Grace took the California Bar Exam in July but only passed in February after forming a strategy.
💬 “Despite my bad 1L grades, I still had secured a job in biglaw. Maybe as a result of that, the threat of something not working out didn’t really set in. . . . My heart wasn’t in it and I had no strategy.
After July 2023 results came out, I was hurt but not surprised.”
She approached bar prep on her second attempt differently and even ended up reaching up to 85-90% on AdaptiBar!
How did she do it?
- Resources Grace used to pass the CA Bar Exam on her second try
- How Grace went from failing the California Bar Exam to passing
- What’s your learning style?
- Consider if the default approach to bar prep is right for you (it’s never too late to switch)
- Creating her own customized study plan and adjusting along the way
- Taking control as the dean of her own studies
- There is no better feeling than passing the bar exam
- Full story
💬 “I now look back and realize I was woefully underprepared just hoping that the one size fits all model also worked for me.”
Resources Grace used to pass the CA Bar Exam on her second try
💬 “Magicsheets are going to singlehandedly be the reason I will see that Passed notification in May.”
“All of the information in the Passer’s Playbook, especially your study schedule plan of shorter, faster, and more repetitions of the content throughout has absolutely changed the way I view knowledge accrual. I’m so incredibly grateful.”
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How Grace went from failing the California Bar Exam to passing
Grace told me there were two major issues with her first attempt at bar prep:
- Reliance on the one-size-fits-all model of her bar review course
- Her mindset
Let me take you through how she changed her methods.
What’s your learning style?
Grace knew she never did well with oral lectures. But she went with a bar review course anyway for her first attempt.
💬 “I had terrible grades during 1L, in part because oral lectures have never worked for my learning style. I was an impeccable student in high school and college because I was able to read A LOT to make up for my lack of learning in class. For some reason, despite knowing this about myself, I still used Barbri because it’s what my firm paid for and what everyone around me was using.”
No one can blame that. The allure of major bar review courses is POWERFUL. They surround you as soon as you step foot onto law school.
They are all you know when it’s time to study for the bar exam. On top of that, everyone else seems to use it, so you figure you need to use it too. In fact, we don’t even think that there might be other ways to approach bar prep.
It didn’t occur to me at least. The question was framed as “which course should I take” rather than “should I take a course.”
Consider if the default approach to bar prep is right for you (it’s never too late to switch)
Grace ended up with no direction even with a course. It was overwhelming. She just spun her wheels and burned herself out.
💬 “I would randomly work 12 hour days throughout the week to make up for my lack of work, but then would feel burnt out, stressed, and overwhelmed, and take another day or two off to recover from sheer panic. My heart wasn’t in it and I had no strategy.”
Grace realized that the “default” may not have prepared her as well as she thought.
💬 “Though we won’t know for sure until May, I wanted to show you some concrete evidence of the difference between using Barbri’s default system and using your method. It’s part of what makes me feel so confident going into this test. I now look back and realize I was woefully underprepared just hoping that the one size fits all model also worked for me.”
Notice that even passers aren’t sure if they passed or not. More often than not, it’s actually the over-certain people who end up failing.
So the mere feeling of confidence isn’t the main thing we should looking for. Confidence is a side effect of preparation.
If you’re not feeling confident, it’s a signal from your body. Sit with it. Be more probing than “I’m not confident. What should I do? *panic noises*”
Turn anxiety into excitement. Go from hot to cool ⤵️
How about: “I’m not as prepared as I should be, though there’s no such thing as being fully prepared for the bar exam. What’s the next step forward to be a little more prepared?”
All that said, Grace did become more confident after disengaging from the “default” of her bar review course.
You don’t have to abandon your course completely—or at all. Just remember that the right process for you is one that helps you understand and retain the material and answer questions correctly.
Here’s how Grace took steps forward…
Creating her own customized study plan and adjusting along the way
She took her studies more seriously this time. She got motivated and created a study schedule that fit her situation.
