October 9, 2020

Dean's Fellow Digest Issue #17 - The Importance of Multiple Choice Practice

Issue: 2020-10-09

Dean's Fellows consistently strive to support students in realizing their full academic potential, leading ultimately to success on the bar exam and in the workplace. To support all Southwestern students in this goal, the Dean's Fellows created this Digest as a way to check-in at critical times throughout the semester with helpful tips, strategies, and encouragement. 

IN THIS ISSUE:

• The Importance of Multiple Choice Practice

The Importance of Multiple Choice Practice
By: Brittany Butler* 

Regardless of whether you are a 1L or a 3L, we are all going to have to learn how to conquer multiple choice questions for the Bar Exam. Multiple-choice questions have always haunted me. They say you either hate multiple-choice questions or you love them. Throughout my education, I never thought I was good at multiple-choice exams. I met with several Professors to learn how to tackle these questions correctly. I always dreaded when the multiple-choice section of a final exam was 50% of the grade. I was not good at multiple-choice questions during my 1L year, and it made me feel defeated and scared for the Bar Exam.

Beginning in my 2L year, I learned of Themis Quiz Builder. This is a product Southwestern implemented to expose students to released Bar Exam multiple choice questions and have access to more practice. Themis is one of the major bar-prep companies in the country. I began using Quiz Builder for my Constitutional Law and Evidence classes. It is an added bonus that if you complete 100 questions with a 50% accuracy, you receive a $50 Amazon gift card. I not only wanted to do the questions on Quiz Builder for the gift card, but I knew the more I practiced, the easier the questions would get.

The multiple-choice questions on the Bar can be challenging. The correct answer could turn on a single fact. You must know all of the rules, the exceptions to the rules, and the exceptions to the exceptions to the rules. By starting to practice now using Themis Quiz Builder, you can start exposing yourself to how the Bar Examiners like to test the rules. You can also use these questions to study for your own finals. Even if your Professors are not giving multiple-choice questions on your exams because we are remote, it is still good practice to test your knowledge of the different rules.

Once you get to your 3L year, you will have to take two bar-readiness classes, MBE and Cal Bar Writing. If you struggled with multiple-choice questions like I have, I recommend taking MBE in the Fall semester. I currently have Professors Basick and Schindler for MBE, and I have learned many different skills on how to effectively answer a multiple-choice question. I know how to spot made-up rules, choose between two “right” answers, and how to issue spot a question more effectively. By taking MBE in the Fall, you have the entire year to practice multiple choice questions with tools you learn from the course.

In completing 1,200 questions on Themis Quiz Builder here-to-date, I have found the questions are getting easier. It is easier for me to figure out what the question is asking, and I feel more confident going into bar prep because of all the practice I have already put in. I challenge all 1L’s to complete 100 questions with 50% accuracy to earn your $50 Amazon gift card. Multiple-choice questions can be difficult, but speaking from experience, practicing early will make your exams, and the thought of the Bar Exam, much more manageable and ultimately more successful.

*About the Author:

  BRITTANY BUTLER

Brittany is a Traditional Day 3L student. During the Summer of 2020, Brittany was a full-time extern at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. In her 1L summer, she worked for the Loyola Law School Project for the Innocent. She graduated from Cal Poly Pomona with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She is continuing her work with the Public Defender’s Office in the Fall semester.

Brittany is always excited to help other students achieve their best. In her free time, Brittany enjoys watching sports, hiking, and cooking. 

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Dean’s Fellows are upper-division students with strong academic skills who go through a rigorous application and training process. They are an integral part of the Academic Success and Bar Preparation Department. They are carefully selected based on their academic excellence and ability to teach other students best-practice study methods that will help them become acclimated to the study of law. Dean’s Fellows meet with students as academic mentors.

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