How Michelle Passed the California Bar Exam from Scratch (Years After Graduating)

Michelle wrote me randomly after passing the California Bar Exam months ago.

💬 “I woke up feeling grateful for the circumstances of my life yesterday and realized that so many of those things came to pass because I passed the CBX in Feb 2025. It was my first time in CA. I went to law school in AL and graduated in 2018. The material wasn’t fresh or familiar.”

That’s why it’s best to pass the bar exam and escape limbo as soon as you can. Opportunities and doors fling open once you have your license in hand.

Michelle passed California on her first try despite being YEARS removed from law school (outside California) and from the last bar exam she attempted.

💬 “I sat for NC July 2019, failed. We moved to CA in 2021 and I decided to sit for CA in February 2025, first attempt and passed.”
💬 “I did not go to law school in CA. It had been years since I graduated law school. It had been years since I needed to do deep study. The CA bar exam tragically low pass rate intimidated me.”

It’s possible to prepare for the bar exam from scratch. Even without a bar review course. Even with family. Even with an illness.

💬 “I had a family and young children, a chronic illness, and a mother that was going through chemotherapy.”
💬 “I used Barbri previously. I was a Barbri rep, and my course was free, but I knew that Barbri’s schedule was too overwhelming for me. I did not feel in control of my bar prep that time.”
💬 “I knew that I would need to do something different considering that I failed it in NC.”
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Enjoying Bar Prep: 6 Ways to Make Studying for the Bar Exam More Fun and Effective (Visual Guide)

Is it possible to enjoy bar prep?

It’s one of the dryest things a person can do on this planet. But we retain more and pay more attention when things are enjoyable.

The default, typical approach to bar prep involves sitting still like a statue watching people in a suit drone on as you fantasize about throwing yourself out the window (not your computer though…you already paid the exam laptop fees).

If you’re especially masochistic, you’ll pause the video and make sure to fill in all the lecture notes because you think your Barbri books will be a fine addition to your future library.

This is all surprisingly exhausting.

As a bonus, you’ll also forget 99% of what you listened to. I’d rather watch water boil because at least I’d have something to show for it, like edible pasta.

“Just complete the course! Here’s some busy work! Play it safe and you’ll be fine!”—The National Association of Barbri (probably)

The default way of doing things feels nice because you can’t get anything wrong when you’re just absorbing information. You won’t taste defeat, but you won’t taste victory either.

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Are you finally ready to listen yet? Here’s how to get unstuck in bar prep

They say that overthinking happens when you don’t trust your gut.

You already know what to do. The problem is that you don’t trust yourself enough to do it.

Maybe you should learn to listen to your gut a little more instead of regretting it later in your most private moments.

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Holiday Motivation for Bar Exam: 3 Ways to Keep Going During Bar Prep

What do you say when you’re not sure how to talk to a new person at a networking event (or holiday party)?

A script that worked well for me:

  1. Walk toward someone.
  2. Extend a hand.
  3. Say, “Hi, I don’t think we met. What’s your name?” or “Mind if I join?”

And then you’re off to the races.

If this seems too simple, that’s the point.

It’s not the perfect tactical wordsmithing that makes or breaks you. It’s the fact that you acted and short-circuited your approach anxiety.

The parallel here to bar prep is to not spend too much time agonizing over which supplements to use, which newsletters to follow (mine of course)…

When you factor in the time spent overthinking about different options, they no longer become the fastest, best, or easiest.

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2025 Bar Prep in Review: Strategies That Will Work in 2026

Here’s a compilation of top tips from stories of FOUR different July 2025 bar exam passers.

They’re a mix of repeaters and first timers, and those who took the California Bar Exam and the UBE. Something here will work for you too.

Think about what lessons you’ll take into 2026.

Continue reading “2025 Bar Prep in Review: Strategies That Will Work in 2026”