Washington and Lee University Research Guides: Bar Exam Resources Guide: Books & Study Aids

Helpful Information

Contact us!

For additional information on print and electronic resources available to you and the information on this Guide, please contact a librarian at LawRef@wlu.edu.

For additional information on W&L bar courses, the bar exam components, studying assistance and tips, creating a bar exam study schedule, etc., please contact Prof. Leila Lawlor at llawlor@wlu.edu.

For questions regarding the bar exam application process or materials, please contact Dean Maria Saez Tatman at msaeztatman@wlu.edu.

Looking for a Notary?

In the Law School:

Sue Coffey, Lewis Hall 233A (540-458-8981 or CoffeyS@wlu.edu)

Brittany Fix, Lewis Hall 348 (540-458-8550 or BFix@wlu.edu)

Victoria Johnston, Lewis Hall 348 (540-458-8544 or VJohnston@wlu.edu)

Brianne Kleinert, Lewis Hall 245 (540-458-8567 or KleinertB@wlu.edu)

Denise Jensen, Lewis Hall 324 (540-458-8541 or DJensen@wlu.edu)

Sheryl Salm, Lewis Hall 105 (540-458-8482 or SalmS@wlu.edu)

Milea Webb, Lewis Hall 322 (540-458-8584 or MWebb@wlu.edu)

Other Notaries on W&L's campus are listed online.

General Resources

The creator of many bar exam components, as well as the UBE, is the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE). The NCBE website (www.ncbex.org) is the home to a wealth of information regarding the bar exam and the MPRE (i.e., exam information and content, study aids, recent announcements, exam statistics, etc.).

The Law School has a series of informative bar exam videos on the W&L Law YouTube channel:

Bar Exam Overview presentation – This program is a general introduction to the bar exam and will provide an overview of subjects tested in various jurisdictions, a basic MBE and bar essay primer, and some guidelines regarding how best to plan for the bar exam.
Bar Review Day presentation – Three bar review companies our students have used in the recent past (BarBri, Kaplan, and Themis) make brief presentations regarding their services and products.
Succeeding on the MBE Part 1 presentation – MBE strategies presentation with Steve Palmer from BarBri.

Library Resources

The Law Library contains a special Bar Success Collection of resources to help you prepare for the bar exam. This collection is located in the Main Reading Room on Level 3A.

The Library also has eBook collections that can assist you in studying:

Below is a sampling of the print and electronic resources available from the Law Library:

