ambivalent comment

Your title sums it up: Exams *R* Stoopid! I just wanted to second the hatred of multiple choice on law school exams. I always did more or less fine on MC tests prior to law school; that's how I got here, after all -- I know how to fill in the bubbles. But on law school exams, my MC fu has just totally evaporated. If I never see another MC question on a law school exam, it will be too soon. I'm not too worried that this is going to be a problem w/the bar, though, because I think it's all about how you study. When I studied for the LSAT (or the GRE or the SAT or ACT or any of the zillions of standardized tests you've already taken in your life), you studied to the test -- I focused on the way the questions were constructed and how to eliminate answers for each question type, etc. I did fine on those tests, and I'm sure (ok, I hope) I'll do the same for the bar exam. The problem w/law school exams is I just don't prepare properly for the MC. I think really preparing for MC, for me, requires mastering nuances that aren't required for essay tests. MC questions often force you to choose between two options that are only very subtly different from each other, so if you don't know the fine detail of the law on that issue, you just have to guess. Essay tests, on the other hand, generally ask larger questions about larger issues that don't force you to make such fine distinctions. I'm a big picture guy, so give me the essay any day. I also ramble a lot. Good luck with those finals! MC or no, we all know you'll be setting the curve!