) return if (adhesion) setInterval(function(){ googletag.pubads().refresh([adhesion]); }, 60000); } if(device.desktop()) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { leaderboard_top = googletag.defineSlot('/22018898626/LC_Article_detail_page', [728, 90], 'div-gpt-ad-1591620860846-0').setTargeting('pos', ['1']).setTargeting('div_id', ['leaderboard_top']).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); }); } else if(device.tablet()) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { leaderboard_top = googletag.defineSlot('/22018898626/LC_Article_detail_page', [320, 50], 'div-gpt-ad-1591620860846-0').setTargeting('pos', ['1']).setTargeting('div_id', ['leaderboard_top']).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); }); } else if(device.mobile()) { googletag.cmd.push(function() { leaderboard_top = googletag.defineSlot('/22018898626/LC_Article_detail_page', [320, 50], 'div-gpt-ad-1591620860846-0').setTargeting('pos', ['1']).setTargeting('div_id', ['leaderboard_top']).addService(googletag.pubads()); googletag.pubads().collapseEmptyDivs(); googletag.enableServices(); }); } googletag.cmd.push(function() { // Enable lazy loading with... googletag.pubads().enableLazyLoad({ // Fetch slots within 5 viewports. // fetchMarginPercent: 500, fetchMarginPercent: 100, // Render slots within 2 viewports. // renderMarginPercent: 200, renderMarginPercent: 100, // Double the above values on mobile, where viewports are smaller // and users tend to scroll faster. mobileScaling: 2.0 }); });

Law School Practice Exams And Why They Should Not Be Overestimated?

Most law firms avoid posting jobs on Indeed or LinkedIn due to high costs. Instead, they publish them on their own websites, bar association pages, and niche legal boards. LawCrossing finds these hidden jobs, giving you access to exclusive opportunities. Sign up now!

published March 01, 2013

By CEO and Founder - BCG Attorney Search left

Taking a law school exam is like no other experience; the exam is difficult, given the numerous issues to spot and resolve within a very restrictive time allotment. Law school exams are difficult because they are closely modeled on the type of essays used on each state's bar examination. The theory is that if you can do well on a law school exam, you will also do well with the bar exam, and it is passing the bar exam that is the ultimate goal. It certainly makes you look good when you are successful and the law school benefits by achieving or maintaining a high bar passage rate.

Law School Practice Exams And Why They Should Not Be Overestimated?


A law school exam essay question has time limitations for completion based on the bar exam, which is typically designed to allow fifty minutes for each question asked. This fifty minutes encompasses the total time accorded for reading, note taking, outlining, and the writing of the essay. Fifty minutes is not enough time to complete the task-trust us-but you must attempt the impossible. You have no other choice.

Practice Exam:

Because of the high difficulty level, it is preferable to practice and test your skills prior to the time when you must perform. The greater your confidence and experience in dealing with this format of exam, the better you should do. Thus, whenever you are given the opportunity to take a practice exam you should, if at all possible, do so.

Exam taking is a skill that a practice exam will help you understand and help in their actual performance in the eventual exams; hence students should attempt these exams seriously. Special aspects that the students can learn through these exams is to learn of how to answer questions within the specified time periods, become aware of portions of the exams that are hard to deal with, writing speedily albeit neatly and without making mistakes and most importantly learning to cope with the pressure of time deadlines.

To derive maximum benefit, find practice exams that are as similar as possible to the ones that your professors use. Check your professor's old exams as they will be the best guideline to his preferred choices. Old exams are normally found in the school library's archives and are a great source of useful information. You can also talk to old students to find out about the professors inclinations and preferences as far as setting examination papers were concerned.

Always strive to complete the practice exams within the stipulated time limits. However, the true gain of a practice examination is that you get to practice the exam under comparable and related conditions as your final exam, giving you an opportunity to unintentionally prepare for the final law school exam.

Practice Exams Can Delude:

There is a danger in taking practice exams that a prospective student should be made aware of. At one law school, first-year students were given an opportunity to take a practice exam at about the midterm level of the school year. The exam was a real property question that the students were given fifty minutes to answer. It was a difficult fact pattern, and there certainly was not adequate time to fully develop all of the issues. However, the students gave the exam their best efforts. To the surprise of many of the students, they did quite well on the practice exam. They spotted most of the issues and correctly applied the law to those issues. As a result, the students began to think that they had the real property segment of upcoming finals under control.
United States

Many students, therefore, did not put in the same amount of study time toward real property as they did their other classes. Why should they when they had demonstrated mastery on the practice exam? When the final was given, none of the issues contained in the practice exam were covered. Instead, more difficult issues were to be discerned by the students now that the exam truly counted.

