The California Bar Exam: Challenges for a Repeat Taker

Know Why You Failed and Establish a Roadmap to Passing

One of the most effective ways to improve your performance is by understanding where you went wrong. Once you identify why you failed, you can then set a new roadmap to that north star of passing. We call it the Failed Exam Review, which is simply a no nonsense discussion on why you failed and identifying what aspects of IRAC require improvement. Once that’s in place, then crafting a study schedule to address these issues follows. Set aside enough time—ideally 10 weeks or more—and break down each day with specific goals. It's important to give equal attention to the essay portion, multiple-choice (MBE), and performance test (PT), ensuring you're well-prepared across all areas of the exam.

Focus on the Essays

The essay portion is crucial to passing the bar, yet many repeaters struggle with it. To succeed, you need a game plan. It starts with an overall approach to the essays, a game plan for time management and how to approach each subject. Of course you need to be comfortable identifying key issues and applying the relevant law to fact patterns, but make sure you have that approach for each subject. Start by regularly practicing full essay questions under timed conditions by subject, then compare your answers to high-scoring examples from past exams. Resources like BarEssays.com and BarGraders x Educato can help you understand what graders are looking for in passing essays.

Practice with Purpose

The key to success on both the MBE and essay sections is consistent, focused practice. Doing 50 MBE questions a day and thoroughly reviewing each answer—not just the correct ones but also your mistakes—will help solidify your understanding of the law in context. And don’t guess at the MBEs - it’s better to review the ones you got wrong than to guess and get it right on practice MBEs. For essays, focus on outlining and spotting the issues first, then work on developing full written responses as your confidence grows. Application, application, application…. and don’t forget conclusions.

Prioritize Time Management

Effective time management is critical, especially during the exam itself. Many repeaters run out of time, particularly on the Performance Test, which weighs heavily in the overall score. During your study sessions, simulate exam conditions by practicing with strict time limits for each reading the exam question, outlining, and writing your answer. By mastering time management in practice, you’ll be better equipped to handle the pressure on test day.

Stay Resilient

Finally, remember that repeating the bar exam can take an emotional toll. Use the time during the holidays to hunker down and don’t feel sorry for yourself. Remember, you are not alone. Sometimes more than half the test takers fail. Maintaining a positive mindset, keeping a north star of passing, and preventing burnout are essential for success. Build in some rest days during your study plan to stay refreshed and ready to tackle the material. Don’t forget to get some air and go for short walks between practice exams. The California Bar Exam is not just about memorization—it’s about having a game plan for each subject, practice exams, and working on the test taking skill sets of IRAC - identify the issues, state the rule, applying the facts effectively, and making a conclusion.

By following these strategies and maintaining consistent effort, you can improve your performance and increase your chances of passing the California Bar Exam, even if it takes multiple attempts.