3 Options If You Failed the Bar

It’s that time of the year again … Bar results are finally out.

What’s the over/under on how many people SAY they’re not going to immediately check their results (“I’m gonna enjoy the weekend and wait for the mail”) but can’t resist when presented with the ultimate choice?

My bet is that you know your result by now.

If you passed the bar –

Congratulations! Bask in your badass glory (tactfully)! February is especially notorious for low passage rates.

You beat the odds, got your black belt, and the real training begins in the “real world” that you put off since taking the LSAT. For now, be proud of yourself and enjoy a well-earned sigh of bittersweet relief.

If you failed the bar –

You are NOT alone. I don’t think that’s all that comforting, though. You still didn’t pass the bar. Damn it!

This is always a bittersweet time for me and you.

Nonetheless, I can’t sugarcoat it forever. The letdown is infectious to everyone around you. You may even have a job or loans that depended on your passing. At this point, a time machine is the only thing that will make you feel better.

Let me tell you: I know failure is fucking terrible because for some reason I haven’t stopped messing up since I was born (including falling on my head at least 4 times). It’s like I have to retry everything at least once. I grew up in Silicon Valley where the motto is to “fail fast.” How about try not to fail?

But you know what… Improvement comes from constant feedback and learning every time you struggle to solve a difficult problem. The disco mosaic of the Rubik’s Cube is still scattered. Keep turning the puzzle until it clicks for you. This is a learnable skill!

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Answering the Call of Nature (Listening to Yourself When Studying for the Bar)

What? Not potty humor again!

Lol no, this is different, although I can probably try to come up with something if you want… or you can just log out if you don’t want to hear it.

You’re pacing around the bathroom avoiding eye contact with yourself and thinking, “Wouldn’t it be crazy if the bar is coming up in just X weeks, but I’m just drained physically, emotionally and spiritually and I don’t want to think about this anymore?”

Or maybe you got into a routine by now and are feeling complacent with how things are going. Either way, your body is trying to tell you something—nature is calling! We weren’t meant to slave over shitty exams for months.

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Thinking about the next bar? When to study for the bar exam and how long

Great Scott! It’s been a while.

Today’s the day that Marty McFly time travels to in Back to the Future II. Ironically, my previous post is titled “Don’t Time Travel.”

July feels like forever ago even for us, and times sure have changed. We even got to see Justin Bieber’s wiener (if you missed it, go see how much he’s packing).

You probably don’t miss the bar, but this is a quickie post just in case you’re looking to get a head start studying for February (even if you’re still waiting for results).

I’ve received multiple questions regarding when to start studying and how long to study after failing with Barbri. For your benefit, below is my most recent answer to that type of question, verbatim. Take a look if you’re wondering when to study for the bar exam, whether you should start studying now or later, so you can start planning contingencies at least.

In the meantime, I’ve been cooking up some sweet new material for you. Look forward to it starting the third weekend of November!

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What Should Your Final Preparation Look Like?

Oh you terrify me. But you also delight me. Can’t that be said for at least one person in your life?

True story. Last Friday, I was invited by a guitarist to play the keyboard for his band. Oh my! Exhibitionism was just what I needed to enflame a terror-delight in a heart that has been devoid of emotions since I started attending my alma mater (which dipped in ranking ever since, go figure).

Since I knew nothing about what they were playing, nor had I improvised anything in years, I had to regretfully decline. I got to watch them play for free, though.

Regret. Self-doubt. Insufficient preparation.

If last July is any indication, more than 50% of those attempting the CA Bar Exam will feel something like that come November.

I don’t want to tell you “I know for a fact u will pass if u believe in urself !!” because I’m afraid it will overinflate your optimism and also because I have no empathy. That’s what your friends are for, if you haven’t totally estranged yourself from them yet.

It may seem like a ridiculous coin flip at this point, but perhaps it isn’t too bad if you load the coin in your favor (some optimism is good):

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“Be Arrogant”: Arrogance as a Bar Exam Mindset

Not even gainful employment can save you from the terror of the bar.

The other day, I was talking about the bar exam with David, a coworker. Although he is a first-time passer, he passed each of the California, New York and Massachusetts bar exams on the first try some time ago.

I usually discuss the more tangible side of bar preparation.

But are there any mental attitudes that you may want to consider cultivating when preparing for the bar exam and during the daunting task of taking the exam?

We were having such fun exchanging our thoughts about the bar that I started recording our conversation (there go our billables). I interviewed his thoughts revolving around his core advice that day: Be arrogant.

What did he mean?

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