Okay so I've been lurking here for months and finally made an account because I want to pay it forward. I failed the Illinois bar twice — first time by 7 points, second time by 3. I was absolutely gutted. I graduated from a mid-tier Chicago law school, passed all my classes, and still couldn't crack this thing. The MEE essays were killing me every single time.
What finally clicked on my third attempt was actually treating the IL BAR practice test sessions like timed mock exams instead of just reading through sample answers. I also found a study guide that broke down the Illinois-specific tested subjects (community property is NOT tested here, which tripped me up before) and spent about 6 hours a day for 10 weeks. MBE scaled score went from a 132 to a 146.
Happy to answer questions about what resources I used or how I structured my schedule. Just want someone else to avoid the spiral I was in. What's everyone currently struggling with most?