Hello All,
For those of you who are waiting for bar results, I wish you the very best of luck! In less than 24 hours you will learn whether you have passed the California bar exam!
I want to thank all who have written in and who have made comments on this blog. I am very thankful for your following and appreciate your feedback and support. The blog has received over 270,00 views . . . thank you for reading and for spreading the word.
I want to address some of the common questions and concerns I receive around this time of year.
1. If I fail the bar exam, will I get my scores right away? (Note, I have written extensively about “what to do if you fail the bar exam” and will do so again. You can search this blog for earlier posts that provide advice on what to do in the event you fail the exam). If you fail the bar exam you will not get your scores immediately. However, the bar examiners will send you your scores via regular mail right away. Most examinees receive their scores by the following Monday or Tuesday after bar results are released. The only information you will receive from the state bar website’s pass list is whether you are on the list or not. If you passed you will know because you will see your name and will be told that your name “appears on the pass list”. If you do not pass the exam, you will essentially only be told that “your name does not appear on the pass list” (this is the message that a person receives on the state bar website at http://www.calbar.org if they have not passed). This leads me to the next commonly asked question . . .
2. If I receive the message: “your name does not appear on the pass list”, could it be a mistake? Well, sure, it is possible. But, not very likely. Rumors that people have been told they failed online and then received letters in the mail that they had in fact actually passed are just that – rumors. In past years, the state bar exam website has crashed (due to high traffic). However, when this has happened examinees were simply delayed in obtaining their results until the site was up and running again. To my knowledge, the crash did not result in anyone receiving incorrect results. So, the short answer is: no, sadly, if you receive the message “your name does not appear on the pass list” then it is pretty certain indicator that you have failed the exam. I get this question quite a bit on the evening of bar results and I always feel so badly that examinees sometimes are left wondering if there could be a mistake. It just goes to prove how difficult this exam is and how you can study incredibly hard and still not pass. So don’t be too hard on yourself if you get bad news. Instead, work on figuring out why you did not pass and then address those issues.
Should you learn that you did not pass, know that you have time to come up with a solution: a game plan, a strategy for passing the next exam. (Don’t let any bar review provider pressure you into committing to a program immediately. There is time. It is important that you take some time to find the right fit for you – don’t allow yourself to be bullied. I hate to use that word, but, quite frankly some bar review providers are pretty aggressive – others are not – trust your instincts and don’t let anyone push you around).
Here’s hoping you are not looking for another bar review course, but instead are looking for where to be sworn in . . . we will provide a list of swearing in locations soon – check back – we will post this information soon.
Also, please spread the word – we will be offering workshops on “How to Pass the California Bar Exam” (See details below).
All the best to all who are waiting for results!
Our next “How to Pass the California Bar Exam” workshop will be held on Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Workshop attendees will receive free handouts (including selected Bar Exam Writing Templates). Space is limited. To reserve your space, contact us at: (949) 891-8831 or via email at: pass@barnonereview.com
