Passing the bar exam literally changes your life.
Dilara shared with me her story of how she passed the July 2023 California Bar Exam.
💬 “I’m a foreign attorney (Turkish) who passed the California Bar on my first attempt without a U.S. JD or LLM, after studying full-time for three months.”
💬 “I am not a native English speaker. I passed the California Bar Exam on my first attempt after studying full time for approximately three months in July 2023.”
Yes, 2023. She randomly reached out two years later to tell me.
The part that stood out to me wasn’t that she stayed on my newsletter (like many other passers). It was that she had avoided taking the exam for 8 years!
💬 “English is not my first language, and I was so scared of this exam that I avoided taking it for eight years, thinking I would fail!”
Sometimes the biggest obstacle holding us back is ourselves. Our mind. Our own fears.
Our hearts are the engines that drive us. You CANNOT ignore the emotional and psychological aspect of bar prep. Bar preparation is emotional preparation.
“The mind is 50% of the exam.”
You know how difficult it is to focus when you’re heartbroken. You could have a perfectly fine body that won’t get up if you’re overwhelmed, devastated, or broken down inside your chest.
This is why I send my newsletters consistently and spend hours on them every week (I rely on you to get the word out). It’s why it makes my day to get messages from readers saying how these case studies of successful passers inspire them.
💬 “This exam is also psychological warfare, and getting encouragement during this process is so important.”
I say this every time, and I’ll say it again:
Build belief from seeing others win. I give you a different perspective and framework every week. It’s proof that it’s not impossible for you.
(Fuck the thoughtless “You’ve got this~” platitudes. Tell me WHY I’ve got this and the blueprints of successful passers.)
Dilara was at rock bottom and surviving off gigs after coming to the U.S. until one pivotal moment caused her to have a change of heart.
💬 “I was going through a heartbreak, thinking that I messed up my career, having financial difficulties, depression, concerns, mental breakdowns, questions, and “what ifs” . . . In mid-April 2023, while driving for Uber, I met an attorney from Spain who was admitted to the New York Bar. He encouraged me to take the bar exam as soon as possible, and that conversation changed everything. . . .
So I took a financial risk, got a loan, quit my job, didn’t go on dates, made a weekly meal prep, and devotedly studied every single day for three months.”
You have to act when motivation strikes you. Don’t let it go to waste.
Like generals of times past, she burned her own boats to instill total commitment in herself.
💬 “Quitting was not an option because I knew I could not go back to where I was, at my lowest.”
Once again: It only takes a moment of strength for the lifetime privilege of calling yourself an attorney.
💬 “When people ask me about the bar exam, I tell them that it saved my life. It really did. A few months of sacrifice changed my life.”
I see MTYLT alumni on LinkedIn who have gone on to become influential. General counsel, law firm partners, 200k followers on social media, etc.
When I think about Dilara and the caliber of people I work with, it reinforces the high standards I hold for readers like you who expect a lot from themselves.
This is a pivotal moment for you. What do you want your life to look like one year from now?
Continue reading “Turkish Attorney Avoided Taking the CA Bar Exam for 8 Years. Then She Passed on Her First Attempt”
