ALL THINGS ILLINOIS BAR EXAM Forum

[barduderIL]

So do we know what the passage rate was?

[barduderIL]

Does your results letter say "Congratulations" or "We are pleased to advise that you have passed the February 2017 Illinois bar examination."

I know the old letters used to say Congratulations so just wondering. I guess I really don't believe it's true ... Am I reading it right?!

Mine said "we are pleased to advise" as well. Did you pass C and F yet?

[pdwannabe]

mine said Congratulations

[PrayingToTheBarGods]

Ya'll I'm surprisingly calm... I'm checking my results when I get home from work. So far I've had a couple of "check you messages" sent to me from ibab. My guess is that I didn't pass...

Don't be so sure. I passed and I received my notification that I passed at 8:30am, and a second email regarding updating my name/address/email for the swearing in ceremony at 12:54pm.

If that's the case then I could kiss u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's exactly what happened to me. I got scared when. I saw the second email that maybe the first was wrong but was relieved to see they just wanted to confirm name

I am quite sure you passed as well !

I passed you guys!!! Third time is a charm!!!!

[mjr0773]

Ya'll I'm surprisingly calm... I'm checking my results when I get home from work. So far I've had a couple of "check you messages" sent to me from ibab. My guess is that I didn't pass...

Don't be so sure. I passed and I received my notification that I passed at 8:30am, and a second email regarding updating my name/address/email for the swearing in ceremony at 12:54pm.

If that's the case then I could kiss u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's exactly what happened to me. I got scared when. I saw the second email that maybe the first was wrong but was relieved to see they just wanted to confirm name

I am quite sure you passed as well !

I passed you guys!!! Third time is a charm!!!!

Congratulations!!! Outstanding work!! You deserve it!

[Steve2207]

Ya'll I'm surprisingly calm... I'm checking my results when I get home from work. So far I've had a couple of "check you messages" sent to me from ibab. My guess is that I didn't pass...

Don't be so sure. I passed and I received my notification that I passed at 8:30am, and a second email regarding updating my name/address/email for the swearing in ceremony at 12:54pm.

I only got one message today, and havent opened it. Does this mean I probably failed?

I already got my C&F certification; so I am thinking I probably should have gotten 2.

[PrayingToTheBarGods]

Ya'll I'm surprisingly calm... I'm checking my results when I get home from work. So far I've had a couple of "check you messages" sent to me from ibab. My guess is that I didn't pass...

Don't be so sure. I passed and I received my notification that I passed at 8:30am, and a second email regarding updating my name/address/email for the swearing in ceremony at 12:54pm.

If that's the case then I could kiss u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's exactly what happened to me. I got scared when. I saw the second email that maybe the first was wrong but was relieved to see they just wanted to confirm name

I am quite sure you passed as well !

I passed you guys!!! Third time is a charm!!!!

Congratulations!!! Outstanding work!! You deserve it!

FYI I was a 'barbri' only gal. But I did buy a practice exam from the NCBE to get a feel for the questions. I also took time off of work for 3months and studied roughly 10-11hrs a day during the week. What I found that really worked for me were the barbri practice essays and all the songs/ mnemonics. Honestly, during practice I usually got a lot of the answers wrong, but it was getting them wrong and learning why that totally helped cement things to my brain. Also, I found the barbri mbe questions to be nothing like the real thing, but bcuz they were so much harder, I found the real mbe questions to be easy... So easy that i was seriously doubting myself for getting to an answer so quickly (thanks for the trust issues, Barbri). Sorry if I'm misspelling or not making sense... I'm tipsy from the champagne.

[PrayingToTheBarGods]

Ya'll I'm surprisingly calm... I'm checking my results when I get home from work. So far I've had a couple of "check you messages" sent to me from ibab. My guess is that I didn't pass...

Don't be so sure. I passed and I received my notification that I passed at 8:30am, and a second email regarding updating my name/address/email for the swearing in ceremony at 12:54pm.

I only got one message today, and havent opened it. Does this mean I probably failed?

I already got my C&F certification; so I am thinking I probably should have gotten 2.

Good luck, Steve!!

[Steve2207]

Ya'll I'm surprisingly calm... I'm checking my results when I get home from work. So far I've had a couple of "check you messages" sent to me from ibab. My guess is that I didn't pass...

Don't be so sure. I passed and I received my notification that I passed at 8:30am, and a second email regarding updating my name/address/email for the swearing in ceremony at 12:54pm.

I only got one message today, and havent opened it. Does this mean I probably failed?

I already got my C&F certification; so I am thinking I probably should have gotten 2.

Good luck, Steve!!

Is that a bad sign? For all those that passed, did you receive 2 emails?

[livtcook]

Ya'll I'm surprisingly calm... I'm checking my results when I get home from work. So far I've had a couple of "check you messages" sent to me from ibab. My guess is that I didn't pass...

