California Online Bar Review Course and Tutoring Program
The Truth About Your Bar Exam Score(s) and Your Chances of Passing on Your Very Next Attempt.

WILL YOU EVER PASS? Statistically, according to the California Committee of Bar Examiners, sooner or later, 75% of all bar candidates pass the bar exam. Whether you will pass sooner or later, depends a lot on what score(s) you have already achieved.

SOME OPENING THOUGHTS. Can you be guaranteed a "pass"? No. Not by us. Not by any other course. In fact, we would avoid any and every course that offers a "guaranteed pass" program. Such an offering implies that the offeror has no insight into the true essence of the California bar exam, nor the inherent differences in bar candidates.

Don't you think there is a significant difference between a Stanford grad who just missed by 10 points and a non-ABA grad who struggled to gets Cs in law school and just failed by more than 200 points? Don't you think there is a significant difference between a high-LSAT (>172) and a low-LSAT (<155) candidate? Of course there is.

DID YOU SCORE . . .

. . . BELOW 1,200? Unfortunately, there are courses out there that will tell you otherwise, but your chances of going from a score in the 1,100s to passing on your very next attempt are close to impossible. A score in the 1,100s indicates one of two things: (1) the candidate studied overall no more than a few hours, or, (2), if the candidate did study, the candidate is not naturally blessed with the analytical thought process, or skill level, that passes the California bar exam. Not all is lost, though: the candidate can learn the thought process that passes the California bar exam, and improve their skill level, but, still, the candidate most likely will not pass on their very next attempt.

Yes, belief in one's self is a powerful force, but passing the California bar exam requires a high skill level, and positive thinking, without the necessary skill level, will not pass the exam. A score in the 1,100s, especially if the score was achieved with effort, is a good indicator the candidate will probably have to take the California bar exam 2 or 3 more times, at the very least, even with proper tutorial guidance. Anyone telling such a candidate otherwise is not being very forthright and is simply marketing their course.

Frank's case. A few years ago, a gentleman named Frank engaged our services. Frank had just taken the California bar exam for the 11th time. Frank's highest score had been 1286 and his most recent score was 1211. "Frank, we'll be honest, your past 11 scores indicate something is seriously wrong," we told him. "We need to change the way you think, so that we can change the way you write, and so that we can change the way you analyze an MBE question. Honestly, we'll probably be at this a couple more times."
Frank stuck with the process, stuck with Barperfect, and was elated when he passed on his 13th try. (By the way, in 2005, Frank litigated a multi-million-dollar verdict for his own law firm.)

. . . BELOW 1,300 (BUT HIGHER THAN 1,200)? We know candidates with scores in the 1,220s that have passed on their very next attempt. While it is a rarity, we have successfully tutored candidates from this score range.

One candidate, Patrick, a graduate of Cal Western School of Law, came to us with a score of 1228 after his first attempt, and we told him that we could not guarantee he would pass on his very next attempt. He did, but we worked very hard together. He was in our Fullerton office 4-5 days a week, even though he lived in the San Luis Obispo area. He took the train to Fullerton, so that he could study instead of drive, and we would meet him at the train station and we would drive him back to our nearby office for intense tutorials.

Patrick passed, but only because he had set himself up for success: he had quit his job and enrolled in an effective tutorial.

Can you study for the bar exam while working and expect to pass? If your score is below 1,300, you absolutely should not work during the process, either part-time or full-time. There is simply too much to remedy. But if your score is in the 1,300s, you should work only if you absolutely need to work, and part-time would be better than full-time - but a free schedule would be best. If your score is in the 1,400s, you can work, part-time or full-time, no problem. (If, however, you begin the process at least six months before the date of the exam in question, working should not pose a problem for any candidate.)

. . . BELOW 1,400 (BUT HIGHER THAN 1,300)? You can pass on your very next attempt, but only if you do what is necessary to remedy your weaknesses. Sitting in a crowded lecture hall again is certainly not the answer.

Unfortunately, we have run into candidates that have scored in the 1,350-1,399 range the last three or four times they have taken the bar exam. One thing these types of failing candidates have in common is that they pay the repeater fee to their mass-produced course and do not change a thing about the way they are approaching the exam. More law is studied, more law is memorized, but nothing has been done to perfect their skill level. Oh, they might enroll in an essay-writing course that is supposed to give them an "advantage," but a rehash of mechanical IRAC is the last thing a failing candidate needs.

. . . HIGHER THAN 1,400 BUT BELOW 1,440? You will pass on your very next attempt if you do not foolishly try to study by yourself. Keep in mind, even though you came close, you still scored in only the 55th or 60th percentile. (By the way, virtually every candidate that Barperfect has tutored with a score of over 1,400 has passed on their very next attempt. In fact, we have had only three such candidates, in the past 13 years, fail.)

STUDYING BY YOURSELF? Do not do it. Remember, there is more to it than acquiring legal knowledge. If you are about to study by yourself because you are low on funds and cannot afford professional guidance, save some money until you are in a position to invest in a tutorial review. Or, if you are about to study by yourself because you do not have the time to work your way through a regimented course, wait until the time is right.

When is comes to the California bar exam, it is better to underestimate yourself than to overestimate yourself. Do not study by yourself.

SOME CLOSING THOUGHTS. We recommend a thorough review of our Home Page.

 


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