Bar Exam Success Stories


If you want to pass the bar exam, study the passers. Build belief from seeing others win.


These are stories of transformation from REAL bar exam passers who have nothing to hide.


There’s no need to be discouraged. But rather than give you platitudes, I want to show you indisputable proof that you can do it too. Audit your limiting beliefs. Get un-stuck and un-frustrated by the bar exam with these inspirational stories.


They were in the same position as you. They had jobs. They had families. They decided to do what it took to MOVE ON with their lives.


Are you next?


Tap to scroll to stories from California / UBE States / Elsewhere

Jinnyi

Passed the 2020 February California Bar Exam (26.8% pass rate, the lowest on record)

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 2 times
  • Weakness: Essays ("I did not even know how to START any essays")
  • Unique challenge: Mental and emotional insecurities, panic, doubts. Drained by big bar course

“I honestly felt like Kaplan was making me dumber and I was just wasting my time. . . . I was able to find a more effective plan that ultimately DID indeed work for me.”

Sam

Passed the 2023 February California Bar Exam

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 2 times
  • Weakness: MBE
  • Unique challenge: UK lawyer reacquainting with the process of studying for an unfamiliar exam

“Statistically I shouldn’t have passed this exam (a repeater, taking the February exam, who didn’t attend a US law school), but I did. I did because I took control and did what worked for me.”

Juliana

Passed the 2023 July California Bar Exam while working full-time as a senior lawyer

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 1 time
  • Weakness: No bar exam experience or even a concept of one
  • Unique challenge: Foreign-trained attorney (Argentinian), balancing full-time work and study

“Seek advice on how to study but lastly decide based on your OWN needs and experience. Be prepared to incorporate new study techniques, but check in on yourself constantly to see what is working and what is not, and change whatever is not working, FAST.”

Laura, a foreign attorney who passed the California Bar Exam

Laura

Passed the 2023 July California Bar Exam while working full-time as a senior lawyer

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 1 time
  • Weakness: Essays
  • Unique challenge: Foreign-trained attorney (Australian), balancing full-time work and study

“Essentially, I think I was trying to minimize brain damage, though not passing turned out to be far more brain damage than going through the pain up front.”

Cara

Passed the 2023 July California Bar Exam with everything riding on her 3rd attempt

Exhausting herself with giant books and lectures that she could NEVER remember

Fear and paralysis by OVERWHELMING amount of information (and resources)

Going through the motion with DISTRACTIONS and BUSY WORK that bogged her down and didn’t move the needle

Completely ditched the bar review course and all of its materials

Focused on the positive and not on the doom and gloom on social media

Preparation designed to increase proficiency and competence

Female Placeholder

“C”

Big law partner who passed the 2023 July California Attorneys' Exam while juggling a busy practice and family life

  • Attempts: California Attorneys' Exam 1 time
  • Weakness: Some rusty subjects, no knowledge of California law
  • Unique challenge: Limited bandwidth from a busy work-family-study schedule, 20-year gap since last bar exam

“Now having done this twice in two different states, I would say the bar exam cares about nothing but the time you put into learning the material. Which is painful, but simple. Consistency is key!”

Female Placeholder

Anonymous Redditor

Passed the 2023 July California Bar Exam after being “negative, anxious, and depressed”

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 3 times
  • Weakness: MBE (especially Real Property)
  • Unique challenge: Mental health, difficult period in life

“As I progressed through the bar prep course, I realized I was only completing assignments to get the progress bar closer to the ‘100% complete’ mark. I felt like the pace was too quick and the passive learning of watching videos and reading outlines was not for me!”

Ceren

Passed the 2023 July California Bar Exam

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 2 times
  • Unique challenge: Needing time for general logic of American law to sink in as foreign-trained attorney (Turkish), studying while working full-time

“This meant that had I not given up, I probably would have passed the first time around! Huge life lesson – never give up on something just because you think you might not make it. Give it your absolute best shot, regardless of what your mind tries to tell you – and it will probably work!”

