FE1 Exam Thread (Mod Warning: NO ADS)

blathblath

cd.galway wrote: »

Congrats to those who passed
I on the otherhand failed my last three...actually in total shock as i thought i'd a good chance with them
Company answered 5 good questions was really happy with the paper, const answered 5 good questions and EU 4 good questions and 1 dodge one...actually cannot believe it studied sooo so much couldn't have done anymore if i tried!!! this feeling is horrible...don't think i'd be able mentally to put myself through it again.

I sat my last three in April...didn't get any and just got two today! I honestly was mentally prepared for not getting any again. You think when you get the first three the worst is over but it is such a LONG process. Honestly, I know you feel awful today, it is heartbreaking and such a blow to your confidence, I took the results of the April sitting so badly! You will pick yourself up and start again although it ain't easy it is like a drug you have to keep going. Try not to be too hard on yourself.

page1

It seems like company was marked hard, I wonder what the pass rate for it is this time.

brian__foley

JCJCJC wrote: »

Hard luck - I know the feeling, been there. Remember the old latin maxim that applies in this case - nihill illigitemi carborundum sunc - don't let the bastards wear you down. Think of all the thick solicitors you know, they have all got through this process, you'll be fine.

Contract tactics - this worked for me. Looking at the Examiners past papers, all the problems were each directly from the fact pattern of one single case. Therefore, concentrate on the leading Irish case law, and read cases, get to know the colour of the stories. Above all, know how far they went and know the final outcomes, eg Dakota packaging -v- Wyeth was a full question on October, and it went to the SC which reversed the HC, if you knew that you couldn't go wrong.
Look at the examiner's own textbook to see what recent (c. 07 onwards) Irish cases she thinks are important enough to mention - tip: there's a review on Amazon which lists them, cheaper than buying the bloody book.
Look through the law databases if you have access, find journal articles published by the examiners, ext and int. Prof Robt Clarke published an article on recovery of damages in Contract last year, full essay question directly on it in October, if you had read his article and knew the cases he cited it was a very easy essay, if there is such a thing, two hours study would have bagged it.
Concentrate on the old reliables, contract formation - is it/isn't it a contract, know the story of all the cases, the one about sulphur in hops came up last March - Bannerman v White. I think it matters quite a bit if you show in your answer that you have read something more than condensed notes and nutshells, even if it isn't wonderful law - I quoted Ray Friel's comments on Hamer v Sidway where he said that (refraining from) wine, women and song were "the usual third-level pursuits" - irrelevant to the point, but it showed that I'd read the book.
Other easy areas are mistake, breach and frustration. I find those easy and compact, but each to his own - I could never understand voiding/vitiating factors and a few other things. Do what makes most sense to your self, if you find something like 'mistake as to identity' conceptually easy to grasp, do it, if not, move on to something that comes more easily to you.
Keep checking on bailii.org for new cases in the SC and HC, the fresher your sources, the better, it seems.

Read Nutshells and Nutcases first to get the basic conceptual framework of your chosen topics, then read a more substantial textbook and you'll understand it much better having first read the easier one. Some authors' styles of writing are easier than others, it's an individual thing. Trietel is a great old classic book on contract, and not hard to read, I find, others are more opaque.

Good luck

JC

And Trietel is affordable too.

blathblath

page1 wrote: »

It seems like company was marked hard, I wonder what the pass rate for it is this time.

I knew I hadn't passed it but the marks still seemed a little low for 3 accurate questions....it is my only one left now so leaving no stone underturned for April to ensure entry to PPC1 in September!

NoQuarter

Well i passed 2 and failed 2 of my first 4 so back to square one for me!

I got 43% in tort so i wonder should i get it rechecked although i did think i had failed it.

Company law, what the hell, I new i had failed but i answered 5 question and got.... 16%

WTF?!

Passed EU and property but its all for nothing now!

blathblath

NoQuarter wrote: »

Well i passed 2 and failed 2 of my first 4 so back to square one for me!

I got 43% in tort so i wonder should i get it rechecked although i did think i had failed it.

