I failed the bar exam, what now?

monali8 · 10-28-2007

I just failed the bar exam, and I really thought I did my best. I took BarBri, did all the assignment, and went to the simulation test...

I can't say that I did my absolute best, but I don't think I underperformed or anything like that, should I not try again b/c I will just fail again? If not, what can I do to pass? what can I do differently? If I shouldn't take the bar exam, then what should I do???
Category: Bar Exam - General

mgill · 10-28-2007

First of all, I would asess what you really want to do. If you want to be a lawyer, take it again! PLENTY of people fail the bar on the first try, and then go on to be VERY successful lawyers. So, first of all, decide if you want to take it again, which I suggest you do (law school was the hard part, right?)

Then, I would not take BarBri or Pmbr again (since you did it once, you won't gain any new information) Instead, I would change your study habits. You can do this by consulting with a one on one tutor. I"m not sure where you live, but my company has in person tutors in Massachusetts, New York and California, and we do distance tutoring for all other states. I'm also sure there are other one on one tutors in other states. An individual tutor can guide you in studying smarter, becuase even if you put in a lot of time, you might not have studied correctly. I know this sounds crazy, but you'd be amazed at the difference a study technique makes in your success.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Good Luck - and definitely keep trying!

norton11 · 11-02-2007

If you studied a lot and don't know what you did wrong, I would recommend that you get a tutor. A good tutor will be able to look at your essays and provide you with immediate feedback on what you are doing wrong. For some people, a review course is not enough. Good luck.

danillo · 05-22-2008

one persons story:

Quote:

First of all, if you're someone who failed the bar: I don't "know" any more than anyone else does how one should deal with this. My opinions are only my opinions; they are subjective, and they're based on someone other than me (my then wife) going through this ordeal, so take them for what they're worth. Having said that, let me summarize some of the lessons I learned through watching someone go through this:

1. You're not necessarily stupid or incompetent. Although my wife failed the bar, she was well-connected to the legal community (partly through me) and it was amazing to see how many well-respected lawyers came out of the woodwork (after swearing us to secrecy) to give her moral support by disclosing that they themselves had failed the bar decades earlier. Among these closet failees was a law firm partner, a superstar Ivy League senior associate at a big firm, a veteran division chief at the county prosecutor's office, and a well-respected trial judge who once worked at the state attorney general's office. Maybe you're not as well-connected, so you won't have the benefit of hearing such good and successful lawyers tell you that they failed too. You should know that they exist.

2. It's not the end of the world. This is of course the very opposite of what I said in my earlier post, where I talked about the horrible emotional consequences and significant financial costs of failing the bar. Okay, yes, it is a horrible experience that no one wants to go through and there's no sense in masking that. But as Exwife and I talked about many many times, how does it really fit into the Big Picture? So the commencement of your career will be delayed by 6 months. In your legal career, whether it endures for 50 years or 25 years or even 10 years, is 6 months that big of a deal? No. Failing the bar exam is simply a pain in the ass that will end relatively soon in the major scheme of things. It is nothing more than that simple sentence I've written. It will not end your career. It will not prevent you from becoming an awesome lawyer or judge if that is what you are in fact destined to become.

3. Life goes on. You survived 3 years of law school, maybe without any real income or very low income. Organizing your finances and figuring out what to do for the next 6 months without a full-time legal job is probably not as hard as you think it is. About 2 of those months will be occupied by your studies for the next exam, leaving you with 4 solid months to do whatever it is you need to do, whether it be taking a vacation and relaxing, or working to save money. In many ways those extra months can serve as a blessing in disguise to many of us.

And 4. There are many reasons why people fail the bar exam that are not purely connected to their intellectual abillities. Look, there certainly are many people who solidly fail the bar exam for good reasons. This post is not intended to be a politically correct sanitation of that cold, hard fact. You might've failed simply because you just don't "get it". But no one can generalize and say that is true about every person who fails, especially because I now know people whose failures were not caused by those reasons. Some of the other reasons people fail:

A. You're not a good test-taker and your level of stress affected your exam scores. Although you have to overcome this weakness in order to pass, it has no bearing on your intelligence whatsoever.

