This just in from an anonymous blawgger:
"Thank you for the useful link [to the Maine Bar Review Podcasts on the Maine Law Website]. I am going to take the ME Bar Exam this summer and was curious if there was a strong preference for typing over writing? I recently took the MA Bar Exam where everyone had to write the essays. Since I was successful, I thought I might write the essays for the Maine Exam but was wondering if this would be a great disadvantage. Also if one chooses to write the exam, are they placed in a separate room than the typers?
Thank you in advance for your help."
Comment to this post and let him/her know about your recent experience, or thoughts on this. . .
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
5 comments:
I took the exam in Feb of '07 and typed it. I'm very glad that I did, because a few of the questions on the essay section(Question 1 and at least one other question as I recall) were a race against the clock. I would not have been able to get everything down or even finish the questions in some cases if I hadn't been typing. We were in a separate room at that time (there were only 10 or so that typed the test for that sitting). I have since heard that many more type the test and as a result they have merged the typers with the handwriters in the large room -- at least for the July sitting in '07. I heard c/o friends that sat then that handwriters were three to a table and typers were two to a table, in a different section of the hall.
IF you are a good typer and are comfortable with that option, I'd do it. If you are a fast handwriter and are not overly concerned about racing against the clock or hand cramps, then it may be worth going with what you know. Just realize that the questions that have many subsections (look at past tests) may require more frenzied writing than a standard essay. . .
Hope this helps, FWIW. . .
I agree with moshun2. I strongly advocate typing the bar exam if you typed your law school exams or if you think you can type faster than you write. Speed helps on question 1!
I also agree with the previous two comments. In addition to the obvious speed issue, which is essential for Q1 & Q2, when I took the exam in July '07 the laptop takers had more space at their tables than the hand-writers (2 per table v. 3).
I hand-wrote the MA exam in July '07 and think that my essays for that exam were of a much lower quality than my ME essays because I did not have the ability to go back and line edit the MA essays.
I highly recommend typing the ME essays and would not be nervous about the logistics. Remember, most of the people in the room have not taken a bar exam on a laptop either and the proctors will do everything they can to make sure you are comfortable with the technology and the process. It's in their best interest to make sure the entire process runs smoothly. The ME exam experience is nothing like MA - think of it more as going to lunch at grandma's house: the Maine examiners make sure you're comfortable.
Good Luck!
DEFINITELY type!
Took the ME and MA bars in 05, and my left hand still hurts. Type if you can!
Post a Comment