FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

Amigone

Has anyone doing the prep courses been given anyt ips for Constitutional or EU yet?

EU a bit of a 'do all' I know but be great to have some pro advice on narrowing Const!

Just finishing up course now... lagging on SoP... god i hate it!

JCJCJC

Griffith's EU prep is on this coming wednesday so the word might come out after that.

JC

JCJCJC

(2009) 14(3) CPLJ 62
The Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009: Significant changes or mere tweaking? : Deborah H. Wheeler (2009) 14(3) CPLJ 62

If you can get that article, to some extent she goes through the differences between the Bill and what was ultimately enacted, with comments. It would be dangerous to refer to something in the bill in case it didn't survive. It's all I have been able to find by way of commentary on the Act.

jc

2ndtimer

anyone any tips for filling these in?

For example, have you got on a summer internship and if so what did you feel made your application good?

Academics aside, anything else which these people are looking for?

JCJCJC

2ndTimer - the Prof of Law in UL gave my class very good advice: look, think, write, speak and behave like a lawyer. Think yourself into the job. If you have to submit a mugshot, don't use one your buddy took on a phone on a night out in Temple Bar, dress up and get it done properly. If your handwriting is awful, use your computer to fill in the application - if it's neat and tidy, hand-write it because it carries a good impression of you. At all costs look like a lawyer if you get an interview.

JC

dumbyearbook

Anyone know the pass rate for the FE1s ?

On the basis of each paper say 600 sit down (back in the day) to do e.g. contract in the RDS how many get the 50% mark?

Jev/N

dumbyearbook wrote: »

Anyone know the pass rate for the FE1s ?

On the basis of each paper say 600 sit down (back in the day) to do e.g. contract in the RDS how many get the 50% mark?

Personally, I've no idea - I think I remember one lecturer saying in Independent Colleges it was around the 50% mark but I can't be certain.

Someone else then said that certain subjects were higher than others and that some, I think it was Equity, were as high as 80%

Ruby83

Jev/N wrote: »

Personally, I've no idea - I think I remember one lecturer saying in Independent Colleges it was around the 50% mark but I can't be certain.

Someone else then said that certain subjects were higher than others and that some, I think it was Equity, were as high as 80%

I would think that it's very difficult to get an accurate figure of pass rates due to ppl possibly using one subject as their "fourth" and going into it knowing that they are going to fail.

Amre17

king-stew wrote: »

Anyone know the timetable for the autumn sitting of the FE 1's this year?

Just checked with the law society and the provisional timetable is down for the 27th of sept to the 6th of oct..

gaagal

Hi I have the Contract, Equity, Property and Tort Manuals together with all notes etc for sale. They are the most recent manuals. All reasonable offers considered.

chanel01

doing the griffith course he gave some tips for cons.. im freaking out just finished work nd im really only properly starting nw!!! i already ave a defeatest attitude. the tips are as follows: cons interpretation for q1 (generally that where it comes up) , seperation of powers, due process , then ur unspecified rights, he says carolans paper are very rights driven ,within dat he said freedom of expression, right to life nd the blasphemy stuff considering the new legislation being discussed!!!
hope that helps some how!!!!! its wat im goin focus on.. im goin for three nd its my first time sitting them !! cons, equity , nd contract.. neone ne tips for contract or equity id appreciate it!!

Jev/N

Kinda off topic but I'd be grateful if anyone doing Griffith or Independent courses could PM me a PDF of the most recent examiners reports for company, equity, contract and property?

I already have done these subjects but I'm just interested to see the comments on the papers I did

brian__foley

JCJCJC wrote: »

(2009) 14(3) CPLJ 62
The Land and Conveyancing Law Reform Act 2009: Significant changes or mere tweaking? : Deborah H. Wheeler (2009) 14(3) CPLJ 62

If you can get that article, to some extent she goes through the differences between the Bill and what was ultimately enacted, with comments. It would be dangerous to refer to something in the bill in case it didn't survive. It's all I have been able to find by way of commentary on the Act.

jc

She's a fantastic conveyancer too and was a wonderful lecturer (if you knew your stuff!) - I would rank her views on the Act higher than most.

brian__foley

Ruby83 wrote: »

I would think that it's very difficult to get an accurate figure of pass rates due to ppl possibly using one subject as their "fourth" and going into it knowing that they are going to fail.

Yep...that particular phenomonen really skews any reliable understanding of how many people fail in circumstances where the fail is an "on the merits" fail, so to speak.

