... I was studying for the July exam without having to work. I didn't realize how good I had it until today. I'm going to have to break my studying up into short blocks now.
But I'll have to figure that out later because it's off to work I am.
This will be interesting.
8 comments:
Maybe all of that time off work was not the best. I found that after sitting in Barbri lectures for 4 hours each morning that I was brain dead and physically beat. My plan is to review the law carefully during the weeknights, and take practice exams on the weekends.
This summer, I just kept taking practice exams, getting questions wrong and hoping I would remember the difference if the same topic came up again. My scores reveal that nothing could have been further from the truth.
Take heart. We can do this!
I have been reading your blog regularly and I thank you for continuing to blog your experience. I also failed for the first time in July.
I went back to work today as a law clerk at a small firm and had to face everyone. The worst moment was a meeting that I had with the in-house counsel of a client. After the obligatory speech, he started to call me 'kiddo'. He never would have called me that before. I'm 29 and I work hard and I know what I'm doing on this project. But since he referred to me as kiddo the rest of the meeting, I felt so small. I can only take so many "hang in there kiddo" comments before I break down and cry.
I am committed to doing what ever it takes to pass this next one. We will emerge victoriously in the spring and we will have grown stronger for it.
I agree with aminla. I had 3 months off and will not be able to do that again. But I felt completely on information overload. I have to believe that some of this information will come back to us quickly. Hang in there!
A very close friend of mine just passed on his second try - Believe in yourself, analyze your results from this most recent exam, study appropriately, and you will do it!
1 in 3 lawyers in CA had to take the exam more than once...don't worry. It's unfortunate that so many lawyers are misanthropic assholes who feel the need to rub others' noses in their own personal misfortune. Hang in there, you'll get yours!
Thanks for providing a forum for us to express our grief about this frustrating BAR. In response to the the writer who said he/she believes the examiners flip a coin to decide P or F - I met an attorney at the airport who actually witnessed an examiner grading the exams - He told me that the examiner had a huge stack of exams and ruffled through the pages with great speed - and randomly marked the pages with great speed - not really reading the exams - Someone out there PLEASE tell me this could not happen. Although, when I see that over 4000 people passed and over 4000 people failed, I have my doubts. Over 4000 people were allowed to graduate law school, but could not pass the BAR - What does this say about our law schools? The ABA?
Anyway, I'll stop pointing the finger and look in the mirror to find out what I can do differently this time to pass.
Hate to break it you, but its true.
I know a lot of lawyers who are also graders for the Bar. They spend only a few minutes reading your essay. They also have families and jobs of their own, so yeah... it bites, considering how much time and money we spend.
Hey GP,
I'm a reader who took and passed the Calbar on my first try in July 2006. Here's why I'm posting: I worked full time while studying for the bar (I was clerking the following year and needed to work as a summer associate to save money to pay off student loans and such.) I thought while I was studying that I was at a disadvantage, because everyone else had so many hours to study each day, while I was working. In retrospect, I think it actually helped me, because I was forced to cut to the chase - hone in on what really mattered, and study the bare minimum necessary to pass. One of the smartest people I know - a graduate of a top 10 law school, on law review, job at a top biglaw firm - failed the first time despite hours per day of studying. I think it's a forest for the trees thing. You can do it - maybe you'll even be in better shape because you're working; I think I was. Hang in there - looking forward to seeing good news from you in May!
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