FIRST to Pass the CA Bar EXAM woot woot!!

When I logged in there was something that looked like the California flag but instead of a bear it had an ass lobster. What does that mean?

Results aren't out for another seventy minutes. I'm not waiting (I took/passed July 2006), but I have a good friend who is anxiously waiting, so I'm reliving the anxiety with her.

Took me three times to pass. I am also eagerly awaiting a friend's results. The whole thing makes me queasy.

Is this an appropriate time to comment on how bad the dealbreak ad sucks?

If not then maybe it would be a more appropriate time for me to just comment that I hate the dealbreaker ad, but cannot speak to its quality.

In the alternative to both, whoever made the dealbreaker ad should be fired as should the entire advertising company connected to him.

What would make someone think that on a website primarily for reading, they should create a distracting ad flashing so much that it makes reading more difficult?

Written media is dying, so what do you do? You make it more difficult for those attempting to read. F'ing genius.

passed!!!!

6, shutup. the dealbreaker ad is great. hot dealbreaker girl gets more attention than you ever will.

PASSED BABY!!!!

Passed! A lifetime of drafting angry letters beckons!

Pass. When does that result stop feeling fishy?

The consequences for failing the Bar Exam pale compared to the gom jabbar.

STATE BAR ANNOUNCES RESULTS FOR FEBRUARY 2009 CALIFORNIA BAR EXAMINATION

MEDIA CONTACT: Diane Curtis 415-538-2028 diane.curtis@calbar.ca.gov

San Francisco, May 15, 2009 — The State Bar of California's Committee of Bar Examiners reported today that 33.5 percent of the applicants passed the February 2009 General Bar Examination (GBX). If the 1,368 people who passed the February 2009 exam satisfy other requirements for admission, they will become members of the State Bar.

• February 2009 Bar Exam Results

• California Bar Exam Information & History

• California Bar Exam Pass Rate Summaries

Preliminary statistical analyses show that of the 4,084 applicants who took the GBX, 35.7 percent were first-time takers. The passing rate for 1,458 first-time applicants was 47.0 percent overall. The passing rate for the 2,626 applicants repeating the examination was 26.0 percent overall.

Preliminary statistical analyses show the first-time and repeater percent passing the GBX (rounded to whole numbers) by law school type as follows:
School Type First-Timers Repeaters
California ABA 53% 37%
Out-of-State ABA 45% 33%
CA (but not ABA) Accredited 25% 11%
Unaccredited/Fixed Facility 0% 3%
Unacredited:Correspondence/Distance Learning 31% 12%
All Others 51% 21%
All Applicants 47% 26%

The applicants not included in the above totals either were attorneys admitted in other states who either chose or were required to take the GBX, attorneys admitted in foreign jurisdictions, law students in the Law Office/Judge’s Chambers Study Program or law students who qualified to take the GBX through four years of law study.

More detailed statistics, including passing rates by individual law schools, will be made available in approximately four to six weeks and published on the State Bar’s Web site at www.calbar.ca.gov/admissions.

The three-day General Bar Examination is given twice a year, in February and July. The exam consists of three sections: a multiple-choice Multistate Bar Examination (MBE), six essay questions, and two performance tests that are designed to assess an applicant's ability to apply general legal knowledge to practical tasks. The mean scaled MBE score in California was 1383 compared with the national average of 1357.

In addition, the Committee announced that 163 (45.2 percent) of the 361 lawyers who took the Attorneys' Examination passed.

The Attorneys' Examination, which consists of the essay and performance test sections of the GBX, is open to lawyers who have been admitted to the active practice of law in good standing for at least four years in another United States jurisdiction.

Successful applicants who have satisfied other requirements for admission – those who have not been reported by local district attorneys for being in arrears with family or child support payments, who have received a positive moral character determination and who have passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Examination – may either take the Attorney's Oath individually or participate in admissions ceremonies held throughout the state during June 2009.