Don't be so sure. I passed and I received my notification that I passed at 8:30am, and a second email regarding updating my name/address/email for the swearing in ceremony at 12:54pm.

I only got one message today, and havent opened it. Does this mean I probably failed?

I already got my C&F certification; so I am thinking I probably should have gotten 2.

Good luck, Steve!!

Is that a bad sign? For all those that passed, did you receive 2 emails?

I received 2 e-mails as well, 8:32am and 12:53pm. The "congratulations on passing..." version of it, not "pleased to advise"

[Steve2207]

Ya'll I'm surprisingly calm... I'm checking my results when I get home from work. So far I've had a couple of "check you messages" sent to me from ibab. My guess is that I didn't pass...

Don't be so sure. I passed and I received my notification that I passed at 8:30am, and a second email regarding updating my name/address/email for the swearing in ceremony at 12:54pm.

I only got one message today, and havent opened it. Does this mean I probably failed?

I already got my C&F certification; so I am thinking I probably should have gotten 2.

Good luck, Steve!!

What did the second one say?


Is that a bad sign? For all those that passed, did you receive 2 emails?

I received 2 e-mails as well, 8:32am and 12:53pm. The "congratulations on passing..." version of it, not "pleased to advise"

What did the second one say?

[PrayingToTheBarGods]

Ya'll I'm surprisingly calm... I'm checking my results when I get home from work. So far I've had a couple of "check you messages" sent to me from ibab. My guess is that I didn't pass...

Don't be so sure. I passed and I received my notification that I passed at 8:30am, and a second email regarding updating my name/address/email for the swearing in ceremony at 12:54pm.

I only got one message today, and havent opened it. Does this mean I probably failed?

I already got my C&F certification; so I am thinking I probably should have gotten 2.

Good luck, Steve!!

What did the second one say?


Is that a bad sign? For all those that passed, did you receive 2 emails?

I received 2 e-mails as well, 8:32am and 12:53pm. The "congratulations on passing..." version of it, not "pleased to advise"

What did the second one say?

I got the first email at 8:26 and the second at 1:02. The first email was my results, found in my ibab 'messages'. The second email prompted me to the website where I checked my messages from my processor. The second email asked me to verify my name for swearing in. I got the the 'pleased to advise' version since c&f is waiting on one of my work verifications.

[Steve2207]

Guess that means I failed then. That defeats the whole purpose of me waiting! I also notice lots of the passers got their letter around 8:30, and I got mine at 8:41.

[HiOCEAN]

Does your results letter say "Congratulations" or "We are pleased to advise that you have passed the February 2017 Illinois bar examination."

I know the old letters used to say Congratulations so just wondering. I guess I really don't believe it's true ... Am I reading it right?!

Wait...my letter says "Congratulations on passing the February 2017 Illinois bar examination." What does yours say?

Mine says "We are pleased to advise that you have passed the February 2017 Illinois bar examination."

That's weird that the letters are different.

[HiOCEAN]

Does your results letter say "Congratulations" or "We are pleased to advise that you have passed the February 2017 Illinois bar examination."

I know the old letters used to say Congratulations so just wondering. I guess I really don't believe it's true ... Am I reading it right?!

Mine said "we are pleased to advise" as well. Did you pass C and F yet?

Yes already passed c&f.

[Steve2207]

Does your results letter say "Congratulations" or "We are pleased to advise that you have passed the February 2017 Illinois bar examination."

I know the old letters used to say Congratulations so just wondering. I guess I really don't believe it's true ... Am I reading it right?!

Mine said "we are pleased to advise" as well. Did you pass C and F yet?

Yes already passed c&f.

Did you get the second email too?

[LMMadison]

Congrats to all! Thankful to share I too passed. The two alert messages messed with my head. I waited until the evening to check results, and convinced myself during the wait that email 1 was a "no" and email 2 was my score report (akin to July).

As a retaker, I empathize with any unhappy with their results, but know you have the will to triumph in July.

The "know thyself" comment from this (another?) thread really rung true for me -- each of us have been successful in the past to even be in this position. For lurkers, think back to how you've mastered material in the past (even if that deviates a bit from the formal schedule of a Barbri or Themis) and incorporate that into your approach. For example, I'm an outline studier (need to make them, revise them, add to them, etc.) -- so valued that more so than re-watching lectures. I'm also a quality > quantity learner (so would deep read each essay answer and incorporate into said outline). Ultimately did fewer practice essays, but those I did review, I learned pretty well because was exposed to the same material in multiple contexts (writing answer, reading sample answer, writing out black letter law, adding summarized/clarified black letter law to outlines where additive). Perhaps not for everyone, but that's how I studied in school, so did the same here. Used Barbri/Critical Pass Flashcards (which essentially are keyed to Barbri) exclusively.

[Blackhawks_Fan]

Does your results letter say "Congratulations" or "We are pleased to advise that you have passed the February 2017 Illinois bar examination."