Company law, what the hell, I new i had failed but i answered 5 question and got.... 16%

WTF?!

Passed EU and property but its all for nothing now!

Defo get company rechecked! That HAS to be wrong if you answered 5! I answered 3.5 didn't even attempt a fifth and got 41%!

Heineken pants

Got 43% in Constitutional, had 3 good questions, one ok, one and my final question was poor enough, obviously thats not enough to pass. Thats my third time doing it. Have Const and EU left and really considering not bothering anymore, its just not worth the bull****. Anyone ever been marked up in const by 7% or more???

NoQuarter

blathblath wrote: »

Defo get company rechecked! That HAS to be wrong if you answered 5! I answered 3.5 didn't even attempt a fifth and got 41%!

Is there any point though, it may well be wrong but im not going to come up to 50%

Heineken pants

blathblath wrote: »

Aww disappointed for you...keep going though! Personally I think the rechecks are a money racket although I came up 13 % in constitution last year....if you can afford it, give it a go but it is a long shot!

U said you came up 13% in Constitutional... how is that even possible, i mean how does the examiner make such a huge mistake...missing a question??? Im looking for a glimmer of hope, got 43 in Const and thinking whether its even worth a recheck

JCJCJC

NoQuarter wrote: »

Well i passed 2 and failed 2 of my first 4 so back to square one for me!

I got 43% in tort so i wonder should i get it rechecked although i did think i had failed it.

Company law, what the hell, I new i had failed but i answered 5 question and got.... 16%

WTF?!

Passed EU and property but its all for nothing now!

Sounds like there might be an error in your company paper, it must be worth a re-check. Heck, I got 19% in EU and I only sat it to make up my fourth, didn't have a bulls notion and left after 45 minutes or whatever the minimum period was, I spent the time reading my Blackstones. You have my admiration for passing it.
As for tort re-checks - having studied under the examiner in UL, I wouldn't bother even if there was never a fee for it, even if I got 49.9, he takes delight in not altering on re-checks and makes a point of telling his students that very clearly.

blathblath

Heineken pants wrote: »

Got 43% in Constitutional, had 3 good questions, one ok, one and my final question was poor enough, obviously thats not enough to pass. Thats my third time doing it. Have Const and EU left and really considering not bothering anymore, its just not worth the bull****. Anyone ever been marked up in const by 7% or more???

Yupe - came up from 45 to 54 last October! It is a long shot though I have appealed others n no joy!

littlemac1980

NoQuarter wrote: »

Well i passed 2 and failed 2 of my first 4 so back to square one for me!

I got 43% in tort so i wonder should i get it rechecked although i did think i had failed it.

Company law, what the hell, I new i had failed but i answered 5 question and got.... 16%

WTF?!

Passed EU and property but its all for nothing now!

"When you're answering 'advice James' type questions, do they mind if your advice is illegal? EG perjury? For example in criminal in the case of the four lads (Kevin, Liam, James, ??) who broke into Lisa's home I said that James should ask them to lie for him to the court and tell them he'd explicitly told them he wasn't going to be a part of it (cos of that Australian case requiring a 'positive step'). Would the examiner take a dim view of this?"

Remember that!!! I'd love to know how that 'doing' person did....

Only posted this here cos I recalled there was a dodgy post about one of the exams in October and I thought you might have been the person who had posted that back then, in relation to Company Law. However you actually went on to reply by saying :

"HAHAHAHAA, HOLY SH1T!

Is that you Michael Lynn???"

So I'd say get it rechecked, 16% seems like an absurd result, but I've never had one rechecked and so can't say whether it'll be worth your while. Seems like from the discussions on here that Company was marked really hard this time.

I will say however, I was sure I failed it when I did it and I passed, plus every time I'm sure I've failed I pass (albeit barely) so there's little point me saying if you think you might have passed have it rechecked. My advice should be if you think you failed, have it rechecked, which sounds stupid, I know.

