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Vera
Verbal Flashcards

Spot the issues out loud in ninety seconds.

The part of essay writing that decides the score before you write anything.

Essays are lost in the first two minutes, spotting the wrong issues.

What Vera actually is

A phone call with someone who is not there. You say the thing out loud, they answer the way a real person would, and you get to do it again — as many times as it takes, with nobody listening.

1She calls youA real phone call, about ten seconds after you tap. Lock screen, headphones, car — wherever you take calls.
2She plays the other personNot a coach reading tips. Bar Essay Issue Spotting, with someone on the other end who answers back.
3She pushes when you are vagueFollow-up questions, interruptions when you ramble, and a straight read at the end on what landed.
Drill Issue Spotting

15 minutes free · no card needed

Drill Issue Spotting

15 minutes free · no card needed

“What if I am bad at it?”Everyone is, on the first one. That is the entire reason it happens here and not there.
“What if I do not know what to say?”She asks first and follows up on whatever you answer. You never start from a blank page.
“What if it is awkward?”It is, for about twenty seconds. Then it is a conversation, and nobody heard the twenty seconds.

Not practising doesn’t save you anything.

The ticket, the evening, the weeks of applying — all of it is spent before anyone says a word. The practice is the only cheap part, and the only part that changes how the rest goes.

Drill Issue Spotting

15 minutes free · no card needed

What she'll actually ask

She asks these the way a real person would, then follows up on whatever you say.

  1. Here is a short fact pattern. What issues do you see?
  2. What is the issue you missed?
  3. Which facts are doing work here, and which are noise?
  4. Give me your outline in thirty seconds.
  5. Which issue carries the most points?
More about this one

Bar essays are largely decided before any writing happens, in the ninety seconds where you identify what is actually being tested. Miss an issue and no amount of good writing recovers it. Issue spotting is a distinct skill from rule knowledge and responds well to rapid verbal repetition. Vera reads short fact patterns and asks what you see, pushing when you stop at the obvious issue.

What she listens for

Stopping at the obviousThe first issue is rarely the one that separates scores.
Fact salienceWhich details you treat as significant versus decorative.
Outline speedA structured outline in thirty seconds is the goal.
  • bar essay
  • issue spotting
  • fact pattern
  • IRAC structure
  • essay outline
  • MEE
  • application of law
  • timed essay strategy
“I spotted two issues and there were five. Doing that twenty times in a week changed how I read a fact pattern.”
Elena V.

Related practice

MBE Verbal ReviewBlack letter law drilled aloud across the MBE subjects.Contracts Law DrillingThe subject where a missing element costs the whole answer.Torts Law DrillingNegligence and strict liability drilled where the exceptions live.LSAT Logical Reasoning PracticeArgument structure drilled aloud, where flaws become obvious.

Common questions

Can it do full essays?

Issue spotting and outlining, yes. Full timed essays need writing — use this for the part before that.

How many patterns per session?

Six to eight short ones beats two long ones. Repetition is the mechanism here.

Does it work for the MEE?

Yes, and for state-specific essays. Name the format in your prompt.

What if I am bad at it?

Everyone is, on the first one. That is the entire reason it happens here and not there.

What if I do not know what to say?

She asks the first question and follows up on whatever you answer. You never start from a blank page.

What if it is awkward?

It is, for about twenty seconds. Then it is a conversation, and nobody heard the twenty seconds.

Ready to try it?

Your first 15 minutes are free. No card required.

Drill Issue Spotting