P.A.S.S. The Bar Exam

Failed the bar --PASS July 2010!!!

Results were posted this weekend, and, with the overall pass rates what they were, unfortunately, there are many trying to figure out what to do now to turn things around.  Some thoughts: 

1) Accept but do not absorb the shock.  What I mean is do not let this be a referendum on what you believe about yourself or your ability to pass next time.   Take the break you need to be angry, frustrated, scared --whatever it is you feel.  Then, as the expression goes, get back on the horse and ride on to success next time around.

2) Analyze your scores.  And, when you get your exams, determine why you did not pass and what to correct for success next time.  If you need help doing this analysis, hire a reliable bar review expert to help you make that assessment.  (Get an Individual Review of your Bar Exam that details where each of your answers fell short and what you need to improve to PASS.  http://www.passlaw.com/packages.htm)

3) Get on an effective study plan.  Figure out which parts of your study schedule last time worked, and which didn't.  Be honest with yourself.  There is no point in doing otherwise. 

Did you put in so many hours that you were no longer effectively studying but day-dreaming, falling asleep,  or just tuning out as you read?  Were there areas of law you just didn't get but spent time hoping they wouldn't be on the exam?  Did you skip the practice writing, or skimp on it (outline but not write exams in full)?  And, if you did do practice questions (essays, PTs and MBEs), did you analyze the model and explanatory answers?) If not, you did not maximize the opportunity to perfect your skills from practice --you went through the motions but didn't realize the benefits.

Whatever you did, now is the time to face up and make the necessary changes.  Figure out what you need to do for success:

   *You CAN understand the major rules and theories. (Your got through law school, right?!!)  But maybe you need a different approach or a different professor to explain things.  Try a new bar review this time. 

   *Maybe you were tired when bar review classes were held, or you were distracted by others in the classroom if you took a live class.  Maybe you need essay and PT workshops that are recorded or on-line so you can listen again if you didn't get something the first time. 

   *Maybe you need to do some serious practice writing and submit your answers for real critique --not just a number grade at the top of the page --but actual comments that tell you where and how to improve. 

   *Maybe you need your own Bar Coach --someone to help you --not in a room of hundreds of other applicants but someone who will guide you to the success you know is within your reach.  http://www.californiabarcoach.com

Whatever you decide, believe you can do it this time.  Reach out, and make the effective changes that will take you to success next time.  From the pass rate alone, you know that many (more than 60% of those who took the exam last time) did not pass.  If that's you or someone you know, please remember you are not alone, and this is NOT a reflection on your ability to PASS next time around.  Take as much of the week as you need to regroup... but as soon as possible, reach out to reliable people who can help you turn it around.  Get a new game plan.  And do it! 

Just do it.  Get ready to PASS the July 2010 Bar Exam!!!

Failed the Bar? Start figuring out why, and plan to PASS this JULY!

Are any one of these you????

1.  You were not worried enough.

You got by in law school —maybe not the top 10%— but you passed all your classes, so you thought you would knock it out on the bar exam.  You thought, "It can't be that tough.”  But it was. 

The bar exam is a whole different ball game, physically and mentally.  First off, it is two or three full days.  It's exhausting.  And, it covers a ton of material.  And, all the bar applicants taking the exam are stressed out.

So, you need to re-take the July Bar Exam, get on a study schedule now.  If you can, take off time from work to study, so you can give the next two months total concentration.  

2.  You were too worried.

You were filled with so much anxiety that you could not relax enough to learn the material.  You couldn't absorb the rules because you were completely stressed out.  This time, plan to sleep more, take more breaks, and do more physical exercise.  (You cannot study effectively for 20 hours a day, and you don’t need to in order to pass.  Just be diligent, disciplined and give it a good 6-10 hour day.  Remember: slow and steady won the race.)

3. You did not really learn the law. 

You memorized rules but didn't understand them and therefore did not know how to effectively apply them under the time pressure.  Get that, accept it, and hit the books.  You WILL learn the rules this time.

4.  You were "The Dreamer."

You went beyond the scope of the fact patterns.  You read into things.  You assumed facts not in evidence. 

The graders want you to answer the questions asked, and use the facts given.  So, next time, read slowly and carefully.  Stay away from "what ifs."  And, analyze the facts they give you.

5.  You have weak reading comprehension skills.

You really don’t understand what you are reading.  Either you are nervous, trying to read too fast, or you have not trained your reading skills thoroughly enough.  The Bar Exam, like all standardized tests, is largely a test of reading comprehension.  Your reading must be in top shape to pass.