I ate schtick guy

Only 33.5 percent of people passed. Wow. Brutally low.

Any incoming associate to Wolfram & Hart's Los Angeles offices who fails the bar more than once will be summarily executed. 33.5% pass rate or not.

@8 -- If you think the dealbreaker girl is hot, then you obviously are also celebrating the fact that it is National Masturbation Month.

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/news-and-opinion/Party-of-Five-44817027.html

I hope this post doesn't rub you the wrong way.

PASSED (try #2)! Congratulations to all.

- - - - -

For all those who didn't--you're certainly not alone. I know what you're going through (with the added BigLaw pressure of being nervous about jobs), and it sucks.

Don't let it ruin your weekend. Figure out what went wrong when you get your score report, address the issues, and go into July with confidence.

Passed on the first time!
Anonymous Contract Lawyer

Passed on the first try! Congrats to those who passed. To those who didn, chin up and I hope it doesn't bite you in the ass too hard.

Didn't pass. This blows. Gotta wait to see what happened this time. Last time it was the damn PTs.

Failed. Second time. I wonder what it was this time. Last time, it was the MBE. I am SICK AND TIRED of being told to TAKE HEART after pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into this exam. $132,334 in loans.

And growing.

I'm always of two minds about the bar exam. On the one hand, it doesn't test anything important. On the other hand, it's such a straightforward challenge that I wouldn't trust anybody who failed it twice with anything important.

[Took NY Bar, passed on the first try, 170ish MBE].

Not passing in California is a good thing, as it commits you to living in that crumbling state for at least 5 years until reciprocity kicks in with those states that aren't infested with the plague of illegals and fruity-cake liberals.

Passed on second attempt. Difference was confidence! A positive attitude rocks :)

Congrats to all who passed the Cal bar and condolences to those who didn't. I haven't been brave enough to take it so all of you have my respect for even attempting it. I recently passed my state's bar exam despite a "technical cheating violation" (put my handbag on the floor in the front of the exam room with study materials for another test underneath it). Moral of the story is not to let that kind of thing rattle you cause you can still pass. Good luck to all...it's not easy. I have taken four exams (because I am too stupid to wait long enough and/or to go somewhere with reciprocity) and killed way too many brain cells this last go round so no more for me!

2010 Vault Rankings. When did they go to print? Will they reflect the firms' responses to the financial crisis? Or did they go to print too early for that? No one seems to know.

Flunked again. Guess it doesn't matter anyway, since I don't have a job, still don't have a job. Tons of debt, a wife that left me after my first failure, child support, foreclosed house, the whole nine yards. Life sucks.

My support for those who did not pass and congrats to those that did.
I tried to pass the NC bar 3 times after already being barred in a midwestern state. Failed each time. Got progressively closer, but finally realized the universe was telling me I needed to leave NC. And get my head in the game. I was in a rotten place (psychologically) at that time.
There are always options, including prison (3 meals, housing, someone to cuddle with every night, groups to join, great health care and more education (sans loans).

22 and 28 - sorry about your pain. But take heart - most lawyers hate their jobs and despise the people they work with. I'm an HLS grad, passed the bar on the first try, and worked as an associate at two V20 firms.

At both firms, I HATED my life the vast majority of the time and could have counted on my fingers the number of people whose lives I thought would be worth saving should it come to that.

Consider another career. I'm relatively happy now, but only because I'm one of the few who landed an in-house job at decent pay and reasonable hours (and those are few and far between, believe me). That only happened because I have unique skills and a T3 degree - you do NOT want to be just another lawyer in this market. Take the chance g-d is giving you and go do something else - almost anything would be more satisfying and productive, and in this market, probably pay better as well. I suggest becoming a plumber - it's a job that can't be offshored, the pay is good, it serves a function that is necessary even in recessionary times, and it's useful around the house to boot. Either that or a job in government - they're laying off teachers, so perhaps a cop. Unlike the rest of us, they get a real pension/retirement income, and in 20-30 years, you'll be sitting pretty while the rest of us bemoan our inadequate 401ks.