A significant amount of blood was shed needlessly because the students erroneously concluded that since they had performed well on the practice exam, they would perform brilliantly on the final as well. The only way students can trust their results on a practice exam to be a fairly accurate picture of how they will perform under pressure is to take a lot of practice exams. Multiple exams will test the student on many issues, not just the few that the student may know.

If you are going to take our advice and practice taking exams, take the exams under the same constraints that will be imposed during the real test. Time yourself, and be faithful to the constraints placed on you. Do you find that you spend too much time on one task or another? If you discover that you are extremely comfortable with your understanding of an area of law covered on a practice exam, resist the temptation to quickly outline that question and forgo writing out your response. You need the practice and the expertise that is developed through hard work.

Do not look for shortcuts; there are none. Lastly, when you have completed a practice exam, check your response with the one offered as a model answer. Does your response differ from the model? It may still be acceptable if it is different-we all vary in our approaches-but there should be a distinct similarity regarding the issues recognized and the analysis demonstrated.

Finally, it is suggested that students review old exams for a particular professor's course. These are normally on file in the library for copying purposes. Old exams will give a student insight into the types and lengths of fact patterns particular professors consider important. Also, it is possible that old exam questions may be repeated on exams or that the rules of law may be the same even though the facts are different.

One student had a professor for a seminar class who mentioned the first day of class that he had placed old exams on reserve in the library for students to review. The reserved exams were never mentioned again during the remainder of the course. In preparing for the final exam, the student remembered the reserved copies and obtained them for study.

About 75 percent of the final was taken word for word from the old exams on reserve. On exiting the final, the student learned that very few people had either checked out the library reserves or could even remember the professor mentioning their existence the first day. If a professor directs you to a source of assistance, it will probably prove helpful sometime in the semester or beyond.

Final exams induce a lot of stress since the test represents a "do-or-die" situation for students. Students may have had the opportunity to demonstrate their efforts on numerous quizzes or projects prior to the final, but it is the final that usually establishes the grade earned. So much is riding on doing well on the final that many students simply perform poorly because of the pressure they are under. Recognize the pressure and your limitations and do the best you can. If you have followed our earlier advice on taking numerous practice exams, then the "best you can" will be maximized through extensive preparation.

About Harrison Barnes

No legal recruiter in the United States has placed more attorneys at top law firms across every practice area than Harrison Barnes. His unmatched expertise, industry connections, and proven placement strategies have made him the most influential legal career advisor for attorneys seeking success in Big Law, elite boutiques, mid-sized firms, small firms, firms in the largest and smallest markets, and in over 350 separate practice areas.

A Reach Unlike Any Other Legal Recruiter

Most legal recruiters focus only on placing attorneys in large markets or specific practice areas, but Harrison places attorneys at all levels, in all practice areas, and in all locations—from the most prestigious firms in New York, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., to small and mid-sized firms in rural markets. Every week, he successfully places attorneys not only in high-demand practice areas like corporate and litigation but also in niche and less commonly recruited areas such as:

  • Immigration law
  • Workers’ compensation
  • Insurance defense
  • Family law
  • Trusts & estates
  • Municipal law
  • And many more...

This breadth of placements is unheard of in the legal recruiting industry and is a testament to his extraordinary ability to connect attorneys with the right firms, regardless of market size or practice area.

Proven Success at All Levels

With over 25 years of experience, Harrison has successfully placed attorneys at over 1,000 law firms, including:

  • Top Am Law 100 firms such including Sullivan and Cromwell, and almost every AmLaw 100 and AmLaw 200 law firm.
  • Elite boutique firms with specialized practices
  • Mid-sized firms looking to expand their practice areas
  • Growing firms in small and rural markets

He has also placed hundreds of law firm partners and has worked on firm and practice area mergers, helping law firms strategically grow their teams.

