... registered immediately for the next exam. I didn't do that this time because I read the notice on the application page that said immediate repeaters can't register for the July exam until the following Monday. That's never stopped me before, but I'm going to follow directions this time.
I've been studying for the July exam since last Monday. That's not long, I admit, but it's a start. And I plan on registering for the July exam as soon as I get up on Monday. I'm not going to skip an exam because ... well, the reasons are too many to list.
The only way to get my license is to take the exam until I pass.
And I'm going to get my license.
51 comments:
There is no doubt at all that you can and WILL do it. You have a new fan in me, and I will check this blog from time to time. You will pass.
so sorry to hear that you didn't pass - I have been following you while my daughter has been studying and taking the bar. Fortunately she did pass this time. As far as location her first time she was in San Mateo and hated it as it is next to train tracks and it was quite disturbing - also the security was not such that you could leave anything outside the door - lunch etc. This last time she was in Ontario and she liked that location much better. I wish you all the best - and am sure you will pass - you can do it! I am rooting for you and will continue to check in on you - wishing you strength - focus - and of course luck.
Im pulling for you GP and a part of me died last night after reading that you did not pass. I trully believe that good things come to those that are patient enough to wait... your day will come and the exclusive club of attorney's will be there to await you with open arms!
GP, your blog has been a source of strength and encouragement for me during the bar exam process. Unfortunately, I did not pass the last examination either, but I find your perseverance and positive outlook encouraging. Like you, I plan to register for the next exam as soon as I can. We can do this GP!
Hi GP. I've lurked around your blog for a few months now and I'm so sad for you that you didn't pass. :( Don't give up! You can do it.
I just passed on my fourth try. I took it in Oakland. The test center and hotel are in the same building, so it's really nice. You don't have to worry about parking or any crap like that. I high tailed it out of the test center after each section and avoided people. For me it helped to put blinders on and ignore everyone else. Having the hotel room as a refuge was great for that.
I don't know if anyone has posted this already, but the best resource I have ever found on bar study is The Bar Code Cheat Sheets by Whitney Roberts. I'm sure you've prolly heard of it, but just in case, I wanted to throw it out there.
Good luck man! I'll be checking from time to time and I hope to hear good news from you in November!
OK. Regrouping. You didn't pass and neither did I. Let's start all fresh. I really like your blog because every body is so cheerful. Therefore, I was thinking that for those of us who have to work full time and study for the bar, we can use your blog to communicate and create a studying schedule. We can help each other. I have not received the itemization of my weak areas, probably all, but I can't wait to improve those areas. Any Idea where to start?
There are a lot of materials out there, but we just need to stick to one and get it down.
I read this quote on the bar breaker and I loved it "there no impossibles to a willing heart," or something like that. I am a very willing heart and you are too. When life hands me lemons I make lemonade, How about you?
"The only way to get my license is to take the exam until I pass."
Wise counsel, my friend. As I've been known to say, "The only way to fail the bar is to not take it until you pass."
Your friend and colleague,
Jonathan
I found your blog on the third day of the Feb. 2010 exam, and it was an enormous comfort to me. I've gone back and read all your back entries whenever I had some angst over the results. The blog is engaging and amusing. Many thanks for keeping it up.
Feb. 2010 was my first time for the CA bar (I took the attorney's exam). I was fortunate enough to pass. I had an intense work load leading up to it and coached a team as well, so I only had a max of 1-3 hours a day to study. So, GP, you can definitely keep working and do just fine.
I was saddened when I saw you didn't pass. Please know that there are many of us cheering for you. Keep your sense of humor. Disregard the haters.
Dear Mr. Poobah,
It's a shame no one in law school, faculty and professors included, ever told you that you probably lack the capacity to be a lawyer. It's not your fault. Not everyone is cut out to be an attorney. In fact, medium to even high attrition rates in law school are healthy because they protect the consumer population from would-be mediocre or poor legal representation. Perhaps you are learning the wrong lesson from your failure. Instead of focusing on the deficiencies in your performance, you ought to consider that your unrelenting failure is a sign that you should keep your proverbial day job. You can pigeonhole me as a "hater" all you want. You and others can indulge in your name calling, but it still doesn't take away the fact that the Grand Poobah is destined to fail without end.
