Why does law school not prepare you for the bar exam?

Answer 1

That's funny! Good that you figured that out. I remember arguing with my bar exam mentor, "That isn't how I did it in law school, and I made good grades." His responses was, "You're not in law school any more"--kind of like Dorothy not being in Kansas anymore. It does in a way though, because you're learning black letter law and how it evolved through case study, plus the IRAC method which is absolutely necessary to pass the bar, but I think their weak area is in teaching how to write bar essay responses. Most law school professors are lawyers and judges and not adept at teaching in the first place. And then some law schools teach relevant courses that have nothing to do with the bar such as the business side of lawyering and alternative dispute resolution. That's why it's important to choose the best law school for your own personal goals.