Male Placeholder

Jared

Passed the 2023 July California Bar Exam

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 1 time
  • Weakness: Essays
  • Unique challenge: Balancing full-time work, family, and bar exam studies

Trust your instincts and focus on your weaknesses, don’t worry about swimming up stream and deviating from the standard plan. You are the author of your success!

John

Passed the 2023 July California Bar Exam

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 1 time


I would say that you know how you, personally, best study, and if a certain method isn’t working and another method seems like it might be better, don’t be afraid to try it!

Corina

Passed the 2023 February California Bar Exam (32.5% pass rate)

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 2 times
  • Weakness: Weak subjects and the MBE
  • Unique challenge: Time constraints, higher stakes than most, financial stress, family duties

“If you are facing the bar exam beast, please understand yourself and remember the mind game is everything. Do what works for you. Seek advice but have the confidence to know when to ignore it. Above all, DON’T GIVE UP.”

Female Placeholder

Tanvi

Passed the 2023 February California Bar Exam (32.5% pass rate)

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 1 time
  • Weakness: Multiple choice
  • Unique challenge: Lack of familiarity with U.S. law (as a Canadian attorney with an LLM), lack of time

“I don’t think I passed this bar … just [being] realistic”

“I will probably take it again in July, and I will be using your methods and materials again”

“I was completely prepared to treat it like a practice exam, learn from my mistakes, etc.”

Female Placeholder

“S”

Passed the 2023 February California Bar Exam (32.5% pass rate) while accommodating her work schedule

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 2 times
  • Weakness: Essays and PTs
  • Unique challenge: Low GPA making her feel doomed by the statistics, studying while working

“I don’t think I passed this bar … just [being] realistic”

“I will probably take it again in July, and I will be using your methods and materials again”

“I was completely prepared to treat it like a practice exam, learn from my mistakes, etc.”

Female Placeholder

Doreen

Passed the 2022 February California Bar Exam (33.9% pass rate) after preparing for 6 weeks

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 2 times. February 2021 (remote), February 2022
  • Weakness: Essays, getting enough memorization done, learning the black letter law in enough detail, and practicing essays (“practicing essays was a struggle from start to finish”)
  • Unique challenge: ADHD, major anxiety when it comes to studying, being a night owl

“I don’t think I passed this bar … just [being] realistic”

“I will probably take it again in July, and I will be using your methods and materials again”

“I was completely prepared to treat it like a practice exam, learn from my mistakes, etc.”

James

Passed the 2022 July California Bar Exam

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam
  • Weakness: Essays, PTs
  • Unique challenge: Condensing and mastering the volume of new material as a foreign-trained attorney (Australian)

“You really have to erase what you think you know about law and start from scratch.”

Drew

Passed the 2021 February California Attorneys' Exam

  • Attempts: California Attorneys' Exam 2 times
  • Weakness: Essays and PTs, doing the mental work
  • Unique challenge: Working full time with parental responsibilities

“Essentially, I think I was trying to minimize brain damage, though not passing turned out to be far more brain damage than going through the pain up front.”

Lars headshot

Lars

Passed the 2018 July California Bar Exam (40% pass rate)

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 2 times
  • Weakness: Essays
  • Unique challenge: Foreign attorney (Canadian), not used to closed-book exams, worked full time

“I came to the understanding I wanted to be able to have gone through . . . enough practice essays for every topic that there wouldn’t be anything that blindsided me.”

Male Placeholder

Stan

Passed the 2020 October California Bar Exam

(first online/remote administration)

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 5 times
  • Weakness: Select subjects
  • Unique challenge: Financial difficulties, average background, mental/emotional/ego fatigue, conquering inner demons, middle of pandemic

If you have the will, resources that work for you, and discipline, you can pass. You just have to be ready for it.

