Bar Exam Slugging: Why Home Runs Can Lead to Strikeouts
Last night, millions of baseball fans tuned in to watch the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, where the sport’s greatest sluggers swung for the fences in a dazzling display of power and precision.
Teoscar Hernández became the first Los Angeles Dodger to win the Derby crown by defeating Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. in a thrilling final round of the competition.
As exciting as it was to see those long balls soar out of the ballpark, aiming for a home run on a bar exam essay isn’t the best strategy. In fact, on bar exam essays, the metaphor of "hitting a home run" can actually be detrimental.
Here's why:
When bar exam takers aim to "hit a home run," they often focus on delivering a perfect, impressive answer on what they perceive to be the main issue of the question. This can lead to several pitfalls:
⚠️ Overlooking Issues: Bar exam essay questions are designed to test your ability to spot and address multiple issues within a single problem. By concentrating too much on one aspect, you may overlook other critical issues that need to be addressed. This is particularly problematic because the bar exam often awards points for identifying and discussing a wide range of issues.
⚠️ Perception of Ease: When a question seems easy, it’s often because you’ve recognized an issue that you’re comfortable with. However, this ease can be deceptive. A bar exam essay question that appears straightforward might be masking several nuanced issues. If you focus too much on "hitting a home run" with the obvious issue, you might miss these subtleties and lose out on valuable points. This is like a batter swinging for the fences and missing an easy base hit.
⚠️ Time Management: Focusing on crafting a perfect response to one issue can consume a disproportionate amount of your time. This can leave you with insufficient time to address other issues adequately. On the bar exam, managing your time effectively is crucial. It’s better to provide a reasonably good answer to all the issues rather than a perfect answer to just one at the expense of not responding to other issues.
Instead of trying to "hit a home run," bar exam takers should aim for consistency and thoroughness:
✅ Identify All Issues: Carefully read the question and identify all the issues presented. Even minor issues can add up in terms of points.
✅ Thorough Analysis: Ensure you provide a thorough and accurate analysis of each issue. The goal is to demonstrate to the examiner that you can fully recognize and address the legal principles involved, as this section is where you earn the most points.
✅ Time Allocation: Allocate your time wisely. Spend an appropriate amount of time on each part of the question to ensure all issues are covered.
By avoiding the temptation to "hit a home run" and instead focusing on a comprehensive approach, you can maximize your score on the bar exam.