Please take my criticism is purely constructive.
P.S. For you aspiring lawyers out there who are in the same or similar position as GP, you might find this article helpful. http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/109478/bar-raised-for-law-grad-jobs?mod=career-work
Anon at 2:10 p.m.:
I do not pigeonhole you as a 'hater' but I do pigeonhole you as someone who does not know GP as a person. I have personally known GP for nearly three years, and have come to respect his skills, ability, and mind. On occasion, I use his considerable skills to assist me in my practice.
You do not disclose whether you are an attorney in California or elsewhere, but speaking as one who is, my unequivocal view of GP is that his yet-to-pass status is not the indicator you suggest in the first paragraph of your post. His status is merely a reality of his yet-to-overcome challenge of passing this very non-standardized and amazingly difficult moving-target test.
Jonathan Kramer, Esq.
Hi GP, so so sorry that you didn't make it this time. Your blog was a source of comfort when I was waiting for the result of my second attempt in July 07. I took a break after my fourth attempt and passed on my fifth (July 09).
Fingers crossed - you'd pass the July 2010. It's your time!
All the very best to you and your family.
"On occasion, I use his considerable skills to assist me in my practice."
Huh, my secretary answers the telephone...I guess you could call that "assistance?"
I'm sure GP is very qualified at what he does. No one is questioning that. But no objectively reasonable person can look upon such repeated bar-taking and, at a minimum, help but wonder whether that particular bar-taker should cut his or her losses and move on to something else. No one would blame the repeat-taker as a quitter if he or she has made every good faith effort to pass but was simply incompatible with the requirements of the exam.
Moreover, "yet-to-pass status" is a very politically correct, almost romanticized euphamism which presupposes that destiny will somehow snatch victory from the jaws of defeat (to invert the popular phrase).
I have been following your blog for about a year and you have been a wonderful inspiration as I studied for the bar exam. I am so, so, so sorry that you did not pass, but I am rooting for you all the way for the July 2010 bar!
I admire your attitude in approaching the exam once again. I first took the CA bar last July and did not pass. I was devastated and, at first, did not believe I could go through the stress, studying, and waiting again. But I changed my mind after about a week and signed up to take the February 2010 bar. I was fortunate enough to pass this time around, and I feel I owe you some thanks. Reading about your experiences and seeing your positive outlook every time really helped. It was a huge factor in getting my determination back, enabling me to go through another bar exam. For that, I am forever grateful and appreciative.
I'm sure you've taken a few bar prep courses already, but if you are looking for one, I would strongly recommend Bar Exam 101. I would be happy to share my experience with you on that course if you are interested.
With that said, I am completely confident that July 2010 is THE ONE! I will send you good thoughts and the best of luck as you study and prepare.
"THE CALIFORNIA GENERAL BAR EXAM IS A ONE HUNDRED PERCENT FOCUS BASED EXAM!"...whether you are a first time taker, or a repeat taker, the CALIFORNIA STATE BAR will guarantee you with ONE HUNDRED PERCENT CERTAINTY, that you will never, ever pass, unless you as an individual have the ability to focus ONE HUNDRED PERCENT each second, of every minute, of every hour, of every day, of every week, of every month, of every quarter, of every half year, of every year, OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!...for all those who are not giving it ONE HUNDRED PERCENT effort, dedication, focus, etc., YOU WILL BE ASSURED to continue to fail!...no amount of prayers, good wishes, good vibes sent your way, will ever help you PASS THIS EXAM.
"BOOTOM LINE IS THIS, START WORKING ON WHO YOU ARE FIRST AND THAN PROCEED TO WORK ON WHO YOU WANT TO BECOME IN TERMS OF A PROFESSION!
No one has ever fooled the BAR EXAM GODS, certainly you are not going to be the first.
