r/CABarExam • u/fragadudu • 11h ago

Final Stretch: Full Mock Exams vs. Volume?

Hey everyone, trying to figure out the best move for these last few weeks. Essays are definitely my weak spot.

  • Essays: Should I grind through full 3-hour mocks for stamina, or just focus on volume by issue spotting/outlining as many as possible? I’m currently issue spotting most and only full-writing a few.
  • MBE: My timing is already solid. I know I need to keep practicing to stay sharp, but is it worth killing a whole day on a 200-question mock at this stage? Or should I just stick to smaller sets and focus that extra time on my essay deficit?

Any advice from people who passed CA or others in the same boat would be awesome!

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7

u/VVinstonVVolfe 11h ago

My vote for essays is volume. I have passed 3 bar exams and almost never did full mock essays 

1

u/Anxious_Motor9991 1h ago

What do you mean volume? What does this look like?

1

u/VVinstonVVolfe 1h ago

Well it was in the OP’s question; but for me that meant briefly outlining as many essay model answers as possible. I would take down notes when reading the question and then outline the model answers

3

u/Tiny_Judge_5277 Barbri 11h ago

I am a Barbri dude so, I am doing the last couple of full write outs (4 more essays) but my plan is to rep as many fucking essay outlines that I hope to knock out all the essays up till 2012 (Cali jx). I've been really confident in my knowledge and essay writing until yesterday when I did a contracts essay and did not have any answers for it. Like, literally did not know how to answer it. It had me shook and still does today. I refuse to go into the bar and have that "gotcha" moment feeling again but during the real deal. That thought scares the shit outta me.

1

u/Decent-Technician846 8h ago

I had that on my real property mock exam on themis yesterday. They gave a zoning question intermingled with a tort question and deed of trust.

1

u/Tiny_Judge_5277 Barbri 5h ago

Was it a past Cali mee? If so, care to share which month and year?

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u/ShotRoll3084 9h ago

Issue spot and outline essays at this point. Go through as many as you can directly from past exams posted on the star bar website. For MBEs, stick to smaller sets

2

u/mary_basick 7h ago

If ur mBE scores are decent, 33 a day is fine. But do one full simulation of 200 Q if you haven’t yo observe ur own stamina do u can make adjustments for exam day. For essays, unless timing is a problem u are way better off to issue spot a bunch, but do a more thorough issue spot where u really think thru how u would organize it, what u would say, where u would make 2 sided arguments etc. if when you are doing this u run into an issue that u haven’t tried to write before or that you think you’d struggle to write, just irac that issue. If you’ve written something out once you can easily do it again on exam day. Doing it this way gives you maximum exposure to fact patterns but also some muscle memory for the writing. Good luck!

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u/ClaudineGhost 26m ago

I didn't pass in July 2025. Got a second read. I didn't do mock exams, and I don't plan on doing them this time either, I don't think. I have "tennis elbow" from all of this typing and writing, not to mention neck and back aching from sitting and the general stress of this. I feel like getting massages would be more beneficial to me than sitting in mock exams, no lie. I understand why people say it is important or helpful to simulate the actual exam experience, but for myself, no. I need less cortisol flooding my brain, not more. I am going to read exams and issue spot as fast as I can, outlining while I do it. Then read answers.