California Bar Exam (July 2014) thread Forum

[Bearlegdairy]

I doubt you got a 1338 like me last year.

God that's brutal. Knowing that happened to you is, like, the worst thing that's ever happened to me.

[CA-Hoosier]

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here.

Got my bad news yesterday, looking forward to turning it around. Will definitely be paying attention to these threads and hopefully participating will help this time.

[CALawGirl]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

[duskfall]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

Take another state

[Determination3]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

CALawGirl, I've being paying attenion to you, and seeing how close you came, I could have sworn you would have passed. I think you should take CAli's again, but it is up to you when.

I don't know much about your last score, but in my experience, when people come really close to passing but don't, it's because they had a very high MBE score, but their essays score were not great.

I have failed twice now, so I know the feeling. I think you should wait for your second result, look at where you fell short, and make the necessary changes.

Goodluck.

[CALawGirl]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

Take another state

Thanks for ur response. How does that work? Take the Bar in say Arizona, then pass there and do only the essay portion of CA? My Feb MBE scaled was almost 150. Not sure about July MBE.

[CALawGirl]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

CALawGirl, I've being paying attenion to you, and seeing how close you came, I could have sworn you would have passed. I think you should take CAli's again, but it is up to you when.

I don't know much about your last score, but in my experience, when people come really close to passing but don't, it's because they had a very high MBE score, but their essays score were not great.

I have failed twice now, so I know the feeling. I think you should wait for your second result, look at where you fell short, and make the necessary changes.

Goodluck.

Thanks! If I got a dollar for every "I could have sworn you would pass" I'd be Oprah! Lol! I had to go back to see if I correctly uploaded my essays. That's how much I thought my fail must be a mistake. Last time my MBEs were high and my essays needed work...which I thought I improved. The only thing "different" I can do is a tutor. I've used Barbri for my first, self-studied for my second.

When I get my scores, if I come closer than 7 points, I'll retake in Feb. If not, I'll take a one year break or consider another state.

Good luck to you too.

[jarofsoup]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

Take another state

Thanks for ur response. How does that work? Take the Bar in say Arizona, then pass there and do only the essay portion of CA? My Feb MBE scaled was almost 150. Not sure about July MBE.

If you want to be a lawyer just pass in another jurisdiction. Consider moving there and being an attorney. I guess I am jaded since I did not have to take this dam exam.

[Carryon]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

I failed to again. My recommendation is to take it in February, if you are going to take it again.

1. I am not sure about taking a break, you have to stay home anyway with your kid, so you might as well study too. I have two 5 year old kids and I would not be able to take a break anyway. Besides, it is only a few months.
2. I am not sure about student loans.
3. A better confidence booster would be to pass in February. Another confidence booster would be to keep taking practice exams and have them graded until you start getting really good scores. Kills two birds with one stone.
4. I am not sure about leads, but they may be just leads, not jobs yet. If you pass in February, you have more opportunities.
5. I hear that there are bar courses and supplements that will provide civ pro MBE practice questions. Besides, everybody else would be in the same boat, the scores would be scaled to reflect this situation.
6. see above answer for item 1
7. Clear your head over Thanksgiving break. It really does not take very long (been there).
8. The people that are your real friends will support you if they know that you are taking it again. If they don't, so what. Seems like a non issue. Other than your employer, who cares who knows.
9. It will be valid in February too. You also have less time for misconducts to get on your record (e.g. speeding tickets etc.), though generally speaking most applicant's records are clean and remain clean.
10. Get a tutor in February or I am thinking about the use of self-grading (should I take it again), like they do at bar bri. Another, option is to sign up for Themis, I hear they have unlimited grading, and begin taking old exams early to take advantage of the quick turnaround time due to less applicants submitting their exams for grading as most are watching boring lectures.
11. Yes, but you get the results quicker and can move on with life.

Con

The big con is that it is still fresh in your head. If you are going to take it again, take it in February. Why wait, besides it does feel like an eternity. Further, you will see people passing the bar in February and may wish that you had done so.
Good luck whichever decision you make.

[duskfall]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

Take another state

Thanks for ur response. How does that work? Take the Bar in say Arizona, then pass there and do only the essay portion of CA? My Feb MBE scaled was almost 150. Not sure about July MBE.