XOXOXOX
anon at 3:01 pm:
I suppose this is the same advice you would give to someone like former Governor Wilson?
100% focus based??
I know someone who found out Friday he passed the CA bar on his first attempt. He works full time, didn't take a single day off to study....not even the week before or the day before.
Maybe some of us are more capable of multitasking than others.
To: Anon at 2:10 pm
Well, I must say "hater" is not the first name that comes to mind after reading your post. I'd rather not acknowledge you on this blog but for GP's sake and for many repeaters out there (including myself) I'd say you seem like a very down on yourself, bitter individual. First, I'll say I passed this exam this past Feb, after several attempts. I know I appreciate it more than I would have had I passed on my first attempt. This exam is about strategy and thinking quickly on one's toes and problem solving. I'm certain everyone on earth has such abilities, its really a matter of how much it is practiced and perfected before the exam. Everyone has a different learning curve for mastering such techniques, so for you to come here and bash an individual who is close to getting there is insensitive and uncalled for. Don't know what your stats are, don't really care. If you've just got everything so pulled together, stop spending your time on this blog and go live your life. GP has served as an inspiration for many. This blog is a place many of us come to cheer each other on. So if all of our "babying" each other turns you off, get lost! I rarely am ever rude on public blogs and sites, but really didn't appreciate your thoughts. I pray for you and REALLY for your sake, I hope you don't run into me in court. Another thing, you speak of "unrelenting failures as a sign not to give up ur day job...yadaydayada...."; I told my sister this and we both had a good laugh. She's experienced a couple of setbacks in her life, and if she gave up because of them, she wouldn't be graduating from medical school this year, let me add...from a VERY reputable medical school. So please realize, everyone's got a different road to travel, for some it may come easier than for others. But some of the greatest achievements in history are by those who triumphed and overcame great adversity. Cheers! GP, rooting for you this summer, as i've said before this is YOUR EXAM, and YOUR GONNA OWN IT! Get your battle gear ready! Thanks for your blog and will check in with ya in November. Good luck and God Bless!
Keep on chugging! I'll be keeping track too! I'll be on my second round but not until feb of 2011! Good luck friend!
arielle
Good luck next time you take it! I haven't followed your blog that much, but if you need outlines, email me!
I am sorry GP that you will never pass the Bar Exam. You might as well play the lottery everyday then give your money to the state bar, the odds of you winning money are probably higher then you passing on your 6th attempt as a 50+ year old from a non-ABA school. It is sad when you live life and there are things you want very badly but just cannot do, but sometimes giving up is by far the smartest thing to do. Wtf are you actually studying this time around also, the rule against perpetuities or the elements of negligence, focus on writing answers without outlines and thinking on the fly and maybe you will have a small shot at passing.
All passing applicants must know how to "IRAC" both their essay/performance answers!
For example:
Issue: Whether GP will ever pass the CGBE?
Rule: In order to have any chance in heaven or hell to pass this exam, you must give it priority over everything in your life.
Analysis: For GP passing the exam is not the number one priority. Number one priority means that every other aspect of your life has to take a backseat to passing this exam. It would seem from reading this blog, that GP thinks, eventhough he has failed 6 times, that he is bound to pass the exam, on his 7th try, without doing much work towards accomplishing that goal. He has pretty much given up on studying the black letter law, he has stopped writing essays under timed conditions, he has stopped writing performance exams under timed conditions and he has even given up in doing MBE's, something he was great at, yet something he is losing points on lately. He cracks a lot of jokes with just about everyone on here regarding his failures, than he overemphasizes the fact that he has many other interests in life as of lately.
Conclusion: from analyizing the actions that GP has taken in preparing for each and every exam, the past few times, it is without any doubt on the part of the State of California that he will not be allowed to get a license to practice law anytime soon.
Can anyone take a stab at grading this example for me.
XOXOXOX
Anon 8:47: When I pass, will you come back and offer congratulations, or will you just chalk up another one in the loss column then slink off to find another aspiring lawyer to discourage?
