UBE Archives | Make This Your Last Time

July 17, 2026July 17, 2026 - No Comments

How Katherine Scored 314 on the UBE While Working in Biglaw (After Passing the California Bar Exam)

Katherine passed the North Carolina UBE with flying colors. She had only three weeks of leave from biglaw to work with, while managing health issues.

💬 “I recently moved jobs and had to take the February UBE and only got 3 weeks of bar leave. I largely studied after work and on weekends pre-leave and crammed the last three weeks.”

💬 “For the NC bar, I was dealing with health issues and working full time. I had just gotten a central line put into my chest and having to find time to study while in biglaw.”

💬 “I just found out today that I passed the UBE with a 314!”

Katherine is yet another double passer who also passed the California Bar Exam on her first try. (Like Doreen who passed CA then NY, and James who passed CA then IL)

💬 “I used your Magicsheets for the CA bar when I graduated law school in 2022 and passed on my first try.”

Clearly she knew what she was doing.

What could we learn from someone who had health issues, a full-time job, and not much time to dedicate full-time prep?

What worked for her? What would she change?

June 26, 2026June 26, 2026 - No Comments

Canadian Lawyer Thought the UBE Was “10000x Harder.” She Still Scored a 331 on Her First Try.

Megan passed the Illinois Bar Exam as a foreign attorney on her first attempt.

💬 “I am happy to report that I passed the Illinois bar with a score of 331 as a first time test taker. I studied on a full(ish) time basis while caring for my 6-month old son, who is now almost a year old.”

331 is an excellent score, especially for a first attempt by a foreign-trained lawyer!

It doesn’t sound like Megan had the best study environment, but it turned out to be a different animal entirely.

💬 “I am a Canadian trained lawyer so while I have experience with bar exams. I can say without hesitation that the UBE was 10000x harder than the Ontario bar.”

What did she change to make it work anyway?

June 19, 2026June 19, 2026 - 1 Comment

She Failed the Oregon Bar Exam Twice. After Her Father Died, She Scored a 320 (from 250s).

Maria passed the Oregon Bar Exam (UBE) on her third attempt at 45, five years after finishing law school, after a transition from medicine.

💬 “My background was in healthcare as a naturopathic physician. I worked in global health in Tanzania and other countries as both a doctor and professor. Law wasn’t on my radar. Over time, though, I found myself doing more advocacy and education than direct patient care. After nearly dying from malaria, I made what I now recognize as a PTSD-driven decision to attend law school.”

Her first two attempts at the bar didn’t give her the proper space to focus on the exam.

💬 “The first time I took the bar exam was not a serious attempt. I was in a hotel room in Mexico during the height of COVID.”

💬 “The second time, I was sick and carrying a lot personally. My father’s Parkinson’s disease was worsening, and eventually I became one of his caregivers until he passed away in 2024.”

Her third time was a turning point, as it often is for repeaters who finally find a reason to pass.

💬 “It took everything I had to sit for the exam again. But this time was different. This time, I wanted it. Not just to pass the bar, but to become a lawyer. Everyone talks about finding their ‘why,’ and I don’t think I truly had mine before. My why was my dad and everything I had been through. I was absolutely determined to pass.”

She then scored a 320, up nearly 70 points from the 250s.

💬 “For me, the jump from the 250s to a 320 wasn’t about discovering some secret study method. It was about finally having a reason powerful enough to persevere and building a study plan around how I actually learn.”

Everyone can talk about being “determined to pass.” Self-motivation is only one of three base requirements for bar prep. All your passion is useless if you don’t know where to apply it.

Today might be the day you make a switch that finally frees you from what you knew was wrong for you.

June 5, 2026June 10, 2026 - 1 Comment

How Waylon Finally Beat the Utah Bar Exam (UBE) After Years Away from Law

Waylon took the Utah Bar Exam (UBE) four times, from 2020 to 2026. His first two attempts ended with him giving up on law altogether.

💬 “I took the July 2020 bar exam in the middle of the Covid pandemic and came up short by ten points. Rather than get back on the horse, I gave up on the idea of being a lawyer. I ended up finding a decent job in banking compliance but the ghost of the failed bar exam kept haunting me and I could never really let it go. Fast forward to 2022 I succumbed to the pressures of other people and the nagging feeling from failure and took another half-hearted (probably more like quarter-hearted) attempt at the bar. This time I did even worse than the first time.”

What eventually pulled him back to bar world was that very nagging feeling. (Your bar nightmares might last for months or years btw)

He came back differently for his third attempt in, three years later. He was confident!

💬 “Again, the demons would not leave me alone so, I decided I would take that damn test one more time. I signed up for the July 2025 exam. . . . All this while working full time, and raising a family. I walked into that exam more confident than I ever had been for any exam.”

He improved but still missed the mark.

💬 “When the dust settled and the scores came out, I missed it by four points. Four points! Some people would have been discouraged, and my old self would have given up, but those four points unlocked something in me.”

What did those four points unlock in Waylon?

May 29, 2026June 18, 2026 - 2 Comments

“I was certain I was screwed.” Said the guy who scored a 300 on the UBE (with 3 perfect essays)

Ryan did everything Themis told him to do. He followed the study plan, stayed on schedule, kept up with the material.

But he wasn’t able to write anything on his practice essays. He couldn’t even start.

This was 6 weeks before the February 2026 Michigan Bar Exam (UBE).

Then he walked out of the exam room with confidence. He passed with a score of 300 on his first attempt.

💬 “When it came time for exam day, I walked out of the room feeling like I had actually killed it. I wasn’t sure if I was delusional or had really actually done well.

Upon receiving my results, I did actually kill it. I scored a 300, with three perfect essay scores.”