Friday, January 15, 2010

February 2010 DC Bar Exam Predictions

Since I was lucky last spring in regards to my predictions for the July 09 DC exam, someone asked me to make predictions for the upcoming exam in February. I fee like Chris Berman from ESPN as the swami, but I'll give it a go.

Taking the info I gathered last spring (MEE essay topics from July 07 (the first time the available NCBE questions included MBE subjects in the MEE essays) through Feb 09) and adding in the most recent (July 09) DC essay subjects:
July 07:
Contracts
Criminal Law
Property
Family Law
Agency/Partnerships
Trusts

Feb 08:
Evidence
Torts
Wills
Secured Transactions
Corporations
Trusts

July 08:
Con Law (torts flavored)
Property
Civ Pro
Contracts
Agency
Trusts

Feb 09:
Evidence
Property
Torts
Civ Pro
Corporations
Commercial Paper

July 09:
Trusts
Secured Transactions
Con Law
Crim Law / Crim Pro (with Evidence included as well)
Family Law / Conflict of Laws
Wills

Here is my best guess for the February 2010 DC MEE subjects:
Property
Contracts
Con Law
Commercial Paper
Corporations
Trusts

For the MPT, you can count on a memo to a partner for one question, the second could be that or one of the other choices. Hard to tell. Here is a chart I had (and have supplemented with more recent info) The formatting from Excel does not translate well to this post and I am too lazy to make it look pretty...:

MPT 1 MPT 2 MPT 3

Feb 2010
Jul 2009 memo to partner letter to opposing counsel
Feb 2009 memo to partner memo to court
Jul 2008 memo to partner memo to partner
Feb 2008 memo to partner memo to partner
Jul 2007 memo to partner motion to court
Feb 2007 memo to partner Letter to opposing party
July 2006 memo to partner motion to court
Feb 2006 memo to partner motion to court
July 2005 Client opinion letter Letter to opposing party
Feb 2005 memo to partner letter to opposing counsel Memo to ? (persuasive)
July 2004 memo to partner demand letter to opposing party motion to court
Feb 2004 motion to court memo to partner memo to partner
July 2003 motion to court memo to partner memo to partner
Feb 2003 letter to opposing counsel memo to partner motion to court
July 2002 Memo to D.A. will clauses with explanation Client opinion letter
Feb 2002 Closing argument Client opinion letter letter to opposing counsel
July 2001 motion to court memo to partner motion to court
Feb 2001 motion to court memo to partner motion to court
July 2000 mediation statement interrogatories with explanations memo to partner
Feb 2000 memo to partner memo to partner motion to court
July 1999 will clauses with expl. Letter to opposing counsel memo to partner
Feb 1999 memo to partner memo to partner
July 1998 memo to partner Client opinion letter
Feb 1998 memo to partner motion to court
July 1997 Client opinion letter motion to court
Feb 1997 motion to court memo to partner

The NCBE currently produces two MPT questions and DC uses both of them. In the past, the NCBE made three MPT questions available- DC picked two of the three (which is why some years my chart has three types of questions....MPT1 and MPT2 were the questions asked by DC if I recall correctly).

Hope that helps and good luck to all DC takers (especially any repeaters!).

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you SO MUCH for creating this blog and updating it. Studying for the Feb ’10 exam and I’m a DC first-timer. A few logistical Qs, if you can indulge me…

How many weeks beforehand did you get the information re: time, place, etc. of DC bar?

How strict are they about not bringing in handbags and other non-essential items into the room? In other words, is there a place they allow you to put stuff, like an adjacent coatroom (think NY bar)? Obviously, I don’t intend to have anything other than what I’m permitted on or near my table. It's just that I'm either commuting by Metro or taxi because I do NOT know how to navigate the streets of DC in my car, and it'd be nice if I could bring a little something more than my Ziploc.

I read your thoughts regarding hand writing the exam. I know it’s going to be brutal, based on my own MPT practice tests that I’m doing at home. I'm concerned about running out of time, or at least writing a lot less than otherwise, on the essays because of having to write by hand. I guess I'd better practice, practice, practice.

Let me make sure I’m clear on this: They only permit ink pens on the MPT and essays? No pencils? How the heck am I going to erase? Those are going to be messy essays.

How much time for lunch?

You’re allowed to bring highlighters and digital watches??

Thanks so much!

Midwesterner (Previously) in D.C. said...

Anon-

You do not get the "official" confirmation info from the DC bar until fairly close to the exam- about two weeks or so.

You can bring a bag INTO the exam room. Everyone just puts them along one of the walls (on the floor, a chair, etc.) during the exam. I remember a phone in a bag going off during one of the days- very annoying. There is no coatroom.
I had a backpack with a few review materials and some food (so I did not have to wait in line in the cafeteria downstairs if I didn't want to).

