If you don’t succeed the first time, try, try again……
By: Chuck Milam
The bar exam failure in most states is significant and sometimes doesn’t reflect on the quality of your law school. There have been times when the first time pass rate from Correspondence Law school students exceeds that of an ABA accredited law school.
In many cases 30 to 40 percent of first time bar exam takers don’t pass.
After your first failure, it’s tough to get back up, gather your pride, and dust yourself off to take on this beast once again. No one wants to take the bar exam a second time, but if you want to practice law there is no way around it.
Most people can’t commit three to four years of their lives to learning the law and not be disappointed when they can’t pass this one exam.
This is why you need to deal with the emotional, psychological, and physical ramifications of not passing. Take time to grieve so that you can be done with it and will not need to grieve while you are studying. Take some time off to gather your thoughts, go on a short trip or do anything to get your mind off of the failure.
After your short pause it will be important to get back to work with a clear mind. Reflect on what was most difficult during the exam. What questions did you miss? Where do you need to focus your energies? Try to work with colleagues to help you with test preparation questions
In my experiences, in order to have a clear and strong mind, you need to have a healthy body. Start a regular exercise routine; go on walks, runs or bike rides.
This will help you improve your energy. Stay away from fast foods and try to eat a high energy protein and carbohydrate diet. Studying for the bar exam the second time is frustrating and you will need a way to deal with that frustration.
High energy levels are paramount to succeeding in the bar exam. This exam will push you to your limits.
Finally, communicate with other people who have taken the exam with similar experiences. In most cases, they have been through the same tough times and understand what it takes to lift your spirits to succeed.
Good luck!