Why failing the Bar Exam isn’t the end of the world
Ah, the wonderful world of the bar exam. Law school is no walk in the park and unlike many other graduating classes, the hustle does not stop once you cross that stage and receive your diploma.
There is still the *wonderful bar exam that you must pass…. 8-10 weeks of literally having no life. All you do is study, study, and wait, MORE studying!
Those 2 days of the exam are no fun. Like no fun at all. But its one of the last hurdles you have to overcome to finally close the chapter to your law school career. But what happens after the bar exam?
The months that follow are really excruciating. For me, they were more painful that the actual time leading up to the exam and even the exam itself. You really want to avoid any thought of the bar exam and anything related to its results, but some of us are not that lucky to do so. Its a nagging, incessant thought that consumes us at all times.
I was at a concert and was even thinking of whether I passed or not!
And then results day come. You don’t know what time results are being released, you just know that today is the day. Personally, I had to take the day off from work because I actually made myself sick the night before results were being released. Then, for some, you get that email… Bar Exam Results…
Upon clicking that email, the results bring a smile to your face and feel as if a ton of bricks have been lifted off your shoulders. For others, tears may roll down your face and the feeling of bricks on your shoulder have only gotten heavier.
Been there. Not a good feeling at all…
You see all of your friends posting on social media about how excited you are and it’s not that you aren’t excited and happy for them, it’s just extra hard because you can’t celebrate right there with them.
But guess what? IT’S TOTALLY OKAY!!!! I PROMISE!!!
I legit believed my world was over. I cried so much, kept repeating to myself how stupid I must be since I didn’t pass, and even questioned why I went to law school in the first place. I wasn’t good enough to be a lawyer, clearly. WRONG!
This one test IS the last big test you have to take that stands in between you and officially starting your career as an attorney. So it IS a very big and important test. But you know what its not? Its NOT the indicator of how smart you are. Its NOT the indicator of whether or not you should have gone to law school. And its definitely NOT any indication of how your career as an attorney will pan out.
Some really great people have failed the bar exam before passing it; First Lady Michelle Obama; Presidential candidate (amongst many other achievements) Hillary Clinton; President Franklin D. Roosevelt; SCOTUS Justice Benjamin Cardozo; and so many more!
Yes, today will be a difficult day for you. Heck, the next few days and weeks may be difficult. I encourage you to cry, be mad, think all of the negative thoughts regarding the bar exam you want, but please don’t give up. You need to take this time to heal from your disappointment but then you need to get right back up and come up with a plan of how next time will be better.
Check over your work. If your state permits you to request a copy of your essays/MPT (if applicable), then do so and ask your previous professor or someone in a suitable position to review your answers and go over them with you. Look at the breakdown, if its available yo you, on how you did on each subject. What were your areas of strength? What were your areas of weakness?
You need to have a plan. You need to promise yourself from the very beginning that it will be okay. That this little bump in the road will only make you an even better attorney.
Its a bit surreal to write this because I did not only fail the exam once, I failed it TWICE! My biggest concern was that my mom and the rest of my family would be disappointed in me. But I am actually very grateful for what I experienced. I feel that it made me a better attorney and I can PROUDLY encourage others who find themselves in a similar situation.
So whatever you do, don’t give up. You’ve Got This!!!