After months of waiting for results, you get an email delivering news that you failed the bar exam. When faced with a setback like this, it’s easy and even understandable to be overwhelmed. However, you don’t have to go through this alone. At AdaptiBar, we consider ourselves MBE experts, and that covers how to deal with a lower score than you might have wanted. This article will hopefully give you a place to start, and some peace of mind.
Yes, it’s okay to be upset!
Sometimes, you just need time to grieve. Taking the bar is an expensive, time-consuming, and grueling process. No one wants to go through that again! Telling family members and employers feels like you’re disappointing them and yourself. There are no buts about it: nobody wants to fail the bar exam.
The most important reason why you should acknowledge your negative emotions about failing is so you can eventually STOP having those emotions. By pushing down disappointment and anger, you risk prolonging those feelings. How quickly you recover is crucial to your ultimate goals, no matter what those may be. So, pop in your favorite movie, listen to some music, maybe even do a puzzle! Any activity that helps you unwind is a great way to process failing the bar.
No, you are not the only one who failed the bar exam!
Another easy trap to fall into is thinking you are the only person you know who failed the bar. Friends from school are posting their celebratory pictures declaring their triumph, making those who didn’t pass feel more alone than ever. Odds are, you probably know a couple people who also failed the bar exam.
Even if you don’t know another person who failed, many extremely successful attorneys failed the bar on their first (or even second!) try. Take a look!
- Michelle Obama
- President Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Hillary Clinton
- California Governor Jerry Brown
- John F. Kennedy Jr.
Not a single one of these notable folks let their failure define them, and neither should you.
Yes, you can try again!
A very common myth those who fail the bar exam start believing is that they failed because they just aren’t smart enough. Nothing could be further from the truth. After making it through three years of law school, the odds that you failed because you “just didn’t know the law” are low.
The main reason students fail the bar exam is that they didn’t have the right plan or strategies in place the first time. While this may sound thorny, solving a preparation problem is an issue you can fix, while somehow augmenting your intelligence is something science hasn’t cracked the code on yet.
The first step to figuring out where things went wrong is to think about what worked and didn’t work for you while you were studying last time. Did you spend too much time in areas in which you were already comfortable and not enough time in weaker areas? Did you focus on learning vs memorizing? Was your timing off?
If any of these were a problem AdaptiBar MBE Simulator for Retakers can help.
Nearly all AdaptiBar questions are licensed directly from the National Conference of Bar Examiners. This means that you’re prepping with material straight from “the source.” Plus, the patented adaptive algorithm tracks the subject areas and subtopics you struggle with so you can focus more on your weaknesses without neglecting your strengths. AdaptiBar MBE Simulator for Retakers also includes a level-setting diagnostic exam plus an array of expert, coach-led videos created specifically for bar exam retakers.
You’ve got this!