I took the metro to the exam, but had cab money with me in case there was a problem with the red line. If I had to do it again (which I don't, yay!), I would have driven to the exam. There is a parking lot right next to the Pryzbilla Center and you can park there for the day (I think I remember someone telling me that it was fairly cheap or maybe free if you told them you were there for the bar exam (?!)). This gives you a quiet spot to get away during the lunch hour. If you don't have a GPS for your car, get set on Mapquest or Google Maps or something to get yourself there by car.

I've never heard of a bar exam allowing pencils for the essay. My discussion of mechanical v. regular pencils (requiring a sharpening) was for the MBE.
I follow the old bluebook rule of only writing on one side of a page and skipping a line so you have lots of room to make changes if needed and still be readable.
You can buy pens that erase if you are so inclined. I know some exams do not allow them but I never heard anything about it during the DC exam.

I'm pretty sure lunch was an hour. Maybe a little more (10 minutes). They tell you what time the exam starts when you are dismissed for lunch.

You can have highlighters and digital watches during the exam. I wouldn't try to wear your old Casio calculator watch or something crazy, but my Timex Ironman was fine.

Anonymous said...

That was immensely helpful! Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the predictions!

Please, let us know if you readjust your predictions on what might be on the exam.

Again thanks for the predictions!

OC

Midwesterner (Previously) in D.C. said...

Anon #2-

I don't know why anyone would care if I adjust my predictions...

It isn't like I am waiting on new information from the DC bar or anything. TMZ does not have anyone running around town. I'm just making guesses based on the frequency of questions on past exams. Take them for what they are worth (not much!).

The important thing to remember is this: the six MEE essays are only worth 25% of your total score - a mere 4.17% each! Blowing one, or even two, of the MEE essays should not sink your boat.

Focus HARD on the MPTs as those two questions are worth 25% of the overall score and answering them is fairly mechanical. I know they are long and make your hand hurt, but you should clean up as many points from the MPTs as possible and figure that there will be one of the six essays that just isn't your cup of tea.
Stick to the 30 minutes allocated for each MEE essay and move on. I think I wrote for about 35 minutes on one essay (like #2 or 3) and had to catch up on one of the last essays. There will likely be one essay that you have more to say about.

Dwight Zenzano - Bar Exam Tutor said...

One correction: The NCBE only provides TWO MPT's, and DC uses both of them, so there is no choice. The NCBE used to provide three MPT's, but they stopped doing that about 4 years ago.

PS - I like your predictions!

Mine are:

Contracts
Torts
Evidence
Trusts
Corporations
Family Law
Fed Civ Pro / Conflicts

Unknown said...

For those of you who are in the last minute preparing for the DC bar examination, just be mndful that this is just a test. Do NOT stress yourself out in the last days. The bar examination is one that can be conquered.

One must stay on task with the timing. As one other person indicated that for each MEE stay within the 30 minute parameter for each question. For the MPT, stay within 1 1/2 hours for each. The reason being, you do not want to have to hurry up in the end trying to answer a question with time lacking. In the event you are faced with that challenge, do not panic. Implement Plan B and make sure you outline your answer, so at least you will be able to get some points.

Also for those who need to brush up on the MEE portion in the last few days, check out my website at www.staffordbarreview.com. I broke down every MEE essay question since 1995 to July 2009 by issue. This is a great resource for studying the MEE portion.

Remember if you are not so great on the MBE, you can bust out your points with the MEE and MPT and still PASS the examination. I did!!!

Best of luck to you all!!!

nellynyls said...

from what i remember from the february 2010 exam...

MPT:
1. argument section for motion to supress & motion to dismiss
2. letter to arbitrator setting forth strengths and weaknesses of your case.

MEE:
1. property (easements)
2. family law (divorce/property distribution)
3. torts (respondeat superior)
4. federal jurisidcition/choice of law
5. corporations (shareholders rights)
6. evidence (character evidence)

good luck to everyone that took it. i found it pretty easy to be honest and feel like i should have taken new york instead. we'll see what happens though.

Anonymous said...

hey so i just passed the feb 2010 dc bar.. how did you go about getting your scores from them... they told me that they only give out scores to people who pass..which i think is some stupid BS bc i want to know how did. how did u get yours?

Midwesterner (Previously) in D.C. said...

I'm not every sure where I begin on this answer...

When you pass, you get a letter from the DC Bar gang stating that you made it and they tell you your scaled MBE score.

You only find out your other scores if you do NOT pass.

So the only score I received was my MBE score.

If you passed, who cares "how you did"?!? You do not get any extra points for passing by a lot.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for maintaining this blog - please make essay/MPT predictions for February 2011. I am thinking EVIDENCE for sure -

ld
nylaw2003@yahoo.com