It was a long journey for “SC” who took the California Bar Exam multiple times…
💬 “It wasn’t till my Xth attempt in February ‘22 that I really buckled down and used them and your materials really helped my score jump up, I think I got a 1340 or 1350 that time. Prior attempts, I followed a bar prep company.”
But she always got back up to finish the job.
💬 “I was pretty mad at myself though and at the bar exam process when I didn’t pass and I haven’t touched my bar materials since that attempt or thought about retaking it since until now.”
It wasn’t only that each step took her closer to success. Sometimes you have to prove yourself to the world. What’s your motivation?
💬 “I just got this bee in my bonnet and the job market has been rough without the esquire. Plus it’s been pretty irritating doing law and motion work without that law and motion attorney salary.”
When SC asked whether it was realistic to go for July 2024 while working, I said it was realistic but challenging.
SC didn’t end up passing the July exam but finally passed the February 2025 exam!
💬 “Clearly didn’t pass J24, but it was the closest I had ever gotten, which I thought was pretty incredible considering I had about 9 weeks to study, and I didn’t take any time off of work aside from the week of the bar exam, so that kind of solidified that it was my mental state getting in the way.”
What did she do to finally get over that threshold?
💬 “I just buckled down and grinded. Would I recommend? Absolutely not, haha, I lost my dang mind in those 9 weeks. Not that folks shouldn’t do it. I think it’s possible, it’s just going to suck really really hard.”
Resources SC used to pass the California Bar Exam
A necessary failure: How she prepared for July 2024
Understandably, SC started from scratch after a two-year break. She was practically a first-timer.
💬 “I think I started studying May 26th, so I had 9 weeks to study. I used a combo of Smart Bar Prep’s massive outline for initial review because I hadn’t touched the material in years and then your sheets for more focused review, as well as Adaptibar and Bar Essays for practice.”
If you take years between attempts, you get stuck between being vaguely familiar with the concepts but not remembering them well enough. Like memories you swore you would never forget.
This is why, when you have momentum on your side, I tend to recommend not taking breaks between exams. Make this your last time as soon as possible.
SC began by organizing a schedule.
💬 “After our discussion, I created a study schedule based on one of your
sample schedules.”
And got more resources…
💬 “Oh, and I bought Ed Aruffo’s CA rules book in audio so I could listen to them on repeat on the drive to and from work. A couple of weeks in, I found out about Goat Bar Prep and the Jonathan Grossman videos so I incorporated them in the specific areas I was scoring low in because I simply didn’t have the time to do a full incorporation in my study.”
There’s nothing wrong with using a lot of resources. They all have their place.
But doesn’t this seem a bit like SC was overloading herself? What do you do with all this information?
SC didn’t even have the time to USE the information she acquired. Work was draining her.
💬 “I was initially trying to get 3 hours of studying in after work M-F, but I found that I would be so drained from work (I was helping on this massive MSJ that was filed early July) and I wasn’t processing the material.”
💬 “While I incorporated issue spotting in my studying, I didn’t really have the time to do full blown essays.”
SC even maximized the time throughout her day.
💬 “I started waking up at 3:00 am, study from 4am to 7:30/8am, go to work, either nap during my lunch break, review, or do a few sets of 5 MBEs (sometimes I’d do one or two MBEs during bathroom breaks lol), finish the work day, go home, eat dinner and try to get to bed by 9 pm.”
Time is not your most valuable resource. If it is, why are you squandering so much of it?
Energy is your biggest bottleneck. You can’t do anything unless you have the fuel to run the machine. You turn into rust if all you have is time.
💬 “All that said, I was 40 points away from passing J24, so that told me that my head was getting in the way in prior attempts because for J24.”
SC ended up not passing in July, but her prep experience after a hiatus gave her the foundation to crush her final attempt. Her defeat was a necessary condition for her ultimate victory.
That said, there may have been a better and less draining way she could have used those 3 hours a day…
How study methods changed for her successful February 2025 attempt
SC still worked but took more time off. SC still used the same resources but changed how spent her time.
💬 “I worked the rest of November through the first two weeks of January and then I was studying full time for the rest of January through February.”
💬 “I used the same resources, but this time I incorporated more essay practice because I had more time.”
What she changed was her study methods even under similar constraints. It was more targeted and surgical.
💬 “I didn’t review the material as much, just on the areas where I was confused/weak at, I focused more on practice and reviewing my answers.”
Her progress was defined by how much practice she did, not how much she tortured herself trying to “process the material.”
💬 “I also created progress checkers and divided them into Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III to see how my MBE scores were improving . . . I also made essay trackers and PT trackers. I had all that tacked on a bulletin board in my study room so I had a visual in my face of my progress, so I could see where I was improving, where I was dropping, or where I was stagnant, and what areas I hadn’t touched on regarding essays/PTs.”
In a way, SC’s July studies laid the groundwork for her February studies. It wasn’t a waste then. It was necessary.
She was out to cover her bases, especially her weak spots.
💬 “The way I organized my subject review for F25 was based on my lowest scoring subject on the MBEs.”
And especially the Tripod legs:
💬 “I was in an online study group, and that helped significantly with accountability because we had scheduled practice mixed MBE days, PT essays, and PR essays, because we knew PT will always be on the exam, and PR is always tested.”
