Abstract
In 2010, the faculty of St. Louis University School of Law implemented a research exam to test student competencies after their first year of law school. Since its creation, the exam has helped students feel more secure starting their first legal internships, allowed faculty to identify areas of decreased competency, and helped faculty find “better” ways to teach legal research and writing material. In anticipation of the implementation of the NextGen Bar exam in July 2026, the faculty determined that it was necessary to make some changes to the research exam in order to both gather data on students’ responses to the new question styles as well as expose students to the new question formatting. Professor Chris Rollins utilized NCBE materials and Missouri case law to craft a set of NextGen Bar Exam questions that then appeared in the research exam.
There are several takeaways from the student data for the NextGen Bar questions that appeared on the research exam. First, students must employ critical reading skills and concept retention when they encounter the progression of questions rolled out for any given fact pattern, as they are currently expected to do on the MPT section of the Bar exam. Second, students need a strong handle on time management in order to succeed with these questions. Third, faculty must help students learn how to spot multiple correct answers instead of searching for a singular correct answer. Lastly, students need more opportunities to connect concepts from different class subjects. There are more and more resources available to help address these needs, and with proper planning, faculty can help students succeed with the NextGen Bar requirements.
Recommended Citation
Christine E. Rollins,
And the Results Are in … Reviewing the Results of the First Year Larc Research Exam Wherein Some of the Questions Were Redesigned to Meet the Expectations of the Next Gen Bar Exam Format,
68
St. Louis U. L.J.
(2024).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.slu.edu/lj/vol68/iss3/9