Our debriefs for the February 2017 California Bar Exam essays are now available. But we are releasing them a little different this time around. We are bundling them alongside Dr. Saccuzzo's predictions for the July 2017 California Bar Exam essays. They're still free, and conveniently packaged together. Sign up here to access them now.

If you've already signed up for the CalBar Updates platform and are trying to log back in, click here.

Dr. Saccuzzo's predictions for the July 2017 California Bar Exam essays are now available. But we are releasing them a little different this time around. We are bundling the predictions alongside our debriefs of the February 2017 California Bar Exam essays. They're still free, and conveniently packaged together. Sign up here to access them now.

If you've already signed up for the CalBar Updates platform and are trying to log back in, click here.

So far so good, right?  We really do not see a need to deviate much from the original predictions at this point, but perhaps we can offer a bit more focus for you.

Here is what we think you might see tomorrow:

1. Business Associations crossed over with Professional Responsibility. Professional Responsibility is less likely to appear as a full-blown essay at this point, so it will either be a crossover, or it will be on PT B. As you likely know, when it is crossed over, one of the most logical host subjects is Business Associations.
2. Crimes. Given that Criminal Procedure and theft crimes have been hit the most recently when Crimes has appeared (and it has been a little while), we think that crimes against the person, most likely homicide, is ripe for testing.
3. Torts crossed over with Civil Procedure. This would round out our predictions and leave us with a perfect mark. That does not happen every time though. That said however, we would not at all be surprised by Civil...

The State Bar of California is expected to announce this week that it will ban the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar from use for its February 2017 bar exam.

Other states have already announced their ban, which is reportedly owing to security issues the Touch Bar poses to ExamSoft's software.

Thank you for your patience. The first part of Dr. Saccuzzo's predictions for the specific issues on the essays for the February 2017 California Bar Exam is now available. The other subjects will be added to this playlist soon. To see the other videos in the playlist, click the playlist icon in the video frame.

With the deadline for registering for the February 2017 California Bar Exam rapidly approaching, a lot of people have asked us whether they should wait until July or go ahead and sign up for February's exam. The answer is that unless you perform really well on multiple choice tests, go ahead and take the February 2017 bar exam. Don't wait. This is because the weight of the Multistate Bar Examination (MBE) in California will be increased beginning with the July 2017 exam—with a corresponding decrease in the weight for the written portion.

"The answer is that unless you perform really well on multiple choice tests, go ahead and take the February 2017 bar exam. Don't wait."

The impact of the changes will be negative for women as a whole and positive for men. This is because the current 35/65 weight (for the MBE and written portion, respectively) actually slightly favored women. The change in weight will result in a lower percentage of women passing under the new July...

Thank you for your patience.  Dr. Saccuzzo's predictions are now available.  As we always say, remember that these are just predictions.  You should be prepared for anything the examiners throw at you, and we know that if you study properly, you will be.  Best of luck to you, and stay tuned for more.

Finally.  The State Bar of California posted the fact patterns, and we have been busy producing our biannual debriefs of the previous bar administration's essays. Remember, these are not, of course, affiliated with or endorsed by the State Bar of California. The examiners' Selected Answers for these essays will not be posted for at least a month or two, but we know you're all anxious to get a rundown before then, so we always like to release our own interpretation of the questions first.

NOTE: The embedded video is part of a playlist. If you're on a mobile device, simply click the symbol that looks like a play symbol next to a list menu icon. You can select the other essays from there.

Mistake #5: Failing to have a framework or overview of the subject

This is probably the biggest mistake. Most students are afraid of "spoiling" the subject by looking ahead. But if you lack a basic understanding of how the concept you are learning today fits with the concept you will be learning tomorrow and next week and so on, you are hindering your ability to better learn the subject. Don't be afraid of spoilers when it comes to studying the law.

"Don't be afraid of spoilers when it comes to studying the law."

The fix: Start studying the subject by first getting an overview of the subject, or by reviewing a simple framework that outlines the general structure of the subject. Some professors' syllabi are detailed enough to do the trick, but you may find the need to consult a secondary source or study guide instead. Bar Secrets' PowerLaw gives you the basic framework in just about every subject tested in most law schools. You could start with that program...

Mistake #4: Failing to consolidate before the exam

The outline is finished. And now it's time to study and memorize as the exam gets closer. Most law students simply try to memorize their whole outline, or a condensed version of it, over and over.  What most do not do, though, is consolidate it.

"Most law students simply try to memorize their whole outline, or a condensed version of it, over and over. What most do not do, though, is consolidate it."

The fix: First, you have to know what consolidation is, in order to put it into action and start seeing the results. Consolidation is a final phase of exam preparation, in which you have already encoded the information you want to have memorized—that is, you have written out the entire outline (in chunks, of course) perfectly from memory at least one time. Having done this, you have stored the information into your brain, and now you need to make it readily accessible for the exam. Consolidation, or fishing back, does...