Do lots of practice tests and study the model answers.  Figure out what you did wrong.  Re-read instructions.  Also, if you want a good exercise:  try reading and summarizing in one to three sentences, all the articles in the opinion section of the newspaper each day —this will train your skills and keep you informed at the same time!


6.  You are a Practicing Attorney in Another Jurisdiction.       

You are licensed to practice in another state, and trying to get licensed in a new state.  You may have been practicing for years.  But, for some reason, you just can’t seem to pass this Bar.

You may even be angry at having to take the Exam in the first place.  You are an attorney, after all.  You are licensed.  You have done your time.  You shouldn’t be asked to have to take another test.  It’s been a while since you were a student and you resent this imposition.

You are also knowledgeable in the real world.  You might know too much.  You think of too many practical issues.  Try pretending you are back in school.  Think BIG issues, and write a complete analysis for every question.  This is not shorthand to help you resolve a client’s problem.  This is long hand. Give a complete analysis to prove your skills for the grader.  “Show the math.”

Also, lay off the jargon unless terms are used in the problem.  Don’t use flashy terms to impress the grader; you won’t.  Don’t use “heretofore,” “the party of the first part” “said party” or “said issue.”  Just write out an IRAC (issue, rule, analysis, conclusion) in short but complete plain English sentences.


7.  You write/type illegibly.

If the graders can’t read what you wrote, they won’t.  They will not assume you wrote the right things.  They will not give you the benefit of the doubt.  Make your presentation easy to read!


8.  You don’t manage time well enough.

You didn’t bring a clock with you to the Exam, or you didn’t look at the clock you had.  Either way, time ran away without you.  You were caught with moments to go and unanswered or barely answered questions.  Even one question left unanswered is enough to fail you —especially if it’s a performance test question that is worth a big percentage of your total grade.  Practice, practice a lot, and under timed conditions, with a big, easy-to-read clock.

9.  You are not ready to or don't want to "be" a lawyer.

Maybe you went straight from college to law school, and are still a little overwhelmed.  Maybe you know too many lawyers who hate their jobs.  Get all that out of your head. PASS the exam, then decide what to do about it.  One step at a time.  
                           

10.  You were simply unlucky.

Some people do just have a bad day or bad luck. Let July be your LUCKY exam!

IF ANY ONE OF THESE TEN ARE YOU, MAKE THE NECESSARY CHANGES, CLIMB BACK ON THE SADDLE, AND GET GOING.  YOU HAVE A BAR EXAM TO PASS THIS JULY!!!!

Failed the Bar --it's not the end of the world. Plan to PASS in July!

On May 25, 2004, an article we wrote was published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal.  The title was, "Failing the Bar Exam Is Not the End of the World."  It began with the following question and answer....
   
       
Q: I just found out that I failed the Bar Exam. I am devastated. Was all that work for nothing?
    
A: You are not alone, and your sense of frustration is completely understandable. You worked hard in law school. You prepared hard for this exam, maybe harder than on anything else in your life. But do not despair. There are advantages you have as a repeat taker:
       
• Your effort is not all for nothing. The harder you worked before, the easier it should be to pass the next time you take the exam. While you may feel that you forgot some (or even many) of the rules, you did not forget what you learned but merely what you memorized.
       
• You likely won't be as nervous as students going in for the first time. You know what to expect. "Been there, done that." Use your relative comfort level as an edge and try to remember just how worried everyone around you really is. Stay calm and focused. You want this, and you can do it.
       
• You can make a thoughtful plan as to how to improve. You will have raw data - the scores from your past exam(s) to tell you what you have to work on. Aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you can tailor your studies for success. So, get going. Go out and pass this next Bar Exam.
 

Failed the Bar --how to cope

You did not pass the February bar and are facing this crazy reality that you have to retake the exam.  How to cope.

If you are feeling sad, angry, frustrated, defeated, bitter, and beyond, you are not alone.  Get it out this weekend.  Get it all out.  Do whatever you need to do to.  Then, you will get up, brush yourself off, and get ready to pass this July's bar exam, using the past experience as a learning tool.

Allow yourself this weekend and coming week to acknowledge sadness and frustration and whatever else you feel.  Then, like the stages one moves through in grieving (but faster), you move on to a place where you can turn the emotions into determination to pass the bar exam this July. 

Failing the bar exam is a mere bump in the road to success.  Make it a smaller and smaller bump each day by working toward becoming stronger and more prepared each day to pass next Exam.  You are still on that  road of accomplishment, the road to great success, that you set out on by going to law school in the first place.  No one and nothing can take that away from you.  Decide today, that you will move forward, perhaps as even a wiser and stronger and more prepared person than you have ever been!

