Law School Graduates Would Rather Die Than Fail The Bar Exam

You are not alone. It is possible to overcome bar exam failure.

depressed sad womanWelcome to the latest installment of The Struggle, a series where we examine the mental-health issues that students encounter during the oftentimes grueling law school experience. We are posting these stories because sometimes what law students really need is to know that they’re not alone in their pain. Sometimes what law students need is to know that they’ve got a friend who is willing to share not just in their triumphs, but also in their struggles. These are real e-mails and messages we’ve received from real readers.

If these issues resonate with you, please reach out to us. Your stories need to be heard. You can email us, text us at (646) 820-8477, or tweet us @atlblog. We will share your stories anonymously. You may be able to help a law student who needs to know that someone else has been there before and survived.

Results from the February 2017 bar exam are out in several states, and we’ve received a deluge of emails concerning law school graduates’ bar-exam-related despair. We’re publishing two of them here today to let our readers know that they are not the only ones plagued by these thoughts. It is possible to overcome bar exam failure, pass on a subsequent try, and go on to an illustrious career, in the law or otherwise.


I failed the bar exam three times, and every time it felt like my world around me collapsed. Everything I’ve done up until this time was useless and for nothing. It was the biggest disappointment in my entire life. But I had a good support system in my family and then my wife. I kept trying and never gave up. I passed the 4th time. Every time I failed, it felt like my life was over. Like I had nothing to live for and I was a huge disappointment to me my family and everyone around me. This was all happening while I had debt a wife and no job because I was relying on passing the bar to get a job. Eventually, I started looking for JD jobs and not lawyer jobs, which helped me get by.


I wanted to add some more color to the issue of people fearing their bar exam results and contemplating the worst in the event of failure. It so happened that the day I was set to receive my bar exam results (NY), I was also waiting to hear from my doctor about whether or not a surgical biopsy of lymph nodes would come back benign or malignant. The pressures of law school are so great, and the thoughts of failing the bar so daunting, that I seriously hoped that if I had to fail one, it would be the biopsy. I thought that my chances of surviving cancer were greater than my chances of surviving failing the bar. Happily, I received good news on both fronts that day. But it strikes me that something is seriously wrong with our profession if this is how we approach these results.

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Most colleges and universities have counseling and psychological services resources that students and graduates can turn to if they are in crisis or would like counseling, even after hours. If these services are not available at your school, and if you’re depressed and in need help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) or a lawyer assistance program in your state. Remember that you are loved, so please reach out if you need assistance, before it’s too late. Don’t become a statistic — seek help.


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky is an editor at Above the Law. She’d love to hear from you, so feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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