I Failed The Bar 3 Times Before Passing - Ask Me Anything Forum

[Anonymous User]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

[Anonymous User]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

How long did it take you to find a job after passing? Are you happy with your job? What advice would you give for someone who doesn't have a job and is waiting on bar passage?

[Anonymous User]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

Can you delete this and repost this in the bar exam preparation section?

[Anonymous User]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

Can you delete this and repost this in the bar exam preparation section?

I can't post anon if the bar exam section and I would like to keep it anon. Not sure why it matters which forum it is is, since it also has QUITE a bit to do with Legal Employment.

[jbagelboy]

Which state?

[Anonymous User]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

How long did it take you to find a job after passing? Are you happy with your job? What advice would you give for someone who doesn't have a job and is waiting on bar passage?

I was actually really lucky and was employed from my first failure to passing. Obviously not as an attorney before I passed but as a paralegal. The day I was sworn in I became an attorney.

Love my job. It is great. I am heavily involved in defense litigation, civil and some criminal.

My advice is to hang in there and don't be afraid to network for a job. Getting a job is a ton easier after you are licensed. Many of my classmates did not have jobs or even prospects until after results came out. All found jobs 3-4 months after passing the bar, and this wasn't even a T2 or higher school!

I know the bar exam beat my ass and got to mentally. If you are feeling down in the dumps post bar exam that is very normal. The whole process plays your mind and psyche much more than you realize.

[Anonymous User]

Which state?

Trying to maintain some anonymity. It is a UBE state.

[Anonymous User]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

did you have a sense each time as to whether you passed or failed? what was your biggest weakness?

[Anonymous User]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

did you have a sense each time as to whether you passed or failed? what was your biggest weakness?

Yes, here is the shitty thing:
First exam it was the essays that brought me down.
Second exam it was MBE.
Third it was essays again.
They don't give you your passing score once you do pass, but I did find out my MBE for that exam and it was good enough but not great.

[Anonymous User]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

did you have a sense each time as to whether you passed or failed? what was your biggest weakness?

Yes, here is the shitty thing:
First exam it was the essays that brought me down.
Second exam it was MBE.
Third it was essays again.
They don't give you your passing score once you do pass, but I did find out my MBE for that exam and it was good enough but not great.

can you give us any kind of sense of what you essays were like that resulted in failing? leave any blank or anything like that, or just didn't know the BLL enough? i think there is a common theme throughout these threads of frustration as to lack of transparency into how tough the MEE grading standard really are

[Anonymous User]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

did you have a sense each time as to whether you passed or failed? what was your biggest weakness?

Yes, here is the shitty thing:
First exam it was the essays that brought me down.
Second exam it was MBE.
Third it was essays again.
They don't give you your passing score once you do pass, but I did find out my MBE for that exam and it was good enough but not great.

can you give us any kind of sense of what you essays were like that resulted in failing? leave any blank or anything like that, or just didn't know the BLL enough? i think there is a common theme throughout these threads of frustration as to lack of transparency into how tough the MEE grading standard really are

I would say not knowing black letter law hurt. But as you point out, there isn't really much feedback on essays that you have failed from the graders. You receive a "model" answer, your answer, and a score (if I remember correctly or maybe an average of scores). That is why it is pretty hard to know where you messed up on essys besides black letter law issues.

[mvp99]

how much black letter law did you get wrong and what percentage were you averaging on the MBE before the exam?

[Anonymous User]

how much black letter law did you get wrong and what percentage were you averaging on the MBE before the exam?

I bombed black letter law on 3 topics my first bar essays. The other two I don't really remember the results of that, but the essay scores I received on a majority of the essays were 50%.

I always had a good MBE practice score with BarBri and Kaplan (above 70% going into the test) but test anxiety would get to me and I would panic because I always felt many questions on the MBE were not what I had prepared for.

Interestingly enough, the July 2014 exam where pass rates and MBE scores plummeted is the exam I passed.

[mvp99]

how much black letter law did you get wrong and what percentage were you averaging on the MBE before the exam?

I bombed black letter law on 3 topics my first bar essays. The other two I don't really remember the results of that, but the essay scores I received on a majority of the essays were 50%.

I always had a good MBE practice score with BarBri and Kaplan (above 70% going into the test) but test anxiety would get to me and I would panic because I always felt many questions on the MBE were not what I had prepared for.

Interestingly enough, the July 2014 exam where pass rates and MBE scores plummeted is the exam I passed.

I think this is me

[Anonymous User]

how much black letter law did you get wrong and what percentage were you averaging on the MBE before the exam?

I bombed black letter law on 3 topics my first bar essays. The other two I don't really remember the results of that, but the essay scores I received on a majority of the essays were 50%.

I always had a good MBE practice score with BarBri and Kaplan (above 70% going into the test) but test anxiety would get to me and I would panic because I always felt many questions on the MBE were not what I had prepared for.

Interestingly enough, the July 2014 exam where pass rates and MBE scores plummeted is the exam I passed.