Acing the Bar Exam by Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus
Call Number: KF303 .D369 2016 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781634608060
Publication Date: 2016
Online access available through West Academic. Acing the Bar Exam provides candidates with a complete guide to the bar exam -- from pre-planning considerations through bar review and sitting for the exam. It features comprehensive coverage of the Uniform Bar Exam, including an explanation of each component and how to prepare for it. Every aspect of the process is explained in detail and by example. The bar exam is de-constructed, section by section, where candidates are led through the steps they need to follow to succeed. Approaches for learning the black letter law, setting study schedules, and answering essay and multiple-choice questions are combined to maximize the likelihood of success. Each of these tasks is then configured into checklist format to help candidates navigate each step. This approach puts the candidate in control of the bar exam and not the other way around.
Bar Exam Flashcards MBE by Kaplan Bar Review
Call Number: KF388 .K37 2022 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781506288505
Publication Date: 2022
Streamlined Bar Exam Prep. Test your knowledge of core legal concepts. Quiz yourself with multiple-choice questions after each topic. The MBE is required for attorney licensure in 49 states. Prep for the MBE on-the-go with 700 essential flashcards to help you master the material and score higher on Test Day. Kaplan's Bar Exam Flashcards MBE provides expert coverage of the terms, definitions, and concepts on the test. Each MBE flashcard features exam-style questions for realistic review. All cards are aligned with the content outlines from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.
Bar Exam Flashcards MEE by Kaplan Bar Review
Call Number: KF388 .K375 2018 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781506238203
Publication Date: 2018
Prep for the MEE on-the-go with 500 essential flashcards to help you master the material and score higher on Test Day. Kaplan's Bar Exam Flashcards MEE provide expert coverage of the terms, definitions, and concepts on the test. 500 detailed flashcards: Agency, Partnership, Corporations and Limited Liability Companies, Conflict of Laws, Family Law, Trusts, Wills, and Estates, Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code. All cards are aligned with the content outlines from the National Conference of Bar Examiners Expert Guidance.
The Bar Exam in a Nutshell by Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus
Call Number: KF303 .D37 2024 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9798887861661
Publication Date: 2024
Online access available through West Academic. The Bar Exam in a Nutshell walks you through the entire bar preparation process from getting a head start during law school to taking the exam. It features comprehensive coverage of the Uniform Bar Exam, including an explanation of each component and how to prepare for it. This edition also provides guidelines for selecting a bar review course, bar planner checklists, advice on how to manage the material you cover in bar review courses, and advice on how to learn the law so you can remember it and use it to answer exam questions. It identifies the basic skills that the bar exam tests and the precise manner in which they are tested, showing you how to target your study efforts to maximize results.
Bar Exam Mind: A Strategy Guide for an Anxiety-Free Bar Exam by Matt Racine
Call Number: KF303 .R32 2014 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9780615999005
Publication Date: 2014
The bar exam is a difficult test that can provoke stress, anxiety and even fear in those preparing for it. Bar Exam Mind gives you proven strategies to help alleviate these problems and focus on what matters now: Learning the law and passing the bar exam. Bar Exam Mind shows you how to get your mindset right for the bar exam and get the mental edge you need to remain calm and focused while you study for and take the exam. Among other things, you will learn: visualization techniques to remove bar exam fears the best way to practice for the bar exam strategies to improve test-taking performance how to use bar exam affirmations to increase self-confidence what to eat to keep your mind and brain healthy and in peak condition for the bar exam and much more!
Bar Exam MPT Preparation and Experiential Learning for Law Students by Sara Berman
Call Number: KF303 .B448 2021 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781641057585
Publication Date: 2021
Bar exams--the notoriously rigorous multi-day tests required to become a licensed lawyer--include essays, multiple choice questions, and a practical section called the performance test ("PT"). Most jurisdictions use a multi-state performance test ("MPT"). Without a doubt, MPTs and PTs generally are the best parts of modern bar exams, and the best time to master them is during law school. Do not wait until bar review after graduation. Train now and pass your first bar exam. Performance tests are practical and realistic; they are open-book skills exams that require the kind of critical reading, analysis, and writing work that today's lawyers actually do. They do not require memorization; they include libraries so you can look up relevant rules during the exam--just as you would in practice. Because PTs test skills and not memory, once you learn how to successfully complete a performance test, you can take and pass any MPT the bar examiners throw at you.
Bar Exam Success: A Comprehensive Guide by Sarah Berman
Call Number: Online Access Only
ISBN: 9781685612573
Publication Date: 2023
Online access available through West Academic. The bar exam is not just another test, and this is not just another How To book. This is your personal success guide. Whether taking a UBE or a state-specific bar, this book will help you train and prepare for one of the toughest high-stakes exam experiences imaginable. The author''s strategies will motivate you to do what it takes to succeed in law school, the bar exam, and in the legal profession.
Clearing the Last Hurdle: Mapping Success on the Bar Exam by Wanda M. Temm
Call Number: KF303 .T46 2021 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781543807431
Publication Date: 2021
Clearing the Last Hurdle: Mapping Success on the Bar Exam is designed as a comprehensive textbook for a for-credit bar preparation course. This all-inclusive textbook includes substantive outlines on all Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) topics and all Multistate Essay Exam (MEE) topics and is also easily adaptable for state-specific jurisdictions. New to the Third Edition: All-new essay questions (with score sheets) Improved mind maps including estates and future interests and search and seizure
Exam Pro - Bar Prep Workbook by Steven Friedland
Call Number: Online Access Only
ISBN: 9780314268457
Publication Date: 2010
Online access available through West Academic. Based on the premises that the bar exam essay is often different in style, length, and scoring from the law school exam essay and that organization and issue identification can best be achieved by a structured, strategic approach rather than "winging it," this book uses frameworks as a guide to writing a top-notch essay. The opportunity to practice techniques allows students to further improve their writing.
Fck the Bar: Take Your Place at the Counsel Table by Jessica Klein
Call Number: KF303 .K545 2019 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781096594628
Publication Date: 2019
FCK THE BAR is the unorthodox answer to the problem of the bar exam. Traditional bar prep fails on many levels, and as a result, leaves thousands of bar examinees to fail the bar exam. There is a much, much better way. Whether you are taking the bar exam for the first time and want to ensure it is your ONLY attempt, or if you have gotten the short end of the stick with a traditional bar prep method, or if you have repeated the exam multiple times and are desperate to find the one thing that will finally help you clear this hurdle to your dream of being a card carrying member of the bar, you're going want to read this book. Forget what you've heard about the bar exam before. You haven't heard this.
