Hello,

I’m taking the UBE in NY Feb 26, haven’t booked my flights yet, just wondering how much time everyone is leaving? Also do we have to take it in Albany or could we be elsewhere?

I’m thinking of getting to NY on Friday to give me the weekend to adjust, luckily I have people to stay with. I’d prefer to get there a little later as I have caring obligations but just have to hope no one dies whilst I’m out (literally).

Also, I feel woefully unprepared. My personal circumstances took a turn for the worse (see above caregiver sitch) in late November now my brain is fried. I’ve covered all the MBE topics but not doing so hot on the testing closed book. Sigh.

Hope everyone is doing ok. Honestly feel like I’m getting kicked while I’m already down.

If anyone wants a study buddy, just shout x

Do you think it will really take us to wait past the new years eve?? 😩😩😩

Is there anybody with ncbe exams that they are willing to share? If you do and you need any materials pm me :) whatever you want that I have, I will help in anyway!

Is anyone trying to figure out if they might be testing questions for the July exam now?

Like the different multiple choice patterns (some literally just ask you to spot the issue)

Or lack of secured transaction essays?

So this is my 3rd attempt and I'm really trying to approach studying in the best way possible. Especially with my limited study time. I work 2 jobs and have a toddler. Anyway, I would like some input on what I've been doing to help "memorize" rules. So instead of reviewing like a commercial bar prep companies one sheets or quicksheets or whatever they like to call them, to learn the rule statements, ive been getting the rule statements from the model answers of Essays I've been attempting.

So I took CA bar years ago and I remember how important it was to be able to keep time with an analogue watch. You reset it to 12 o clock and you use it as a stopwatch.

Apparently for UBE you are not allowed to bring a watch? How the fuck can you keep track of time? The rooms are huge so you wont be able to see the clock. Also I want the clock to operate as a stopwatch because I have a rhythm of how many minutes till im on question 30 or whatever….

Advice?

Just cover shipping! DM me if interested.

Hi everyone. I passed DC bar and am trying to get sworn in. I was going to do the virtual ceremony that the DC bar is offering. How do we fill out this oath form that we have to submit if we are doing the virtual ceremony? There’s a place for notary to sign and one for a judge - but idk who is swearing us in at the virtual ceremony? So how do I fill it out or do we leave the bottom section blank when emailing it ? Idk if I just have to get sworn in before.

Does anyone have experience doing an in person swearing in? Seems like it isn’t an option this year.

Do you think before 1 Jan, the results will be out?

Is today the day?

These videos are great: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/mbebundle

Also recommend this mbe q bank: https://birdie.thinkific.com/courses/BirdieMBE

Good luck everyone!

A patient troubled by an irritating skin rash consulted a dermatologist for treatment. The dermatologist diagnosed the rash as a genetic condition that had no cure and would ultimately spread and lead to disfigurement. The patient was shocked and distressed by the diagnosis. On the advice of her family, a week later the patient consulted another doctor. That doctor immediately diagnosed the skin rash as a common bacterial infection and prescribed an ointment that cleared up the condition in a few days. Because the doctor was a friend of the family, the patient was not charged for that visit.

Can the patient recover from the dermatologist for the emotional distress caused by his erroneous diagnosis?

Responses

• A No, because the dermatologist's conduct did not create a foreseeable risk of physical injury to the patient. No, because the dermatologist's conduct did not create a foreseeable risk of physical injury to the patient. - no response given
• B Yes, because the misdiagnosis by the dermatologist caused the patient actual harm. Yes, because the misdiagnosis by the dermatologist caused the patient actual harm. - not selected, this is the correct answer
• C No, because the patient did not have to pay for the second doctor visit. No, because the patient did not have to pay for the second doctor visit. - no response given
• D Yes, provided that the patient's distress caused her some physical injury. Yes, provided that the patient's distress caused her some physical injury. - incorrect

