Take the Training Wheels Off: Stop Labeling IRAC on the Bar Exam

If you’ve taken one of my classes, you might have seen this comment on your essays:

You did a good job of following IRAC, but it's recommended that you don't label the components of each IRAC section.

That advice tends to catch students off guard. After all, IRAC is what you’ve been taught from the beginning. So why stop labeling it now?

Because at this stage, labeling IRAC does more harm than good.

Years ago, I heard a bar exam grader describe a labeled IRAC response like this: “It’s IRAC on training wheels.” That line stuck with me because it perfectly captures the issue. Training wheels are helpful when you’re learning. But by the time you sit for the bar exam, you are no longer learning how to ride. You are expected to ride smoothly, confidently, and without announcing every move.

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That is exactly what happens when you write “Issue,” “Rule,” “Analysis,” and “Conclusion” as headings in your essay. The structure is technically correct, but the delivery feels mechanical. It reads like a template instead of legal analysis. More importantly, it signals that you are still relying on the framework rather than fully internalizing it.

Bar graders aren't looking for labeled sections. They are looking for clear, organized, professional writing. They want to see that you can think like a lawyer and communicate like one. IRAC is still doing the work behind the scenes, but it should not be front and center on the page.

A better approach is to let your structure show through your writing and transitional words and phrases instead of your headings. Simple transitions do that naturally:

• “At issue is whether …” introduces the issue without calling attention to the format.

  
  

• “Under ... ” moves you into the rule (e.g., "Under the U.C.C.," "Under the rules of evidence," "Under tort law," etc.).

  
  

• “Here, …” signals the start of your analysis. (Want to use "In this case, ..."), that's fine, too. But why use three words when one will do?)

  
  

• "Therefore, ..." signals the concluding sentence that ties it all together.

The structure is still there. It just feels more natural and more professional.

This shift may seem small, but it changes how your writing is perceived. When you remove labels, your answer reads less like an exam response and more like something a practicing attorney would write. That matters because graders are not just checking boxes. They are forming impressions about your ability to analyze and communicate under pressure.

Think of IRAC like good officiating in a game. If you notice it, something probably went wrong. When it works well, it fades into the background and lets the substance take center stage.

That's your goal on the bar exam. Use IRAC, rely on it, but don't announce it. Let your organization speak for itself.

Because when a grader finishes your essay, you want them thinking your analysis was clear and professional, and not that you were still riding with training wheels.