Bar Exam Success Stories

People from all walks of life take the bar exam. Many have passed the bar exam before you. You’re not alone.

For your inspiration, I’d like to share a few of my readers’ stories and regimen that led to their bar exam success. Following the paths uncovered by your predecessors means you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Extract what you like and leave the rest.

You can be part of the passing group if you put in the work, invest in yourself, and work intelligently, even if you think…

  • you’re not “a naturally good test taker” or
  • you’re not “the type of person who’ll be a good lawyer” or
  • you “don’t deserve to pass” (see Steph’s jaw-opening story at the end).

Whatever that hinges on some BS inherent trait. Sure, there are some “natural geniuses” out there, but most people aren’t. The rest of us have and will continue to pass.

This is a learnable skill. No one is born to take the bar, nor is it a life skill you needed to have cultivated since you were a child. If you can graduate law school, you can pass the bar.

Here are just a few samples of what’s possible. There’s a lot more in the private MTYLT Facebook community. Click the screenshots to enlarge some of these landslide comebacks in a new window:
Maureen: A nontraditional student—63 years old, slow typer, no big-box prep course—wanted me to forward her wisdom from passing the CA bar on her second try (2018 February CA bar, 27.3% pass rate). Click below to check out her composition.

 

Maureen - I passed the CA Bar

 

Rana: Not everyone is at the top of the class . . . I had to step away from what I was “supposed” to do, to what I actually NEEDED.
(2018 February CA bar taker, 27.3% pass rate)

"I had to step away from what I was “supposed” to do, to what I actually NEEDED. I didn’t need 16 hours. I needed quality time of studying. Whether that was 8 or 16, you made me feel like it was OK to do that and I didn’t have to be guilty about it. These commercial programs make you focus on getting so much done during the day but you also taught me it’s okay to step away from it and do what was best for me. What was best for me? Second time around, I pulled away from the school bar prep program, I pulled away from the commercial programs and did ME. I went through subjects, day by day, i did adaptibar religiously, and when something didn’t make sense....I went back to it even though I was “supposed” to be on a different subject."

 

Naoki: Member of the Japanese bar (3% passage rate). Non-native speaker. Never went to an American law school. Worked full time. Passed the California bar exam (never once complained during his multiple attempts).

Naoki, a foreign lawyer who never went to an American law school, finally passed the CA bar

 

MARLOW: Studied while working 40+ hours a week. He “doesn’t do well on standardized tests,” and it’s been years since graduating law school… and he passed the UBE with flying colors

passed the UBE with flying colors

 

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“A”: Repeater who passed the 2017 February California bar (34.5% pass rate) while working full time

 

KARRIE: Mother of four children, learned the law all over again three years after graduating from an unaccredited school. Improved by 130 points to pass the California Bar Exam on her second attempt by studying smart, not just hard.

Mother of four children who scored 1311 on her first attempt at the California Bar Exam. Improved by 130 points to pass on her second time by studying smarter.

Mother of four children who scored 1311 on her first attempt at the California Bar Exam. Improved by 130 points to pass on her second time by studying smarter.

 

Camille: Second-time passer of the California bar. She used some interesting strategies over the course of a year, such as getting study buddies who were committed to her success and using modern tools to create much-needed alone time (I do recommend avoiding people you’d be conscious of and reserving your mental endurance for the bar)

"Thank you so much for all your support and weekly emails! I passed this second time around and it feels so good. Your emails helped me get through each week, just knowing that there was someone rooting for me who actually understood the whole process. THANK YOU for all your thoughtful work!"

 

BARRY: Third timer, foreign barrister from Ireland. Focused on the MBE, his weak area, to pass the Texas bar.

Third timer, Irish barrister, out-of-country student. Focused on the MBE, his weak area, to pass.Third timer, Irish barrister, out-of-country student. Focused on the MBE, his weak area, to pass.

 

KATHLEEN: 49-year-old mother with English as her second language. Tried various resources and techniques and implemented what worked for her on the California Bar Exam.

49-year-old mother with English as her second language. Tried various resources and techniques and implemented what worked for her. 49-year-old mother with English as her second language. Tried various resources and techniques and implemented what worked for her.

 

JENNIFER: Cut through the fear and closed a 150-point deficit as a “threepeater” of the California Bar Exam

Cut through the fear and closed a 150-point deficit as a "threepeater"

 

STEPH: Was in prison for 32 years, had to learn how to use a smartphone and the Internet, and closed a 150-point gap to pass the California Bar Exam on the second try. You have no excuse.

Passed the California bar exam after being in prison for 32 years

Steph story 2

 

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