Seriously, is there anyone in your life that you encourage when they're encountering unexpected difficulties achieving a goal? Or do you just smugly criticize with cute little imaginary scenarios?
You must have been the little kid in school who hung around with the bullies; scurrying around picking up the lunch money that fell from the pockets of their unfortunate victims. I get quite a few of your types in here. It's sad, really. Is there any joy in your life that doesn't come from the denigration of others? Do you contribute anything positive to the world, besides your presence?
If all you can offer to the other human beings on this planet is criticism, what good are you? Seriously. When you're old and dying, presuming someone doesn't put you out of your misery before you get old, try to imagine what the people you've encountered in your life are going to say about you. How will you be remembered? What will be your legacy? Will it be smarmy criticisms of people you deem unworthy? Or will it be something more positive? I presume you're young - probably about half my age. In 20 years, do you think you'll be proud of the impression you've left here? Having written the comment you just left here, would you be embarrassed if you met me face to face at a social function, knowing that I know who you are?
You need to do some serious thinking about where you're headed and what kind of relationships you want to build in your life. Because with an attitude like the one you've displayed here, you're headed for a difficult life full of self-inflicted misery.
The same thing goes for everyone who leaves discouraging comments here or on any other blog or discussion group.
It makes me sad (for a whole three seconds) to know there are people in the world like you. But on the other hand, without miserable unhappy wretches like yourself the rest of us happy folk wouldn't know how lucky we are.
Now that I think about it, please go ahead and leave another disparaging comment. The contrast between your comments and the comments of regular, emotionally healthy, people is enlightening.
I agree with "hater." GP, it is time to move-on and focus on what you are good at, debt collecting.
In all sincerity, I say these words with the best of intentions. I took the CA bar and passed on my first attempt. People who tell you that passing the bar requires only IRAC and black letter law are wrong. Passing the bar requires a certain level of legal intuition. Your repeated failure indicates that you are severely lacking this legal intuition.
Failing once is embarrassing. Failing twice is concerning. Failing three or more times indicates an inability to meet the demands of practicing law, whether work ethic or legal intuition.
You are not meant to be an attorney, just as I was never meant to be a medical doctor. Take some basic econ 101 lessons and focus on what you are strongest at. Build upon your debt collection practice. You can and will succeed in life, just not as an attorney.
Best GP.
-"Hater 2"
GP,
The true odds of you passing the exam is about 1 in 100. What you wrote above is awesome, BUT, you still have not addressed what you were going to do differently this 7TH time, that you have not done, 6 times prior. Your followers are waiting for some tangible answers from you, if you expect them to keep following your progress.
XOXOXOX
anon 9:42: Thanks for your advice. I know you won't be offended if I don't take it.
What I'm going to do differently this time? Let's see ...
1) I'm going to practice typing more because, for some reason, when I'm typing an answer during the bar exam I find myself hunting and pecking and backspacing and correcting about 5 times as much as I do when I'm not writing under pressure.
2) I'm going to do a better job at memorizing rule statements. I can discuss the rules and how they apply to real life situations ad nauseum with my friends, but when it comes time to put down a succinct distillation of a rule on an exam, I flounder. I want to write so much more of a rule than I have time to write, which is probably part of the reason for item #1 above.
3) Handle ongoing long-term personal challenges better than I have in the past. They still exist, so I must deal with them. But I'm not going to discuss them here.
GP, not offended at all. I forgot to say, if getting your license is just a hobby or goal of yours, go for it.
I guess your goal of being licensed is like my golf game. By all standards, I am an absolute failure at golf. However, I still get out there and play. That said, you would never catch me holding myself out as a golf professional.
I hope you pass the bar. I will be the first to congratulate you. My sincere hope is that you don't enter the legal profession because I think you lack the skill set to competently handle client matters. It is just natural selection GP. Plain and simple.
Against, best of luck.
