A PT file may contain interviews, correspondence, records, and other documents. Your job is to locate the facts that matter to the assigned analysis while keeping track of who supplied them and whether they are disputed.
When to use this guide: Use this guide to extract facts accurately from individual documents. Use the fact-organization guide to arrange those extracted facts across the whole file.
Read with the assignment in view
Keep the task memo's questions beside your notes. As you read a document, identify its source, date, and relevance to an assigned issue. A short issue-based note is easier to use than a second narrative that retells every document in order.
Preserve distinctions between sources
Separate established facts, a client's account, an opponent's assertion, and an unresolved inference. Do not silently convert an allegation into an undisputed event. If two documents conflict, note the conflict where you will need to discuss it rather than choosing whichever version is easier to write.
Connect facts to the library
Once you identify the applicable requirements, return to the facts with those requirements in mind. Add record references or short source reminders to your outline. This helps you write fact-specific analysis without repeatedly rereading the whole file.
Worked example
Preserve who said what
In a fictional file, a client says a package arrived Monday, an opposing letter says Wednesday, and a delivery record shows Tuesday. The assigned issue makes the arrival date relevant.
Starting approach
The package arrived Monday.
A stronger approach
The client reports Monday arrival, but the delivery record identifies Tuesday and the opponent asserts Wednesday. Note all three sources and determine what the record actually establishes before treating one date as certain.
Why the change matters
The original note silently upgraded an account into an undisputed fact. A better note records the proposition, source, and uncertainty together. When the library supplies the relevant requirement, place those competing facts beside it. If the task calls for objective advice, explain the uncertainty; if it calls for advocacy, support the preferred inference without misdescribing the documents.
Common mistake: A fact chart is not accurate if it erases conflicts merely to make the chronology tidy.
Original teaching example created for this guide. Illustrations are not released exam questions, actual student submissions, or official grading standards.
Use a complete packet in performance test practice to test this method under the selected question’s instructions. The online simulators provide a place to practice reading, planning, and writing together.
Try this in your next session
Build a table with columns for issue, supporting fact, contrary fact, and source. Fill it from one PT file, then use it to write a single balanced analytical paragraph.
Your practice checklist
Put the method into practice.
Practice real past bar exam essays and performance tests online, then use individual attorney feedback to plan your next answer. Available test types depend on your package.
These are practice suggestions, not official grading criteria or a prediction of exam results. Follow the instructions and timing for your selected question and current exam administration.