B. You didn't study hard enough. This isn't a blame-free reason for failure, but it's worth restating that it is not a product of intelligence but rather of effort.

C. You didn't study effectively. The blame for this could lie with you for not seeking proper guidance, or it could lie with your bar prep course if you paid them to prepare you and they did a lousy job. I won't delve into the bar prep course debate here but your bar prep choices are worth putting a lot of thought into for your 2nd attempt.

Failing the bar was tough for my exwife. It sucked, for 6 months of her life, until she took the exam a 2nd time. She easily passed and got a job offer from an employer who had been waiting in the wings to pick her up upon passage within a matter of days. Those 6 months are now nothing more than a bad memory for her.

Afterthought on 4/21/06: Some people, probably a small minority, choose not to pursue a traditional legal career after the aggravation of failing a bar exam. Responding to a private email asking about this subject, I found some interesting books on Amazon.com that may be of interest to some of my readers: (1) What Can You Do With a Law Degree?: A Lawyer's Guide to Career Alternatives Inside, Outside & Around the Law; (2) Nonlegal Careers for Lawyers, 4th Edition; and (3) What Can I Do with a Law Degree?. Good luck to all, and if anyone happens to read these books please let me know and I will be glad to post your review or comments for everyone else to read.

I've flip-flopped on whether to include or remove a paragraph in this post I'd written some time ago containing my opinion on whether or not people who fail the bar multiple times should consider a career change. One reader pointed out to me that my advice could give even someone who hasn't failed the bar yet unnecessary jitters. As someone who hasn't failed the bar myself, I felt a bit presumptuous in offering such advice at all, so I decided to remove the paragraph completely. Then, more recently, I received the following comment from an anonymous reader. In reading it I found his or her words more credible than mine and that he/she better articulates at least one point of view on this issue. So, rather than reintroducing my paragraph, I've decided to simply highlight what the reader had to say about it:

I don't think it's at all terrifying to think about leaving the legal field! Some people certainly are better off pursuing other career options with their JD rather than sitting for the bar over and over again. Some people really disliked law school, and have been utterly miserable while repeatedly trying to pass the bar exam. Personally, I slogged through both law school and the bar exam, thinking there would be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Well, turns out I could just leave the tunnel.

Or put another way, for me it was a godsend to read your blog and realize that I didn't HAVE to re-sit for the bar exam. There are other jobs out there where I am valued for my accomplishments - even (gasp!) without a bar license.

In law school I felt that passing the bar was the ONLY way to success- not true! I am so much happier just walking away from the bar exam, and I'm sure there are other people who will find peace going that route as well. Please remember that passing the bar isn't for everyone, and for some people, realizing there is another career path with their JD (other than as a licensed attorney) puts them in a whole new positive direction. I felt inspired by your "candid advice" and I'm sure there are others who are too.

cherrypie · 4 Weeks Ago

Does anyone know how to get a tutor in Ohio? I just found out that I failed the 2008 July Ohio Bar Exam and it is really getting to me. I studied very hard and worked at it everyday for 3 months and I still failed by 35 points (out of 600 possible points, needed 405 to pass). I do get nervous for exams and I have never been good at standardized tests, but I still don't understand how I could have failed by that much...any suggestions??????

kathee · 3 Weeks Ago

I failed the MA exam by 35 points myself. I feel the same way you do. I don't know what or how to study for the February exam. I've been looking for a tutor in MA, but would have to travel 1.5 hours to Boston. I'm looking for a tutor who can teach me how to take the test instead of teaching me the law. SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED!!!

Test Passer · 2 Weeks Ago

Yeah I passed!! What an experience to go through and never again. All those endless hours of studying paid off. I was just so glad when I came out of that test that my fiance was there to support me and help me through the recovery from the test. It was already over at that point, but that emotional support definately helped to forget taking the test. Now these last few months of worrying are over too!

Kathee what part did you have trouble on the essay or the multiple choice? The MC is just a matter of taking and retaking as many questions as possible. It gets to be like shooting a basketball soon you just get int he zone and see the patterns of how they ask the questions.

