Going from 246 to 309 on the Colorado Bar Exam (UBE)
Alyssa did everything she was supposed to on her first attempt at the Colorado Bar Exam.
💬 “I took the July 2024 bar exam after using Themis start to finish. I followed the schedule religiously. Watched every lecture, did every assignment, practiced essays, MBE questions, everything they told me to do. I was exhausted but hopeful.”
Yet she failed spectacularly.
💬 “I used Themis the entire time, followed the schedule closely, and worked hard. I gave it everything… and got a 246. I was devastated.”
💬 “I cried, I questioned everything, and for a while, I seriously considered walking away.”
Alyssa retook the bar and obliterated it with a score of 309—a 63-point increase! Can you believe she almost gave up?
💬 “But after the initial wave of grief, I made a promise to myself: this wouldn’t be the end of my story.”
💬 “I worked full-time until December, then part-time through the exam. This time, I approached studying differently.”
💬 “I passed. With a 309.”
Yet another story similar to mine and many others’. You’re not rewarded just because you follow The Program exactly no matter what.
💬 “Take the time to assess what didn’t work last time. Give yourself grace, and then give yourself structure. Your story isn’t over — it’s just getting more powerful.”
Resources Alyssa used to pass the Colorado Bar Exam (UBE)
💬 “I focused on lectures and practice questions that targeted my weak spots.”
How did Alyssa make such a dramatic comeback?
She changed up her approach instead of blindly following a plan handed to her.
💬 “I studied while working full-time until December, and then part-time leading up to the exam. My time was more limited, so I had to study smarter, not just harder.”
Studying how she needed to learn
Compare what Alyssa did between her two attempts.
❌ “In July, I focused on completing tasks.”
✅ “In February, I focused on understanding the law.”
✅ “I created posters of the rules I kept forgetting — hearsay exceptions, Article 9 priorities, MBE traps — and hung them up everywhere: my bedroom wall, next to my desk, even the bathroom mirror. Repetition works. If I was brushing my teeth, I was reviewing.”
✅ “I leaned into resources that actually worked for my brain.”
In July, she was a tryhard. In February, she was an overachiever.
She stopped spreading herself thin by trying to give everything an equal opportunity.
She took a more conscious approach. She tried to understand rather than going through the motions and checking off boxes. She focused more on her weaknesses, like the rules she kept forgetting.
How do you know if you’re just going through the motions of bar prep? If you’re unable to use what you learned.
I personally wouldn’t hang up posters (hung up a comic instead), but I love that it worked for her!
There’s a big difference when you do what works for you. When you use a resource the way it benefits you. When you don’t just use it the way THEY want you to without considering whether it’s helping you.
Otherwise, you might end up spinning your wheels, exhausted and not even going anywhere.
(This is why I say that Passer’s Playbook is like a buffet. I DON’T want you to go through everything.)
Mindset shifts
We get impatient about getting better and faster results. But you gotta let it cook over time.
Alyssa did that by focusing on the process.
💬 “In January, I had a breakdown moment. I felt stuck, scared, and burned out. But then I reminded myself: You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep showing up. I stopped chasing perfection and focused on progress — day by day.”
💬 “The bar is a grueling mental marathon, not an IQ test. It’s about persistence, not perfection.”
If you’re building a wall, you may be better off layering each brick perfectly. Then you’ll end up with a perfect wall. If you fixate too much on the end result, you’ll rush and end up with something you have to fix later.
💬 “Most importantly, I slowed down. If a topic didn’t make sense, I stayed with it. I didn’t move on until it clicked.”
💬 “The more I slowed down and truly understood the material, the more confident I felt.”
And don’t lose hope, whether you’re struggling with your practice questions or have failed the exam before. Defeat is fodder for your next victory.
💬 “A bar exam score doesn’t define your ability to be a great lawyer. What matters is your grit, your growth, and your refusal to give up.”
💬 “You are a future attorney who just hasn’t crossed the finish line yet.”
Full story
Text version
I’ve read so many of these posts while I was struggling, and now I get to write one. I hope this helps someone out there who’s staring down a retake and wondering if they’ll ever get over this mountain. You will. Here’s my story.
