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Ask PASS!

On this Interactive Page of the PASS Website for Law Students, PASS Law Professors answer questions commonly asked by law students. If you have a question that you think addresses an issue that faces other law students as well, please email your question to info@passlaw.com and look for the new Q & A each month.

1. Question: I just found out that I failed the California Bar Exam, and I am devastated. All that work for nothing.
   
   Answer: You are not alone, and your sense of frustration is completely understandable. You worked hard in law school and to prepare for and take this Exam, maybe harder than on anything else in your life. But do not despair. There are advantages you have as a repeat taker too:
   
   

   • Your effort is not all for nothing. The harder you worked before, the easier it should be to pass the next time you take the California Bar Exam. While you may feel that you forgot some (or even many) of the rules, you did not forget what you learned but merely what you memorized!
     
     
   • You likely won't be as nervous as students going in for the first time. You know what to expect, "Been there, done that." Use your relative comfort level as a edge and try to remember just how worried everyone around you really is. Stay calm, and focused. You want this, and you CAN do it.
     
     
   • You can make a thoughtful plan as to how to improve. You will have raw data, the scores from your past California Bar Exam(s) to tell you what you have to work on. Aware of your strengths and weaknesses, you can tailor your studies for success. So, get going! Go out and pass this next Bar Exam!
     
     
     

2. Question: I'm working full time and can only study on the weekends. Can I still pass the Bar?
   
   Answer: Yes! Your challenge is a common one, and the big question is when exactly do you study? Many students who cannot study during the week feel at a disadvantage and try to make up for that by putting in long days, both Saturday and Sunday -getting up early and working late into the night. This is a logical way to react, but not what will usually serve students best in the long run. Slow and steady wins the race. Better to try to fit in, even one hour each weekday and study a full 8 hour day but no more on the weekends. Consider getting up an hour earlier and studying before work, rather than trying to study after a full day of work. Or, if you can, bring a sack lunch to work, close your door or sit somewhere quiet if you do not have a private office and study for an hour each day at lunch.
   
   
   

3. Question: I failed the bar by only 4 points. I was so close!!!
   
   Answer: This is the double edged sword. It's all the more frustrating to not pass when you're that close, on the one hand. On the other hand, this shows you CAN do it!!! Next time, you'll slide right in. The trick is to keep the pressure on, and take it just as seriously this next go around. Hang in there!
   
   
   

4. Question: I am having an issue with law firms, having gone to a school that is not quite Harvard in its reputation, and having once before failed the California Bar Exam. Though I have a solid cover letter and resume, I am not getting a response.
   
   Answer: Developing a track record (of successful employment in the legal field) is key. One's first job (in any new field) may come from the resume, but after that it's often from word of mouth. So, you might want to take whatever the best first job is that you can get (government, small law firm or sole practitioner, or even a volunteer position in a nonprofit legal office—the more prestigious the better). The point is that then, someone can say you did good work for them, and then you will have more choice in where your subsequent employment takes you.
   
   
   

5. Question: Is it really important to write out full answers to practice Essay Questions? Isn't outlining and issue spotting more than enough preparation to pass the California Bar Exam?
   
   Answer: Yes, writing full complete practice questions is really that important. And while issue spotting and outlining are good, they are not enough. We learn by doing. And, what you must DO to Pass the California Bar Exam is write out full and complete passing essay answers to three randomly selected questions in three hours—both on Tuesday and on Thursday of the Bar Exam. So you must prepare by completing essay questions under timed conditions. You have to learn and master the skills of careful reading and analysis, issue spotting, outlining, writing and presentation. You must not only know all the important rules and theories, but you must memorize those rules in a logical order, phrased succinctly enough that you can effectively call them up from your memory files, access them, and write or type them in thoughtful, organized, and neatly presented paragraphs.
   
   
   

6. Question: How critical is presentation on Bar Exam Essay and Performance Test Questions?
   
   Answer: Presenting what you have written in a logical, easy-to-read format is indispensable on the Bar Exam. Graders must determine whether you thinklike a lawyer in a matter of minutes. Therefore it is critical to outlineyour answers and set them up with headings and subheadings that direct thegraders to easily spot the key points you have addressed. You should alsoselectlively underline or otherwise emphasize key terms and concepts, and,where appropriate, case names, such as in Constitutional law orConstitutional Criminal Procedure. The easier your answers are to read, theeasier it is for a grader to determine that you have what it takes topractice law and that you deserve to pass the California Bar Exam.