I know the old letters used to say Congratulations so just wondering. I guess I really don't believe it's true ... Am I reading it right?!

Mine said "we are pleased to advise" as well. Did you pass C and F yet?

Yes already passed c&f.

Did you get the second email too?

Have you checked yet? On tenderhooks for you!!

[Steve2207]

Does your results letter say "Congratulations" or "We are pleased to advise that you have passed the February 2017 Illinois bar examination."

I know the old letters used to say Congratulations so just wondering. I guess I really don't believe it's true ... Am I reading it right?!

Mine said "we are pleased to advise" as well. Did you pass C and F yet?

Yes already passed c&f.

Did you get the second email too?

Have you checked yet? On tenderhooks for you!!

I havent opened it yet. I am hoping someone will tell me they passed and didn't get a second email. I am afraid to open while I am feeling so negative, and am hoping to feel more confident tomorrow. On a side note, I am already rehearsing what to tell the firm Monday in the off chance that they would stand by me for a second time. (I failed my first attempt and they kept me there.)

[Steve2207]

Does your results letter say "Congratulations" or "We are pleased to advise that you have passed the February 2017 Illinois bar examination."

I know the old letters used to say Congratulations so just wondering. I guess I really don't believe it's true ... Am I reading it right?!

Mine said "we are pleased to advise" as well. Did you pass C and F yet?

Yes already passed c&f.

Did you get the second email too?

Have you checked yet? On tenderhooks for you!!

I havent opened it yet. I am hoping someone will tell me they passed and didn't get a second email. I am afraid to open while I am feeling so negative, and am hoping to feel more confident tomorrow. On a side note, I am already rehearsing what to tell the firm Monday in the off chance that they would stand by me for a second time. (I failed my first attempt and they kept me there.)

ETA: A friend of mine failed, and recieved his email at the exact same time as I did (8:41) so I am thinking its bad news.

My boss told me to buy a bottle of bourbon and a bottle of champain, and to drink which ever one is most appropriate..lol.

[Blackhawks_Fan]

Ugh. Here's hoping others passed with only one email notification. All sounds very brutal. I can't imagine them not keeping you on.

[blaze1306]

Does your results letter say "Congratulations" or "We are pleased to advise that you have passed the February 2017 Illinois bar examination."

I know the old letters used to say Congratulations so just wondering. I guess I really don't believe it's true ... Am I reading it right?!

Mine said "we are pleased to advise" as well. Did you pass C and F yet?

Yes already passed c&f.

Did you get the second email too?

Have you checked yet? On tenderhooks for you!!

I havent opened it yet. I am hoping someone will tell me they passed and didn't get a second email. I am afraid to open while I am feeling so negative, and am hoping to feel more confident tomorrow. On a side note, I am already rehearsing what to tell the firm Monday in the off chance that they would stand by me for a second time. (I failed my first attempt and they kept me there.)

Its not the end of the world. It happened to me. I worked at a prosecutors office while studying for the July bar and failed and was "let go". The normal practice is to give a second timer another chance but because of budget cuts( I think I believe that ) I didn't get another chance in the office. You can survive it. I actually got a better job with the Department of Energy during my last two weeks at the prosecutors office making more money and the job is not dependent on the February results.

Rip off the band aid and prepare for the next one.

[Steve2207]

Not so sure they will keep me one after failing a second time, but I suppose its out of my hands.

[LMMadison]

Steve: you got this. The results are what they are, and the sooner you check, the more time you'll have to decompress, and if the situation calls for it, to plan for Monday.

In the worst case scenario, there also are a lot of middle-ground options between staying/leaving the firm (perhaps unpaid leave until July, or staying on and losing a "class year", etc.). It may never even come to that, but even in the worst case, the nature and structure of the employment implications can be approached creatively (especially if you have some rapport with the senior folks or HR).

[JDNE]

Wow I havn't seen a single retaker saying I only used Barbri and passed

I'm no shill for Barbri or a salesperson for the company, but I know of at least nine lawyers who failed the Bar once (or more) and then re-took the Bar using ONLY Barbri's materials to pass. Some had prepped with Kaplan in the past. Others used Themis and then switched to Barbri. The lawyers who used Barbri focused their attention on PRACTICE QUESTIONS and then studied the heck out of the model answers. ONLY. These lawyers told me to focus on understanding the explanations.

We'll see if it worked. I felt good about the Bar when it was done. I did not feel like I flunked. In fact, I recognized very similar questions on the real Bar exam. I felt like I had seen a lot of them before in the Barbri practice questions. I felt like I passed. Oh, don't get me wrong, I WAS EXHAUSTED, but it felt like I whooped myself silly during the Bar because I typed my guts out to tell them all that I knew. I'll know soon enough. The other lawyers told me that the Barbri model answers were golden for them so I will let y'all know if the Barbri stuff worked for me.