And, don't forget to reach out --to friends, family, and reliable academics who can help you.  Above all, remember, this is not defeat.  This is a mere bump, a blip, and you are still on the great road to success!!!

Failed the Bar? --Move on through the "failure" to success this JULY!

"Don't be afraid to fail. Don't waste energy trying to cover up failure. Learn from your failures and go on to the next challenge. It's OK to fail. If you're not failing, you're not growing."

--H. Stanley Judd

Bar Exam

Failing the Bar Exam Is Not the End of the World

Excerpt below from Daily Journal  (May 25, 2004)

PASS faculty offering answers to some frequently asked questions about law school and the State Bar Exam...

Q: I just found out that I failed the Bar Exam. I am devastated. Was all that work for nothing?

A: You are not alone, and your sense of frustration is completely understandable. You worked hard in law school. You prepared hard for this exam, maybe harder than on anything else in your life. But do not despair. There are advantages you have as a repeat taker:

• Your effort is not all for nothing. The harder you worked before, the easier it should be to pass the next time you take the exam. While you may feel that you forgot some (or even many) of the rules, you did not forget what you learned but merely what you memorized.

• You likely won't be as nervous as students going in for the first time. You know what to expect. "Been there, done that." Use your relative comfort level as an edge and try to remember just how worried everyone around you really is. Stay calm and focused. You want this, and you can do it.

• You can make a thoughtful plan as to how to improve. You will have raw data - the scores from your past exam(s) to tell you what you have to work on. Aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you can tailor your studies for success. So, get going. Go out and pass this next Bar Exam.

PASS Bar Review: www.passlaw.com
Email:  info@passlaw.com
PASS Bar Tutoring: californiabarcoach.com

Bar Results Friday

If someone you know gets results he or she does not want to hear this Friday, give that person some good advice: 

    You can PASS this July *if* you figure out what you did that must change,

    Figure out how exactly to change your approach this time, and

    Believe you can do it!

---------------------------------------------------

PASS bar review:  www.passlaw.com

Email:  info@passlaw.com

PASS Bar Tutoring:   californiabarcoach.com

The pass rate is WHAT ?????

"With its extraordinary failure rate, candidates expect to take the final test several times. When  ____   sits for the February exam, it will be his sixth attempt.   _______   passed on his fourth try." {edited from L.A. Times, Dec. 12, 2007 at F.1.*}

Bar Exam pass rates sounds harsh?  Check out the sommelier exam!

*Full text at

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-sommeliers12dec12,0,7874887.story?coll=la-home-middleright

Have you done your daily practice exams??

Remember to brush your teeth?  Then you can remember to do your daily MBEs ---if you are taking the February Bar to PASS it!

Enroll today at www.passlaw.com/register.htm.  For information email info@passlaw.com or call (310) 288-4374.  Sign up now for intensive essay writing and performance test training programs to PASS the February Bar Exam.  For our bar coach program, visit www.californiabarcoach.com/

Onions, Peppers, AND Celery

When you watch Emeril cook, he often uses three vegetables together for flavoring --he refers to them as the trinity --onions, peppers and garlic.  You might think about the bar exam in a similar fashion.  It's about the Essays, MBEs AND PTs.  All three parts are essential. 

It can be hard, after failing the bar exam, to know if one should re-take a full service bar review and re-focus efforts on all three portions of the exam (and all of the substantive subjects tested on the bar) or whether to focus in on those areas that were weakest on the last exam.

While it makes sense to strengthen weaker areas, the key is to do that without diluting the successes you had last time around.  You don't want to be the student, for example, who on her first bar exam did well on the MBEs but failed because of the PTs, then trains the second time on PT skills, neglecting MBEs, only to find she fails a second time because of low MBEs. 

If you prepare a stew or soup with too many onions, you don't omit the onions next time around, you simply use fewer onions ---or, perhaps, (for balance), the same amount of onions but more peppers and celery. 

Another analogy is keeping a healthy body --it's done by focus on diet, exercise, AND rest.  All the exercise in the world won't help if you feed your body poorly, or are too tired to function well. 

Three can be a powerful number --in cooking, health and on the Bar Exam.  Success on the Bar Exam requires success in all three portions --the MBE, Essays and PT.  So, if you failed the bar because of one of those areas last time --this next time, work to train all three skills areas with a bit of extra help in the weaker areas but all the while maintaining the strengths you came in with!  Don't skip the PTs, Essays, OR MBEs, and don't skip the onions!