Brian

dumbyearbook

brian__foley wrote: »

Yep...that particular phenomonen really skews any reliable understanding of how many people fail in circumstances where the fail is an "on the merits" fail, so to speak.

Brian

True but they still fail the paper - most of these guys dont actually write anything so could be excluded maybe the Law Society do look at this? I had heard about 40% pass but was wondering if there was any actual figures out there, i'd love to know the numbers sitting them now v the numebers a while back.

Ruby83

chanel01 wrote: »

doing the griffith course he gave some tips for cons.. im freaking out just finished work nd im really only properly starting nw!!! i already ave a defeatest attitude. the tips are as follows: cons interpretation for q1 (generally that where it comes up) , seperation of powers, due process , then ur unspecified rights, he says carolans paper are very rights driven ,within dat he said freedom of expression, right to life nd the blasphemy stuff considering the new legislation being discussed!!!
hope that helps some how!!!!! its wat im goin focus on.. im goin for three nd its my first time sitting them !! cons, equity , nd contract.. neone ne tips for contract or equity id appreciate it!!

It's my first time sitting them too so I'm with you on the freaking out!! Doing contract, tort, criminal and constit. Well when I say I'm doing constit, I will be going in, writing my exam number and leaving after the mandatory time. I'm actually freaking out about that cos I'm afraid they might bring down my other subjects if they see my blank constitutional paper. Surely not tho?! I just wouldn't pass the other three if I started constit now so I'm just leaving it out.
For contract, I'm going to try and study the whole course, maybe with the exception of Agency if I get stuck for time. Only finishing up work today so it will be hell for leather from here on out. No tips from Griffith on that one which is fair enough as there seems to be room to ask nearly all topics. Frustration, Duress and Mistake come up quite alot so I will be making sure that I know those three back to front. Exclusion clauses (which I quite like) seems to come up funnily in the past exam questions so will try to avoid that one if possible. I also like the offer and acceptance chapter, prob tho as it's at the start of the course and I seem to have gone over that section of the book the most. Need to finish the rest of it now though and the pressure is on!

BlueSkinny

Does anyone here have Philip Bourke's equity tips for this sitting ??? word is that he is usually close to spot on and it would really help my studying if someone knew what they were??? rumour is that Maxims are due to come up , along with secret trusts, and QT injunctions !!


but does anyone have his particular tips ???


thanks all

Ruby83

dumbyearbook wrote: »

True but they still fail the paper - most of these guys dont actually write anything so could be excluded maybe the Law Society do look at this? I had heard about 40% pass but was wondering if there was any actual figures out there, i'd love to know the numbers sitting them now v the numebers a while back.

40% pass rate?!!!! God that's very low isn't it?! Hmmm getting worried now!

brian__foley

Ruby83 wrote: »

40% pass rate?!!!! God that's very low isn't it?! Hmmm getting worried now!

The true nature of any of these scare statistics can't really be known. The real statistic would tell us how many people fail after putting in a decent effort. Some fail for one night of cramming and that is as it should be. Some fail because it's the "4th" subject. Some fail (like with any exam) because the person simply isn't "up to" law. Some fail for all sorts of family/career related reasons etc.

In particular, in an exam that is open to a wide range of people one has to expect a higher failure rate than in an "institutional" setting and, in particular, where the notion is there that one can do them again quite easily.

All those factors combine to suggest that a failure rate higher than, say, in college, would have to be expected and that such a failure rate doesn't necessarily mean the exams are hard. It just means people fail them and you can't necessarily equate the difficulty of the exams with failure to account for the entire universe of fails.

brian__foley

BlueSkinny wrote: »

Does anyone here have Philip Bourke's equity tips for this sitting ??? word is that he is usually close to spot on and it would really help my studying if someone knew what they were??? rumour is that Maxims are due to come up , along with secret trusts, and QT injunctions !!


but does anyone have his particular tips ???


thanks all

Just note that there is no such thing as something that is "due to come up". The very use English there suggests that there is a pre-ordained pattern which one can simply look to and decide that X is now "due" as its time has come.

Please don't gamble your exam on a "rumour is that Maxims are due to come up"...there are so many things wrong with thinking like that...they may well come up, but it's not becaue they were "due" its simply because they did come up. Same for other subjects such as contract. The statute of frauds isn't on the exam for years, then it is...was that because it was "due" or just because it was on the exam!