-9:42
No worries. I think one of my biggest challenges is the mindset I developed in my career as a programmer. I am too methodical and detail oriented in my approach to solving problems. To pass the bar exam I need to develop pat little subroutines (here, rule statements) that I can plug into recognized scenarios. One of my problems is that I handle each problem as unique. I don't trust a pre-written module to solve a problem so I try to modify it on the fly and that takes too much time. Honestly, I think the crux of my problem is that I don't trust that I know the law well enough to just write it and forget it. I keep going back to preemptively debug. To pass this thing I'm going to have to abandon, or drastically modify, the way I solve problems. I can see that, logically. But making that change, I think, requires a huge emotional leap of faith that I haven't yet made.
Can I make that leap? I believe so. Will I make it? We'll see. I think it comes down to what many people have said here - I need to want it badly enough. My own personal challenge is that I have other issues that are demanding the bulk of my emotional energy - energy that I should be expending on the bar exam. I have to resolve or temporarily pacify those issues before I can properly address the bar exam. Can I do both? Perhaps. Balancing the two needs has been, and will continue to be, difficult, but I have to believe I will find that balance.
Regarding your concern about properly servicing clients, I think there’s enough variety in the types of work available to attorneys that I’ll not have a problem finding something that fits my strengths. Having said that, however, I also know I won’t have a problem meeting the needs of my clients if I choose to go that route. In fact, because of my methodical work habits I’ll probably take fewer clients; but that just leaves more for the rest of you.
GP, I truly understand your situation. I also came within a few points of passing this past time. The good news is that this means I'm really doing something right. I wouldn't have been able to get here (passed one jxn, about to pass NY - my Everest) without guidance. I spent a lot of time, paying for courses, doing things "my way" without success. It was only when I drastically changed my approach and associated myself with a course that provided much more guidance and a great deal of support/accountability that my scores finally began to really budge.
I don't agree with a lot of the arrogant comments you've been getting above, but I agree with one thing. Maybe CA is like NY in that the test must take full priority in your life. If you're repeating it for the Nth time like we are, it is probably best to give the test your all. We have to take the two months off from life, commit to changing our approach, and really practice and analyze as much as we can.
Of course, that's easy for me to say because I don't have a family to support like you do. If I did, maybe I'd just stop at the one bar admission and stop trying so hard for NY. Boy, if I found something that paid well, was stable, and gave me a sense of accomplishment, competence, and pride, I would drop this bar game in a hot second. As it is, I'm determined to get my NY license because I've worked so hard and given up so much to get it already. That's probably how you feel about CA. Then I guess it's time for the both of us to drop everything else and do this thing.
Just curious - have you looked into http://www.cabarexamrepeatersresource.com/? She seems to charge a lot, but as someone who specifically caters to repeaters I wonder if she would be a good alternative for someone like us. Now, I have already selected a tutor, just throwing the question out there.
And now something to inspire you:
"Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan, 'press on' has solved, and always will solve, the problems of the human race."
Calvin Coolidge
"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill
"Good luck is another name for tenacity of purpose." Ralph Waldo Emerson
"Before success comes in any man's life he is sure to meet with much temporary defeat and, perhaps, some failures. When defeat overtakes a man, the easiest and most logical thing to do is to quit. That is exactly what the majority of men do." Napoleon Hill
"Defeat is simply a signal to press onward." Helen Keller
"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." John Quincy Adams
Here's what makes me laugh re our "anon" friend: The exam has nothing to do with practice.
People IN practice know that.
This is state sanctioned hazing. Until the State Bar comes up with a better way of assessing competence, we're all stuck with the system. Given the number of attorneys in CA, there's no incentive for CA to do anything to change the exam to reflect the job validated requirements.
I would also suggest to our anon friend that the Bar exam project might be easier as a younger person - as middle aged people tend to have more responsibilities.
Just a thought from someone who never quit.
NB
and before anyone starts blathering on how the CA Bar Exam IS a proper assessment of attorney competence, I give you two words: Orly Taitz.
Obviously that bint is great at taking exams (Dental, Real Estate, Law - am I missing any others?)yet cannot apply the law or formulate a coherent argument to save her life.