I think this is me

Hang in there man. People are usually pretty hard on their performance after the exam before they know whether they passed or not. A lot of this thing is a god damn crap shoot anyway.

[Anonymous User]

thanks for doing this, its very nice of you. i am having a very, very hard time with post-bar/waiting for results life. how were your MPTs? i am worried because I feel like they make sink me...had a really hard timing finishing both. any truth to the wishful thinking that you can still do ok on them even with less than complete response?

[blaze1306]

I had a pretty rough go on the bar exam. I failed 3 times. But, I didn't give up and I passed. For a while I was pretty embarassed, angry, upset, and ashamed, but I am getting over that and just breathing a sigh of relief. I'm here to answer questions.

Yes, I currently practice and have for a few years.

How long did it take you to find a job after passing? Are you happy with your job? What advice would you give for someone who doesn't have a job and is waiting on bar passage?

I was actually really lucky and was employed from my first failure to passing. Obviously not as an attorney before I passed but as a paralegal. The day I was sworn in I became an attorney.

Love my job. It is great. I am heavily involved in defense litigation, civil and some criminal.

My advice is to hang in there and don't be afraid to network for a job. Getting a job is a ton easier after you are licensed. Many of my classmates did not have jobs or even prospects until after results came out. All found jobs 3-4 months after passing the bar, and this wasn't even a T2 or higher school!

I know the bar exam beat my ass and got to mentally. If you are feeling down in the dumps post bar exam that is very normal. The whole process plays your mind and psyche much more than you realize.

I hope to upgrade my job after results come out from a clerk at the prosecutors office to a small firm. My law school is low tier, I hope you are right.

[reasonable_man]

What was your LSAT and UGPA?

[Rahviveh]

The OP is either a troll or incredibly tone deaf in thinking his posts and story offers hope.

It's this guy:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/m ... e&u=151857

I've been through the war 4 times. During my first 3 attempts, I was scared shit. As soon as I heard the words, "You may begin", I basically froze. When I looked at the MBE's, it was like reading Swahili. While I was doing the essays, I second guessed myself. I nearly had a nervous breakdown.

If you're not a troll then I'm happy for you Op. But your story is not inspiring. Its terrifying and induces paranoia. Please stop posting until exam results are released.

[Genius]

The OP is either a troll or incredibly tone deaf in thinking his posts and story offers hope.

It's this guy:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/m ... e&u=151857

I've been through the war 4 times. During my first 3 attempts, I was scared shit. As soon as I heard the words, "You may begin", I basically froze. When I looked at the MBE's, it was like reading Swahili. While I was doing the essays, I second guessed myself. I nearly had a nervous breakdown.

If you're not a troll then I'm happy for you Op. But your story is not inspiring. Its terrifying and induces paranoia. Please stop posting until exam results are released.

sounds like to him passing the bar on his 5th try was the highlight of his life so far and probably just wants to let it be known to the world. while tacky, i'll cut him some slack. i wouldnt take any career advice from him tho

[A. Nony Mouse]

The OP is either a troll or incredibly tone deaf in thinking his posts and story offers hope.

It's this guy:

http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/m ... e&u=151857

I've been through the war 4 times. During my first 3 attempts, I was scared shit. As soon as I heard the words, "You may begin", I basically froze. When I looked at the MBE's, it was like reading Swahili. While I was doing the essays, I second guessed myself. I nearly had a nervous breakdown.

If you're not a troll then I'm happy for you Op. But your story is not inspiring. Its terrifying and induces paranoia. Please stop posting until exam results are released.

It's a different guy. And it's perfectly helpful to know people can survive failing three times.

[Desert Fox]

Justify your practice of law. Three failures? How are you not malpracticinf the fuck out of the law.

[A. Nony Mouse]

Justify your practice of law. Three failures? How are you not malpracticinf the fuck out of the law.

Are you implying law practice is hard, DF?

[elendinel]

Justify your practice of law. Three failures? How are you not malpracticinf the fuck out of the law.

The fact that you can't pass the bar (which tests several different and disparate legal fields and subjects) arguably says nothing about your ability to excel in one/a handful of legal fields. Surely having a wide understanding of the law helps, but it's not necessary to remember a lot of what is memorized for the bar in day-to-day practice, unless you go into one of the few careers where you do need to know a little of everything. Are you truly incapable of being a perfectly competent public defender if you bombed corporations/trust and wills/secured transactions? Do you need to know anything about criminal procedure to be an effective IP attorney?

[Anonymous User]

thanks for doing this, its very nice of you. i am having a very, very hard time with post-bar/waiting for results life. how were your MPTs? i am worried because I feel like they make sink me...had a really hard timing finishing both. any truth to the wishful thinking that you can still do ok on them even with less than complete response?

MPTs were fine. I never had a problem doing ok on the MPT. I never did great but did fine. On my passing exam I didn't completely finish. I had to stop writing mid sentence.

If you do ok on the MPT you should be ok.