CO BAR Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield CO BAR facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. Under the Colorado Uniform Partnership Act, absent a partnership agreement, partners share profits and losses: → Equally regardless of capital contributions
2. Which secondary source would most efficiently give a researcher an overview of an unfamiliar area of Colorado practice? → A Colorado-specific practice treatise or CLE handbook
3. Under the Colorado Governmental Immunity Act, a plaintiff suing a public entity in tort must file a written notice of claim within: → 182 days after discovery of the injury
4. Colorado law requires the consent of a child being adopted if the child has reached what age? → 12 years old
5. Which secondary source would be most useful for understanding how courts interpret a specific Colorado statute? → An annotated statute with case law annotations
6. An estate's assets are insufficient to satisfy all devises. Absent a contrary will provision, Colorado abates gifts in which order first? → Intestate property, then residuary devises, then general devises, then specific devises
7. An easement holder begins using a residential driveway easement to run commercial trucking traffic to a new warehouse. What is the servient owner's best remedy? → An injunction against the surcharge, since overuse does not terminate the easement
8. A spouse seeking an annulment (declaration of invalidity) in Colorado on the ground of fraud must show that the fraud: → Went to the very essentials of the marital relationship
9. What is relevance in evidence law? → Evidence that has any tendency to make a material fact more or less probable
10. Which writing structure do bar graders most commonly expect in a high-scoring MEE answer? → IRAC (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion)
11. In Colorado, where would you find binding precedents for state law? → Colorado Supreme Court opinions
12. When researching Colorado statutes, which of the following resources provides the most authoritative version of Colorado laws? → Colorado Revised Statutes (CRS) published online by the Colorado General Assembly
13. The Anti-Commandeering doctrine prohibits the federal government from: → Directing state legislatures to enact federal regulatory programs
14. A Colorado corporation's articles of incorporation must include all of the following EXCEPT: → The names and addresses of initial directors
15. An agency decision is challenged as arbitrary and capricious under C.R.S. § 24-4-106(7). This standard asks primarily whether the agency: → Failed to consider relevant factors or lacked a rational basis for its action
16. In Colorado, the speedy trial statute generally requires trial to commence within what period after a not guilty plea, absent waiver or excludable delay? → Six months
17. Which research tool organizes case law by topic using numbered subject classifications? → West Key Number System
18. In reviewing a Colorado agency's factual findings after a formal hearing, a court will set them aside only if they are: → Unsupported by substantial evidence in the record as a whole
19. In a Colorado divorce proceeding, which factor is NOT considered in determining the division of marital property? → The fault of either party in the dissolution of the marriage
20. What is the double jeopardy clause? → The Fifth Amendment prohibition against being tried twice for the same offense
21. What is an agency's enabling statute? → The law enacted by Congress that creates the agency and defines its authority and powers
22. In Colorado, a defendant charged by information with a felony is entitled to a preliminary hearing primarily to determine: → Whether probable cause exists to believe the defendant committed the charged offense
23. Article VI of the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause means that when valid federal law conflicts with state law: → Federal law preempts state law
24. A mortgage borrower sells the property to a buyer who takes "subject to" the mortgage. Who is personally liable if the loan goes unpaid? → Only the original borrower; the buyer risks losing the land but owes nothing personally
25. Under the Equal Protection Clause, which classification triggers heightened (intermediate) scrutiny? → Sex/gender
26. Colorado uses which model to calculate child support? → Income shares model combining both parents' incomes
27. A decedent's will names a personal representative. In Colorado, informal probate proceedings are conducted: → By the registrar without a court hearing or prior notice to interested persons
28. Which source is primary authority for a Colorado legal issue? → A Colorado Supreme Court opinion
29. Session laws enacted by the Colorado General Assembly are published chronologically in: → Session Laws of Colorado
30. Under Colorado law, an heir must survive the decedent by how long to take by intestate succession? → 120 hours