FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

Reckon So

I say go for the 8. Don't let people put you off. If you're lucky enough not to have to work over the summer then with enough study there's no reason why you couldn't get them all.

June2008

no i didnt go to UCC, dont wanna say where I went but just did not keep up with the equity lecturer!!! Thanks for the advice and im sure ill b on boards distracting myself from the study!

ronnie3585

June2008 wrote: »

Ive always gotten High Bs etc in my Law degree with fairly limited study so in my head, it should not be ridiculous to have a good chance when I'm doing more study than I ever have for any exam in my life to just get 50%!! It was my understanding that the FE1 exams were not much more difficult than college law exams but time management and the sheer vastness of the course is what gets people! Is this mistaken? Again, even if I fail ALL 8 and have to repeat at least Ive done the bulk of the work and be able to refine the study for the next sitting!

I dont know where you got your information, but I do believe you are wrong when you say that the FE-1's are not much more difficult that college exams. In my humble opinion the FE-1's are A LOT harder than college exams.

Firstly; in any given subject the whole syllabus is examinable as opposed to college where they generally tend to focus on topics and the odd time you will be given some guidance/tips by lecutres. With the FE-1's they follow no pattern and every aspect of every topic is up for grabs.

Second; the method of examination is somewhat different from that of college. 8 questions to answer 5 in 3 hours is different from the college norm. College exams tend to lean towards examining the academic side of a topic whereas the FE-1's by and large want clear concise application of the law. On that point the FE-1 problem questions are umpteen times more detailed that college problem, mixing several topics into the one problem. Therefore 'issue spotting' is a fundamental when is comes to tackling such questions. This is not a skill well thought in Universitys.

Third; the competition is much fiercer than in college. With the FE-1's there is a set quotient of the numbers that will get through, therefore you might write a good script however there may be many more who write a better paper than you leaving you with a 47 or a 48. In other words the paper you write might be a good 2.1 standard but on the day if the standard is higher than yours you will not pass. In my experience the system is far less meritorious than that of a University. Following on from that point you are not looking for 'just 50%'. You really shouldn't measure 50% in an FE-1 paper as against 50% in a college paper. 50% in a college paper is really scraping the bottom of the barrel, from personal experience 50% in an FE-1 paper is writing to a very high standard.

Finally, turning to your question of 'am I made to do 8 FE-1's in one sitting'. I think the answer is no, but I would attach a huge caveat to that. Doing 8 FE-1's in one sitting can and has been done, but I cannot over emphasize enough what a HUGE undertaking it is. In doing all 8 you will be cutting down the time that could be devoted to other subjects if you only did 7 or 6 etc. Passing these exams is not necessarliy about being a great legal mind, or having a 1.1. It is about being able to think quickly on your feet, spot the issues, give a clear concise no bullsh1t application of the law to a question summating with cogent advice and underscoring this is a requirement for stamina.

In my first sitting I was coming off the back of a 1.1 degree and postgrad. I did 6 and passed 6 and being perfectly honest it nearly killed me. In doing 8 you really need to think of the months of study required and then at the end of it you will have to be at the top of your game to sit 8 exams in a row with only 1 days rest in between. If you are not living in Dublin factor in all the hassel required with accomodation and actually trying to get around the city on a busy weekday morning. The exams themselves are punishing affairs. 3 hours of the utmost concentration and application of your mental ability - I found myself totally drained after them, in no mood to even look at another book let alone study.

Anyway that's my 2 cents worth, I hope I haven't been too pesimistic but you really need to make an informed decision when choosing what subjects to do. What ever you decide best of luck with it!

Dandelion6

That's a very informative post ronnie3585, although it's almost put me off doing any of them... !

I'm planning to do them next year and will do classes at Griffith. I had been thinking of doing them in two sets of four but reading some of these posts I'm wondering if I should aim for five or six in the first go instead?

Is there a general consensus on which ones should be taken together, which ones to take in the first sitting etc?

ronnie3585

I think that the general consensus among most is that Tort, Constitutional and Company are the most difficult. However, subject choice is very subjective - you will find that you might struggle with one and have no real problem with another.

Company is very big with a lot of topics and legislation. There aren't any particularly difficult topics there is just a huge load in the course. The exam paper is generally quite fair. Thomas Courtney doesn't seem to do the dog on it. Whenever you do the Company exam make sure you bring in all the legislation permitted, even if you don't plan on doing a question on examinership. At the end of my Company exam I opened up the legislation and transcribed word for word bullet points directly from the book, I'm convinced that it gave me the extra one or two per cent I needed to get me over the line.

From my own experience and that of my friends Constitutional causes problems. Again it is a huge course load however the biggest problem comes with the difference in what is examined in the FE-1 paper as opposed to a college paper. In college you get to study all the really interesting topics such as abortion, McGee, the right to life/right to die etc. None of these topics are examined on the FE-1 paper. The FE-1 paper seems to concentrate much more on the separation of powers (at least two questions on this topic), non-justiciability and fair procedures etc. Thankfully the new examiner has moved away from asking some of the crazy aloof questions that Eamon G. Hall used to ask, but it remains a difficult paper.

