Customer Reviews

The Bar Exam in a Nutshell (Nutshell Series)

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The book "Bar Exam in a Nutshell" is a worthwhile purchase. The book provides a briliant method to identify your weaknesses for both first time takers and repeat examinees called "Forensic IRAC." This alone makes the book worthwhile. In addition, the book gives you a concise overview of the entire bar exam process in conformity with most West Nutshells which give you an overview.

The book covers essay exams, the MBE (multiple guess), and the MPT in some detail. The essay writing section is the best part of the book and provides information not available anywhere else. The MBE section covers quickly most of the tactics for taking the MBE. If you want more detail you need to look at other sources. I can't comment on the MPT section because I didn't need to read it since (thankfully) I didn't need to take the MPT. However, the Bar Exam Nutshell is the only text I seen commercially available for the MPT so you are going to have to buy this book if your going to take the MPT.

However, the book is in it's first edition so there are a few minor bugs that are hardly worth mentioning. First, the book states that you have 1.8 seconds per MBE question. It is actually 1.8 minutes (otherwise the exam would take 6 minutes to answer the 200 questions). Second, the section on people retaking the bar is very brief, and I would look to the book by Moiso for more information. Third, information on bar exam appeals, and seeking ADA accommodations needs to be added to the text. Fourth, the author advocated taking BARBRI and PMBR, but failed to identify the names of the companies. You must take BARBRI and PMBR if your going to take the bar exam because the courses are excellent and you'll be screwed if you don't. Finally, the beginning of the Bar Exam nutshell tended to over-emphasize the need to study hard for the bar exam (duh) and sounded a little like being lectured to by Mike Myer's Frau Farbissina during the "Send in the Clones" routine. These short comings are minor and shouldn't deter you from buying the book. Good luck and see you in July if your taking the bar exam in Michigan.

The content of this book is just a little common sense. Pepole went through ONE semester in a law school should know it already; otherwise I would wonder how can that person finish the entire law school program. Save you money for some meaningful review materials!!!!