Syracuse has a sweet lax team

It's possible to fail the NC bar? Three times???

Happy Birthday, Megan Fox!!

Amen, 32. Christ! CA or NY, maybe (maybe). Failing once is no big deal--guys at my high school... But three times in an "easy" state?

Re 32 and 34--I know--unbelievable. And then to pass CA on the first try. Maybe hillbilly law is harder than liberal law

I passed CA on my 2nd attempt. Difference was:

1) I forgot everything I learned in law school and life and studied only from one medium length Bar outline (Doesn't matter which one)

2) I got rid of my computer -- no surfing the net while studying. Handwriting your notes puts information into your head in a much more efficient manner. Plus writing essays and PTs by hand forces you to be more concise.

3) I wrote several essays by hand and studied the structure of model answers.

4) I worked in 3 hour increments. 3 hour active study (writing, not reading)...1 hour lunch..3 hour active study. Done for the day.

Who needs to pass the bar. Just get a job with state or federal government, where bar passage isn't a requirement.

Failed for the second time. I'm mortally wounded. I thought I had this one in the bag. I wrote such a tight exam....like on point. I even checked my answers when i got home each night after the essays and smiled in content. I'm praying there was an error of some sort on the pass list or a clerical error of some kind. Is that unreasonable? It's been a year since i first started studying for this thing, and come july, it'll be 15 months of my life dedicated to this b.s. test. I'm a horrible person to be around right now, and I can only tolerate, just barely, being around my wife and kids. Otherwise I don't want to see the light of day. I just want to pop 3 valium every night and sleep my life away.

I felt broken after the first attempt, but i blamed my preparation and wavering confidence. This time I'm blown away: I was confident, really well prepared, and on double checking answers, I knew I was on point. What gives? Is this a bloody conspiracy? Do they just keep the repeaters repeating so they can rake in cash.

~Devastated and Demoralized.

i feel stupid for admitting this... it took me four tries to pass. i got a 169 on the lsat, went to a t20 college and ls, but i just never got to finish my studies each time. i progressively got closer on each test, until the final one. i'm glad that's over with.

i thought i would be relegated to life of solo work, but i was able to get a v20 associate job doing corporate work abroad (connections). so take pls take heart, and don't give up. for everyone there's a season, and if at first you don't succed...

p.s. i think 30 is not real.

Play me off, keyboard cat. Wow, I really thought I passed. 33%? July was 65%. This is the CA Bar putting the brakes on putting more lawyers in the job market.

Thankfully I have a job... and I got my first "real" paycheck the same day as the bad news. Kinda blunts the pain.

Did you people who failed really do everything Barbri told you? Including putting the hours they recommend in? I passed and thought their hour recommendtions were way high. But maybe that's what some people need. And if you can't write coherently, do the extra Barbri essay workshops. The couple friends I have that failed did that the second time around, and it really helped.

California's a hard bar. But these results are skewed. The real measure of a Bar is the % of ABA FIRST-time takers. Doesn't look like that's been released. At least not yet.

Glory be. I passed (first try). I think the MBE carried me through because I know I blew it on that corporations essay and didn't feel fantastic about the other ones.

Now I get a law license and get to go to a job at a big, soulless firm that just laid off a billion people. I have a feeling they are going to treat me like I'm oh-so-lucky to be there and I'd better be waaaay glad.

Oh well, I'm going to live it up until my delayed start date...

i have taken four bar exams, took Bar Bri before all 4, followed their recommendations, and passed all 4 exams the first time. As hard as it is, you have to suspend everything you know as a practicing attorney (and even as a person who has some common sense) and really tune in to what they are telling you. It has been my experience that if you are able to do that (in spite of it being a complete suspension of reality), odds are that you will pass the first time.

42: That would be somewhere between 45% and 53%.

Thanks, 45. Wow. Pretty damn low. What were the percentages like for first-time ABA takers in July?

A little shocking. July 2008 was 74.8% for all takers and 83.2% for ABA graduates. February's always lower but not usually by this much.

This is surprising. The California Bar exam is not usually actually very hard. See the 83.2% passage rate of ABA first time-takers in July 2008 and 74.8% pass rate of all first-time takers.

Conversely in New York July 2008, 90.5% of ABA first-time takers passed and 83.2% of all first-time takers passed. But in the New York February 09 exam, 73% of ABA first time takers still passed. A drop but not a tremendous drop from the typically better crop of July takers.

In Californa, only 53% of California ABA first-timers passed. And only 45% of out-of-state first timers passed. Huge drop from the roughly 83% of ABA first timers who passed the Cali Bar in July 2008. Is the crop really that much worse? Or are the Cali Bar examiners making a conscious effort now to reduce the number of lawyers. I guess we'll see when the results of the July 2009 exam come out.

That's 45% of out-of state ABA first-timers who passed.

-48

Not sure, 48. Are February results typically this much lower in Cali? Some states always have huge discrepancies between February and July

Just take Barbri and do what they say. The class is 3 hrs. They recommend a minimum of 6 hrs of external study and give you the method. Some of us need much less. But do that, there's really no way you should fail...

As for the Cali bar - I live with the BIGLAW stigma of failing the test . I passed the second time in February. The February bar was much more difficult, no question about it. If you fail this test, everyone knows. Your family, friends and pet dog. The embarrassment is huge, and you will be talked about with every incoming class. When results come out, everyone thinks about you. It's natural. When people see me, they probably think of me as the guy who failed. It's fucked, but it's reality.

Because I went to a top, top school, and even pulled high grades, the question in people's minds was, "Why?". Well, who the hell knows. They spend only a couple of minutes grading the damn essays, and I think I got royally fucked on one essay (the asshole grader gave me a low score when the right info was clearly there).

I'll feel bad for people who fail that shouldn't. There are real retards out there that will never pass. Fuck them. Then, there are the hard luck stories. You will NEVER get over the fucking stigma. I'm glad I passed, but I often think of moving to another firm where it can be put behind me.

If you get a high enough score on the MBE, the essays almost don't matter. Spend plenty of time memorizing (that's all it is) for the MBE. The MBE is easy. I got at 172.6 on it.

Those of you who failed know in your gut that wrapping your lips around the business end of a 12 gauge shotgun is your only respectable option.

You'd probably fail at that, too, though.

Having taken and passed 2 bar exams (as the second state did not allow waiver in my circumstances), I think people underestimate how much time it takes to study, study, study, and do the practice exams over and over again.

As for the LSAT and SAT, the bar exam can largely turn on "test taking ability" as opposed to actual legal skills.

Passed on the first try, despite computer failing and pulling out the paper in the middle of the PT.

You HAVE to take Bar Bri and do exactly what they say. Lots of people fight it and somehow think they know better than BB. You don't. Count on adding $3500 to your student loans. And treat studying like a job. Set a schedule and stick with it.

Passed on the first try, despite computer failing and pulling out the paper in the middle of the PT.

You HAVE to take Bar Bri and do exactly what they say. Lots of people fight it and somehow think they know better than BB. You don't. Count on adding $3500 to your student loans. And treat studying like a job. Set a schedule and stick with it.

Passed on the first try, despite computer failing and pulling out the paper in the middle of the PT.

You HAVE to take Bar Bri and do exactly what they say. Lots of people fight it and somehow think they know better than BB. You don't. Count on adding $3500 to your student loans. And treat studying like a job. Set a schedule and stick with it.

Those of you who failed know in your gut that wrapping your lips around the business end of a 12 gauge shotgun is your only respectable option.

You'd probably fail at that, too, though.

February is usually much lower in CA due to the number of repeaters taking it. Also, they tested a couple of topics that BARBRI advised people to gloss over.

Agree that almost everyone who takes Barbri will be fine. Don't be pennywise and dollar foolish. Also, it doesn't matter if they test on topics that Barbri glosses over. Almost everyone will have prepared through Barbri and be in the exact same position. The July 2008 New York exams had some essays out of left field that Barbri didn't prepare us for at all. But it didn't matter one bit. Passed with flying colors.

61 - Do they give you your scores in NY if you pass? In CA, passers are simply told "Pass." That is, no flying colors.

pass, computer crashed on me TWICE during the test. I had to hand write 4 essays.

Here's the secret : do every essay in the Barbri essay book in a timed environment. Look them over repeatedly. Know, almost by instinct, what issues exist and the format the testers like to see answers. Once you know the essays the MBE and PTs will come naturally.

62, they always give you your MBE. You only get your essay answers if you fail. So, I guess it's a fair point that I don't really know how I did on the essays. But kicked the shit out of the MBE. Think the essays went really well too. But, then again, I think you could even do a lousy job on the essays and pass with a high MBE score.

-61

58, disagree that you have to do what barbri says. I did the self-paced course, made up my own schedule, studied about half the time they said I should, didn't bother submitting a writing sample for comments (if I don't know how to compose an essay by now...), and passed NY on the first try without breaking a sweat.

[Because I passed, I don't know how much margin of error I had. But 169 MBE means I only needed slightly over half the points on the rest of the test...]

64: you're incorrect. If you pass in CA, you get no score at all - not even MBE.

I agree with 65. I'm a natural crammer. I took BarBri's (Sakai's?) advice of not changing what has worked since high school. I did (maybe) 1/3 to 1/2 of what BarBri suggested (I self-studied), didn't submit essays or the practice MBE.

I failed CA the first time (it was painfully close, not that it really matters), tried again, and passed.

I hated the stress of wondering (as opposed to going in and coming out feeling reasonably confident: "I did my best," etc.), but it's how I've always rolled.

I think the safest path is following BarBri perfectly--certainly for peace of mind--but you can certainly pass if you never crack half of the books they give you.

The most important thing, I think, is to not study with anyone. Don't talk to anyone who's studying; don't have a pissing contest about who made more flashcards or shortened BarBri's already condensed CMR outlines. You'll stress yourself out (especially the week or so before the exam, when time just flies). Do what you've always done, and be confident since it's always worked in the past.

67 you are right about doing what works best for you. I was planning to type the bar exam but decided when it came time to pay the fee to hand write it since I have always written it and always passed on the first try. For some reason, I just had a gut feeling it wouldn't be a good idea for me to tempt fate and type. Good thing I listened to my gut...I passed but my friend who typed had some of his answers disappear and he failed the exam. Going with your gut is definitely the way to go when it comes to bar exam prep.

All the commenters patting themselves on the back for passing other state's bars and giving CA takers advice like "if you do well on the MBE the essays don't matter" need to stfu. I passed NY despite skipping half the lectures and only really studying for two weeks before the test. I put five times the effort into CA in July and failed, despite a pretty good MBE. This is a three day test and a third day of torture makes a big difference. Plus it means the MBE only counts about 35%, not 50% like in NY. I'm still reeling from the fact that I passed this time. CA is notoriously tough and I'm sick of reading all the patronizing advice from NY wusses who also find a way to squeeze in some bragging about MBE scores between their tips.

For those who failed: I know exactly how dismal it feels and how hard it is to think about what's in store for the next couple of months (never mind the waiting for results after that - I had to start drinking before noon on Friday). Just know this: when you do pass - and you WILL pass - the victory will be that much sweeter knowing you beat the odds. And I also know that all the shame, frustration, and beating yourself up is going to make you tougher and stronger and quite a bit wiser than the commenters telling you to do what BarBri tells you to do, as if that's insightful tip.

And specifically to No. 54: you are a sorry little turd. How sad that nobody ever taught you that it's really pathetic to kick people when they're down. I do feel some small amount of pity for you though because that one thoughtless and heartless comment on a blog just boomeranged a pretty powerful curse back at you. I will seven years of continuing failures in all aspects of your life upon you. Hang in there.

Power to the (human and therefore fallible) people.

A lot of posters report scoring 169+ on the MBE. Can anyone put that in context? It seems like a really high score. What percentile are those kinds of scores?

i took both CA and NY. passed both on the first attempt. unfortunately, i had to take NY first and thus i could not use my NY MBE from july for my CA feb bar - which meant that i had to take the entire 3 bar exam.

having taken both the full CA bar and the full NY bar, i can say that the CA bar was by far the more difficult bar exam. the 3rd day is grueling and unlike NY, you do not have state specific MC questions. the problem with the NY MC is that they are so brutally hard that they remove themselves from consideration - what is "passing score" for NY MC? 45% right? 50% right? as long s you're a reasonably decent guesser, you'll be able to get by. CA has no such thing. 6 days and 2 3 hr MPTs (that's another thing, the NY MPT is a joke by comparison - think tricycle vs. semi)

with that having been said about the CA bar, i passed without taking bar/bri again and while working full time at NYC biglaw. granted, the entire month of Feb was hell on earth but i was able to pull it off all the same. to those who failed, this is what i advise: take your bar/bri outlines and *memorize* them. the key to the exam is knowing the BLL and being able to build detailed and accurate rule sections in a short period of time. if you're able to do this, you can spend the rest of the alotted hour applying the facts to the rule and arguing both sides of the issue. if, however, you do not have the rule memorized and you resort to fictionalizing the rule sxn, you will lose a huge % of points.

the MBE is overrated for CA. i didn't take a single practice sxn leading up to the feb bar and undoubtedly "failed" it (i'd be shocked if i broke 135). you can make the points up elsewhere - i.e. with quality essays and well formulated MPTs.

anyway, that's my CA bar rant. best of luck to those who have to take it again. heed my advice, forget the review course, *memorize* your outlines, and make sure that you know how to effectively maul the MPT. as long as you do those things, you should be ok.

Everyone certainly doesn't NEED to do what Barbri says. Obviously some people can do a lot less. I did too. But almost everyone who DOES what Barbri says should pass. That's a lot of studying they recommend and their suggested methods are pretty good. Should work for almost everyone.

How do MBE scores breakdown by percentile?

66, we were not talking about CA...the other poster was asking what happens in NY.

-64

69, I took both NY and CA. Moved to CA with my wife before practicing long enough to waive in. I did not think CA was THAT much harder. Marginally harder, yes. A lot? No. And the passage rates bear this out too. About 83% of first time ABA takers passed CA in July 2008, and about 90% passed NY is July 2008.

And putting aside the smugness, the advice to follow the Barbri method is sound. It's laid out well, and if you put the time in and follow their method, you should have no problem memorizing the MBE and structuring essays properly. It's not the only way, but certainly, many more people who think they can 'do it on their own' fail than those who take Barbri.

People always say that the CA bar pass rate is low due to the unaccredited schools. That's part of it, sure, but a pass rate of less than 50% for out of state ABA accredited schools isn't hot. (Nor is a slightly higher than 50% rate for CA ABA schools.)

42, see no. 13.

ABA accredited out of state first timers: 45% pass rate
ABA accredited CA first timers: 53% pass rate

Those aren't good statistics anyway you cut it.

74 -

Nice that you can see your MBE score at least. Passers in CA who want to change jx's are actually not even allowed to see their MBE scores. They must contact the CA state bar and ask if their score is high enough for the jx they want to take the test in.

Really bizarre.

Regardless, congratulations to those who passed. Don't get cocky - being a first-year associate is certainly better than studying full time, but it's also a little bit like a proctology exam (with billables).

-62

Dear ATL, PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) not PST (Pacific Standard Time). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Daylight_Time

I'm another who took both NY and CA. CA is much more of a bitch to take. Three truly miserable days v. two semi-awful days. But I don't think CA is really that much harder to pass or study for.

The essays are more important in CA, so don't neglect them. But I'm also in the camp that Barbri prepares you very well. To those who failed, especially if you didn't take Barbri, I recommend do it and following what they say to a T. And if you're getting low marks on the mock essays going along, they have extra essay-writing workshops you can do.

I'm still shocked at the low pass-rate for first-time ABA takers this round. I don't know the historical rates in February, but they are not bad in July. This surprises me.

I'm another who took both NY and CA. CA is much more of a bitch to take. Three truly miserable days v. two semi-awful days. But I don't think CA is really that much harder to pass or study for.

The essays are more important in CA, so don't neglect them. But I'm also in the camp that Barbri prepares you very well. To those who failed, especially if you didn't take Barbri, I recommend do it and following what they say to a T. And if you're getting low marks on the mock essays going along, they have extra essay-writing workshops you can do.

I'm still shocked at the low pass-rate for first-time ABA takers this round. I don't know the historical rates in February, but they are not bad in July. This surprises me.

I've passed NY, CA (on the second try), and a "hillbilly" state that some of you would make fun of (though it was a 2.5-day exam with a few areas not tested on NY or CA). From reviewing essays (including those from my unsuccessful attempt), CA seems moderately more difficult to me. It's not the material, but the depth of understanding that they demand (i.e. it seems to me to be graded tougher, for what that's worth). Just one opinion, of course, and they are certainly each exams for which too many people try to get by on smarts when you really just have to put in the time to memorize the garbage. Anyone can fail either exam once.

To that point, it is much easier to prep for a bar exam right after graduation than it is to put your practice and life on hold when you start working (or when you've been working for 3, 5, 10 years).

#37 is INCORRECT. You need to be admitted to the bar to be a federal government attorney, although the jurisdiction usually doesn't matter. I suspect most state government jobs require admission, too.

Congrats to everybody who passed, and condolences to those who didn't. I just found out that I passed, and I know it was a combination of hard work (I followed BarBri's schedule pretty closely) and luck (I didn't get sick, have computer problems, or sit next to a person who tapped his foot the whole time, etc.).

I truly believe that bar exams are a form of hazing. They don't necessarily tell if you'll be a good advocate or not; it is just a hoop to jump through. If you didn't pass, hang in there and try it again. Taking it again sucks, but it can be done and you can pass. And whatever jerks like 54 say, it isn't a reflection on your self worth. Ignore people like him.

The Feb 2009 CA bar pass rate was on the low end of the normal range for the Feb exam, but not shockingly low (see, e.g., Feb 2002 - 33.4% passed). The outlier here is the July 2008 exam with a 61.7% overall pass rate -- the highest since 1997. I suspect that the examiners relaxed the grading a bit because of the earth quake that occurred during the exam. They probably didn't want that event to taint the exam and be blamed for a low pass rate.

The fact is that CA is probably the hardest bar to pass in the country (I don't count D.C. because there's simply no good reason to take it when you can take an easier bar and waive into the District. I also don't count DE because only about 200 people take it a year and the passing rate is probably influenced to a disproportionate extent by graduates of a certain large, lower-tier law school in that state). Moreover, if you look at the statistical data on the Natioinal Board of Bar Examiner's web site, it is clear that among ABA law grads, CA concistently has the lowest pass rate -- significantly lower than NY for example. Indeed, CA prides itself on having one of the hardest -- if not the hardest -- bars.

So the point is, why do people persist in trying to gain admission in CA? There are dozens of states that are far easier to pass.

@82: I agree with you that "it is much easier to prep for a bar exam right after graduation." I took CA 15 years after taking my last bar exam (passed on first try), but it was a much harder effort than the first 2 bar exams that I took. Trying to study stuff you barely remember from law school and working full time just sucked. For those trying to pass CA, I found that doing tons of practice essays to be the key. Do 3-5 for each subject tested and grade yourself as harshly as you can and you should pass.

85 - Because many of us can't picture ourselves living anywhere else (other than Portland).

-NorCalGuy

I passed the Feb 2009 CA bar (first time) after passing the July 2008 IL bar (first time).

CA was MUCH harder, both substantively (much more depth required on the essays) and time-wise (that third day really is designed to try to knock you down).

I agree with the people who say to follow Bar Bri, though. If you were to actually do everything they ask of you (which is admittedly a lot), you really should pass.

Also, the most important thing, I think, is to focus on what they want in the essays in CA: a recapitulation of the fact pattern, and subject headings.

That was almost the opposite of what IL wanted; IL wanted rule statements with a fact stapled to each element of the rule. But CA wanted to hear about how you understood the question and then set out a billion little points of law while discussing the facts that apply.

So really, just do what Bar Bri says about the essays. And take Essay Advantage if you need to. But make sure to work, work, work the essays... especially if you are taking the test for the second time. (Most of the MBE info will be very, very fresh in your mind, so there will be less to worry about there.)

And if in doubt on an essay, just add more facts!

87 - all I'm saying is that there are easier ways to becoming a lawyer than going thru CA.

Passed!

85 - Because many of us can't picture ourselves living anywhere else (other than Portland).

-NorCalGuy

85 is right about the pass rates for February 2009 (not that low) and July 2008 (unusually high).

Congrats to those who passed.

88 - in addition to recapitulation of the fact pattern and subject headings, it seemed very important to link to every possible cause of action / topic within a subject..

You have to understand how the issues work together (and, in many instances, don't work together). Figure out how to make sense of this, whether it is straight up memorization or making flashcards on every topic in a subject and posting them to the wall so that you see how they are connected. That way, when they ask you a ridiculous question on, say discovery devices, you can spit them all out. Not that the CA bar examiners would ask about mental examinations . . . .

(passed CA on first time)

#38 posting again.

Really, based on what i've been reading, the grading of this test seems not to be based on a discernible standard. On Friday i was sad as hell. On Saturday I was mad as hell and I still am. I know i wrote a kick ass exam. I feel earnestly that it has been stolen from me. Regrettably, it seems my only option is to petition the Bar examiners committee and/or appeal the grade. Is there any precedent on trying this? Has the bar committee been known to make mistakes? Are appeals ever successful?

~Pissed and looking for blood.

hey folks,

I passed on the second try. I may totally have my head up my ass here, but I think the keys to passing for me were taking barbri and being in the right frame of mind. The first time, I took a knock-off mail-order bar prep called The Study Group--which I wouldn't recommend--hardly took any practice essays, and failed miserably. The second time, I took Barbri, tried to follow it as closely as possible (while working full time), got behind, after that tried to practice as many essays as possible, and didn't care whether I passed or not. During the exam I was totally relaxed. The MBE was never a problem for me, I'm pretty sure I screwed up the essays, and I felt pretty strong on the PTs (Honigsberg's method is priceless). During the evenings after the test days I went out, had a few beers, saw a movie, and slept like a baby. Take home message: relax; don't care so much.

Failed by less than 15 points. I kinda wish I had failed huge... but now I'm confounded by what ifs and shoulda/ woulda/ couldas.

Meeting with a personal tutor for take 2. How bout the rest of you? Any other nasty close fails?

I'm still in shock that I passed Feb 09 in CA. I thought I failed it for sure. (third try). So sure I failed that I didn't check my results till 10pm on the 15th. I read model answers online at thewritingedge.com and my essays were not even close. I'm sure I didn't ace the essays. I did spend lots of time on the MBE subjects and lots of time reading performance exam model answers so maybe that's where my points were "made up". Still in shock.