Law School Academic Support Blog

Editor: Goldie Pritchard
Michigan State University

Thursday, January 30, 2025

More Help! for February 2025 California Bar Takers (Part 2 of 3)

Next month, the California Bar Exam will be administered remotely utilizing a new testing platform operated by Meazure Learning. As details slowly emerge regarding the exam administration and the functionalities available on the new testing platform, Academic Support Educators are providing bar exam applicants with the most up-to-date information and guidance so applicants can attempt to replicate testing conditions during their bar study. In a 3-part series, two leading academic support experts from California law schools have assembled the following guidance for the new exam format and share their tips for California bar takers navigating this new exam format.

Performance Test Tasks:

The PT task memo will be viewable while writing the answer, but the file and library will be on a PDF viewer (on Meazure’s platform it is called an “external resource” and is located in the upper left corner of the tool bar). The applicant’s answer will also be on something like a PDF viewer. The applicant will not be able to view the file and library while they are crafting their answer. Instead, they will have to toggle from tab to tab (similar to when you look at different web pages or PDFs). For this reason, it is essential that applicants use a methodical approach to identify the information they need to craft their answer on their first pass through a document to reduce the amount of time they spend scrolling through the question and toggling between tabs.

There will be highlight (one color only), annotation, and search functions. There will be a table of contents where applicants can click on the names of certain documents and jump to that portion of the file or library.

Expert Recommendations:

  • Slow down with the task memo and use it to create the macro-organizational structure for their answer if possible. If they can’t glean the organization from the task memo, the organization will likely come from the main rule, and it will likely be in a statute or in the first case. Make a note on the whiteboard or at the top of their answer (then delete later) with the task assigned (ex: Closing argument), tone (ex. Persuasive) and any other important information and/or special instructions. We usually have students write a simple introduction and conclusion up front so their document looks finished even if they run out of time. They should create functional headings up front to guide themselves and edit them as they gain more information.
  • Skim the facts quickly to get an idea of the facts provided, and the format they are presented in, so they know what to expect when they go back to the facts.
  • Library: For every case, skim until they get to the rules, then slow down. (Remember, the rules are typically presented in the format of: Overarching rule, rule, sub-rule, then analysis on the sub-rule.) Typically, the important facts are repeated in the court’s reasoning and those are the ones to include in their answer.
    • First, copy and paste the relevant rule(s) into the answer field section/under the heading where they go to solve the problem, followed by a simple case site (e.g., Jones).
    • If they need a rule explanation for the rule (they usually do) make a new paragraph and craft a simple rule explanation noting the important facts and reasoning the court relied upon in making the decision.
    • Skip 2-3 lines (to serve as a visual cue to come back and insert your analysis in that space). Consider jotting a few notes to yourself on facts you may want to look for in the File, or if that case helps (so you will analogize in your analysis) or hurts (so you will distinguish in your analysis) your client’s case. Delete your notes after you write your analysis.
    • Applicants should be careful not to copy and paste the case(s) indiscriminately and wholesale into their answer. Be selective and only copy/paste the information you need and specifically into the place where it best goes to solve the problem posed. We suspect the appropriate use of the copy/paste feature will be an important factor for the graders.
  • Facts: Scroll back up to the facts (or pull up the facts file if they are in a different document) and carefully read the facts while looking for facts that can be used to make the legal arguments identified. Add the facts where they go and write the analysis sections. Try to shine here. The analysis sections are where the points are, and applicants can distinguish themselves here.
  • Include all counterarguments.

 

(Guest bloggers:

Mary Basick, Assistant Dean for Academic Skills, UC Irvine School of Law

Taylor Ruth Israel, Director of Academic Success and Bar Preparation, Thomas Jefferson School of Law)

https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/academic_support/2025/01/more-help-for-february-2025-california-bar-takers-part-2.html

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