Brian (mi amigo):
As I have said in a previous post, I intend to stay true to my word therefore:
"I WILL NOT ATTEMPT A FIFTH CALIFORNIA BAR EXAM".
My scores came in the mail today and showed me the following results:
Essay 1 - 55.0
Essay 2 - 55.0
Essay 3 - 55.0
Essay 4 - 50.0
Essay 5 - 55.0
Essay 6 - 55.0
PT A - 45.0
PT B - 55.0
MBE - 112
I told myself that if my fourth attempt at this exam, did not provide me with a min. of 1 point improvement, in ALL categories of the exam, I would cut out my losses here and now.
As for my essay's, I fell 1 point short of my previous average, as for my pt's, I fell short 9 points of my previous average, as for my MBE, I have propelled myself to an improvement of 16 points above my previous average. Overall my total exam score has dropped by 69 points from the previous average.
I will be the first to admit, after completeing three years of law school and having taken the exam 4 times, that I am not cut out to be a lawyer in the State of California.
On a brighter note, I intend to take my B.S in Accounting, my California Fraud Examiner certificate and my J.D in law, coupled with my 29 years of working in the business world and apply it somewhere else, where I may have a better chance of building a stable career and making a living to support my family.
I want to wish each and every one of the many of you, as well as our wonderful host, much health, energy, focus, determination and success in preparing for the July 2010 exam.
I will no longer contribute to this blog as of right now, but have all the intention in the world of staying in touch with both Brian and the rest of you.
Here is my email address: gan32@cox.net.
Bye
Gan32:
Best of luck to you. You have excellent credentials behind you, and you will make your mark in your next career!
Jonathan
GP just keep it up. I could spend hours disucssing what was different for me between almost passing the first two times and actually passing the third time, but this journey is a solitary journey and no one elses experience is going to be yours.
All I will say is that the proverbial light bulb should blink on and burn brightly. That is when you know you are going to pass. The answers will almost write themselves and you will see the patterns of the finite number of issues that are tested on this damn exam.
You know of course the only way to turn that light bulb on is to write practice exams working smart - not hard.
You dont have to be smart to pass as evidenced by the high numbers of dumbass lawyers out there among the rest of us. You just have to know what they want and give it to them.
Keep up the faith my friend. I am proud to know you.
I'm going to keep this brief.
I'm very sorry to hear you didn't pass. I guess I got lucky since I actually passed on my first try only two months out of law school but I completely understand your frustration and stress. Hell, my heart rate was a nightmare all day Friday while I waited for the results to be posted.
In either case, I wish you the best of luck on the July 2010 BAR.
Mr. Kramer, what undergraduate degree(s) do you hold, if any? None are listed on your Calbar profile.
That's painful to go through a bar exam multiple times. I took CA this Feb 2010 in Ontario, I passed on the first try (but it was a nightmare). I took NY in 2003 and passed the first time, and I took MO in 1998 and passed the first time. I have close friends who have all failed and passed on the 2nd round. I think CA is by far the hardest.
I practice in NYC. And if I may just insert a few suggestions I hope you take them well:
1. Have you considered taking another easier jurisdiction (ie higer pass rate) just so you get "a license"? Then you can practice as in-house counsel in CA w/o the bar and keep trying. Some jurisdictions even let you take it in 2 states in 3 days so you get a double shot at the apple.
2. What about non-legal/legal compliance positions at ibanks? (My feeling is that law is a thankless g-dawful profession anyway so, to suffer like this just for your license is nutz).
3. If you must continue with CA, then it sounds like you need to do some course like the PMBRE for the multistate and practice those horrible questions, like all of them in all 3 books (this is what I did for ny, but it's in all states).
4. Probably get an essay tutor.
5. You must know enough law by now, but if you want my outlines I'm happy to share. All 3 people who used them passed CA.
my email is amc2828 at hotmail if you want the outlines.
Good luck.
Good luck Gabriel. You can always take a year or so off and revisit the bargods.