Dc allows transfer of ur mbe and u will only take the essay portion. Get confidence by passing, then take cal again

[jarofsoup]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

Take another state

Thanks for ur response. How does that work? Take the Bar in say Arizona, then pass there and do only the essay portion of CA? My Feb MBE scaled was almost 150. Not sure about July MBE.

Dc allows transfer of ur mbe and u will only take the essay portion. Get confidence by passing, then take cal again

I live in DC, so I actually need DC bar membership at the end of the day.

I will have to see what I got the MBE and if it is a 133.

[Carryon]

I took Feb & failed by 7 points. I failed again for July - not sure my scores. I'm thinking of taking a 1 yr break - here are my thoughts. I know this is a personal decision but I would appreciate your thoughts.

PROS:
1. I get to take a break. I've been in this vicious cycle since Aug 2013
2. I don't have student loans
3. I can finish my 2nd Masters degree that I put in hold and have a sense of accomplishment that is a good confidence booster
4. I can look for a PT legal assistant job to get more practical experience/network. I have some leads (someone who knows someone)
5. There would be more released sample Civ Pro MBEs
6. I get to spend quality time with my kiddo
7. Sometimes you need to take a step back to move forward or clear your head
8. Not a lot of emotional pressure if I put the Bar on hold - a lot of people won't even know I'm taking it
9. My MPRE & Moral Character will still be valid
10. There won't be financial stress - I can get a tutor
11. The Bar will be there in a year - whether in Feb or in a year, I'll still be a 3rd time taker

CON
1. I may pass in Feb 2015
2. BLL is still fresh in my head (strike while its hot).
3. Waiting a year feels like an entirety

Any other cons I may want to consider?

Take another state

Thanks for ur response. How does that work? Take the Bar in say Arizona, then pass there and do only the essay portion of CA? My Feb MBE scaled was almost 150. Not sure about July MBE.

Dc allows transfer of ur mbe and u will only take the essay portion. Get confidence by passing, then take cal again

I am not sure about taking it in another state if you live in California and are settled there with a house and a job, etc. I am barred in Ohio and have a job and house here. The reason that I took this wonderful Cal bar exam was that there may be more job opportunities in CA and that my wife's job may transfer to California. I think the essays are the hardest part of the CA bar, and I only took the essays. In fact, the MBE helped my score when I took the Ohio bar. I almost signed up to take the 3 day exam with the MBE for this reason. So, I would not factor that in as much.

[mmelittlechicken]

Taking just the CA essays is crazy.

[Bearlegdairy]

Taking just the CA essays is crazy.

If I recall correctly there was a previous bar question devoted entirely to PARTIAL takings. Both my con law and review courses barely even mentioned that those were a thing, much less gave us sufficient information to answer an entire question.

[Carryon]

Taking just the CA essays is crazy.

I am not sure. Last time I failed pretty bad, so the mbe wouldn't matter. I will see if it matter this time.

[dtl]

I have a huge file with all the flashcards I made as well as some other miscellaneous stuff. If anyone wants it, let me know your email and I will happily send it to you.

My heart goes out to those who did not pass this time around. The bar is arbitrary as a norm, and this specific run was even worse with the improper MBE scaling and the examsoft bullshit.

[prezidentv8]

<3 I am actually crying. I think that's also partly due to my 3 glasses of wine I chugged in the last 30 minutes.

Nicely done.

[injun]

Can anyone recommend a tutor or service that really helped for PTs?

[Carryon]

Can anyone recommend a tutor or service that really helped for PTs?

Flemings. I did not go to workshop, but I did purchase the cd for around $100. They give you a method of approaching the pts and several practice exams with model answers.


http://www.lawprepare.com/news/bar-revi ... -examiner/

[venusbbmm]

Congrats to everyone who pass it!! If not, let's study for the Feb 15 together!!!

Also if anyone wants to sell/give(I will pay for the shipping for sure) their bar prep materials to me please PM me!

Congrats again!

[Carryon]

Congrats to everyone who pass it!! If not, let's study for the Feb 15 together!!!

Also if anyone wants to sell/give(I will pay for the shipping for sure) their bar prep materials to me please PM me!

Congrats again!

I want to congratulate everyone who passed too.

[2oldfts]

By the grace of God, I passed. Considering how I was doing in practice, I was not supposed to pass, and I feel devastated for all of you who did not. This exam is BS and is really a crapshoot.