Mastering Multiple Choice for Federal Civil Procedure MBE Bar Prep and 1L Exam Prep by Steven Baicker-McKee; William M. Janssen
Call Number: Online Access Only
ISBN: 9781636593364
Publication Date: 2022
Online access available through West Academic. This fourth edition (expanded with new questions, new answers, and new explanations) encompasses material reflecting all Civil Procedure Rule amendments through December 2021, along with applicable new case law through February 2022. This multiple choice practice book is designed for: (a) bar exam takers, who are preparing to take the MBE multiple choice bar exam, and (b) 1L law students, who are preparing to take their course examinations. This practice book offers practical, easy-to-follow advice on multiple choice exam-taking strategies, clear suggestions on effective multiple choice practicing techniques, and a robust set of Civil Procedure multiple choice practice questions with answers and explanations (designed to simulate MBE-style questions).
Office Hours on Bar Exam Success by Sara J. Berman
Call Number: Online Access Only
Publication Date: 2023
Online access available through West Academic. 400-600 hours (8:41) -- Briefing cases (9:50) -- Family and friends (12:41) -- Fear of failure (13:02) -- Fear of success (10:47) -- Focus on the long view (10:20) -- IRAC (11:58) -- My GPA is set (10:08) -- Other parts (9:51) -- Stupid and biased (7:37).
Pass the Bar Exam: A Practical Guide to Achieving Academic & Professional Goals by Sara Berman
Call Number: KF303 .B45 2013 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781627222389
Publication Date: 2013
This ground-breaking book for the law student is not just about passing a test: it is about changing identity, moving from student to professional, and assuming your role as an ethical leader in a complex legal world. You'll find priceless information on: Reducing Distractions, Increasing Focus, and Managing Time Getting and Using Quality Help Practice MBEs, Essays, and Performance tests The Transition from Student to Professional This must-read resource is your helpful mentor, offering concrete advice on how to face and handle today s challenges and achieve. despite them. In addition, the book includes worksheets, questionnaires, goal setting sessions, and other tools to help you stay organized and focused."
Pass the Bar Exam: A Practical Guide to Achieving Academic & Professional Goals (Teacher's Edition) by Sara Berman
Call Number: KF303 .B451 2013 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781627223447
Publication Date: 2013
Pass the Bar Exam, Teacher's Edition is designed to serve faculty who are developing or growing bar support efforts in law schools. Its companion book, Pass the Bar Exam, is a stand-alone volume for students to help them plan and navigate the road to bar success. This Teachers Edition, used in conjunction with that text, can help faculty design their own courses and workshops and assist in one-on-one counseling of students who are preparing to take the bar. Includes exercises, discussion questions, sample syllabi, and chapter-by-chapter lesson plans. The Pass the Bar Exam package will help you build the foundation for successful bar support.
A Short and Happy Guide to Conquering the MBE by Don Doernberg; Cynthia Pope
Call Number: Online Access Only
ISBN: 9781647088378
Publication Date: 2021
Online access available through West Academic. The Multistate Bar Exam is intimidating because it covers a wide array of subjects and because it is all multiple-choice questions. If you feel overwhelmed by all the subjects and the nuances of them and have never liked multiple-choice questions, particularly in law school, then this book is precisely what you need. Practice multiple-choice questions can serve two purposes. The more common is that they allow you to have some sense of how you are doing--an assessment function. The less common but far more useful function is that they provide a structured study method for review of material.
A Short and Happy Guide to the Bar Exam's Multistate Essay Examination (MEE) by Suzanne Darrow-Kleinhaus; Irene Crisci
Call Number: Online Access Only
ISBN: 9781683288572
Publication Date: 2019
Online access available through West Academic. A "Short & Happy Guide to the MEE" is shorter than other books on the bar exam because its sole focus is the Multistate Essay Examination. It is a one-source resource for what you need to maximize your performance on the MEE--not a generic essay writing guide, but a treasury of information, issue identification, and subject area frameworks tailored specifically for the MEE. This book is not intended to replace a bar review course for the substantive law you need to know to pass the bar exam. However, a bar review course does not show you how to turn the law into point-worthy essays.
A Short & Happy Guide to the MPT by Katherine Kelly
Call Number: Online Access Only
ISBN: 9781685611156
Publication Date: 2023
Online access available through West Academic. The Multistate Performance Test is a standardized test which means it is created and graded based on formulas and patterns. A Short & Happy Guide to the MPT teaches you how to take advantage of this by identifying the basic underlying formulas on which every MPT is constructed and the standard performance expectations. It then shows you how to develop a set of standard strategies, create a process for approaching any MPT, and accurately assess your performance. A Short & Happy Guide to the MPT not only identifies what skills are tested, but how they are tested, and how you can demonstrate mastery of those skills. By learning the formula, developing an efficient and effective approach that comports with performance expectations, you will be prepared to score high on any MPT and no problem will take you by surprise.
Strategies and Tactics for the MBE by Kimm Alayne Walton; Steven Emanuel
Call Number: KF303 .W345 2020 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781543805727
Publication Date: 2020
The Seventh Edition of Strategies & Tactics for the MBE has been carefully revised by Steve Emanuel and is full of up-to-date advice on how to analyze Multistate Bar Exam (MBE) questions in all MBE subject areas (Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, Real Property with Future Interests, and Torts). Steve Emanuel--author of the Emanuel Law Outlines and CrunchTime books in the MBE-subject areas--has passed the bar exam in several states (including New York and California) and worked with law students to prepare them for taking the MBE.
Strategies and Tactics for the MBE 2 by Steven L. Emanuel
Call Number: KF303 .E46 2023 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781543839371
Publication Date: 2023
With over 465 questions--of which 445 were asked on actual past Multistate Bar Exams--and detailed explanations of the right and wrong answers Strategies & Tactics for the MBE® 2 is key to your success on the exam! A comprehensive resource created in the successful Strategies & Tactics style, Strategies & Tactics for the MBE® 2, Fourth Edition provides over 465 questions to help you prepare for the Multistate Bar Exam (MBE®). Success on the MBE® can often influence whether you pass or fail the Bar Exam. Understanding the issues of law tested on the exam and learning how the exam questions are written to test your understanding of the law are essential skills for success. With Steve Emanuel's comprehensive explanations of why one answer choice is the best answer and why the other choices are not, Strategies & Tactics for the MBE® 2 helps you gain the ability to select the best answer with certainty.
The Zen of Passing the Bar Exam by Chad Noreuil
Call Number: KF303 .N673 2022 [Bar Success; Level 3A]
ISBN: 9781531023539
Publication Date: 2022
The Zen of Passing the Bar Exam offers a comprehensive approach to studying for (and passing) the bar exam. Couched in neuroscience and Zen principles of focus, discipline, awareness, balance, and simplicity, the book provides guidance for the best daily practices for uplifting your mind, body, and spirit during the rigors of studying. A central theme is harnessing a Zen mindset to stay motivated and mentally sharp. In addition to lifestyle and mindset, the book also offers specific, practical advice for maximizing scores on the essay, MBE, and MPT portions of the bar exam.