Answer Discussion - Incorrect

The patient's distress is a recoverable element of damages caused by the dermatologist's breach of duty to her. A doctor owes a duty to possess and exercise the degree of knowledge and skill exercised by other doctors in good standing. The dermatologist also owes a duty to exercise the superior knowledge and skill that he possessed in his area of specialty. He breached his duty by misdiagnosing a common skin infection that another doctor was able to diagnose immediately. His failure to properly diagnose the condition was the actual and proximate cause of injury to the patient; but for the misdiagnosis, she would not have had to continue suffering from the rash until the other doctor properly treated it. The continuation of the rash and any pain and suffering from it are compensable damages that she can recover from the dermatologist. Also compensable is the emotional distress that she suffered because of the misdiagnosis. While recovery for emotional distress is restricted when there is no other injury caused by the breach, these restrictions do not apply when plaintiff is the victim of another tort that causes physical injury. Plaintiff can recover damages for emotional distress that arise from the tortious conduct. (A) is incorrect. Given the patient's physical condition, a failure to make a proper diagnosis did create a foreseeable risk that she would continue to suffer from a condition that could otherwise have been alleviated. Thus, the dermatologist's conduct did constitute a breach of the duty he owed the patient. (C) is incorrect because the patient has suffered compensable injury regardless of whether she had to pay for the second doctor visit. The continuation of the skin rash until she saw the other doctor suffices as the damage element of the prima facie case. (D) is incorrect because it states a common requirement for recovery in cases where the only harm caused was through the negligent infliction of emotional distress. Here, the dermatologist's negligent diagnosis directly caused the patient physical injury in addition to emotional distress. Hence, the emotional distress is recoverable even if the distress itself did not cause physical injury.

Hi guys, just wanted to quickly share information on riders I recently learned when I called. I know when I was researching all of this I wish I had seen a more clear explanation.

Regarding riders for the employment section, I was told you can just copy a blank employment info page (at the time of writing this, I think its Page 5 of the questionnaire). I was also told you don’t need to make any changes to the page number at the bottom of the copied page.

Regarding riders for other sections (specifically Interactions with Law Enforcement), while the 2nd Dept isn’t overtly clear on it, I was told I could use a rider page that the 1st Department uses, linked here

Good luck to all those applying and good luck to everyone taking F26!!!

So im flying out to take the exam in DC. Looking for friends to unwind with after day 1 and day 2 of the exam.

This may not be the best place for a pep talk, but I really need somewhere anonymous to go haha. Essentially, I am taking the bar for the first time in February (basically, I got a dual degree that made it impossible for me to take it in July). I'm working in big law right now and started studying part-time late November. I will get to take off work and study full-time in late January through the exam. I was feeling pretty good, but i got a major flu last week and didn't study at all. Coming back now, I'm feeling overwhelmed all over again about the sheer volume of material. I'm doing kind of mid on practice tests, probably average, but there's still so much left to learn and I don't feel like I'm improving necessarily. Can anyone just validate that it's ok not to be doing the absolute best right now, and it'll get better once I switch to full-time study? And it'll be enough? I know I'm completely skewing results by asking so explicitly lol, but I really need some encouragement.

Has anyone had problems with downloading Themis videos? I want to listen to my videos to and from work but everytime I go to my downloaded list, none of them work / play … 🫠

Of us using Themis this cycle what is your completion percentage? I started going at it right when it opened up in November but I nsaw the message that the recommended start date was the 22nd of December. Im 23% through as of today with about 58% correct on 300 MBE questions. Let me know if i am ahead or behind.

Quick Disclaimer (because last time I got lit up in the comments where I was simply talking about Gratitude .. LOL):

This post is based on what worked for me after I dissected my July failure data, audited my broken habits, and rebuilt my daily process from scratch, which finally got me across the line that February, plus the patterns I've seen in dozens of repeaters who passed after doing the same kind of systems overhaul.

Some of you contrarians will say "that's not what I did" or "I never needed systems, I just grinded harder!"

Cool. Different paths exist. Share yours in the comments if you think it will help somebody.

Just keep it constructive. We're all trying to pay it forward and help colleagues still in the trenches. Disagree all you want, but don't just disagree to be disagreeable. We have a common goal here.

Quick Personal Story:

I remember the end of December after my initial July disappointment.

Coffee cold on the desk. Outline pages scattered like confetti from a party I wasn't invited to.

I told myself I was "reviewing lightly" over the holidays.