Just for future test takers, you can still miss a lot and still be successful. Just from what I know, here are the errors I made on the exam. I did not do the CP portion of the trusts/CP question (essentially leaving half the essay blank), did not do a trusts analysis (only did duties), missed major issues (2-3) in the remedies question, missed impeachment in crim pro, and did not even state one CA distinction in the PR question. I ran out of time on the first PT and had to hurry a conclusion.

I did not break 100 in my simulated MBE for barbri. During the self-study period after barbri, I did an additional 1500 real MBEs and was barely hitting 65% correct. On test day, I had to bubble straight B's on ~10 MBE questions because I ran out of time. On the PM MBE section, I educated guessed on more than half because I was running out of time. By what has been discussed and what we know about grading and looking at baressays.com essays, I fully expected to fail. Good luck to those who will be retaking this. You have more strength and willpower than I ever will.

FWIW I had a ton of B's in the PM MBE section.

yup, same here pretty much. Did not do a trust analysis, stated no California distinctions in PR essay, and missed 3 major issues in Evidence. Scores of 55, 60, 60, 60, 60 60 on the essays and 65 on both PTs would yield the 615 passing writing score. I'm guessing I got something equal to that

[iLoveFruits&Veggies]

By the grace of God, I passed. Considering how I was doing in practice, I was not supposed to pass, and I feel devastated for all of you who did not. This exam is BS and is really a crapshoot.

Just for future test takers, you can still miss a lot and still be successful. Just from what I know, here are the errors I made on the exam. I did not do the CP portion of the trusts/CP question (essentially leaving half the essay blank), did not do a trusts analysis (only did duties), missed major issues (2-3) in the remedies question, missed impeachment in crim pro, and did not even state one CA distinction in the PR question. I ran out of time on the first PT and had to hurry a conclusion.

I did not break 100 in my simulated MBE for barbri. During the self-study period after barbri, I did an additional 1500 real MBEs and was barely hitting 65% correct. On test day, I had to bubble straight B's on ~10 MBE questions because I ran out of time. On the PM MBE section, I educated guessed on more than half because I was running out of time. By what has been discussed and what we know about grading and looking at baressays.com essays, I fully expected to fail. Good luck to those who will be retaking this. You have more strength and willpower than I ever will.

FWIW I had a ton of B's in the PM MBE section.

Me too!! a TON of B's! I looked at my exam sheet and thought, "what the heck is going on here!?" Didn't pass though, but it's good to know that maybe I at least got that part right lol. I hope we get our scores back Monday so I can see what went wrong... Ugh. I think I'm going to skip Feb, and take it again in July. I'm a little bitter about this test... need a mini-break. But plan on passing next time - not giving up!

[a male human]

Now I remember having 7 Bs or Cs in a row along with someone else... that's just cruel

[Carryon]

By the grace of God, I passed. Considering how I was doing in practice, I was not supposed to pass, and I feel devastated for all of you who did not. This exam is BS and is really a crapshoot.

Just for future test takers, you can still miss a lot and still be successful. Just from what I know, here are the errors I made on the exam. I did not do the CP portion of the trusts/CP question (essentially leaving half the essay blank), did not do a trusts analysis (only did duties), missed major issues (2-3) in the remedies question, missed impeachment in crim pro, and did not even state one CA distinction in the PR question. I ran out of time on the first PT and had to hurry a conclusion.

I did not break 100 in my simulated MBE for barbri. During the self-study period after barbri, I did an additional 1500 real MBEs and was barely hitting 65% correct. On test day, I had to bubble straight B's on ~10 MBE questions because I ran out of time. On the PM MBE section, I educated guessed on more than half because I was running out of time. By what has been discussed and what we know about grading and looking at baressays.com essays, I fully expected to fail. Good luck to those who will be retaking this. You have more strength and willpower than I ever will.

FWIW I had a ton of B's in the PM MBE section.

yup, same here pretty much. Did not do a trust analysis, stated no California distinctions in PR essay, and missed 3 major issues in Evidence. Scores of 55, 60, 60, 60, 60 60 on the essays and 65 on both PTs would yield the 615 passing writing score. I'm guessing I got something equal to that

I wonder if the pts did me in. I did not study them as much as the essays.