💬 “I gave myself a week to adjust, bought the Passer’s Playbook, and rallied. With the information from the Passer’s Playbook, I created a study schedule and hit the ground running.”
Her work-study schedule was still stressing her out, though… Enough to wake up numb! She had to change her study schedule.
💬 “I was also still working until the end of December, so the first 6 weeks were incredibly stressful. The stress reached a peak around Christmas, when I woke up with the whole left side of my face numb. I had Bell’s Palsy that still has no explanation other than stress. I had to change the study schedule. Clearly working 9-5, study for 4 hours before and 4 hours after, was not sustainable.”
And that’s totally fine. In fact, it’s good. It meant she was adjusting and adapting.
Your study schedule is a living document. It can and should change as you go.
Your study schedule should also fit you like a tailored glove. Your schedule is yours. If you want to take all Sundays off, you can do it as long as you can fit what you need to in the rest of the days.
A lot was riding on this exam for Grace, but she still balanced her studies with leisure.
💬 “I knew this was my last shot. I would lose my job, probably my apartment, and all my future plans if I didn’t buckle down. In all of this though, I was sure to take off every Sunday and do only things that would help alleviate stress. I watched my favorite shows, ran far distances, read books, and mentally recovered, a skill I learned through marathon training was necessary to keep life fun under immense stress.”
Was Grace taking a huge risk doing so? Or was she enjoying the process and thus more motivated to continue?
Taking control as the dean of her own studies
On her second attempt, Grace took control of her studies instead of letting it happen to her passively.
💬 “I was really the dean of my own studies, and didn’t take that easy way out this time and I am seeing the results!!”
What does this mean?
It could be using the bar review course to your advantage, instead of letting it use you. You could use their raw materials but develop your own curriculum.
Rather than religiously completing assignments and transcribing lectures to the detriment of your energy and learning, you are allowed to do what helps you learn and understand the material.
Bar review courses are a luxury option (commonly accepted as a default) but ultimately are just another supplement to your preparation.
Being the dean of your own studies could be as simple as getting yourself a subscription to AdaptiBar so that you can configure your own practice sets and track your progress. What gets tracked gets done.
If you were the CEO and saw the expensive vendor was not working out, would you approve a smaller expense that could potentially prevent the project from being delayed 6 months?
She saw concrete proof of this improvement as a result.
“I’ve attached the Adaptibar graph that shows my average score each month from studying for July (where I relied on Barbri didn’t start doing actual NCBE released practice questions until June), and studying for this February exam.”
💬 “It also is a great representation that it really is an exponential learning curve – this month is a nearly 10% increase in average score compared to 5% previous months. I’m also averaging 76-90% range in every subject this past week in my last round of review, so even more evidence of the dramatic increase with iterations of studying!”
💬 “My adaptibar average moved from 60% in November to over 75% in February, and upwards of 85% for the last two weeks of bar prep.”
Wow! There’s definitely a divergence between the two attempts.
As for essays, she focused on the issues and rules. Issues are the most important component of an essay.
💬 “I essay-cooked every single essay in the Barbri books and I didn’t even feel exhausted by the end. The days of the actual test didn’t even feel exhausting. I went back to work the next day and didn’t even think about bar results until the week-of.”
There is no better feeling than passing the bar exam
When “they” plop down a one-size-fits-all schedule in front of you, will you simply “trust the system” or be more intentional about your plan?
You may still decide to use the default schedule, but pausing to consider other avenues is part of being the dean of your own studies and deciding what’s right for you.
You may have to do a little more work than others who go the default route, but the rewards can be disproportionate.
💬 “I passed the bar and I completely credit your study materials!!! There is no better feeling than this and I cannot put into words how much I appreciate you creating resources that are affordable and comprehensive!”
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Nice job, Grace!
What’s one decision you’ll make as the dean of your own studies?
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