Samantha V passed the California Bar Exam and can work on anything she wants now

Samantha

Passed the 2018 July California Bar Exam (40% pass rate)

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam 3 times
  • Weakness: MBE
  • Unique challenge: Caretaker duties, non-accredited school with 9% chance of passing, worked full time

“I studied less this time than I did the other two times, but I studied smarter.”

Male Placeholder

Tom

Passed the 2018 July California Bar Exam after MANY attempts

  • Attempts: California Bar Exam ## times (he wanted to keep the number between us)
  • Weakness: Essays, MBE, Performance Tests
  • Unique challenge: Many-time repeater, took a year off, worked full time, dad duties

“Every moment that I was using, I’m asking myself: Am I doing something that’s helping me prepare?”

Notice that many of these passers DIDN'T have the most time.


It wasn't about spending the most time... but studying more EFFICIENTLY and EFFECTIVELY.


Ready to do the same?

UBE Stories

Navi passed NY UBE

Navi

Passed the 2022 July New York Bar Exam with a score of 295


Attempts: New York Exam 1 time

Weakness: Weak subjects shifted throughout bar prep, had to learn Family Law or Secured Transactions (heavy topic!) in 3 days

Unique challenge: 8-week schedule, only completed 30% of Themis workload, had to relearn how to take closed-book exams

“Consistency over intensity.”


“I love myself and my life too much to have to do this again. One and done. For me, love was the greatest motivator. Love for myself.”

Female Placeholder

Mercedes

Passed the 2023 July Colorado Bar Exam as a busy mom with a 3-year-old


Attempts: Colorado Bar Exam 1 time

Weakness: MEE and MPT

Unique challenge: Time management, prior intern/clerking experience interfering with writing what bar examiners want

“I do not think that the bar prep companies programs are bad or useless. I just think that one has to look at the price and what you get out of it and then think whether it makes sense for you.”

Female Placeholder

Salma

Passed the 2023 July New York Bar Exam


Attempts: New York Bar Exam 1x

Weakness: Balanced

Unique challenge: Foreign-trained attorney (going through a lot of nervousness)

“If you are going to waste 8 hours staring blank into your screen or notes, take that time and do something more useful. Study for 4-5 hours, but make sure that it’s the kind of studying that will benefit you.”

Female Placeholder

Nocona

“Partner/Mom/Grandma/Kindergarten teacher” who passed the 2022 Oklahoma Bar Exam (UBE) with a score of 270


Attempts: Oklahoma Bar Exam 5 times (2x after adopting the UBE)

Weakness: MEE, MPTs

Unique challenge: Family woman with a job, insecurities, reframing past bar exam experiences

“Your weekly emails reminded me how much I love learning and helped me reframe my past bar exam experiences.”

Joe passed the Kansas Bar Exam (UBE)

Joe

Passed the 2018 July Kansas Bar Exam


Attempts: Kansas Bar Exam 1 time

Weakness: MEE

Unique challenge: Essay topics that were new to him, started preparation with 7 weeks to go

“I really saw myself picking up a lot more issues that way and scoring a lot higher. After that, I think that’s when I finally, finally started to feel like there’s a chance I was gonna pull it off.”

Other Stories

Samantha swearing in after passing Georgia Bar Exam

Samantha

Passed the 2018 July Georgia Bar Exam


Attempts: Georgia Bar Exam 1 time

Weakness: MBE

Unique challenge: Mom duties, worked full time, 30% chance of passing

“I don’t learn by watching lectures all day. I didn’t learn like that in law school, at any point in my life did I learn like that. So why would I do that for the most important test in my life?”

Want to join their ranks?

If you’re serious about passing the bar exam, I've shown you PROOF that it's possible for anyone, with hard work and smart work.

It’s not all doom and gloom. This isn’t unrealistic. It’s easy to let pass rates take the blame, but plenty of people do pass.

And you can be one of them—if you make it a priority.

Don’t shy away from success.

“If you want success, figure out the price, then pay it.”—Scott Adams

I'm offering these tools so that you can become another success story instead of another statistic: