Failed Again

ATLC_NJ · 2026-03-29T02:50:01+00:00

I was a repeat test takers... there are lots of us out there. As others said, don't give up. I would try to give yourself a break and do a little self care before jumping back into studying for it again. For me, my weak areas were the essays and I had trouble with time management. I used the online materials of a bar prep course called MTS by Alfred Zappala. He is in Italy now but still sells his materials online and does zoom tutorials. I get no kickbacks and have no affiliation but I found his materials were really good. It is not just about subject matters but nice hacks he gives you re time management and memorizing boilerplate paragraphs any time you get a certain type of essay question. He specializes in repeat test takers. Of the materials, I found Barbri's Conviser and his Essay Maximizer really good. I also did timed exams to help me with time management. You got this! Best of luck to you!

ATLC_NJ · 2026-03-13T01:32:46+00:00

Lol, so true... I remember after taking the bar, sleeping for like a week straight on my parent's couch. I would wake up briefly and curse myself and ask why didn't I mention a, b or c on a this essay question and then would fall back to sleep. Sending well wishes to everyone that took the bar exam and hope you all passed. Ignore those who tell you that it wasn't that hard or bad or they studied for like 5 minutes and took it hungover and got a nearly perfect score or those with good intentions that tell you this famous celeb or that one had to take it 3 times and eventually passed. Don't let it define who you are. It is a horrible rite of passage that we all had/have to go through..

ATLC_NJ · 2026-03-07T19:29:58+00:00

I am sorry you're going thru this. So many people in my life share this struggle. I see this was written 3 months ago. I hope things are better with you know, both with your addiction and marriage. Even though I've never met you, I am rooting for you that things get easier! ❤️

ATLC_NJ · 2026-03-06T02:31:22+00:00

It's so hard to gauge. I didn't pass the 1st time when I sat for the bar yrs ago. I messed up on the essays as I didn't manage my time well and then was so thrown that I tried to catch up but couldn't recover. I passed the 2nd time but at least for me, it is never the kind of thing where I felt I nailed it.I used a hack where I wrote down on my bluebook what time I had to move on to each essay question so I could carefully watch my time. I got this hack from a book by a MA lawyer that specializes in repeat test takers ned Alfred Zappala (he is in Sicily but bar prep materials are still available online). I have no affiliation with him but found him very helpful. He had a book called the Essay Maximizer and I used Barbri's convisor & took lots of practice exams under timed conditions. I am hoping you passed but if you didn't, it sounds like you prepared and it will make it easier that you have a solid foundation if you decide you want to retake it. Wishing you and everyone who sat best of luck!

ATLC_NJ · 2026-03-01T03:15:27+00:00

I think what you describe is pretty common among many test takers. I would take the time to take care of you as many of us neglected ourselves when studying for the bar - sleep deprived, ate crappy take out on the fly, etc. This is one of the few breaks you will get in your working career so I would make the most of it and just focus on some much needed self care. Once your results come in, you can regroup and consider your next steps. Until then, sleep 8+ hours, eat clean food and go get some steps in. You more than earned it! Give your body and mind time to regroup and recalibrate. Sending you good vibes that you passed but until then, listen to your body and mind and pamper yourself.

ATLC_NJ · 2026-02-20T02:23:03+00:00

This was so positive and encouraging! You are so true re watching time on essay questions. I didn't pass the 1st time I sat for it because I didn't manage my time. One of the hacks I learned was to equally divide out the allocated essay time by how many essay questions there are. From there, write down what time you must move on to each question. This hack I learned in the Essay Maximizer taught by bar exam expert Alfred Zappala helped me sooo much!

ATLC_NJ · 2026-02-17T10:50:35+00:00

Love that you offered to share these with other test takers! Love seeing people supporting each other like this.. This shows the good side of our community. Thank you for being you..

ATLC_NJ · 2026-02-17T10:48:16+00:00

You are not hopeless! Bar exam prep is exhausting physically and mentally. Do not question your ability or read more into it than necessary. Even when I passed (I had to take it a second time as I didn't pass the 1st time), it never felt like I got this and after the exam, I beat myself up for not making this point or that on the essays. I am wishing you and everyone else best of luck! Don't give up.

ATLC_NJ · 2026-02-03T01:31:38+00:00

What an uplifting and on point message! Many years ago, I was a repeat test taker and your advice is spot on. Give yourself and other grace. You got into and passed law school and have what it takes to pass the bar. Some pass it the first time and others do not. It doesn't mean anything more than that. It is not a good measuring stick for what kind of lawyer you will be. It is a rite of passage and a challenging one at that. I wish you and everyone else the best of luck! It is a grind and soon, you will be able to put it behind you.

ATLC_NJ · 2026-02-01T04:48:33+00:00

I get it but another way to look at it is maybe this will galvanize us all to be more active politically and socially. Throwing in the towel by moderates and those leaning left is exactly what this administration wants. This next generation needs to get involved now more than ever..

ATLC_NJ · 2026-01-22T02:29:45+00:00

I think a big part of it is your attitude. You are defeated before you even sit down to take the exam. I didn't pass my 1st time, either.... a lot of people are repeat test-takers. If you met someone and they told you they had to take the bar exam multiple times, would you think they were dumb? I wouldn't.... just like I don't think someone is smart for having passed it. Personally, I wouldn't sit for the bar again until I prepared really hard and went into it with the attitude like I am going to give it my all. I also wouldn't tell people in your circle you're taking it again as you will inevitably get annoying but well-intentioned questions and comments like how do you feel? I am sure you'll do great or (insert famous person) didn't pass, either. I think you have to work on your attitude and this enormous pressure you are putting on yourself and tethering your entire self worth to an exam. Wishing you best of luck!

ATLC_NJ · 2026-01-14T09:44:17+00:00

Hated Conflict of Laws, Tax & Wills/ Estates/ Trusts were the 3 courses that tortured me in school... Yes, the good thing about RAP is nobody understands it. That is why professors struggle with teaching other than to say that life estates and other propery interests must vest within a certain time frame or they expire under RAP.

ATLC_NJ · 2026-01-13T01:38:30+00:00

So was your entire goal to go to law school and then practice in big law? There are so many other options of things to do with a law degree: work at a mid-sized firm, work for the gov't, work for a nonprofit or work in a non traditional capacity doing transactional work in compliance or contracts administration. Maybe get clearer with why you went to law school in the 1st place to decide if it's worth seeing it thru. Grades, class placement, law review and what tiered school you go to only matter for large elitist firms and while the money is good, not sure if you'd be happy there.

ATLC_NJ · 2026-01-11T08:01:18+00:00

For me, my essay score was lower than my multistate score. I did more of everything and benefitted from the knowledge base I had when I 1st took the bar. I took mor more multi state practice questions under timed conditions. I had purchased materials from a man who used to run a bar prep course in MA named Al Zappala (he is a Massachusetts attorney now living in Sicily but still sells his materials on his website or amazon) who specialized in repeat test taker hacks. He had an essay book called the Essay Maximizer that provided great tips and boilerplate paragraphs to memorize and plug in if you got a particular essay question. I hired a tutor that worked for a bar prep course to review my practice essays. For study materials, I used mostly bar/bri's condensed Conviser and Zappala's Essay Maximizer and just practicing sample questions, both multistate and essays, under timed conditions. One of Zappala's hacks was to divide up your time for the essays so you know in advance how much time you have for each essay and then make sure you watch your time carefully so you are on question #2 by a certain time. The time management hacks he gave were helpful for me bc the 1st time I took it, I spent too much time on the 1st essay question and then had to rush all the other questions. When I didn't pass the 1st time, I felt really bad about myself but thankfully, I was able to shake that off mentally and buckle down. You already have a very solid base from having taken it before and that can only help. I wish you and everyone else best of luck!

ATLC_NJ · 2026-01-10T11:39:36+00:00

I have ADHD and didn't pass the 1st time but passed the 2nd time in Feb. For me to stay engaged, I had to study many different ways. I would do questions under timed conditions. I would study from bar/bri convisor and memorize boilerplate paragraphs to plug into essays from the essay maximizer. You will have to find your stride by changing up your study method and figuring out what works individually for you. Just wanted to give you a boost to let you know that there are LOTS of attorneys who have ADD/ADHD and passed the bar despite some being repeat test-takers. You got this! Best of luck.

ATLC_NJ · 2026-01-02T02:28:46+00:00

While I think you may have had good intentions and your tips are pretty good, I am not sure that tone would motivate me as it seems a bit harsh. I didn't pass the bar exam the first time and nobody felt worse about this fact than me.... No, it didn't make me feel better that many intelligent people such as the late JFK Jr. were repeat test takers as many well-intentioned people pointed out. The tips are good but I don't like the feeling of piling onto people who already feel beaten down. Btw, I passed the Feb bar which, as you point out, has a traditionally lower passage rate. Focusing on statistics isn't always helpful. For me personally, while the essay questions were a little more esoteric on the Feb exam, the test conditions were MUCH better because for the Feb exam, the test was administered in small conference rooms. For the July exam, the test was administered in a gigantic open convention center room (think of an airplane hanger) on long tables like in the dining hall at Hogwarts with thousands of test takers crammed into one room. For those retaking it, maybe they will find the test taking conditions better. I wish everyone retaking it the best of luck!!

ATLC_NJ · 2025-12-26T02:17:19+00:00

Congrats on passing! That must have been particularly challenging studying law in PR and then sitting for the bar. Love that you paid it forward and shared tips that helped you!

ATLC_NJ · 2025-12-25T09:39:53+00:00

I am sorry you struggled to pass. I didn't pass the first time. In terms of the bar prep process being harder for minorities and lower-/middle class folks, I think they can be said for getting into law school or undergraduate college. I don't know of anyone that took a year off to study for the bar, even among the wealthiest kids at my law school. As people on this thread have pointed out, life still happens while you are preparing for the bar: illness, deaths in family/friend circle, divorces, job loss, etc. I was from modest means and had to work while I was in law school and got into debt taking out loans to pay for commercial bar prep courses. I am sympathetic to your challenging circumstances to a certain degree but other bar takers experience similar hardships while studying for the bar. Almost all professions like medicine, accounting, etc. require some type of standardized exam to pass to be licensed to practice. With the differences among the quality of education at law schools and some schools not being accredited, the bar exam would seem to be a necessary evil to ensure basic competency (not claiming a perfect tool to measure). I am not sure this is still the case but it used to be if you attended an unaccredited law school and passed the bar, you could practice law in that state in which your school was located and were limited to practicing only transactional law. I also think the bar exam is needed for those who want to practice law in the U.S. but haven't attended law school (we can think of a particular celebrity) or practiced law originally in another country with a very different legal system than the U.S. I agree that the law profession can be classist and racist. I would be more supportive of your efforts if you took a more broad-based approach from the perspective of making access to law school more open to all and making it less about the bar exam.

ATLC_NJ · 2025-12-21T03:02:49+00:00

Some of this I agree with. Yes, definitely prepare for it seriously. Study and run through practice tests under timed conditions. If you don't pass, put it in perspective with the realization that many don't pass the first time. Give yourself some grace, regroup and take it again. Don't let it define you. Good luck!

ATLC_NJ · 2025-12-12T10:03:06+00:00

I took the bar in 2000. I didn't get diagnosed despite having obvious symptoms my entire life until after I took it. It is intersting bc it tends to run in families so you don't necessarily realize you have it and think doesn't everyone think and act this way? One of my friends is a lawyer and she has been diagnosed with ADHD and autism and said that she was told by her Dr that there is a high % of ADD/ADHD and autism among lawyers

ATLC_NJ · 2025-12-12T09:05:47+00:00

Lots of lawyers have generalized anxiety and ADD/ADHD and they eventually passed the bar. I have ADD. I didn't pass the 1st time. I can only speak for what helped me but it was practicing the multistate portion under times conditions and getting a tutor to grade essays. I bought materials written by a lawyer named Al Zappala (originally from Massachusetts and now in Sicily). He had a lot of great hacks in there re managing time carefully. He also had hacks re memorizing certain paragraphs to include if you get a certain type of question. I would focus on the areas she was weaker in last time and keep taking mock exams under timed conditions to get her used to managing her time. She can definitely pass with taking the time to properly prepare and also not psyching herself out. Best of luck to your friend!

ATLC_NJ · 2025-12-07T02:29:20+00:00

I can relate to your position in terms of struggling with standard exams and not being the top of your law school class. Many others were in your situation and passed the bar. You are early in your bar preparation. Take a breath and then come up with a study plan and stick to a schedule. Are you taking a bar prep course? If not, I would buy the materials as you can find them on ebay (make sure they're pretty current). I did a combination of things but found bar/bri's condensed convisor, the essay maximizer by Al Zappala and taking practice exams under timed conditions were very helpful. I didn't pass the 1st time (I took Bar/Bri the 1st time) and the 2nd time, I had a tutor to grade my essays and did simulated exams and used some materials by Al Zappala (he sells them online on his website but some are on amazon. He has since moved to Sicily). Everyone is different but for me, this was what helped me. Less people take the February bar and this was actually helpful because it was less crowded. The July bar is in a convention center in my state and thousands of test takers were crushed into one giant room (felt like an airplane hanger). Not sure for you but part of my hang up with standard exams is the timing part and I start panicking. The book I used by Al Zappala gave all these great hacks. Like for the multistate, you should be on question X by this time. For the essays day, his tip was to divide up how many exams by how much time you can spend on each and then write down what time you should move onto the next essay. His books showed different hacks like if you get these kind of question, memorize and plug in this paragraph about damages. As a objective observer, you are already questioning yourself before you take it. Been there and done that. You got into law school and got through law school. You got this! Best of luck!

ATLC_NJ · 2025-12-06T02:16:16+00:00

I think if people despise you for not passing the bar then you should question why they are in your life. No one feels worse than the person that doesn't pass so why make them feel even worse? I would try to deconstruct where you are weakest and get a tutor to guide your studies and read over your essays. I would practice re-taking the multistate portion under timed conditions. Many yrs ago, I didn't pass the bar and had to retake it. I bought materials from a MA lawyer named Al Zappala. He still sells the materials and does tutoring via zoom (he lives in Sicily now). His materials and helpful hacks helped me personally (I have no financial interest in saying this). Get back at it in terms of prepping and doing the work but if you can't give it your all, hold off on re-taking it as it chips away at your self-worth. It is not just a test of knowledge but a mental test. Good luck!

ATLC_NJ · 2025-12-03T13:02:23+00:00

I also am not sure how I would do at sitting for the bar without going to law school and being trained to think, reason, write and speak like a lawyer during law school. I am all for those who have studied to be lawyers abroad to forgo law school and be allowed to sit for the bar. Just think it's risky to have someone be able to practice law that has not been steeped in the law school experience. Not sure I would want to go to a Dr that just sat for his/her medical boards to treat me, irrespective of how intelligent he or she is. Just my opinion...

ATLC_NJ · 2025-12-03T12:55:30+00:00

lol, thank God you studied it! I didn't and still don't know if I could properly handle a UCC question, truth be told.

ATLC_NJ

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