I scored low on the MEE (Multsitate Essay Exam). What should I do? We hear this question a lot! Some students are very surprised when they get their Multistate Essay Exam scores back. They say “I expected to score low on the MBE — but not the MEE!” If you did not pass the bar exam, then it is crucial to figure out what went wrong. Why did you score low? How can you make sure you improve this score? Read more
Should I start studying for the bar exam early?: Many students worry about when they start their bar prep. Typically, most students for the July bar will start in May, and for the February bar exam, they will start in December. For some, though, bar exam prep needs to start earlier, for a variety of reasons. In our experience, the people who need to start their bar prep early are those who:
What to Do When you’ve Failed the Bar Exam: Five Fears and How to Conquer Them. Failing the bar exam is not only aggravating, disappointing, stressful, and a number of other emotions all at once, it also quickly breeds fears. These fears can be fears about the future — both immediate and distant. Fears about what other think. And fears that you will never feel better. In this post we talk about five common bar exam failure fears and how to conquer them. Conquering these fears is the first step. So if you are wondering what to do when you’ve failed the bar exam, or where to begin — recognizing and getting over these fears is a necessary first step. Read more
My Significant Other Failed the Bar Exam! What Should I Do?Your significant other failed the bar exam. There might not be a more helpless feeling in the world. What do you do for someone who has to put up with such disappointment? Here are some steps forward!
How to Pass the Bar Exam the Second Time Around–5 Things to do Differently: If you were like a lot of people on your first time taking the bar exam, you took Barbri, or Kaplan, or some commercial course. You probably spent a lot of time watching lectures and feeling like a stenographer mindlessly filling in lecture blanks. Then you probably spent a lot of time doing “AMPS” or doing whatever work your course assigned you, or feeling guilty about not completing it, or constantly comparing yourself with your friends to make sure they didn’t complete the assignments either. You may have also spent a lot of time telling yourself “I am putting in so many hours, I have to pass.” Or “If so-and-so passed, I can pass.” Or, “My course says that if I do whatever they say, I will pass.” Read more
A lot of students who fail the bar exam struggle to figure out the best approach for the next round. We find that for most re-takers it is not helpful to re-watch bar exam lectures. Actually, only about 10% of repeat takers find re-watching bar exam lectures helpful. That means 90% of repeat takers do not. A small handful of people might opt to re-watch a lecture they completely missed or one that was particularly helpful. But the general answer to this question is: do not plan on re-watching all of your BarBri or Kaplan lectures if you fail the bar exam. Read more
So your worst nightmare has come true: after three years of law school, and countless hours of studying, you have failed the bar exam. All the hard work seems for nought. Further, you were fortunate enough to have found a position in a saturated job market. You have just started your career, and now have to deal with the embarrassment of telling your boss you failed the bar exam. What do you do? In this post, we outline how, exactly, to tell your boss you failed the bar exam. Read more
I Failed the Bar Exam! What Should I Do?Results for some states are coming out soon! You may be reading this because you failed the bar exam. Or, because you are worried you failed the bar exam.
We have helped hundreds of students who have failed the bar exam overcome it and be better people and attorneys for it! So, if you failed the bar exam, and are wondering what to do next, here is a detailed, step-by-step guide. Read more
I Failed the Bar Exam Twice (or Three Times or Four Times) If you failed the bar exam twice, three times, four times, or more, believe me, you are not alone! Many students fail the bar exam once then think “I just need more time to study” and then fail it again. Or they work […]
Feeling Lonely, Suicidal, or Depressed during Bar Prep? Yesterday, I was on the phone for over an hour with a student who was feeling completely burdened by anxiety, depression, and loneliness during bar exam preparation. She felt lonely because she was a repeat taker. She did not tell any of her friends that she failed. She was also self-studying using an online commercial course, so did not interact with other bar takers. She felt anxious since she had taken the Michigan bar exam twice before and did not pass. She felt depressed, wondering what she would do if she didn’t pass this time, what she would do if she did pass, and if the fact that she took it more than once would be a permanent blemish on her record. Read more
Failing the bar exam is not in my budget.
Having to re-take the bar exam in February (and get results next May – almost a year from now!) is not in my budget.
Taking another three months off of work to study is not in my budget. Read more
Advice for Parents of Students who Fail the Bar Exam
If you are a parent and your child failed the bar exam, it can be hard to know what to do or what to say. We have talked to several parents of students who fail the bar exam. We have also talked to several students about what they find (and don’t find!) helpful. Here is some time-tested advice. Read more
Top Five Most Annoying Things People Say to Bar Exam Takers
Anyone who has studied for the bar exam can relate to how annoying it is to hear any of these five things. We hear students complain about these statements all the time. So we took the liberty of compiling them into a list. Read more
Failing the bar exam is a terrible feeling. It is hard to recover at first. However, once you have a plan, you will feel better! (Read this Note to those who Failed the Bar Exam if you haven’t already!)
One thing that students tend to do after they find out they failed the bar exam is to cling to just one reason that they failed. “I need to practice more MBEs!” they’ll say. And they’ll make that their focus. Their only focus. Soon, they’ll find their knowledge of the substantive law is fading, their essay score is sliding, and they still don’t get the score they need to pass! Read more
If you failed the bar exam, you are definitely not alone!
Remember that even if you think “all of my classmates passed” — they didn’t! Many state bar exam passage rates are low and getting lower. Further, nobody advertises on Facebook when they fail the bar exam (they only advertise passing the bar exam!). Please keep in mind that you are not alone!
Also remember that even if you failed the bar exam, it does not mean you cannot pass it in the future and become a lawyer. We know that taking the bar exam again is probably the last thing you want to do now. But if you come up with a plan, it will be much more bearable! Read more