If I had failed by that much having done 5 Questions I would probably risk the €120. Do you get it back if you go up any amount at all. In your case, you could easily argue you are entitled to should the result rise but you still fail.

blathblath

Heineken pants wrote: »

U said you came up 13% in Constitutional... how is that even possible, i mean how does the examiner make such a huge mistake...missing a question??? Im looking for a glimmer of hope, got 43 in Const and thinking whether its even worth a recheck

Sorry I meant to say 9% but yes at the time I couldn't understand it either....the only explaination really is that it is a subject open to interpretation and a different examiner may have endorsed my views!

Chuckler

NoQuarter wrote: »

Well i passed 2 and failed 2 of my first 4 so back to square one for me!

I got 43% in tort so i wonder should i get it rechecked although i did think i had failed it.

Company law, what the hell, I new i had failed but i answered 5 question and got.... 16%

WTF?!

Passed EU and property but its all for nothing now!

I passed Equity last time and failed it this time by 9%. Also failed Tort - 43% but passed Contract. Thinking of rechecking them - am so disheartened and sick of this. Is it worth the €240 for 2 re-checks?

brian__foley

blathblath wrote: »

Sorry I meant to say 9% but yes at the time I couldn't understand it either....the only explaination really is that it is a subject open to interpretation and a different examiner may have endorsed my views!

It's not really a huge mistake in one sense (leaving aside the difference between passing and failing).

Suppose you have 5 questions, the examiner gives 30 to each, giving 150/500 = 30%

All it takes is someone to upgrade a 30 to 40 to give 200 / 500 = 40%. That would a 10% increase on a re-check, but its still a fail.

At the bottom end of the scale you'll always find an ability to range a paper between 20 and (for these exams 49). They are fail marks and its a just range of what degree of failure.

If, therefore, someone thinks a paper is a "fail", it may well be expressed in a looser sense in the lower range. If someone thinks its a "pass" then the upgrade has to be whatever is required to pass. The bottom line is really its still a "fail" to a "pass" and in some cases this needs an increase of 15% and in some case it needs 5% or 1% etc.

On the other hand, marks tend to get tighter as go up the scale - i.e. you won't really have two examiners being massively different over someone in the "range" of 65. On the other hand, a fail paper can attract a different range.

This is nothing to do with fe1's just my own experience of corrections etc.

randomchild

NoQuarter wrote: »

Well i passed 2 and failed 2 of my first 4 so back to square one for me!

I got 43% in tort so i wonder should i get it rechecked although i did think i had failed it.

Company law, what the hell, I new i had failed but i answered 5 question and got.... 16%

WTF?!

Passed EU and property but its all for nothing now!

Well I would say get company law rechecked because there is no way thats right, but if you think you failed anyway then you are just tossing money at the law society for the absolutely shoddiness of these exams. Tort would be worth a recheck though, if it will save you doing all 3 again...

Jev/N

Probably the worst set of circumstances ever for getting results:

Working today; post doesn't arrive til 12.30; no one to pick it up; taxi at lunchtime; takes half hour to get to apartment; no post delivered; have to ring depot and see if it's available to pick up; takes another half hour to depot; ages waiting for them to find the letter; finally get results!

Anyways, passed last four, 2 by no margin at all! EU was my highest and I thought I might have failed it. Thank God it's all over anyways

Oh, and taxi took 2 hours total and €65 for about a 4km roundtrip!

Chuckler

Tort - 43% (thought I passed it)

Equity - 41% (thought I passed that also seeing as I did pass it the last time round!)

Property - 43% (did not expect that - bluffed my answers!)

Contract - 50% yay!

So a yay or nay for rechecks - what do people think?

Becky55

Hey guys got my last 2 and hav to say im delighted, I just want to thank everyone on the thread, we were all on the same boat and were all looking out for each other, I really dont think I would hav got through these exams without ye, also a big shout out to Mr Brian Foley who was always there to lend advise, thanks very much Brian. To all those who didnt get good news today all I can say is please stick with it, we were all there I didnt get them the first time as did so many people but I promise ye that the feeling you get when you have the whole 8 in the bag is sooooo worth it. Persevere guys it will be worth it.:):):)

cd.galway

Company 27% thought i passed even more than pass..answered 5 good quesions could have done 6 actually on this paper
Const 38% same as before thought i passed answered 5
EU 43% answered 4...5th was a sruggle was worst out of bunch yet the best i got!!!
Overall thought i passed the three of them i'm utterly utterly disgusted!!!!!
To get a recheck or not???! Hmmm in these hard times its hard to see if it'll be worth it??!

