Multistate Bar Examination Practice Question

The rules of evidence require that a witness may testify only about matters directly perceived through their own senses. Because the bystander did not see the crash itself, they lack the firsthand knowledge needed to describe how the accident happened. Although their later observations (such as the positions of the vehicles after the collision) could be admissible, those do not establish personal knowledge of the crash event. Testimony based on speculation, inference, or second-hand information violates the personal-knowledge requirement. Hearsay and relevance are not the primary issues here, because the objection concerns the bystander's capacity to testify from firsthand perception, not an out-of-court statement or overall relevance.