And then there is Tort. My own personal Everest! There is no two ways about it tort is hard. Generally speaking tort is not a difficult subject, it's actually quiet easy to study, it's just the FE-1 paper is a b*tch. The course load is massive with every single topic being examinable. In order to pass you really need to cover every topic. What I found most difficult was the mixing of topics. In any problem question you could expect to find up to six topics mixed in. It's quite scary to read a past exam paper, think you've spotted all the issues, only to read the examiners report to see that you've left out three topics! I found the best way to study for it was just to keep doing problem questions again and again and again.

There are no 'easy' FE-1 papers, however it seems that the papers with the highest pass mark are contract and EU. Contract is relatively straight forward, I've yet to meet anyone who has had great difficulty with it - however don't be fooled into thinking it's in the bag. EU isn't a particularly nice subject to study (in my opinion). However, the examiner Noel Travers is very fair. He usually sets at least two questions with internal choices. Essentially you might sit a EU exam with ten or eleven possible questions that you can answer.

As I said subject choice is very subjective and I'm just giving you a flavour of my own and my friend's experiences. How it helps some:)

tombren

what ronnie3585 wrote is spot on - from my experience i agree with him 100%.
i havent got a law degree so cant directly compare the levels of study, but i have passed all 8 fe1s and it takes a massive amount of work and effort.
most of my mates do have law degrees though and ive asked them about the difference between law degrees and the fe1s, they kinda just laughed at me saying there was no comparison. like taking a step up from the 3rd division to the premier league. i know plenty of people with law degrees who are still trying to get their first 3 after 2 and 3 attempts.
the only advice i could give is study your ass off, go through past papers in detail, do exam questions.
also i found that invariably there was too much info in the manuals, go through them in conjunction with past papers, get a feel for what is being asked/needed. make your own notes based on this, learn and understand.
additionally - dont put too much faith in tips from griffith or where-ever, frequently they are right, but i found out the hard way that freqently they are not.
try not to pick or choose or leave topics out, cover as much as you can.

p.s ronnie - tort was my nemesis too, such a horrible paper

thecoolfreak

Most people have heard talking about the FE1's in the firm I will be working with say they are tough exams. But i don't think they are as bad as people are making them out to be here. Work hard and like any exam you should do alright is what the overwhelming opinion appears to be

_JOE_

I think what's key is balancing both work and the study at the same time...for most, they will be juggling both study and work at the same time during the summer for the first time, when normally they would unwind after their end of year exams...if you really want to do well, the summer's there to do it...

hairyleary

Hi,

I have 4 original Griffith Manuals available, Contract Company, Equity & Property,latest editions,very reasonable €, i dont think you can sell them here so if interested I have also placed an Ad on Adverts.ie

Well done to all who passed

Carmeii

i have an independent colleges constitutional manual too if anyone is interested...:cool:

Mucria

Carmeii wrote: »

i have an independent colleges constitutional manual too if anyone is interested...:cool:

Carmeii would you have the papers as well ??
To all...Im looking for papers on all the manuals (except contract) and all manuals except contract, property, equity...anyone????????
Thanks!!

UL_LLB

Hi,


I have the Griffith manuals for Constitutional, Tort & EU. If anyones interested, PM me.


Thanks

Font22

anyone know what the deal is with applying for PPC1 in sept? starting work next week but forgot to ask them what the process was etc.

lalala85

hi i'll most definitely take the company and contract manuals from them!!!! Please message me!!!

claireshm

Does anybody have propery and equity manuals plus papers to sell???

Aprilsunshine

Hi new to boards but does anyone have Irish exam notes or any advice on it? I'm signed to sit it in July but I don't know where to start!

tombren

Aprilsunshine wrote: »

Hi new to boards but does anyone have Irish exam notes or any advice on it? I'm signed to sit it in July but I don't know where to start!

i posted this awhile ago about the irish exam should be some help:



irish exam is seriously handy, i sat it last june,
my irish level would be poor enough, did honours irish for the leaving but that was 12 years ago, so really forgot everything
didnt do the gcd course but got the manual from a friend and everything u need is in it,
as far as i can remember, the paper usually goes like this

1) write a sort essay from one of four choices, these are usually something like, a letter to mary harney, or myself in 5 years or a trip i took etc but if u dont fancy doing this instead they give u the choice of writing a book review of an irish book that u read. the griffith manual has a book review done out in it, just learn it off, write it out in the exam and you're laughing

