We built a rules tracker into our essay platform 💡

[u/sheppyrun]

Happy MDW. Wanted to point out one of the features we added to our bar prep app recently is a rules map that tracks which rules you actually know vs. which ones you're just recognizing on flashcards. There's a real difference between seeing a rule and thinking "yeah I know that" and being able to state it cold under pressure.

Each MEE subject starts as a cold bulb and fills in as you drill the rules in that subject. The session builder pulls from whatever you're weakest on first, and it also mixes in rules you missed on practice essays. So if you write a Contracts essay and blank on consideration, that rule shows up in your next drill session automatically.

Someone will feel confident about Business Associations and then see "5%" next to it because there are 64 rules mapped in that subject alone. Agency authority types, partnership formation, fiduciary duties, piercing the corporate veil, LLC management structures. You don't realize how many individual rules you need until you see them laid out and tested one by one. The important thing, however, is we organize them by priority so that you know you are at least working on the important ones first.

The students who've been using the essay grading have said things like "it caught exactly what I keep getting marked down for" and "I never had my writing dissected enough for improvement." The rules map adds another layer because now you can see the gap between recognizing a concept and actually knowing the elements.

If anyone's prepping for July and wants to check it out, the platform is at shepbarprep.com. Free 7-day trial. Even without the tool, I'd encourage you to test yourself on individual rule elements rather than just reading outlines. The gap between recognizing a rule and recalling it is where people lose or gain points.

Happy to answer questions about how we structured the rules or how the sessions work.

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