Results from July 2018
Results are either out from the July 2018 exam or they will be out soon. You might have read that there is a 34-year low when it comes to the multiple-choice section (the MBE) of the bar exam. It’s like a Great Depression for the Bar Exam. This type of information does a lot to fuel the anxiety of future bar exam takers, which is something that I want to address here.
The Bar Exam Is Messing With My Feelings
There is an emotional component to the bar exam that can really mess with our heads. While I hope this is something we can all overcome, I do want to address some common issues among my students.
You name it, I have seen it. Students have gone through divorces, had loved ones pass away, heartbreak, financial catastrophes, and more all while studying for the bar. Other personal issues have been less severe but are nonetheless extremely distracting. To say “ignore it” or “get over it” assumes that we are robots while studying for the bar exam. We are not. While some can compartmentalize feelings more easily than others (oh to be them!), there is always an inevitable distraction that comes along with personal issues when studying for an exam that doesn’t care about our personal issues.
When I meet with our wonderful Attorney Instructors, a large part of training focuses on the fact that they will not only be instructors, but will also provide emotional support and guidance. If one of my instructors is unwilling to do that, then this is not the company for them.
For particularly severe circumstances, you can talk to with your therapist, instructor, someone close to you, or anyone here at LawTutors about whether your situation is something in which postponing the exam seems like the best solution. Usually this involves a thoughtful analysis of what you are going through and the circumstances at hand.
In most cases, however, postponement of the exam isn’t always the best answer. There is a common theme I am going to bring up in this touchy-feely letter to you, and that is no matter what you feel, do the behavior that you know is good for you, even if you are not motivated at all to do it. Eventually, the motivation and feelings with catch up with the behavior. This is very different then telling you how you should feel, as that is wholly unfair, but there are things you can do, even if you feel awful, to bring about results that you must achieve.
Pessimism can engrain itself in our heads and make us doubt our own ability. While it would be great if everyone taking the bar had perfect self-confidence, that is not always the case. I know how much confidence can get in the way of your talent. Students can be unsure about their ability to pass the exam. I either read this or dreamt it one day, but I learned this: Pessimism is truly a product of a past event/events that has shaped our belief system in some way, where optimism gives us the power and strength to imagine our futures in a positive way. The key now, is changing that “beating myself up” pessimism to an optimistic outlook on your own potential.
-Tania