My Background:
I took the July 2024 bar exam after using Themis start to finish. I followed the schedule religiously. Watched every lecture, did every assignment, practiced essays, MBE questions, everything they told me to do. I was exhausted but hopeful.
Result? A 246. I was crushed. I didn’t know what more I could have done, and it felt like I had let everyone down — especially myself. I cried, I questioned everything, and for a while, I seriously considered walking away.
But then I realized — I wasn’t done yet. This wasn’t the end of my story.
So I regrouped and got back to work.
February 2025 — What Changed (63-point increase):
This time, I studied while working full-time until December, and then part-time leading up to the exam. My time was more limited, so I had to study smarter, not just harder. Here’s what I did differently:
STRATEGIES THAT WORKED:
1. I studied how I needed to learn — not just what a program told me to do.
In July, I focused on completing tasks.
In February, I focused on understanding the law.
If a subject didn’t make sense (looking at you, Business Associations & Trusts!), I didn’t move on. I reread, rewrote, redrew diagrams, and even taught the rule out loud until it stuck. That shift — from passive to active learning — was everything.
2. I handwrote outlines and created visual study aids.
I used my iPad to handwrite condensed rule statements and checklists.
I created posters of the rules I kept forgetting — hearsay exceptions, Article 9 priorities, MBE traps — and hung them up everywhere: my bedroom wall, next to my desk, even the bathroom mirror. Repetition works. If I was brushing my teeth, I was reviewing.
3. I leaned into resources that actually worked for my brain:
Adaptibar: 25–50 MBE questions/day, with thorough review. I didn’t just check answers — I studied why I was wrong (and right).
MagicSheets: These were gold. They made the massive amount of material feel manageable. I reviewed them multiple times a week and used them for quick recall.
Critical Pass Flashcards: Solid for repetition. I’d flip through them on my lunch break or before bed.
Themis Essays + Performance Tests: I used Themis for targeted essays and PT practice. I wrote out a few but mostly outlined a ton, focusing on spotting issues and getting the structure right.
Turning Points:
Mindset Shift: In January, I had a breakdown moment. I felt stuck, scared, and burned out. But then I reminded myself: You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep showing up. I stopped chasing perfection and focused on progress — day by day.
Confidence Through Clarity: The more I slowed down and truly understood the material, the more confident I felt. By the final weeks, I wasn’t relying on memorized outlines — I knew the law.
Motivation for Anyone Struggling:
If you failed — I promise you, that does not mean you’re not smart enough, or hardworking enough, or meant to be a lawyer.
The bar is a grueling mental marathon, not an IQ test. It’s about persistence, not perfection.
Take the time to assess what didn’t work last time. Give yourself grace, and then give yourself structure. Your story isn’t over — it’s just getting more powerful.
You’re allowed to be heartbroken and hopeful at the same time. You’re allowed to cry and then get back up. And you are absolutely capable of passing this exam.
You are not your bar score. You are a future attorney who just hasn’t crossed the finish line yet.
—
Just wanted to share some encouragement for anyone who didn’t pass. I know how much it hurts when you put your all into this exam and come up short. I was there.
July 2024: I used Themis the entire time, followed the schedule closely, and worked hard. I gave it everything… and got a 246. I was devastated. But after the initial wave of grief, I made a promise to myself: this wouldn’t be the end of my story.
February 2025: I worked full-time until December, then part-time through the exam. This time, I approached studying differently:
Adaptibar for consistent practice and exposure to real MBE questions
Critical Pass flashcards for fast recall
Themis again, but more selectively — I focused on lectures and practice questions that targeted my weak spots
Magic Sheets for quick, concise black letter law refreshers
Handwritten notes on my iPad — writing things out helped the material actually stick
And most importantly, I slowed down. If a topic didn’t make sense, I stayed with it. I didn’t move on until it clicked.
This approach worked. I passed. With a 309.
If you’re retaking: you are not alone, and you are not a failure. A bar exam score doesn’t define your ability to be a great lawyer. What matters is your grit, your growth, and your refusal to give up.