Pat.Kenny

I just wanted to check with everyone, is getting 50% exactly a pass? Thanks

Chuckler

Pat.Kenny wrote: »

I just wanted to check with everyone, is getting 50% exactly a pass? Thanks

Yeah - 50% on the dot is still a pass! I hope you did well!

runfortheborder

yes

blathblath

Chuckler wrote: »

Tort - 43% (thought I passed it)

Equity - 41% (thought I passed that also seeing as I did pass it the last time round!)

Property - 43% (did not expect that - bluffed my answers!)

Contract - 50% yay!

So a yay or nay for rechecks - what do people think?

Don't bother rechecking equity! Twice I thought I passed - twice I appealled and nadda! To be honest if you can afford to lose the money go for it but if not it is a LONG shot!

Chuckler

blathblath wrote: »

Don't bother rechecking equity! Twice I thought I passed - twice I appealled and nadda! To be honest if you can afford to lose the money go for it but if not it is a LONG shot!

Thanks Blathblath, I don't have the money to blow so to hell with it - I've been stuck in this rut for the past year now and still no joy. I'm sick of it right now! Absolutely disgusted!

blathblath

Chuckler wrote: »

Thanks Blathblath, I don't have the money to blow so to hell with it - I've been stuck in this rut for the past year now and still no joy. I'm sick of it right now! Absolutely disgusted!

Do you have your three yet?:(

Chuckler

blathblath wrote: »

Do you have your three yet?:(

Nope - started this in October 2008 So its 2 years I've been stuck in this horrible rut - the fact that I work in a demanding Law firm means my study time is limited - I don't know what the hell I'm doing wrong. Sorry I'm ranting here - but am bitterly disappointed! Thanks for the support though!

blathblath

Chuckler wrote: »

Nope - started this in October 2008 So its 2 years I've been stuck in this horrible rut - the fact that I work in a demanding Law firm means my study time is limited - I don't know what the hell I'm doing wrong. Sorry I'm ranting here - but am bitterly disappointed! Thanks for the support though!

I know a guy who was exactly in your position.....took him 5 years to get through and just started PPC1 this year. He was working in a firm for 6 years!I guess you just need to make a decision. Sometimes (especially trying to get the first three) you need to just focus on that and quit work for two months....especially if you have been at it for two years you need to just give yourself loads of time and do nothing else!

Chuckler

blathblath wrote: »

I know a guy who was exactly in your position.....took him 5 years to get through and just started PPC1 this year. He was working in a firm for 6 years!I guess you just need to make a decision. Sometimes (especially trying to get the first three) you need to just focus on that and quit work for two months....especially if you have been at it for two years you need to just give yourself loads of time and do nothing else!

Well you've just given me a glimmer of hope. I was seriously considering packing this in after working in a Law Firm for the past 9 years, studying Law for 4 years by night (after year 3) and then getting stuck in a rut with these exams. I'm still unsure about getting the rechecks - I'm sickened about Equity as I passed it the last time round. Its a real kick

blathblath

Chuckler wrote: »

Well you've just given me a glimmer of hope. I was seriously considering packing this in after working in a Law Firm for the past 9 years, studying Law for 4 years by night (after year 3) and then getting stuck in a rut with these exams. I'm still unsure about getting the rechecks - I'm sickened about Equity as I passed it the last time round. Its a real kick

There is always hope Chuckler....but with this game you need time and money it is a very difficult road! just decide whether it is what you really want and if so reassess and decide where it is going wrong...(lack of time, focus, exam technique, not doing/looking at past papers) what ever it is you gotta nail it down!