Retaking the New York Bar Exam: What to Do (and What Not to Do)

Retaking the New York Bar Exam: What to Do (and What Not to Do)

If you find yourself in the position of retaking the New York Bar Exam, you are not the only one! It is a terrible feeling to fail the bar exam but it does get better. And you can pass the bar exam the next time! Here, we give you some tips on what to do (and not to do) if you plan on retaking the New York Bar Exam. 

Retaking the New York Bar Exam: What to Do (and What Not to Do)

First, take some time to process it. 

Failing the bar exam is not fun. You probably feel a mixture of emotions – sadness, anger, regret, disappointment. Many bar exam takers feel isolated and embarrassed. While this is very normal, it is still an awful feeling. And it may be very unfamiliar if you are used to succeeding.

If you want to move on from failing the New York bar exam, give yourself time to process these emotions. In other words, don’t start studying the day you find out you failed!  Students who do this often end up burning out or not studying efficiently.

Instead, take a few days off and come up with a game plan. Your studying will be much more productive that way.

Second, dissect your score report.

If you find yourself retaking the New York Bar Exam, the good news is you have invaluable information right at your fingertips. Your score report can reveal a lot about what you are doing well and what you need to work on. It is tempting to just barely glance at your score report. Or to just look at your overall score rather than truly dissecting your score report. But examining it closely will help you come up with a productive and effective game plan.

Here are just a few things that your New York Bar Exam score report can tell you:

• How you did on each individual MEE (this number will be a 20-80 for each MEE. A 50 or above is passing)
• How you scored on each individual MPT (this number will be a 20-80 for each MPT. A 50 or above is passing)
• How you scored on the written portion (if you are above a 133, it is passing, below that is not passing)
• How you scored on the MBE portion (A 133 is considered a passing score)
• How you scored in each MBE subject in relation to others (a percentile number is used)
• Your total score

Read more about how to dissect your New York Bar Exam score report here.

Third, request your essays.

New York allows you to request your essay answers and performance test answers. You may not feel like reading them right away, but you should request them right away so that you don’t forget to do it later and so you don’t run out of time. Once you feel up to it, you should plan on looking them over or having someone you trust look them over.

Sometimes students are surprised to see how little they wrote for an essay. Or that their structure needs work. Or that they struggled with timing more than they thought.

It is hard to remember the bar exam essay day but your actual written answers can reveal a lot about what you did well and what you still need to work on. So even if you are not inclined to read them right away, still request them!

Fourth, come up with a game plan!

You don’t want to simply repeat the exact same thing you did last time. You want to be wise about how you study for the New York Bar Exam. So come up with a game plan to address your weaknesses and capitalize on your strengths.

We recommend you set aside time to look at your score report, reflect on your study habits, and come up with some ideas for how you can succeed moving forward. It is often helpful to come up with this game plan in the morning, when you may be thinking clearly. We recommend going to a coffee shop (or at least sitting in a comfortable environment away from distractions). Some students also find it helpful to turn off their laptops and phones and simply look at their score report, their essays, and how they studied last time to figure out what they need to do differently.

If you are really not sure how to begin coming up with a game plan or if you feel overwhelmed at the thought of dissecting your score report or studying for the next bar exam, please feel free to contact us. We are happy to help you.

Fifth, consider some different options. 

Don’t rewatch your commercial course lectures or use the same study techniques you used last time. If you were not successful the first time, don’t expect to do the same thing and be successful on your next attempt. Furthermore, if you simply do the same thing again, you will probably burn out quickly and find yourself going through the motions rather than really learning anything new.

So instead of going through the same motions, ask what you can do differently.

You may want to check out our Uniform Bar Exam full-service course or our MBE course. We specialize in helping repeat takers pass the bar exam. Our programs are very different than commercial courses. Additional options are listed below.

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