Unmatched Commitment to Attorney Success – The Story of BCG Attorney Search

Harrison Barnes is not just the most effective legal recruiter in the country, he is also the founder of BCG Attorney Search, a recruiting powerhouse that has helped thousands of attorneys transform their careers. His vision for BCG goes beyond just job placement; it is built on a mission to provide attorneys with opportunities they would never have access to otherwise. Unlike traditional recruiting firms, BCG Attorney Search operates as a career partner, not just a placement service. The firm’s unparalleled resources, including a team of over 150 employees, enable it to offer customized job searches, direct outreach to firms, and market intelligence that no other legal recruiting service provides. Attorneys working with Harrison and BCG gain access to hidden opportunities, real-time insights on firm hiring trends, and guidance from a team that truly understands the legal market. You can read more about how BCG Attorney Search revolutionizes legal recruiting here: The Story of BCG Attorney Search and What We Do for You.

The Most Trusted Career Advisor for Attorneys

Harrison’s legal career insights are the most widely followed in the profession.

Submit Your Resume to Work with Harrison Barnes

If you are serious about advancing your legal career and want access to the most sought-after law firm opportunities, Harrison Barnes is the most powerful recruiter to have on your side.

Submit your resume today to start working with him: Submit Resume Here.

With an unmatched track record of success, a vast team of over 150 dedicated employees, and a reach into every market and practice area, Harrison Barnes is the recruiter who makes career transformations happen and has the talent and resources behind him to make this happen.

A Relentless Commitment to Attorney Success

Unlike most recruiters who work with only a narrow subset of attorneys, Harrison Barnes works with lawyers at all stages of their careers, from junior associates to senior partners, in every practice area imaginable. His placements are not limited to only those with "elite" credentials—he has helped thousands of attorneys, including those who thought it was impossible to move firms, find their next great opportunity.

Harrison’s work is backed by a team of over 150 professionals who work around the clock to uncover hidden job opportunities at law firms across the country. His team:

  • Finds and creates job openings that aren’t publicly listed, giving attorneys access to exclusive opportunities.
  • Works closely with candidates to ensure their resumes and applications stand out.
  • Provides ongoing guidance and career coaching to help attorneys navigate interviews, negotiations, and transitions successfully.

This level of dedicated support is unmatched in the legal recruiting industry.

A Legal Recruiter Who Changes Lives

Harrison believes that every attorney—no matter their background, law school, or previous experience—has the potential to find success in the right law firm environment. Many attorneys come to him feeling stuck in their careers, underpaid, or unsure of their next steps. Through his unique ability to identify the right opportunities, he helps attorneys transform their careers in ways they never thought possible.

He has worked with:

  • Attorneys making below-market salaries who went on to double or triple their earnings at new firms.
  • Senior attorneys who believed they were “too experienced” to make a move and found better roles with firms eager for their expertise.
  • Attorneys in small or remote markets who assumed they had no options—only to be placed at strong firms they never knew existed.
  • Partners looking for a better platform or more autonomy who successfully transitioned to firms where they could grow their practice.

For attorneys who think their options are limited, Harrison Barnes has proven time and time again that opportunities exist—often in places they never expected.

Submit Your Resume Today – Start Your Career Transformation

If you want to explore new career opportunities, Harrison Barnes and BCG Attorney Search are your best resources. Whether you are looking for a BigLaw position, a boutique firm, or a move to a better work environment, Harrison’s expertise will help you take control of your future.

? Submit Your Resume Here to get started with Harrison Barnes today.

Alternative Summary

Harrison is the founder of BCG Attorney Search and several companies in the legal employment space that collectively gets thousands of attorneys jobs each year. Harrison’s writings about attorney careers and placement attract millions of reads each year. Harrison is widely considered the most successful recruiter in the United States and personally places multiple attorneys most weeks. His articles on legal search and placement are read by attorneys, law students and others millions of times per year.

More about Harrison

About LawCrossing

LawCrossing has received tens of thousands of attorneys jobs and has been the leading legal job board in the United States for almost two decades. LawCrossing helps attorneys dramatically improve their careers by locating every legal job opening in the market. Unlike other job sites, LawCrossing consolidates every job in the legal market and posts jobs regardless of whether or not an employer is paying. LawCrossing takes your legal career seriously and understands the legal profession. For more information, please visit www.LawCrossing.com.
Gain an advantage in your legal job search. LawCrossing uncovers hidden positions that firms post on their own websites and industry-specific job boards—jobs that never appear on Indeed or LinkedIn. Don't miss out. Sign up now!

( 25 votes, average: 4.8 out of 5)

What do you think about this article? Rate it using the stars above and let us know what you think in the comments below.