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Posted on - 1 Comment on UK Attorney Got Food Poisoning and Passed the California Bar Exam on His First Try Anyway

UK Attorney Got Food Poisoning and Passed the California Bar Exam on His First Try Anyway

Things were NOT looking good for Mustafa on the day of the bar exam…

💬 “I felt nauseated and weak and it turned out my wife and I had both had some questionable food the day before lol. . . . The morning of the exam, I felt weak, sick, and disoriented but, honestly, it made me feel like I just have to push and do whatever I can now.”

But Mustafa passed the July 2026 California Bar Exam even under unideal conditions.

💬 “I passed the 2026 California Bar exam as a first-time test taker, a foreign attorney (I obtained my LL.B. from the UK and completed an LL.M. in the US), and getting food poisoning the day before the exam!”

There are so many things that could go wrong during the exam that I’m not sure there is such a thing as ideal conditions.

What do I always say? The whole week is the exam. You may have to adapt and navigate in real time as they come up. The more prepared you are, the more equipped you are to handle contingencies.

As a foreign-trained UK attorney who had just finished his LL.M., Mustafa went into bar prep the classic way.

💬 “I think by 23rd or 25th May, I had somewhat started fiddling around with Barbri’s content and skimmed random parts of their massive Outline book.”

💬 “During my two months of prep, I was sure I wouldn’t pass and I continuously felt like I had no idea what I was doing.”

Starting with a big course all excited and ultimately resorting to alternate resources and methods is also a classic in bar prep. Why can’t we just go straight to what works for us?

Let’s learn how Mustafa pivoted from relying solely on Barbri to doing what he needed to learn and pass the hardest bar exam on his first try.

Continue reading “UK Attorney Got Food Poisoning and Passed the California Bar Exam on His First Try Anyway”
Posted on - 1 Comment on How Should You Prioritize Each Section of the Bar Exam? (When Studying for California, Legacy UBE, and NextGen UBE)

How Should You Prioritize Each Section of the Bar Exam? (When Studying for California, Legacy UBE, and NextGen UBE)

There are a LOT of things to study for the bar exam. But they’re NOT all equally important.

With limited time to prepare, you want to focus your efforts where they’ll make the biggest difference to your score.

NO I DON’T MEAN SCAVENGING FOR PREDICTIONS 4 MONTHS BEFORE THE EXAM

So which portions of the bar exam should you prioritize?

Here’s how I’d rank them for the California Bar Exam, the legacy Uniform Bar Exam (UBE), and the NextGen UBE.

Continue reading “How Should You Prioritize Each Section of the Bar Exam? (When Studying for California, Legacy UBE, and NextGen UBE)”
Posted on - 1 Comment on Reviewing July 2026 Bar Exam Score Reports (California, Legacy UBE, NextGen UBE)

Reviewing July 2026 Bar Exam Score Reports (California, Legacy UBE, NextGen UBE)

Ever wonder where everything went downhill in your life?

I can point to the exact years and decision points where things went wrong in mine. I can never go back…

But fortunately, if you have a score report from your previous attempt(s) at the bar exam, you can figure out the truth. And once you know the truth, you can do something about it.

There’s information in score reports that reveals where things went right and where things went wrong. You can use this information to hold onto that grip over your future.

I’ll go over two score reports from California takers, two from UBE takers, and one from a NextGen UBE taker. I’ll take you through how to think about the numbers and next steps to consider.

  • CA score report 1: 1335, high written, low MBE
  • CA score report 2: 1330, low written, high MBE
  • UBE score report 1: 256 Illinois, high written, low MBE
  • UBE score report 2: 258 New York, low written, decent MBE
  • NextGen score report: 600 Maryland

These reviews will be especially valuable to retakers, but anyone can take away insights about where to put their efforts. I encourage you to read the comments for every score report even if it’s not for your jurisdiction. Maybe you’ll get some ideas for your own preparation.

Continue reading “Reviewing July 2026 Bar Exam Score Reports (California, Legacy UBE, NextGen UBE)”
Posted on - 5 Comments on Redditor Goes from “Negative, Anxious, and Depressed” to Passing the Bar on 3rd Try

Redditor Goes from “Negative, Anxious, and Depressed” to Passing the Bar on 3rd Try

A Redditor (who wants to be anonymous) passed the California Bar Exam on her 3rd try.

She was going through a difficult period in her life where people around her were passing away, and she had no money or job.

On top of that, she was being dragged down by her own negative thoughts about herself and from the past.

No wonder. We’re driven by our hearts. You know how difficult it is to focus when you’re heartbroken. 

But she reframed obstacles and overcame her self-doubt. And with a proper approach to learning and retaining—and conquering her mental and emotional blocks—she finally blew the exam out of the water!

Despite her anonymity, she sent me a juicy story 🙏🏻 So let’s get right into it.

Continue reading “Redditor Goes from “Negative, Anxious, and Depressed” to Passing the Bar on 3rd Try”
Posted on - 6 Comments on What If You Failed the Bar Exam? Should You Retake a Bar Review Course?

What If You Failed the Bar Exam? Should You Retake a Bar Review Course?

So you find yourself in an unbelievable situation: You failed the bar exam.

Procedure in case you failed the bar exam

Reality is undeniable. You dust off your tears. It’s time to take action.

You wonder: What’s the next step?

Should you retake your bar prep course? What’s the alternative? 

Continue reading “What If You Failed the Bar Exam? Should You Retake a Bar Review Course?”