It's something very close to my heart here, just because I hear so many stories of why someone failed because something "due to come up" didn't and it caught them out - i.e. "I thought the separation of powers was due to come up in about three questions" etc.

Work, work, and work...no other substitute for these exams (or indeed for the profession). There is plenty of time (with some lovely 5am starts) to get through the exams without a panic...

Ruby83

brian__foley wrote: »

The true nature of any of these scare statistics can't really be known. The real statistic would tell us how many people fail after putting in a decent effort. Some fail for one night of cramming and that is as it should be. Some fail because it's the "4th" subject. Some fail (like with any exam) because the person simply isn't "up to" law. Some fail for all sorts of family/career related reasons etc.

In particular, in an exam that is open to a wide range of people one has to expect a higher failure rate than in an "institutional" setting and, in particular, where the notion is there that one can do them again quite easily.

All those factors combine to suggest that a failure rate higher than, say, in college, would have to be expected and that such a failure rate doesn't necessarily mean the exams are hard. It just means people fail them and you can't necessarily equate the difficulty of the exams with failure to account for the entire universe of fails.

Yes completely agree. Thanks Brian. Scare tactics can be a good thing too re motivation! I know I'll be studying every possible minute until March 18th and the likes of this rumoured percentage will only make me work that bit harder!

brian__foley

Ruby83 wrote: »

Yes completely agree. Thanks Brian. Scare tactics can be a good thing too re motivation! I know I'll be studying every possible minute until March 18th and the likes of this rumoured percentage will only make me work that bit harder!

Good! Aim to use your study time along the lines of two lines meeting at a point with each line representing the amount of material you use over time - i.e. as you get closer to the exam, the material you need to study should get smaller and smaller. No-one should be touching a manual 4 days before an exam - your own notes, your own memory aids are impossibly important at this stage!

Hogzy

Hey guys, doing them for the first time now and have 4 selected but iv only studied for 3, Do i have to appear for the exam that i havnt studied for and sign my name on the sheet on the day or can i stay at home. Got a letter today from the law society about the rules for the exam and they said you have to SIT the exams. Should that be interpreted in its literal meaning?

Ruby83

Hogzy wrote: »

Hey guys, doing them for the first time now and have 4 selected but iv only studied for 3, Do i have to appear for the exam that i havnt studied for and sign my name on the sheet on the day or can i stay at home. Got a letter today from the law society about the rules for the exam and they said you have to SIT the exams. Should that be interpreted in its literal meaning?

I'm definitely taking it literally..especially because the SIT is in bold and will be going in for the fourth and staying for the 45 minutes.

Mshellster

Hi all,

Got that letter today too - noticed that thing about having to have legislation in for checking a day before (seems a bit harsh for people living no where near Dublin/Cork). Is it possible at all to get it checked on the day or is this not an option anymore? I'd heard in the past you could do it on the day...

Also wondering what the deal is with food/water? Are you really not allowed bring anything like that in, seems also on the harsh side considering the exams are 3 hours long?

rubensni

Mshellster wrote: »

Also wondering what the deal is with food/water? Are you really not allowed bring anything like that in, seems also on the harsh side considering the exams are 3 hours long?

I've always had a feeling that these exams are more hazing ritual than compotence test. This is just adding to that.

Robbo

Mshellster wrote: »

Also wondering what the deal is with food/water? Are you really not allowed bring anything like that in, seems also on the harsh side considering the exams are 3 hours long?

They allow in drinks so long as they're in a bottle with a cap.

3 hours without food is hardly one of the Labours of Heracles...

rubensni

Robbo wrote: »

3 hours without food is hardly one of the Labours of Heracles...

I find a pack of skittles is handy for when the 7 cups of coffee wear off and your blood sugar crashes.

Jev/N

Mshellster wrote: »

Also wondering what the deal is with food/water? Are you really not allowed bring anything like that in, seems also on the harsh side considering the exams are 3 hours long?

You're allowed both - just don't bring in cans or any food wrapped in about 3 layers of noisy packaging and they won't care

3 hours without any sort of snack is a bit stupid and believe me, a bit of extra energy is always needed

Mshellster

Sound thanks for that. I know 3 hours not exactly loads to be without food but if you have to travel to the exams on the day and not based near where they are being held it definitely would help to be able to bring some food in just for a bit of a energy and to stave off the starvation!

Anyone have any ideas about the getting legislation etc. checked the day before? Is this a strict requirment?