Who Did “Houdini” Better, and What It Has to Do with Bar Prep

In the span of less than six month, both Dua Lipa and Eminem separately released lead singles with the same name, “Houdini.”

Eminem's "Houdini" brings sharp wit and complex storytelling, whereas Dua Lipa's "Houdini" offers catchy rhythms and a danceable vibe. Both songs are excellent, yet distinct.

Dua Lipa’s version from her new album, “Radical Optimism,” topped at No. 11 on the Billboard 100 in November 2023. Eminem’s take reached No. 2 when it debuted at the end of May. His twelfth album, "The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce),” is expected to be released later this summer.

Just as Dua Lipa and Eminem took the same theme of the legendary escape artist and spun it into completely different musical experiences, you can look at different sample answers to assist with your bar preparation.

State boards of law examiners, like Minnesota, New York, and Ohio, provide sample responses to the same released questions. These samples, while addressing the same questions, showcase different approaches and styles. Some might be more straightforward, others more nuanced, detailed, and highly edited. Similarly, commercial bar prep providers, like BARBRI and Themis, offer their own model responses. These too, while crafted to the same questions, often showcase distinct approaches, sometimes more polished and organized.

By studying these different responses, you can appreciate the diversity in solidly written responses and perhaps, like a mashup of two contrasting songs, blend the strengths of each to enhance your own style (much like this mashup of the two "Houdini" tracks by DasonRZ).

Encourage yourself to read different sample responses, not just to replicate them, but to inspire your understanding and incorporate bits and pieces of each to develop a method that works uniquely for you. Think of it like creating your own "mashup" that could resonate well with the bar examiners.

So, let the question of who did "Houdini" better lead you to a deeper understanding of how diverse approaches can enrich your bar prep. Dive into the different released answers like a fan analyzes their favorite tracks—learn, adapt, and find your style to craft solid bar exam responses with your unique perspective.

Here are some state boards of law examiners that post representative good responses:

California (non-Uniform Bar Exam)

Colorado (Uniform Bar Exam)

Minnesota (Uniform Bar Exam)

New York (Uniform Bar Exam)

Ohio (Uniform Bar Exam)

Texas (Uniform Bar Exam)