You opened the
letter from the bar examiners and it begins “We regret to inform you…” Now what?
Here are some practical tips from a Bar Review Expert on
what to do when “Bad Results Happen to Good People…”
It’s the worst feeling in the world. The feeling of failure for most law
students (and practitioners) is utterly foreign and completely terrifying. But if it’s happened to
you, don’t give up!
Here are ten things to do right away to make sure you never
get another unhappy bar result letter. And, be sure to
scroll to the bottom of this page for FREE videos that can help you PASS THE
BAR next time!
1.
Have a good cry.
It’s not fair and you didn’t deserve to fail the bar, but it happened. Keeping a
“stiff upper lip” has its advantages but for right now, go ahead and cry (or
scream) or do whatever you need to release the emotional energy that’s pent up
inside. It’s perfectly normal to be sad about a bad result; the only thing
that’s abnormal is acting like nothing happened. The sooner you get the
“grieving” out of your system, the sooner you can…
2.
Keep it in context.
When you think about all of the things in your life that failing the bar
affects, it can be pretty overwhelming. But the truth is that this is not the
end of the world, and you will survive the setback. A failing score NEVER means
you’re stupid or incapable or incompetent, or that you can’t become a successful
member of the bar. It only means that on exam day you didn’t provide the bar
examiners with enough information to convince them of your skills. In the larger
context of your life, that’s pretty small stuff. Once you remember that you
still have talent, brains and skill, it’s time to….
3. Review the results with an
objective individual.
I don’t mean a sympathetic spouse or parent, but someone who can tell you where
you may have gone wrong. Perhaps it’s a favorite professor or a colleague, or
someone you admire. I know what you’re thinking: “I could never tell them I
failed.” Well, you’re going to have to tell sooner or later, so why not engage
them as part of the solution? You’ll ultimately feel better and receive the
benefit of their advice. Or better yet, call and talk with me (whether you took
our course or not). The link is at the bottom of this page. I'll be glad to
discuss your results and share with you what could be done differently because
it's critical to...
4.Evaluate your previous
study strategies.
My favorite definition of insanity is “doing the same thing repeatedly and
expecting different results.” Sound familiar? If you plan to do the same thing
to prepare for the next exam that you did last time, the odds are against you.
I’m not necessarily suggesting you switch bar courses (though that’s worth considering,
particularly when you compare our pass rates and
features) but
rather, that you focus on your strategy to consider what you might do
differently next time (see #7). To help make those decisions, you’ll need to…
5.Analyze what your strengths
and weaknesses were on the exam.
Failure doesn’t mean that you failed everything. It only means that in some
areas or subjects you didn’t do well enough to overcome lower scores in other
areas of the exam. Too many people simply assume that there’s a holistic sense
to the bar and a failing score means everything was bad. Not so. For many
applicants, there are serious defects in their writing or standardized
test-taking skills. You need to analyze what you’re good at as well as what you
need to improve upon. Then you can…
6.
Look forward.
If you could sit in my seat for a week, you’d
be stunned at how many people only look backwards. You succeeded in getting out
of college, getting into law school, getting out of law school, perhaps having a
successful career and practice, and yet this
failure obscures all of that like a total solar eclipse. Being a “failure” is a
lot of unfair baggage to carry with you. It gets heavy and it will weigh you
down. Protesting your score is useless. You need to look forward -- not
backward. It’s over and done and you can respond constructively by starting to…
7. Ask what you can do
differently next time.
Do you need more time to study? Do you need a different bar review? Would you be
better off using home study with a
personal mentor? Getting more
personal attention? There
are lots of ways to study and lots of choices for you to make. Consider your
weaknesses and then proactively look for solutions. Ask your existing bar review provider
how they are willing or able to help. I won’t work with a retake student who
refuses to change their studying (see #4) and you shouldn’t expect to succeed
without making some changes. That means…
8.
Don’t repeat your errors.