As far as taking the test vs learning the law. I would focus on the law part more than just how to take the test, you can do sample practice sessions for that.

10-28-2007	#1
monali8 New Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 53	I failed the bar exam, what now? I just failed the bar exam, and I really thought I did my best. I took BarBri, did all the assignment, and went to the simulation test... I can't say that I did my absolute best, but I don't think I underperformed or anything like that, should I not try again b/c I will just fail again? If not, what can I do to pass? what can I do differently? If I shouldn't take the bar exam, then what should I do??? Category: Bar Exam - General

10-28-2007	#2
mgill Law and Bar Exam tutor Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 50	Re: I failed the bar exam, what now? First of all, I would asess what you really want to do. If you want to be a lawyer, take it again! PLENTY of people fail the bar on the first try, and then go on to be VERY successful lawyers. So, first of all, decide if you want to take it again, which I suggest you do (law school was the hard part, right?) Then, I would not take BarBri or Pmbr again (since you did it once, you won't gain any new information) Instead, I would change your study habits. You can do this by consulting with a one on one tutor. I"m not sure where you live, but my company has in person tutors in Massachusetts, New York and California, and we do distance tutoring for all other states. I'm also sure there are other one on one tutors in other states. An individual tutor can guide you in studying smarter, becuase even if you put in a lot of time, you might not have studied correctly. I know this sounds crazy, but you'd be amazed at the difference a study technique makes in your success. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. Good Luck - and definitely keep trying!

11-02-2007	#3
norton11 New Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 5	Re: I failed the bar exam, what now? If you studied a lot and don't know what you did wrong, I would recommend that you get a tutor. A good tutor will be able to look at your essays and provide you with immediate feedback on what you are doing wrong. For some people, a review course is not enough. Good luck. Last edited by studyfor; 11-02-2007 at 06:10 PM.

4 Weeks Ago	#5
cherrypie New Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 1	Re: I failed the bar exam, what now? Does anyone know how to get a tutor in Ohio? I just found out that I failed the 2008 July Ohio Bar Exam and it is really getting to me. I studied very hard and worked at it everyday for 3 months and I still failed by 35 points (out of 600 possible points, needed 405 to pass). I do get nervous for exams and I have never been good at standardized tests, but I still don't understand how I could have failed by that much...any suggestions??????

3 Weeks Ago	#6
kathee New Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 2	Re: I failed the bar exam, what now? I failed the MA exam by 35 points myself. I feel the same way you do. I don't know what or how to study for the February exam. I've been looking for a tutor in MA, but would have to travel 1.5 hours to Boston. I'm looking for a tutor who can teach me how to take the test instead of teaching me the law. SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED!!!

2 Weeks Ago	#7
Test Passer New Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 5	Re: I failed the bar exam, what now? Yeah I passed!! What an experience to go through and never again. All those endless hours of studying paid off. I was just so glad when I came out of that test that my fiance was there to support me and help me through the recovery from the test. It was already over at that point, but that emotional support definately helped to forget taking the test. Now these last few months of worrying are over too! Kathee what part did you have trouble on the essay or the multiple choice? The MC is just a matter of taking and retaking as many questions as possible. It gets to be like shooting a basketball soon you just get int he zone and see the patterns of how they ask the questions. As far as taking the test vs learning the law. I would focus on the law part more than just how to take the test, you can do sample practice sessions for that.

Tools	Search
Show Printable Version Email this Question	Search: Advanced Search

Similar Threads
Question	Question Asker	Section	Answers	Last Post
Philippine Bar Exam Advice	real	Bar Exam	0	09-02-2008 03:30 AM
Tips for Studying for the Bar Exam	real	Bar Exam	1	06-28-2008 05:12 PM
How I passed the New York Bar Exam	danillo	Bar Exam	1	05-20-2008 04:01 PM
High Priced Bar Review Courses	imgood	Bar Exam	1	12-11-2007 07:51 PM
What You Need to Know About the 2009 Kansas Bar Exam	studyfor	Bar Exam	0	10-14-2007 12:55 AM

I failed the bar exam, what now?

I failed the bar exam, what now?

Similar Threads