While any bar exam is difficult, California’s is notoriously difficult. In our state, you must maneuver challenging California-specific laws—and face a higher cut score higher than most other jurisdictions.
The good news is that initial statistics suggest that the California Supreme Court’s decision to lower the cut score (from 1440 to 1390) may lead to higher pass rates. The October 2020 overall pass rate was about 61%—up about 20% from July 2019. However, don’t be lulled into a false sense of security.
Under the intense pressure to pass the California Bar Exam, many test-takers falter under pressure. But don’t worry! You can remedy these issues and even pass your second or third time with the right approach.
Here are 5 proven tactics—based on our 10+ years of experience successfully training students—to help you pass.
1. Write for the grader using properly formatted headings.
Communication is all about keeping your audience front of mind when writing. And as someone taking the bar exam, you generally know what point you’re trying to make, but you may fail to make that entirely clear for the bar grader.
As you proofread your essay or grade your own practice essays, you naturally read between the lines and fill in gaps of reasoning that you don’t realize are there.
Bar graders don’t give you the benefit of the doubt (trust us, we know former bar graders).
This is why you must always use formatted headers for every legal issue and sub-issue.
Make sure you differentiate your headers to let the grader know that you know duty is a sub-element of negligence. Our approach is to make:
- a main legal issue header bolded
- a sub-issue underlined
- a sub-sub-issue italicized
By following this formula, it’s easier for the grader to give you the points you deserve.
Essays written with the most clarity score the most points. Guaranteed.
Interested in free bar essay feedback from our team of CA Bar instructors? Submit a request here.
2. Practice studying actively (don’t just rely on flashcards).
Studying to pass the California Bar Exam can be enjoyable. You rock out on your headphones while studying MBE flashcards… while sitting across from a fellow J.D. who’s reading outlines.
But did you know that simply reading information isn’t the best way to encode it in memory?
While reviewing flashcards and memorizing outlines, you may be avoiding closed-book, timed essay writing—which falls under the category of “active learning.” Passive learning, like reading outlines and flashcards, is one of the least effective ways to learn.
Learn the law by using it. That means diving into those essays, practicing performance tests, and also getting detailed substantial feedback on your essays afterward. You’ll learn more from bombing a practice essay than you ever would from reading your outline for the millionth time. So study smarter, not harder.
3. Learn the fundamental components of MBE questions (don’t just “pick and pray”).
Did you know that every MBE answer choice has three components?
If you know these components, you can quickly eliminate wrong answers to reduce any unnecessary guesswork. Each MBE answer choice has three parts:
- The result
- The connector
- The reasoning
The Result
The result is the answer to the question: What happens with these facts?
For example, the result might be that a law is unconstitutional. You can narrow down your answer choices when you determine with the result matches the category of the question.
So, if the result has something to do with the Constitution, but it’s clearly a Torts question, cross that distractor answer off—and move on.
The Connector
The connector is the smallest part of the answer choice, yet it might be the most important.
It sets the condition for the result to be true or false. Think of words like “if,” “because,” or “unless.”
Pay close attention to what connectors the examiners use, because if you read too quickly, you could get tripped up.
The Reasoning
The reasoning is where your law knowledge and application skills really come in.
It’s also where the examiners try to trick you the most. If a reasoning component contains a rule that isn’t quite right—for example, if it says that all relevant evidence is admissible—then trust yourself when you flinch at it.
Often, examiners will include misstatements of the law in the reasoning section, making you second-guess your own knowledge. Don’t fall for it.
There are so many red flags that show up in the reasoning component of an MBE question—too many for a single blog post, but you can learn them all in our comprehensive MBE course, MBE DNA.
4. Don’t let test-day logistics get in your way (even when taking the bar online).
While no one is sure how long California’s Bar Examination will remain online, we know that the exam will be administered remotely in July 2021.
Though taking the bar examination at home definitely has some benefits—free parking, easy access to snacks during breaks, and an easy commute to the testing site—it also presents some challenges. After the October 2020 exam, a third of test-takers (more than 3,000) had their proctoring videos flagged for review. That said, only a small percentage of those test-takers actually received violation notices.
Take steps to avoid the stress of being flagged in the first place: Make sure that you follow instructions to the letter. Bookmark this page on the Cal Bar website and check it frequently for updates!
5. Follow a rigorous study formula.
Based on our experience, students who casually study don’t pass. To increase your chance of passing the bar, we recommend a rigorous formula for studying, such as our comprehensive, online California Bar Exam course.
And to serve the full range of students’ needs, we offer everything from hourly tutoring and a CA Essays workshop series to MBE DNA, a program for mastering every MBE topic (comes with our California Bar Exam course). Our faculty teach both students who are taking the CA Bar and those taking the UBE.
Visit the BarMD Shop + choose the right program for you >
Unsure of which program to select? You can always email hello@bar-md.com or call 877-942-2763.