State Practice Materials & Resources

Some linked resources require valid W&L login credentials or Lexis/Westlaw access. For questions or reference assistance, email LawRef@wlu.edu.

California

Florida

Georgia

Lexis:
- Georgia Civil Practice (Bender/Lexis)
Westlaw:
Legal News:
- Georgia Bar Journal

New York

North Carolina

Texas

Lexis:
- Dorsaneo, Texas Litigation Guide (Bender/Lexis)
- Texas Jurisprudence 3d (state legal encyclopedia – West)
Westlaw:
- Texas Practice Series (West)
- Texas Jurisprudence 3d (state legal encyclopedia – West)
Legal News:
- Texas Lawyer (law.com)

Virginia

Virginia Law and Practice: A Handbook for Attorneys (Virginia CLE) – Reserve Room Level 3
Bryson on Virginia Civil Procedure – Lexis | Reading Room Level 3A
Sinclair and Middleditch, Virginia Civil Procedure – Lexis | Reserve Room Level 3
Sinclair on Virginia Remedies – Lexis | Library Stacks Level 1A
Rendleman, Enforcement of Judgments and Liens in Virginia – Lexis | Library Stacks Level 1A
Michie’s Jurisprudence of Virginia and West Virginia (Bender/Lexis) – Lexis | Reading Room Level 3A
Virginia Practice Series (West) – Westlaw | Reserve Room Level 3A
Legal News:
- Virginia Lawyers Weekly (sign up for Daily Alerts) – Online Access via Law Library