2) there are 4 books on the syllabus, the exam paper sets out 2 passages from each book, one in irish and one in english, u must choose one of the four and translate the irish passage to english and the english passage to irish,
the griffith manual sets out all the available passages from just one of the books (only certain pages are asked) each passage is about five lines, again just learn by heart what's in the manual and transcribe it in the exam

and that's the written part, really easy, exam is three hours long, i and most of my friends were out after 45 minutes, the 'rumour' is that they only actually look at your written paper if your oral is really bad,

oral is again very do-able, u can learn off some key phrases, lasts about 3 minutes, there girl who examined me was very sound, about my age, asked where i lived, with who, did i work, what i did in my spare time, we chatted about gigs for a few minutes and that was it,

if you've any level of irish at all and u can learn stuff off pretty easy (which i presume u can otherwise u wouldnt be doing fe1s) you'll be grand. only ever heard of 1 person failing it, she's english and the last set was her third attempt but she got it

Aprilsunshine

Thanks - that puts my mind at ease - I just ordered my past papers today and I thought they only gave you one choice on the paper so you had to prepare all 4!
Any idea where I might get the Griffith manual?

drama

Hi Aprilsunshine,

Myself and my friend are sitting the Irish exam in July as well for the first time and neither of us have ever studied Irish before. We have signed up with Clare Grealy BL and had our first class with her last week. She is 200 euro for the course and gives about 5 to 6 classes before the exam. I thought we would need more but she seems to think that is sufficient and she has never had someone fail to date apparently and has had loads of people from different countries who didn't speak a word when they came to her. From the looks of it it is all rote learning. She gives you all the materials.

It is another option for you if you wished. Her details are on the law society website as a recommended tutor.

wits end

Hi all,
I have attempted 4 subjects 2 which I have got each time ie Company and Contract failed Tort and Property - tearing my hair out- am considering taking Equity and Criminal as well this time out of desperation to get 3 at least - I have attended Griffith - now need advice re tutor - can anyone recommend one ? any help would be greatly appreciated

Reckon So

I am selling the Independent manuals and exam papers for all the subjects on adverts.ie. If anyone is interested then please post a message on the ad itself, thanks!

UL_LLB

Hi

I have the Griffith Manuals from last term for Constitutional, Tort & EU law if anyones interested!

Thanks

StudentEmeritus

...right.

This is where I'm at. I've got a BCL and I'm currently for the October sitting (my first), where I hope to do Tort, Contract, EU and Constitutional. I'm doing the Independent Colleges course for all, and I'm finding them a great help. I've a million questions that I'd love answered, I'd appreciate any advice/guidance....

1. Is this a good mix of subjects to sit for the first time?
2. I'm working full time at the minute, when would be a good time to stop? (I'm thinking the first week in August? Does that leave enough time?)
3. What was the deal last time with the timetable change? Were exams brought forward?
4. What exam of these four is the most difficult?

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated. I'm keen to get them done in two sittings as I have an apprenticeship waiting for me this time next year....

I'm in over my head and it's so difficult to get honest answers from people!

Thanks for your time.

monaghanbiffo

StudentE I sent ya a quick PM there

EC1000

StudentEmeritus, I had no background in law and sat those subjects, along with Company last October and passed. They are a good set to do in terms of variety. I found tort deceptively long but it is reasonable in terms of understanding so dont be put off. EU and Constitutional can be tricky but keep focused on the important topics. All you have to do is keep your head down and stay as focused as possible. I gave up work 8 weeks before the exams and it all worked out well. Think positively and you will be all set this time next year (If I can get them in 2 sittings anyone can!)

StudentEmeritus

EC1000 and Monaghan Biffo- thank you for your replies and honesty! I'm really kicking off my study this weekend, and I feel much more confident about the process now.

Asparagus

hey lads.
I have Equity, Constitutional and Criminal Law Manuals from
Independent colleges 2007-2008 and wouldn't mind selling them to some lucky person that has to go through the torture! They're in great condition. some highlighting. Also, past examinations and reports with each manual and any relevant handouts which we got during the course.

Email if you're interested in any of them. I'm in Dublin so can meet
anyone there or post if necessary.

pm me like.

LawyerGirl

June2008 wrote: »

Im sitting all 8 FE1s in Oct, im not expecting to get them all but the way I see it is as a practice run and even if i failed some at least ive done the bulk of the work for the resits! I doing the griffith classes in tort and equity but the rest is self study! Am I insane? Is there really THAT much work to do? Also any tips on how to get stuck into studying would be much appreciated! thanks!

Oh My Gog, 8? I was gonna do 5-6 but everyone told me it's madness cos you probably won't even get the 3 you need, so maybe i'll only do 4 instead!!!

Also looking for manuals for Equity, Contract, EU, Land and Tort? Anyone?

Asparagus

Hi Lawyergirl.
I have an Equity manual and exam papers from the last sitting..April 2008. Will sell em to ya.

pm me if your interested.

(Also have constitutional and criminal manuals for sale!)

04341929

Hey youse guys,

I'm looking to buy Griffith manuals for Contract, Constitutional, EU, and then probably Criminal...

If anyone has them please reply, reckon I probably need them as I'm drowning in the workload at the minute:D