Thread: Can I study with old barbri / pmbr materials??

Wow! This was so inspirational to me! I thought I was out here all on my own in this regard and now see that people like me are passing. I started law school in Ohio in 1993. The Friday of Labor Day weekend of my second year, I fell down a flight of stairs, broke both of my legs, and had to drop out of school. I went back in January 1997, graduated in December 1998, and moved to Washington, DC. I decided to take the bar in February 2000, but my apartment burned down over Christmas 1999 and my cat died while I was taking the exam. I didn't take a review course and didn't pass. It was the first thing I had ever failed and didn't know how to overcome that feeling of utter disappointment or exorbitant debt. One morning a year later, I was walking into a DC metro station thinking about how to get ready to study again for the bar. Ten minutes later, I was fleeing the Pentagon Metro station -- it was 9/11 and the plane had just hit. Needless to say, I became preoccupied and my plans to retake the bar were waylaid. I have just started a new job as a secretary for an appraisal company and was told today that passing the bar would help a lot with my job aspirations. So today I am getting ready to start thinking about it again.

I have to say that I am terrified. Every time that I have tried to pursue this direction, something catastrophic has happened to keep me from going after it. On top of that, how does someone with a secretarial job afford to even try to take the bar review course when already paying for loans? And I've been out of school for over 10 years with never having had a chance to clerk. I have so many doubts. Often, they are overwhelming.

But I came on here, found this site, and I have hope, real hope, for the first time in a very long time. It's awesome to realize other people in my situation really are out there. It makes me feel like just maybe I can do it too. Maybe it's time. And maybe nothing catastrophic will happen this time. Hopefully.

wow! what a story. Just make sure you the materials you use are current. Most subject don't change, but some jx add subjects. ie CA jsut added cali evidence, civ pro, and AP. It's safe to assume as long as you are within a few years you'll be okay. Check Ebay for used sets they can be had for a quarter of the price of a bar review.

Every now and then I check in to this blog and find it absolutely enlightening that everyone is soo supportive of each other and the endeavours of taking the bar exam. Just to share, I graduated in 2007 and failed the bar 3x (wow, never thought I'd say that out loud). Although I had a supportive spouse, we also had 2 children, mortgage, and an ailing family member who became very dependent on me as if they were my own child. I felt defeated, exhuasted, and was not interested in taking the bar ever again - I questioned my goals, my own tenacity and patience, and swore I'd never put myself through another bar exam. But just like the others on this blog, I did not feel satisfied and although I have a JD it didn't/doesnt serve me any purpose unless I passed the bar. I felt soo beaten up. 2 years later and after I got over this phase, I decided to try and tackle this beast one more time. I looked around and had many phone conversations with a variety of tutors all of which were way beyond my finances and a schedule that was next to impossible given my family's needs. I decided to use the books from 2007 both Barbri and PMBR and read up on the old exams posted on Calbar and found resources on Amazon and craigslist. I listened to CDs and created new outlines to help me with getting the enormous amount of law material to stick...this was, to say the least, the most daunting part of studying for the bar. As for a scheudule, I reviewed when my kids were at school and after they went to bed until my eyes couldn't stay open anymore usually around 1 or 2am and I stuck to this crazy routine for 5 months. Well, in the end, I sat for the February 2010 bar exam and I can just say that after all that I'm glad I did it. I feel good about it but then I have moments where I think "no way" but who knows - I'm enjoying this ride for now. In the end, the bar exam will always be there if any repeater decides to sit for it and for me, this time was the 4x, and I'm just happy I had enough in me to dig deep and do it again....and now, I wait... good luck to everyone who is preparing or planning to study for the bar! And just want to say if I can do this thing then all of you can do it too!! all the best!

I too have a son who is just two years old and I failed the BAR, having graduated in 2001. I am planning to re-take the exam in 2012 or February 2013. I admire you who have accomplished a balance between kids and studying, despite having failed at least once. Very inspiring.