This is different than #7. Some people constantly make changes but repeat their
errors. For example, students who change bar review courses but then stubbornly
study the same way with the new course. It’s not easy to change the way you
study, but if you’ve honestly evaluated your results, you’ll see where changes
are necessary and why you need to make them. To help, you’ll need to…
9.
Get expert assistance.
Making changes can be tough, but a
good bar
review mentor can help. I had a student come to me once after failing the bar
exam 8 times with other courses. I asked him what he’d do differently with our
course than the others. (see #7) He thought for awhile and said, “I’ll follow
your advice.” He passed the next bar exam. Trust the people you’ve “hired” to
show you the way and then follow them. Here's a story of a
student who failed the bar 20 times and then passed with our help. And finally,…
10.
Expect to succeed.
If there is a single, universal barrier to success, this is it. If you do
everything on this list, but don’t expect success, you’ll get what you expect.
Ultimately, the bar exam is a test of your will and attitude as much as a test
of your knowledge and skill. With the right perspective and belief in yourself,
you can and will overcome this hurdle!
"I guess the old adage "3rd time is a
charm" is correct, it took me 3 tries to pass the Florida Bar Exam. My 1st time
I used another company, wrote IRAC style and missed by 3 points (10 points if
you look only at essays, multi-state brought my average up). And if that wasn't
frustrating enough, I took the Florida Essays again and missed by 1 point.
Talking to me back in April when those results came back, was useless, I was
pretty frustrated and down. Jackson knew I needed some space and time to
consider what I was doing. I discussed my game plan with Jackson a couple of
weeks after exam results were released and we agreed on the game plan. Jackson
is tough, but he makes you write better, he does not sugar coat, and I did not
want him to, I wanted to pass this test. He helped me dig deeper, understand
what the Florida Examiners were looking for and pass a test which had become a
bit of an albatross. As I said, I had used another company and they were
consistently scoring my essays at 95% and providing limited feedback (even
though I had a mentoring option), but they did not make me a better writer for
this exam. Jackson would not have scored my early essays anywhere near 95%. He
provided honest and sometimes cutting feedback, but I became a better writer for
this exam. I failed the 2nd time, because I deviated from Celebration's writing
style on one of the essays and my essay scores reflected that with a non-passing
score on that one essay. The style is uncomfortable at first, especially coming
from the NJ/NY area where IRAC is the only way to go, but once you get it, it
truly works and there is no doubt in my mind that had I not used Celebration I
would be booking a hotel room for February right now!!!"
Georgia
from Florida, PASSED July 2009
"Jackson, thank you so much for not
giving up on me! You were right, things do happen for a reason. I am so thankful
that my brother used your program. After I saw his success with you, I knew I
would pass the exam. Yes, it took some time, but with your words of
encouragement and direction I was able to accomplishment something so
incredible. I feel so empowered to do anything. You truly made a difference in
my approach to the Bar exam. Yes, I may have been a little hard headed at times,
but you never gave up. With your techniques, and God’s grace, ALL things are
possible! Thanks so much for everything."
CPM
PASSED FL Feb 09 Exam
"I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THANK
GOODNESS and Thank GOD and you for having faith in me! I am so excited about
today and I appreciate your help. I think when you have failed before that you
come to appreciate the PASS so much more!!!" M.W. Passed July 2009
What to do Next:
Take the next step now and
contact us for a free evaluation of your study
strategy and to learn how Celebration Bar Exam Review can help you pass the bar!
Early enrollment is a
MUST to succeeding on the next exam. Don't wait
and miss out on the lowest prices and most mentoring
opportunities.
Free Video on "Exam Peace: Why do some people fail their bar exam?"
Add our new
"STAR" program - Successful
Test Application Resources - as part of our
Platinum Mentoring for the most comprehensive package available.
Watch this FREE video
*Call or chat online with Jackson using the links below
Add our new
"STAR" program - Successful
Test Application Resources - as part of our
Platinum Mentoring for the most comprehensive package available.
Watch this FREE video