California Bar Exam | Page 2 of 12 | Make This Your Last Time

May 23, 2025May 25, 2025 - No Comments

Singaporean Attorney Passes the CA Bar Exam (Starting from 40% AdaptiBar, 20 Years Out of Law School)

Imagine: You’re 20 years out of law school. You’re barely getting half the questions right. You don’t even know American law.

💬 “I have never studied in the US or had any experience with the American legal system (England and Singapore are both common law jurisdictions). So, I knew that before I even started to learn the BLL, I needed to study the exam itself. To me, the bar exam was a game and to play the game well, I needed to know the rules of the game.

This meant starting my bar prep from scratch.”

Lesley graduated from law school in Singapore in 2005. Then she decided to take the February 2025 California Bar Exam and pass on her first attempt.

💬 “I am a first-time taker, foreign attorney applicant (English law and Singapore law qualified). I’m 43 years old and graduated from law school in 2005, so exactly 20 years ago!”

She has never seen a July exam and never will.

How many times do I have to say that bar prep is a learnable, acquirable skill?

How many times do I have to prove that you can pass the bar exam—even if you’re a foreign-trained attorney, 60+ years old, or a left-handed rising water moon sign.

Before I dive into her methods, let’s take a moment to thank Lesley because she sent me a five-page write-up for me to break down just for you.

First lesson: How you do anything is how you do everything. Following through and paying it forward are behaviors of a successful person.

(Yes, I expect a juicy story in my inbox after you pass.)

April 19, 2025May 2, 2025 - No Comments

What does the email from the California State Bar mean (Feb 2025 scoring recommendation)?

You may have gotten this email if you took the 2025 February California Bar Exam:

(You know the one where the exam software wasn’t working and some people even had to retake it in March?)

What does it mean for the raw passing score of 560 to be dropped to 534?

February 7, 2025February 25, 2025 - No Comments

Repeating (and Passing) the Bar Exam by Choosing Resilience

The bar exam can be an emotionally intense experience.

We all need a witness to our struggles. Don’t keep it locked up inside you. Sharing the ups and downs can be cathartic.

Jonathan took the time to send me a raw, heartfelt story of what it was like to fail…and then PASS the 2024 July CA Bar Exam.

💬 “When I found out I did not pass the bar, I was devastated; I let down myself and seemingly my family, my girlfriend, mentors, and everyone who had invested in me — how would I recover from this professionally and personally?”

Repeaters will know about the devastation and the identity crisis that comes with failing the bar exam.

Am I being dramatic?

Maybe. Regardless, if you don’t pass, there’s suddenly a ton of uncertainty and volatility about your future.

Choose resilience, or give up. It’s up to you.

💬 “Over my time re-studying for the exam, two thoughts persisted:

‘No…no, this is not how my story ends! I am not a failure or a quitter… I’ve never quit and why would I do it now? No…I have more in the tank’; and

the other was, ‘what if this repeats again…is it better to just take the foot off the gas? There are many people who understand how difficult this exam is…maybe I should use my degree for something adjacent.’ And then it hit me . . .”

How did he finally overcome the past that haunted him so?

January 31, 2025January 29, 2025 - No Comments

Pass the Bar by Being Aware of Your Strengths and Weaknesses

Tristan passed the 2024 July California Bar Exam on his first attempt.

He credits his success to self-awareness of his strengths, weaknesses, and what would work for him.

He was a glass cannon (super good at the MBE) and not confident about passing, but he was composed and calculated about the whole process.

Let’s see what Tristan went through in his first and only successful attempt.

January 17, 2025January 14, 2025 - 1 Comment

From Severe Anxiety to Trusting His Instincts to Pass the CA Bar Exam on His 1st Try

Andrew passed the 2024 July Bar Exam on his first try despite the initial anxiety and pressure.

💬 “Severe testing anxiety. Remember throwing up after the first practice bar exam at school because of poor results.”

Whatever doubts you have, it’s going to be worth it if you can overcome them.

💬 “Just wanted to share that I passed in California! Your materials were a massive help in the final weeks of studying and I’m honestly so grateful for your help. My hands are still shaking, it’s been such a rough week and I had a lot of doubts but I’m so glad that this is over.”

Let’s see how he transformed from feeling inadequate and pressured to succeed — to learning to trust his gut and actually succeeding.

(And what Burger King can teach you about bar prep)