GP, don't let the above "attorneys" get you down. They must be really great lawyers, considering all the time they have to post ridiculous b.s. like that on this blog. With zealous representation like that, it's really amazing California doesn't put more into their PR requirements.
Keep on trucking, bro. Rote memorization!!!
At anon 1:32
Jonathan L. Kramer
"Juris Doctor Degree cum laude, Abraham Lincoln University School of Law, Los Angeles (2001).
Undergraduate education at CSUN, UCLA, LATTC, and WLAC; AS Degree in Radio
Communications (with honors), Los Angeles Trade Technical College."
READ THE FIRST THREE PAGES
http://cityofdavis.org/cmo/pdfs/newpath/Preliminary-Injunction/02-23-10/Kramer-Declaration-Exhibit-A-%28Doc-28-2%29.pdf
Jonathan: You left out Mensch, GP's Dear Friend, and All Around Good Guy!
(;-)>
"You might as well play the lottery everyday then give your money to the state bar, the odds of you winning money are probably higher then you passing on your 6th attempt as a 50+ year old from a non-ABA school. It is sad when you live life and there..."
I think it is really sad when a person doesn't know the difference between "then" and "than".
What are you doing with your life? With writing skills like that I doubt that you are taking the CA bar. I could say more, but I'm not a cruel person.
GP,
Where did attend law school? Just curious. Were you and Mr. Kramer friends or classmates?
Mr. Kramer and I went to the same school but he graduated 7(?) years before me. We "met" through my blog back in 2007 and began corresponding because we went to the same school, and because both of us have a technical background (although his experience is in radio engineering (I think) and mine is in data processing.) I was needing work so he threw some research and writing projects my way. I've been busy with my own projects lately but we keep in touch.
Grand Guy:
I wrote before and told you I passed on the 6th try. Ignore the neigh-sayers. It is more difficult for people with full-time jobs, families, etc., to find the time to commit to properly prepare for the exam. Governor Jerry Brown on his second and Governor Wilson on his fifth. I don't think you'll be in such bad company when you pass.
PS: During the 4 years I sat for the exam (I skipped several) I was an elected director of a large Cal. Special District with 700 employees, was president of a civil engineering company, got married, helped my son who incarcerated for a period of time, ran for election, etc., etc. I am sure you have had to deal with similar challenges as a mature adult, as opposed to a 25 year old kid who is being supported by his/her parents with nothing to do but to commit time to studying. Your situation is entirely different than everyone else'. So don't sweat it, just plug-away.
Sometimes the most difficult and painful task a lawyer faces is explaining that a client has no case, or has reached a point in the case where it is no longer in the client's best interest to continue. It's not always fair but it's the fact of the matter.
I don't like it at all. It totally stinks, but we might be at that point here.
Poobah what were your scores? I missed it by 54 points.
The bar exam is not about knowing the law, so much as it is writing like you know the law. Based on your own description of how you are typing your exams, I think your problem passing the bar may be due to form rather than substance - you are wasting time and points by backspacing, editing, and second-guessing yourself.
Have you considered handwriting the exam? I think typing gives people a false sense of security, and can actually be detrimental. The temptation to edit yourself into a state of paralysis is a lot harder to do when you have to cross out huge chunks of writing, rather than just hitting the backspace button. I know lots of people think you have a better chance of passing the bar if you type rather than write, but I think writing by hand forces you to go with your first instinct, which is more often than not correct - and prevents you from overthinking the question. I wrote several bar exams (including CA) by hand and passed them all on my first try. And yes, this was in the last decade. :)
Also - how many full, timed essays and PTs have you done and then had scored by a tutor? It sounds like you may also have a time management problem, which may or may not be connected to the typing issues. Regardless of whether you are willing to reconsider writing v. typing the exam, I think it's important to do as many TIMED essays/PTs as possible - that way you can get into a rhythm, and hopefully get some feedback as well.
Good luck in July.
Yes, I think we all want to know what your scores were this time around? Please share...at least I won't judge.
Being judged is the least of my worries at this point. But thanks! I'll have to make a whole new post for that topic. Stay tuned.
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