What do you notice was different between her two attempts?
Full story
Text version
Hi Brian,
Long time follower, first time emailer, haha!
I’m pretty sure you’re probably getting bogged down with emails right now, but I’m gonna shoot my shot here. I purchased your materials a while ago, but it wasn’t till my Xth attempt in February ‘22 that I really buckled down and used them and your materials really helped my score jump up, I think I got a 1340 or 1350 that time. Prior attempts, I followed a bar prep company, but Feb ‘22, I self-studied and used your materials and your suggestions from your blog and passer’s playbook (Mary Basick and Adaptibar). I was pretty mad at myself though and at the bar exam process when I didn’t pass and I haven’t touched my bar materials since that attempt or thought about retaking it since until now.
In your honest opinion, is it realistic or absolutely foolish to think about signing up for July ‘24 at this stage, especially when this time around, I’m working full time as a paralegal. I just got this bee in my bonnet and the job market has been rough without the esquire. Plus it’s been pretty irritating doing law and motion work without that law and motion attorney salary.
Sorry for the long blurb, but like I said, just got this bee in my bonnet that won’t stop buzzing, but I also want to be realistic before I sink another thousand (plus late fees) to the state bar.
Thanks Brian, and a belated thanks for your emails when I was in bar prep mode, they’ve truly helped.
—
Hi Brian!
I hope you’re doing well! I am happy to share that I passed the disaster that was the CA F25 bar exam. I reached out to you last May regarding whether it was realistic to sign up for J24 considering how late it was and because I was working full time and my last attempt was F22. Clearly didn’t pass J24, but it was the closest I had ever gotten, which I thought was pretty incredible considering I had about 9 weeks to study, and I didn’t take any time off of work aside from the week of the bar exam, so that kind of solidified that it was my mental state getting in the way.
Thanks again for what you do and thank you again for responding to my email last year!
—
Thanks Brian!
So for J24, I hadn’t studied since my previous attempt in F22. After our discussion, I created a study schedule based on one of your sample schedules. I think I started studying May 26th, so I had 9 weeks to study. I used a combo of Smart Bar Prep’s massive outline for initial review because I hadn’t touched the material in years and then your sheets for more focused review, as well as Adaptibar and Bar Essays for practice. Oh, and I bought Ed Aruffo’s CA rules book in audio so I could listen to them on repeat on the drive to and from work. A couple of weeks in, I found out about Goat Bar Prep and the Jonathan Grossman videos so I incorporated them in the specific areas I was scoring low in because I simply didn’t have the time to do a full incorporation in my study.
J24 was a little intense though, I wouldn’t recommend it, but I didn’t have time to stress or spiral. I was initially trying to get 3 hours of studying in after work M-F, but I found that I would be so drained from work (I was helping on this massive MSJ that was filed early July) and I wasn’t processing the material. So I shifted, I started waking up at 3:00 am, study from 4am to 7:30/8am, go to work, either nap during my lunch break, review, or do a few sets of 5 MBEs (sometimes I’d do one or two MBEs during bathroom breaks lol), finish the work day, go home, eat dinner and try to get to bed by 9 pm. Saturday and Sunday were my heavy hitter days. There was a week I was out of commission because I ended up getting pretty sick, so my studying got derailed, but I scheduled buffer days so it helped not get me totally behind. However, I didn’t pass J24, but I did have a massive score increase on my MBEs, which was always my weakest. That being said, my essay scores dropped. Historically, my PT was always strong, I usually always scored 65 or above, but for J24, I scored a 55. While I incorporated issue spotting in my studying, I didn’t really have the time to do full blown essays. All that said, I was 40 points away from passing J24, so that told me that my head was getting in the way in prior attempts because for J24, I simply did not have the time to stress out or spiral with that short time frame. I just buckled down and grinded. Would I recommend? Absolutely not, haha, I lost my dang mind in those 9 weeks. Not that folks shouldn’t do it. I think it’s possible, it’s just going to suck really really hard.
After getting the results for J24, I had to regroup. Results came out November 8th, and I didn’t make the decision whether or not I would sit for F25 until November 24th. I worked the rest of November through the first two weeks of January and then I was studying full time for the rest of January through February. I used the same resources, but this time I incorporated more essay practice because I had more time. I didn’t review the material as much, just on the areas where I was confused/weak at, I focused more on practice and reviewing my answers. I also created progress checkers and divided them into Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III to see how my MBE scores were improving (thoooo with how the questions were for F25, idk how useful that was). I also made essay trackers and PT trackers. I had all that tacked on a bulletin board in my study room so I had a visual in my face of my progress, so I could see where I was improving, where I was dropping, or where I was stagnant, and what areas I hadn’t touched on regarding essays/PTs. Oh also I was in an online study group, and that helped significantly with accountability because we had scheduled practice mixed MBE days, PT essays, and PR essays, because we knew PT will always be on the exam, and PR is always tested. The way I organized my subject review for F25 was based on my lowest scoring subject on the MBEs.
Even though I had more time to study for F25, I found it more difficult to focus compared to J24 because all the stupid nonsense happening. Plus sitting in on those town hall meetings, CBE meetings, BoT meetings took time away from studying and it was hard to get my brain focused.
Feel free to share, but please blur my name out if you do! Thank you!
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