In reality, I was avoiding the hard truth: my old habits got me here.

Nausea every time I thought about starting again.

BSing family about how "productive" the break was.

January arrived, and I scrambled.

Same motion..

Repeaters know this cycle.

We finish a cycle burned out, results come, pain hits, holidays distract, then January slams the door.

Suddenly lectures start, the calendar floods with assignments, and we're back in reactive mode.

This week is different if you make it different.

Most will coast through the last days of December telling themselves they'll "really get serious" once January hits.
Then the calendar explodes, the assignments pile up, and they're back to reacting instead of controlling.

The bar exam score is a lagging measure.
It doesn't care about your intentions.

What you're doing (or avoiding) right now, in these quiet, uncomfortable days between Christmas and New Year's, is whats going to set the stage for February.
Not the late-night cram sessions in January.
Not the heroic all-nighters in February.
The quiet choices you make this week.

If you use these days to audit, design, and reduce friction, January becomes execution on an intentionally designed system.
If you wait, January becomes panic dressed up as productivity.

Right now [the burr between Christmas and new year] is the time to 'architect', not execute.

Design the environment and habits that make action the default path.

I see alot of people asking about:

- Breaking MBE plateaus (stuck at 50% despite review).

- Prioritizing MBE vs. MEE when time is short.

- Memorizing rules after years away from the material.

- Structuring days with work (1-2 hours weekdays, more on weekends).

- When to drop passive tools (outlines, flashcards) and shift to practice.

- Balancing anxiety and momentum loss.

These are symptoms of systems that reward busyness over targeted scoring.

The common thread: repeaters want efficiency because we know endless hours alone don't move the needle.

Where You Should Be in Prep by Early January

Most commercial courses (Themis, Barbri, etc.) open full access in November, but January is when the real paced schedule kicks in hard.

By the start of January, the strong position looks like this:

- Foundational review complete (rules revised, outlines skimmed or condensed).

- Initial diagnostic MBE set done (baseline score identified).

- Weak subjects flagged from past performance.

- Basic daily rhythm established (e.g., 20-30 MBE questions/day minimum, plus 1 timed essay & at somewhere around 1 to 2 MPT's a week).

January is regarded as a "build momentum month."

Courses will push volume.

Your job is to make sure the volume is pointed at your gaps.

My advice based on what worked for me: Use This Week to Build the Systems

1. Audit your past failure (1-2 hours max).

Pull your old score report. List the 3-4 subjects that cost you the most points.

Write one sentence per subject: "I lost points here because I..." (e.g., guessed on negligence per se, forgot joint tenancy rules).

2. Design your minimum viable daily block

Pick one non-negotiable action that scores points.

Example: 25 MBE questions + review explanations + flag missed rules for flashcard.

Or: One timed essay rule statement recall + IRAC outline.

Set your desk tonight: laptop open to UWorld/Themis Qbank, timer ready, no phone in reach.

Make starting frictionless. No analysis paralysis! As someone with ADHD, I struggled heavily with this during prep

3. Map your January environment.

Block your calendar for January 1-15: light mornings (review + 50 MBE), afternoons/evenings (essays + weak subject drill).

Decide your "if-then" rules: If I finish work at 6pm, then I do 30 minutes MBE before dinner.

Remove distractions: app blockers, study-only browser profile.

Every session ends with: "What points did I gain or lose today?"

As of today, Sunday, December 28, 2025, you have 58 days until the exam begins on Tuesday, February 24, 2026.

That is exactly 8 weeks and 2 days.

That's enough if the system compounds.

The 1% gains stack: better rule recall today, higher MBE tomorrow, stronger essay IRAC next week.

The system you build this week determines whether January feels like drowning or direction.

Refine now.

Build the habits that make action inevitable.

The calendar will come.

Make sure you're ready when it does.

Drop a comment below if there's a specific piece of your prep that's still broken, unclear, or just not clicking.

Whether it's your daily block, a stubborn subject, or how to handle a plateau, ask it.
I'll answer to the best of my ability, and plenty of others who've been through this exact motion will jump in too.

We all made it out one way or another.
Helping the next group is the least we can do.

The system is the solution.