Whether you passed or failed the last bar exam, this Thursday, November is and should be a day off! Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks, to enjoy turkey and stuffing and the like with family and friends. I hope you can do that fully and completely, relaxing and enjoying, and putting aside for just one day, the work to come.
The rest of this week and Thanksgiving weekend? That’s different. If you failed the July bar exam, now should be a time to delve into you and your new study plan, one you create this week. And, the coming months will be your time to hit the library or your own desk, if that's a productive place to be, and to work and work well!! You will need to study smart and use effective strategies. You must prioritize your health and well-being, and your readiness to PASS the bar exam, as number one. Protect your time. You need to study each and every day. And, you must calendar lots of time to complete practice tests.
Your scores have likely arrived, and many of you know some of what you did that you should not have. Did you get distracted with personal issues, spend time in chat rooms, did you worry too much? Make the plans now to focus entirely on studies.
Now is the time to make changes.
You also should know what you didn’t do that you should have. Did you complete practice questions under timed conditions? Did you do all three types of questions as part of your disciplined daily study routine: PTS, Essays, and MCQs? Did you follow your bar review course schedule?
Get your study plan in place. Know what you will be doing and when, every day, between now and February. And, commit to following your plan.
When you get your scores, you can see where you fell short --perhaps with the help of a bar review professor.
Was it just that you were weak on the substantive law? All subjects or certain subjects? Were you weak on one type of testing? (Did you pass the MBE but fall short on the written portion?) Did you do better on days 2 and 3 than on day 1? What happened, and what must be done now to get on target. What can you learn from the past experience to allow you to do what needs to be done this time around for success?
Do you need a different bar review course? Do you need the same review course, but this time to actually do the work that you skipped thinking it wasn't necessary last time? Or perhaps thinking you could pass anyway, by winging it… (Fess up. If this is you, admit that to yourself and make the changes now to correct the patterns and PASS this February!!!)
Were you weak on essay and/or performance test writing? Do you need a supplemental writing course?
Were you weak on MBEs? Do you need an intensive MBE review?
Were you healthy and strong enough to focus for the entire exam? Or, did you get yourself so worked up and stressed out that you were too tired to read the fact patterns critically? Was there some other issue that got in your way??
These are among the many questions you must yourself this week as you develop your plan for success this February. Remember, though, do give yourself a bit more time to absorb the shock, and get back on track. Take Thanksgiving off. But the rest of this week and weekend, begin the process of turning things around.
Plant these words in your mind:
These bar exam results are learning tools. They are my keys to future success. I am not a failure. I have never been; I never will be. I am an achiever. I am a success story. I am always learning, always growing, and I am ready to move forward. I will try my hardest. I will commit myself to success. I will move forward, armed with the knowledge of how to do better, and I will do just that. I will pass the February bar exam.
Say them aloud. Believe them. And, get to work. You CAN do it!!!!
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